"Sn210" (sn210)
07/26/2014 at 12:36 • Filed to: The shadetree
3
16|
"Sn210" (sn210)
07/26/2014 at 12:36 • Filed to: The shadetree | 3
| 16 |
My father in-law was ordering a cabin air filter for his Accord off Amazon, so I asked him to order one for me too. $8! I haven't checked mine yet in seven months of ownership, so better now than never. After consulting YouTube, I learned this wasn't going to as easy as my former Civic. Let me tell you the steps you take with the Civic...
1) empty your shit
2) release the glovebox tabs
3) flip the glovebox down
4) pull out the filter assembly and swap filters!
5) reverse steps, and you're done.
You would think that a car of the same year and of the same manufacturer would have the same simple method, but no. Here's how you change the cabin air filter in a 2008 Acura TL Type S:
1) pull down the lower kick panel under the glovebox starting on the upper right side and prying down and across to your left.
2) Empty your shit!
3) Locate two of these push pins on the upper portion of the glovebox assembly.
I used a small flathead screwdriver to push in the middle, which releases the clip and allows the pin to come out.
4) You need to reset the pin by pulling the outer tabs out to pull the middle pin backwards. You'll need to do this for a later step.
5) Unhook this clippy thing from the right side. It's the slide for the glovebox and needs to be un clipped so you can drop it
6) After opening the glovebox all the way, release the sides by pulling these two tabs inwards. The box will swing all the way down and out of the way.
7) Remove these two screws using a Philips screwdriver. These hold the glovebox assembly to the dash.
8) Starting from the back corner, pull and pry the glovebox assembly off the dash. I used medium pressure to release it from the clips.
9) There are two wiring harnesses you'll need to unhook. Once unplugged, you can remove the entire glovebox assembly out of the way and out of the car.
THERE IT IS! Now I can check the filter to see if I even need to change it...
10) Pull the two tabs on either side of the filer tray inward to release, and then you can slide the tray back towards you.
11) Swap your filters. Make sure they're the same size, the same direction, and the "airflow indicator" is pointing the same way as the marking on the filter tray.
12) Pop the tray back in so the tabs click
13) reconnect your plugs
14) Push the glovebox assembly back into position onto the dash. Make sure everything is aligned correctly.
15) Reinstall the two philip's head screws
16) Insert those reset push pins back into their holes, and then push the center pin in to reset.
17) Swing the glovebox back up into place and reattach the clippy thing on the right side.
18) Snap the kick panel back into place. Watch for any wires that might get in the way. You'll have wires from the blower motor and courtesy lights to deal with.
Done. 18 steps may seem unnecessary, but they were all really easy to do. I can see why some TL owners take their Dremel tools to the back of the glovebox. I like to check and replace my cabin filters every year, because allergens hate me. This cost me $8 and 15 minutes of my Saturday. A quick Google search told me I would have spent between $50-$80 to have the dealership do this.
lonestranger
> Sn210
07/26/2014 at 12:46 |
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$8? Looks like you get what you pay for. The dirty one has way more pleats.
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Sn210
> lonestranger
07/26/2014 at 12:51 |
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I've put less than 5000 miles on it since January, so I'm not worried about it. If I lived in a city or in a dustier location, I'd invest in a higher quality filter.
sefeing, actually bought an E46
> Sn210
07/26/2014 at 13:04 |
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Sounds exactly like the steps I needed to take on my Mazda3. Absurdly hard.
And the Mazda3 had TWO filters. Stacked vertically. So you had to put one in, contort your hand, and hold it up while you wiggled the bottom one in. Feet on the seat's headrest the whole time. Took me an hour and a half to do.
About to do the one on my Focus ST, which is way easier from what I read.
Burrito de EJ25
> Sn210
07/26/2014 at 13:47 |
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Wow, fuck that.
The process is the same in my WRX as it was for your civic. Remove crap from glove box, unhinge glove box, let glove box drop, replace filter,...etc.
Do you think luxury brands just overcomplicate things simply because they feel they can charge people extra to replacing/fix things?
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Sn210
> sefeing, actually bought an E46
07/26/2014 at 13:56 |
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now THATS overly complicated
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sefeing, actually bought an E46
> Sn210
07/26/2014 at 13:58 |
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Yeah, back when I did it, I was thoroughly warned via the Mazda3 forums that it was a nightmare to do, but I didn't want to pay dealer prices (of course)
Captain of the Enterprise
> Sn210
07/26/2014 at 14:10 |
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Super easy on my 2005 Crown Vic, do nothing because they don't come with a cabin air filter. Seriously I'm not even kidding. #pantherlove
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Sn210
> Burrito de EJ25
07/26/2014 at 14:13 |
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that's the way it should be! And yeah I think every manufacture tries to nickel and dime us with basic maintanence stuff, just read sefeing's comment about his Mazda3's filters
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Sn210
> Captain of the Enterprise
07/26/2014 at 14:15 |
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haha yeah I don't think cabin filters became much of "a thing" until the later 2000's.
AM3R
> Sn210
07/26/2014 at 14:39 |
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it's surprisingly way easier in my 328i.
It's under the hood right at the bottom of the windshield. Remove 8 screws, pull it out, put new one in, put the cover back on and bam. All done.
Jcarr
> Sn210
07/26/2014 at 14:49 |
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Much less complicated in our MkV Jetta, but in order to do it I have to recline the seat all the way and then climb in upside down so my head is in the footwell and my feet are straddling the head rest.
I'm usually pretty light headed by the time I'm done.
If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
> Sn210
07/26/2014 at 14:54 |
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The FIL has a dog, doesn't he?
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If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
> Sn210
07/26/2014 at 15:02 |
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I Macgyver'd myself one and it's been working pretty well. The cabin air intake on my car already has a plastic grille covering the opening, so I just cut a dryer vent filter to fit. They're like, $3 for a ten-pack, so it's super cheap. Changing it is as simple as popping off the cowl underneath the windshield.
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Sn210
> If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
07/26/2014 at 16:30 |
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haha yeah, I should probably vacuum...
INDYDFX- Daily FiSTer
> Sn210
07/27/2014 at 08:17 |
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The one in my ST was such a pain in the ass that I actually haven't bothered to put a new one in yet...
sketchcat
> If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
08/02/2014 at 19:40 |
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a white one. i can tell. im a supersleuth.