Posted by & filed under Auto Service.

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?

Mira Mesa Automotive Answer:
A cabin air filter is a special filter that cleans the air that comes into the San Diego auto owners’ passenger compartments – or cabin – of their vehicles. Most new vehicles sold in CA now have a cabin air filter. A cabin air filter catches dust, pollen, spores and other dangerous pollutants before they can get into your cabin. It’s kind of like the filter on your furnace in your San Diego home, cleaning the air you breathe inside your auto.

As San Diego auto owners can imagine, it eventually gets filled up and can even start to get smelly. So – you just have it replaced. Now some are really easy to access and others are tougher to get to. Your friendly Mira Mesa Automotive service specialist will be able to take care of it for you.

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