Highlander Cabin Air Filter

[nodrogkam]

Just wondering if my 05' Highlander V6 2wd had a cabin airfilter. I did a simple search and didnt find anything.

Thanks for any help. Always appreciate it!

[humanoid]

Capt. Obvious here, but did you check your owner's manual yet?

[nodrogkam]

wow...was TN down for abit there?

hahah manual...what is this manual u speak of?

actually i did browse through it shockingly enough; but just to learn about some of the new features i've never seen/used before. But since you suggested it, i flipped through and it wasnt in the index/table of contents...so i went ahead and just started going through the book, finally stumbling upon it. It does have a filter like i thot, but its not one of those easy to remove ones....
gotta take out the glove box, unscrew something, unlatch and pull out the filter tray and then check/replace filter. It didnt specify approx how often i should replace/check it...i guess i wait until the airflow is sort of restiricted or i see dust particles comming in? The manual is very vague about this...its not even mentioned as part of routine service check.

[humanoid]

I would take a look at it every other oil change or so just to make sure the filter isn't too dirty or anything.

[ShawnM]

They generally say to replace or at least check it every 15K miles.

[toto]

Those cabin air filters are pretty expensive at the dealer... between $20 and $30!

You should be able to get at least 20,000 miles out of it with no problem, but do keep an eye on it to make sure there aren't any leaves or dead bugs caught in it. Some dealers will insist on changing it with every oil change, but I think that's a ploy to puff up the profit on an oil change.

Look at it now to find out what color it is. Some are made from gray material, not white as you would expect. If you don't see it when it's clean, then you'll think its dirty before it really is.

[nodrogkam]

Thanks for everyones promp replies! I really appreciate it! Well that car is mainly my moms and we trade cars during the weekend when she goes out to Oaktown since she doesnt want it to get keyed or stolen.... so i wont really be able to see it till next weekend. How much pressure should i be applying to the glove box?

As for the 20-30 dollars...its worth it if its a good filter and keeps our allergies to a minimum during allergy season. For those of you without allergies you dont know how dangerous and hard it is to drive when ur constantly sneezing and cannot see the road.

[toto]

You'll have to look carefully at the glovebox to see how it's held in there. I imagine you need to get the stops out of the sides so that the glovebox just opens farther than it normally would. I don't think you'd actually have to disassemble the glovebox and remove the frame from the dashboard.

You shouldn't need to squeeze the sides, either. The stops I've seen are designed to come out, and they are held in with a giant knob that comes out with a 1/4 turn.

[nodrogkam]

that would make more sense but its not really what the manual pictured and wrote...

[RAV4Don]

I replaced that filter on wifey's RX300. It was not bad to change but as mentioned above is very expensive to buy a new one at the dealer. It is a whimpy looking filter for a HEPA grade. I wonder if one could clean rather than replace it?

[nodrogkam]

u could prolly slap the crap outta it and beat the dust and particles out (thats sorta what i do for the engine filter (rather i vacume it).

[edphighlader04]

Buy a new one from autopartswharehouse.com $20.46

The dealer will charge $89 to replace it.

I was just looking at them today. I would replace it every 30K unless you drive in exremely dusty conditions then every 15K.

[nodrogkam]

Thanks.

[91mr2]

Try eBay. I think I paid $13-$15 or so for an OEM filter from toyota. It's a 10 minute job.