Is Replacing Your Cabin Air Filter Ever a Life-Or-Death Emergency?
The Redditor was understandably concerned. During a routine oil change on a five-year-old car, a service advisor warned him about “potential health issues” from mold in his air conditioning that required an “urgent” $800 cabin air filter replacement. Here’s the truth about when a cabin air filter is a life-or-death situation.
The truth about mold in your cabin air filter
The bad news is that dangerous mold can build up in your vehicle’s heating/ventilation/air-conditioning system. This is often because the drain tube to clear condensation clogs and mold grows in the standing water in your condenser. One symptom is a rotten, or lettuce-like smell when you switch on the A/C.
Here’s the good news: There are several DIY fixes you can attempt. First and foremost, confirm that condensation drips out of your car and onto the ground when you run the A/C on a hot day. It usually drains from a small rubber hose hanging from the dashboard area on the passenger side.
Second of all, you can attempt to disinfect your system by yourself. It’s as easy as buying a disinfectant spray and filling your HVAC intake with A/C on full.
Finally, and most importantly, you can swap out your cabin air filter yourself. Most vehicles are engineered so it’s an easy procedure, often only requiring you to open the glovebox and remove several fasteners by hand.
Read up on the ways you can fix your moldy A/C yourself.
So was the Redditor in question driving a dangerous car? Probably not. Our first clue is that they have a five-year-old Honda Accord. The vehicle likely isn’t old enough to have a serious mold problem. The second big clue is that the service advisor in question lied, saying they’d need to disassemble the entire dashboard to swap the air filter—thus the $800 estimate. It sounds like their dealership is a “stealership.” That said, I suggested that OP call some specialty HVAC shops and ask if they’d be willing to peek at the air filter for free. If the spots on it are mold, the driver needs to address it ASAP. Though they don’t have to pay dealership service prices to do so safely. You can see the original Reddit post embedded below:
Dealership trying to charge me $800 for a cabin air filter replacement.
by u/Puzzleheaded_Box6247 in Autos
