Ron Badorek's Auto Repair
1405 North 22nd Street, Decatur, IL 62526 217.428.5224

Simple Answers from Ron Badorek's Auto Repair: Cabin Air Filter

Last Updated: May 23, 2019

Question

My car has a bad odor when I run the heater or air conditioner. My friend said I might need a new cabin air filter – what’s that?

Answer

A cabin air filter is a special filter that cleans the air that comes into the passenger compartment – or cabin – of your vehicle. Most new vehicles now have a cabin air filter.

A cabin air filter catches dust, pollen, spores and other pollutants before they can get into your cabin. It’s kind of like the filter on your furnace, cleaning the air you breathe inside.

As you can imagine, it eventually gets filled up and can even start to get smelly. So – you just have it replaced. Now some are easy to access, and others are tougher to get to. Your service technician will be able to take care of it for you.

Your owner’s manual likely has a recommendation for when to replace the cabin air filter. If you live and drive where there is a lot of dust, pollen or pollution, the filter will fill up quicker. Of course, if you’re getting a bad odor bring it to the attention of your service advisor.

Give us a call

Ron Badorek's Auto Repair
1405 North 22nd Street
Decatur, IL 62526
217.428.5224