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Omg this is such a joke i guess you need to never open your car windows again either, and don’t forget to put on your protective gear when you enter and exit the vehicle. If you’re that scared of the air outside. I’m 65 years old and love driving with my windows open this Coronavirus has not stopped me from living, i wear a face mask, i carry hand sanitizer my wife took a job as a cashier at Walmart Till her regular dental job starts, with no protection from people being 2 feet from her face. She’s 62 and not in a panic state like so many people are. Wear your mask till a vaccine is developed i made it through the swine flue ok.
And the exhaust fluid too...oh, wait, that's a real thing now...
Seriously though, if a 'service tech' told me to replace the cabin filter due to covid, that would be the *last* time they got my business...and I'd probably use a few impolite words to say so.
Unless you are in an underground bunker, with ceramic air filters, capable of microfiltration and, in addition, air being run through long tube with UV light, there is no way to prevent infection with more than microscopic organisms. That we have in us already anyway.
Masks etc help as much, as chain link fence does to deter mosquitoes.
They are going to put an N95 Cabin filter for you. Now that would cost $1499.00 plus tax.
Actually it would cost you $16.76 (for the specific filter model listed below) and your time to pop the glovebox down and install it. Your blower motor has enough power to draw air through it.
Cabin air filters equivalent to an N95 mask do exist. Actually they are closer to an N99 or N100 mask in performance.
HEPA filtration is plenty adequate. This particular filter is rated to 99.97% at 0.3 microns. That is superior to an N95 which is rated at 95.0% or greater at 0.3 micron.
Not all vehicle cabin air filters are HEPA rated, but I am pretty sure even the cheapo ones are in the 95-98% range which are N95 equivalent.
So yes, I know that this thread is laughing at the dealership for pushing this as a Covid specific service, but this sort of technology does exist.
I change my cabin air filter every spring regardless....I have seasonal allergies so I get right in my car and crank the A/C with recirc on. Am I completely sealed off? Of course not.
Last edited by BostonMike7; 05-08-2020 at 12:09 PM..
Actually it would cost you $16.76 (for the specific filter model listed below) and your time to pop the glovebox down and install it. Your blower motor has enough power to draw air through it.
Cabin air filters equivalent to an N95 mask do exist. Actually they are closer to an N99 or N100 mask in performance.
HEPA filtration is plenty adequate. This particular filter is rated to 99.97% at 0.3 microns. That is superior to an N95 which is rated at 95.0% or greater at 0.3 micron.
Not all vehicle cabin air filters are HEPA rated, but I am pretty sure even the cheapo ones are in the 95-98% range which are N95 equivalent.
So yes, I know that this thread is laughing at the dealership for pushing this as a Covid specific service, but this sort of technology does exist.
I change my cabin air filter every spring regardless....I have seasonal allergies so I get right in my car and crank the A/C with recirc on. Am I completely sealed off? Of course not.
I've been buying those from Rock Auto and for my truck its cheaper than Amazon. Good filter for sure.
And the exhaust fluid too...oh, wait, that's a real thing now...
Seriously though, if a 'service tech' told me to replace the cabin filter due to covid, that would be the *last* time they got my business...and I'd probably use a few impolite words to say so.
I’d tell him to take the car off the lift and forget doing any work.
The cabin filter should be changed on a regular basis anyway.
Every used car that I have purchased - the cabin filter has never been replaced (dirty). Most don't even know that they have a cabin filter.
As some have stated. The cabin filter is not a N95 filter.
But should be changed on a regular basis. In humid climates - mold can get in there.
Then isn't that what should be sold to the customer, not "oh it'll protect you from coronavirus?"
(I mean, if nothing else, if they were smart, it would. Otherwise, a while down the road, it's going to be "and do you want to change your cabin air filter?" and the customer is going to say "No, don't need it, COVID is over.")
Manufacturers recommend replacing cabin air filters based on time intervals, but it really depends more on how much the vehicle is driven AND on the conditions where you are.
More miles = higher frequency of changes.
Higher humidity = higher frequency of changes.
Higher pollen and dust levels = higher frequency of changes.
If she or you can smell mustiness in the car that doesn’t come from carpeting or upholstery or something left inside the vehicle, then it’s time to to at least check the cabin air filter. It is probably time to replace it.
In my truck, the thing is a PITA to replace. Simple, purely mechanical procedure with no adjustments involved, but access and actual way of opening the pathway to the filters is finicky, and one part is easily broken off. The first time mine was replaced, a mechanic must have broken it off, because I discovered that when I began replacing it myself after the first time. The filter is a little pricey but the REAL gouge is the labor charge. Even I can change it in less time than they allow, even with the PITA factor.
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