Anything Wrong w/ Cheap Cabin and Engine Air Filters?

this stuff is shipped from China, you'll get it in a month.

You can alternatively buy the Fram filters on Amazon for about $9.

 

As a rule, I tend not to trust unknown Chinese made stuff, unless I'm saving a considerable amount of time and money. In your case, the savings is about the cost of a Starbucks coffee, so it's probably not worth the hassle

 

the issue i have with non oem cabin filters is they don't fit right, which means less filtered air, and more debris getting into the fan.
i change mine so infrequently, it's worth paying of a decent one.

 

I might try the cabin air filter as it’s pretty easy to see the quality of it and if it fits correctly into the tray. Some more expensive panel type filters for a Prius won’t actually fit the tray well and do leave the cap around.

I wouldn’t try the engine air filter. The way engine air filter fits into a Prius it’s impossible to know if the rubber seal in the filter is making good contact when installing it.

 

I agree with others here - cabin air filter is no big deal if it doesn't work right - you'll just get dust coming out your vents in the worst case. I'd be comfortable using almost any brand here, especially if I didn't have allergies. Definitely possible to create your own custom HEPA/charcoal filter here if desired too.

For the engine air filter I would not use a Chinese no-name brand. If the engine air filter fails it can lead to serious engine wear/issues, so it's not something I would risk to a cheap brand. You want to always have a good quality air filter here.

 

Cabin filter use whatever. Engine: stick with stock, don't mess around.

Personally, I would pick either ONLY at the Toyota dealership parts counter. Considering this is something you do every 3~6 years?

 

I'm much more picky about my filters. I change both once a year. The cabin pollen filter was filthy after 12 months. The engine air filter only moderately dirty, but what the heck just go ahead and change it. Bought OEM Toyota filters online, cheaper than the dealer. I paid 25K for a new Prius, I will not skimp on a simple 10 minute filter change. New oil once (or twice) a year. Great low-maintenance car.

 

I make cabin air filter out of regular air conditioner filter panels from Home Depot.

 

I drive in a lot of dusty areas. The car fills with dust no matter what I do, and I basically live a pretty dusty life. I don't really care much about the cabin filter quality. I also make mine out of Home Depot stock, and check and change them very often, depending on conditions.

 

RockAuto has very inexpensive name brand engine air filters (ex: $3.31 each Fram). Shipping is very reasonable for bulk purchase. Overall, it can be slightly cheaper than the eBay purchase from China.