Here's a picture of the cabin filter I pulled today. As you can see, holding out to the recommended 30k replacement interval probably wouldn't have been a good idea :blink: [attachmentid=11770]
Other than the holes the filter looks pretty good. Do you have mice? Was there any mouse feces in there? I can't imagine how you got holes like that in the filter. You could otherwise just shake out the leaves.
Lucky the filter caught those fingers or they would have made a mess of the fan. I pulled mine out and although it was filthy the filter was in great shape. I cleaned it with compressed air and put it back. Looks like it's been in the car from new (66,000km ago).
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Sep 30 2007, 12:31 AM) [snapback]519329[/snapback]</div> It wasn't from mice, the filter was just worn. It's as if the fibers had become brittle and had started to crumble. The holes you see weren't the only ones, the entire surface was peppered with areas where you could see daylight shine through! The filter material itself seems rather weak compared to the filter in my Honda Odyssey. Perhaps it's the San Diego climate - it's rather hot and dry here much of the year (I'm not one of the lucky ones living right on the coast.) As a replacement I'm using a Wix filter instead of the Toyota OEM (Denso?)
That's weird, even if weak, which mine never really seemed to be and I've changed about 4 in my Prius and one or two in my wife's HiHy (same basic style/material) and have never seen holes like that. It's not a 'wear' item, there shouldn't be anything rubbing it to put holes in it like that.
I replace with OEM Air ($16.00) and Climate Control Filters ($18.75) every 10,000 miles. Changing the Air filter pays for itself in improved MPG; changing the Climate Control filter may be overkill, but it is dirty when I change it and I haven't picked up the "musty" smell so many owners complain about. (Hint: I think a light spray of Lysol on the new CC filter also helps)
I usually vacuum and wash the cabin filter whenever I wash the car. It still looks great 3 years later.
Compressed air is nice if you have it, I have it but for this PolyFiber filter I prefer the kitchen sink and a little spray soap. I have used dilute dish soap in a spray bottle and I have used Windex, both are fine then just rinse with water and shake dry... almost Zero dollars. Quick, easy and cheap.
