Just changed the cabin air filter...

[touringcamry]

there was more sand in that thing than my little cousins' shoes after they go the play ground. I'm not lying, I put the thing on a shipping scaled and it weighed .5 lbs. I couldn't even hold one corner without the rest of it sagging.

I flipped it over and sand just came pouring out all over my driveway.

Took all of 5 minutes though. Gotta say that the orginal filter is quite a bit more substantial than the Wix one I bought. The Toyota filter has about 3 times as many pleats and has what looks like adhesive going across to act as some kind of support for the filter.

The filter is the original that came with the car purchased Dec 2006 and driven for 170xx miles. Car was built in Japan if anyone cares.

[njerald]

Mine was just a little gray with a couple of leaf pieces at 27,000 miles but I stick to paved roads.

More pleats = more filter area = fewer changeouts.

[touringcamry]

Originally Posted by njerald

More pleats = more filter area = fewer changeouts.

Yeah, definitely. Are you using Toyota filters? Do they look like the original in my photo above?

I know that the oil filter that originally came with the car is completely different from the oil filters that the dealers sell. I cut the original filter open and I've never seen anything like it. The filter material was concentric rather than radial. I wish I took some photos of it.

[njerald]

Originally Posted by touringcamry

Yeah, definitely. Are you using Toyota filters? Do they look like the original in my photo above?

I know that the oil filter that originally came with the car is completely different from the oil filters that the dealers sell. I cut the original filter open and I've never seen anything like it. The filter material was concentric rather than radial. I wish I took some photos of it.

Yes, mine looked the same.

I'm using a $12 EBAY filter now. I'll probably change after 20,000 miles next time.

Didn't look inside the first factory oil filter when I did my first oil change. I use Toyota oil filters.

[skyxliner]

i'm a little cheap so i frequently take out the filter and knock out the sand and reuse.... this way it doesn't get so concentrated that it's permanently dirty haha... but i'ma change it eventually.

i notice it does affect the air flow of the AC and FAN though

[jjthenovice]

When I changed my cabin air filter, I used an original Toyota filter and it did not look the same as the one I took off. There was substantially less pleats. It looked similar to touringcamry's.

[touringcamry]

Originally Posted by skyxliner

i'm a little cheap so i frequently take out the filter and knock out the sand and reuse.... this way it doesn't get so concentrated that it's permanently dirty haha... but i'ma change it eventually.

i notice it does affect the air flow of the AC and FAN though

The sand was not in the filter. The sand that came out was just sitting on top of it either because the particles were too big or the filter was already saturated.

[Dana_15]

I have to change the one in my 4Runner about every 6 months, that OEM filter is like a piece of paper, no pleats.....I have to change my Tundras cabin air filter, maybe tommorrow.

[TRD VVTi]

I also bang my filter out every once in a while.

Toyota actually went from 15,000 mile changes to cleaning them at 15,000 miles and changing them at 30,000 miles. Personally, I haven't had to change mine yet.

[Dna_splice]

i changed mine a while back it was pretty dirty
i think the trips from LA to Oakland did a toll haha

also these fires in LA are dropping a butt load of ash everywhere
once the subside ima clean mine out again

[azntoyotadriver]

i just change mine every 8 months or so just so i get cleaner air coming in

[njerald]

Originally Posted by azntoyotadriver

i just change mine every 8 months or so just so i get cleaner air coming in

The air doesn't get any cleaner, there is just more airflow.

[willt]

Originally Posted by Dna_splice

i changed mine a while back it was pretty dirty
i think the trips from LA to Oakland did a toll haha

also these fires in LA are dropping a butt load of ash everywhere
once the subside ima clean mine out again

haha yes ashes are every where this weekend so i decided not do do some washing maybe next weekend would be good

[JustAnotherAsian]

Originally Posted by njerald

The air doesn't get any cleaner, there is just more airflow.

on the other hand, there is a slight odor when you're getting air through a dirty filter. but true, the cleanliness of the air isn't affected, just the efficiency/airflow.

buy a bunch of oem filters. i'm usually told by the toyota dealer to change these every 20,000-30,000 mi, or every 4-6 visits. my car is in the "fresh-air" mode probably 90% of the time.

[CharmCityES]

i usually change mine out once a year....the driving conditions here arent too harsh....the filter usually just gets gray in color and have a few sticks/leaves in the pleats...nothing too serious...
i tend to change mine in april before the pollen season hits...it helps my allergies