I have some time off work so I installed my Factory PW Spoiler today.

But more on topic, I decided to replace my cabin air filter. DIY model of course, thanks to SL! I have had my box for just over one year now...so that filter is about a year old.

UGGH! I am shocked by how dirty it is and how much it has stopped from entering my xB. Not only blackish dust and dirt but big chunks of leaves, seeds and what not.

I still have four more to go on my Home Depot filter blank. What a deal-sure beats the dealer's price. I am definitely going to replace it much sooner next time!

Link to DIY filter thread:
https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=20753

Close up:



New and old:

 

Eek! I'm still trying to get my interior clean from before I put the first filter in.

*coughs* Thats nasty but does prove a good point about having one!

 

Without a filter all the chunky debris won't just jam against the cabin airflow outlets, correct? Does it get trapped somewhere in the car or fall through somewhere to the ground?

 

Probably gets stuck in the hoses somewhere.

Since the hoses are corrugated, I don't think the junk will get too far, only the dust. Probably will just randomly stop somewhere along the way or in a low spot? Just a guess.

 

dannngggg. cali's got some nasty things going on in the air haha.

 

Thats from running the A/C 24/7!

We had a record heat day yesterday...94 degrees or so. Today is almost as hot! Feels like a "cooler" summer day.

 

If you DON'T have a filter:

About 6 inches past the filter drawer is the squirrel cage blower that moves air through the system, so that's where a LOT of the junk ends up.

Just after that is the heater core (looks just like a small version of the car's radiator), followed by the air conditioning core (same).

Whatever big chunks there are have pretty much been stopped by all those things, which will be slowly getting clogged up...

What makes it through all that is the dust, pollen, and other tiny particles, which coat the inside of all the vents, or get blown directly into the car's interior for you to breath.

What you don't suck up just ends up coating the dash, floor, upholstery, windows, etc...

If you add a filter in the drawer, it will filter out a lot of that stuff just before it gets to the blower, and if you change the filter out when it needs it, it will keep doing that.

Overall, it seems a lot better to have a filter in the drawer than not to have a filter in the drawer, but maybe that's just me.

Your choice.

Great pics, Robert. It shows how much stuff comes in and is caught by the filter instead of clogging up everything else. Mine looked about the same, with maybe a few more large chunks...

Tomas

{edit} (Damned tpyos!)

 

Did you cut that down to size or buy it like that?

 

It was cut down to size - do a cabin filter search, tons of topics on the subject.

 

Thanks for the graphic description. And xBs are sold without a filteR?! Holy moly.

 

Shan, cars were sold without cabin air filters - and with no place to put them - for over 90 years.

Many cars now come with a place to put an optional filter, but few econo-cars come with the filters already in place. They are considered an option, just like floor mats.

It would be nice if they were included, but then people would STILL probably not know they had 'em, and they would eventually become so clogged that the entire system would fail. This way, people will KNOW they have a filter to check/change, because they put it there.

What we need is for dealers to push the filters a LOT harder...

Tomas

 

At my dealership, we push the sale alot but MOST people don't buy them cause they say "I never needed one in my other cars so why buy one now".
When we do sell 'em, we keep the real filthy ones near the service writers desks so that customers can see what is going into the cabin when there isn't one in the vehicle or if they don't change it every 15K miles...

 

At the price the dealers are charging for them, I'm surprised they don't push them harder. You can't figure they'd be embarrassed asking such an absurdly high price...

 

Yeah, the dealer I stopped at most recently had the cabin air filters pegged at $45

That's about $40 over what the price SHOULD be.

Tomas

 

Try autopartswarehouse $12.88

Part #R2060-149566

 

Yup. There are more than just the dealer's Toyota filter available...

That R2060-149566 filter is a Bosch. They also have the OEM filter by Denso as part number R2060-138466 for $18.33

Here's general info on the filters:

====
xA/xB CABIN AIR FILTER: Toyota 88568-52010, WIX 24900, DENSO 4531014, Puro C38188, MicronAir TY00166P, Bosch #P3750, Valvoline C38188,
====

Toyota Echo (00-04), RAV4 (01-06), Scion (03-06)
Cabin Air Filter 88568-52010
Style: Air Filter Panel
Service: Cabin Air
Media: Batt/Fiber
Length: 8.504
Width: 7.716
Height: 0.709

====

Tomas

 

also, as shown above in the pics and in the DIY, cutting out sections from a house AC or industrial filter (typically comes in huge sizes) works as well.

 

link to the DYI?

 

...is in the very first post.

Tomas

 

Or 17, 786 miles...

Getting six for $5 (edit: not $12) cut out of a 20"x30" filter from Home Depot, I am going to change it at every 5K oil change.

C'mon, I forgot! This IS my first box after all...I never needed or even had one in my other cars...

And props to Tomas. It is my belief that you know more about the xB's inner workings than most people and dealers! Your info and insight is always refreshing and informative! And your willingness to share is priceless. Thanks!