Cabin Air Filter: which is best, OEM or aftermarket & how to DIY
- Thread starter KentuckyKen
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Cash Traylor
Well-Known Member
Greetings all,So it has been the requisite 6 months or so since I switched to the carbon aftermarket filter. I can report back that the one I chose worked well for about 3 months, maybe less - then the orders were back. I mentioned earlier that my family has allergies, so we have a fair number of hepa air filters in our house. I noted that almost without exception, all of these filters advertise about 6 months (some more) on their main HEPA pleat material media filters, but only about 3 months for the charcoal pre-filter. You can replace them separately. As these aftermarket auto filters we are all trying here are pretty cheap and work ok, this may be a moot point, however wanted to share my experiment. I decided that the aftermarket filters all seem to have "less" media in the construction. They have less pleats, and thicker material that often results in reduced airflow in the cabin for a given fan speen settings. They are often also not really HEPA. The factory and many direct replacements for the factory are HEPA or HEPA type. They are, as the OP pointed out - only missing the activated carbon/charcoal to really get rid of odors/fumes. So I decided to take a lesson from my home air filters. I noticed there is a very small gap above the factory filter cartridge and the inside of the intake plenum. Enough space for a "pre-filter!"
I go through pre-filter material often so buy it in cut to fit bulk. I buy the honeywell bulk, just google or amazon carbon prefilter cut to fit. Well, I cut it to fit for the Honda filter element and it is a little snug but fit in the slot. Airflow is back to normal, and it does seem to remove odors. Since this also catches the "big contaminants" it will help the regular filter last longer. I will play with this for a while but I think this may be a really cheap way to achieve the best of both worlds. I'll report back with any failures. This was easy to do and took all of 5 minutes.
Note: Put the pre-filter ON TOP, so it doesn't get sucked into the blower motor. Also, store your unused pre-filter material in a ziplock to keep it fresh, activated charcoal passively absorbs everything in the air flowing through it, so it is "aging" as it is exposed to the atmosphere a little at a time.
Photos are hopefully self explanatory. I was able to tuck a small amount of the pre-filter into the last (back side) pleat and it pushes into the slot without sliding off.
Cash Traylor
Well-Known Member
Normally in "regular" cars you replace the cabin and the engine filter at the same time (annual at max, six months average). This is based on both the ICE and the passenger breathing the same air for the equivalent duration of time. As the ICE in the Clarity PHEV may experience a reduced duty cycle from the cabin air filter, that "rule of thumb" really no longer applies. I don't care about the OEM rules as I have allergies, as do my children, so I am really basing my cabin air maintenance on a 6 month average replacement schedule. As this filter is relative easy (owner maintenance wise) to inspect, as is the engine filter, just look at it and make your own call. I personally operate very expensive aviation equipment for a living, I choose to replace the cheap parts before they impact the expensive parts. Filters and oil are so much cheaper than the parts they protect, so I err on the side of conservative caution. YMMV, but to each their own.
Cheers,
Cash
Cheers,
Cash
Fast Eddie B
Well-Known Member
As I read through this thread, mice came to mind.
Our Element and Flex both suffered from a urine smell at some point due to mice nests in the cabin air filter box*. Yuck!
Karen said she read dryer sheets and/or peppermint oil may help discourage the little critters, so we went all belt-and-suspenders and tried both. Anecdotally, they may have helped - at least the car smells all minty for a while. Beats mouse-urany!
*Once when turning on the fan, a mouse came scurrying out of one of the vents! Caused a startle reflex that persisted for quite a while every time we turned on the fan!
I just replaced my cabin filter with the Spearhead Breath Easy BE-182. It fits perfectly. The BE-182 feels heavier than the original Honda filter and definitely feels more substantial than the original filter. In the picture, the Spearhead Breath Easy BE-182 is on the left and the original Honda cabin filter is on the right.
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Cash Traylor
Well-Known Member
Let us know what you think. From the photo is looks exactly like the one I bought earlier and it worked well for about 2 months, maybe 3. I wonder if all these are made by the same import company and whiteboxed for anyone who wants to sell them under their own label/brand. What I bought: http://a.co/d/9Zcxlki
I will try your breath easy one next as I am still on a search for a better filter, allergy season is here! Cheers, Cash
I will try your breath easy one next as I am still on a search for a better filter, allergy season is here! Cheers, Cash
Clarity_Newbie
Active Member
JoeN
That's the same cabin filter I put in the Clarity last month. Fits great.
For those wondering...the sized ordered: 8.3 x 8.1 x 1.1
As a FYI...I did spray Ozium Glycol-Ized original air sanitizer on the filter just to see how that works. Fresh scent definitely noticed.
Gotta love Prime.
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wagonboy77
New Member
Has anyone compared the carbon infused filters to a HEPA? From what I've heard, HEPA is the way to go so I purchased a Bosch HEPA filter for my '19 Clarity. Will report on how it fits and works once it arrives and I've installed it.
I bet the mice prefer the hepa filter because it slows down the airflow over their nest.
Attached is what my OEM filter looked like when replaced recently. I broke open the new one's box and slid it underneath to try to prevent anything from dropping down on the fan as I slid the filter out.
Attached is what my OEM filter looked like when replaced recently. I broke open the new one's box and slid it underneath to try to prevent anything from dropping down on the fan as I slid the filter out.
