CAR CARE CORNER Breathe Easier While Driving During Allergy Season

Posted by Dorothy on
A dirty filter in your car can make for a more expensive, less comfortable ride.
A dirty filter in your car can make for a more expensive, less comfortable ride.

(NAPSI)—Just as it’s hard to run a race if you can’t breathe, a vehicle’s dirty cabin air filter can negatively affect air quality and passenger comfort.

While about 30 million vehicles in service today have at least one cabin air filter, many drivers still aren’t aware they exist, much less understand their benefits.

What You Need To Know

A good-quality cabin air filter helps reduce or block odor-causing contaminants as well as pollen, dust, pollutants in vehicle emissions, and even insects and leaves from the vehicle’s interior.

Cabin air filters work by filtering the outside air coming into your vehicle. They’re usually located under your vehicle’s dashboard or attached to the glove box. Others may be located in the engine compartment.

Chances are good that your vehicle has one or more cabin air filters.

Filter Facts

Here are some things to consider when purchasing one:

  • Your owner’s manual will recommend when the filter needs changing but if you live on a dirt road or in a high-pollen area or are highly allergic, you may need to replace it more frequently.

“You wouldn’t believe what’s in some of the cabin air filters our PSCs [professional service centers] pull from customers’ cars,” said Tom Gundry, a product specialist with ACDelco. “Vehicle owners need to treat cabin air filters as they would their own furnace filter. If their furnace filter looked as bad as some of the cabin air filters, they would not hesitate a moment to replace it.”

  • All filters are not created equal. For example, cabin air filters from ACDelco, which this year celebrates a century of aftermarket parts expertise, feature layered construction to capture both large and very small particles, and for strength.
  • Depending on the vehicle, some filters are easier to remove and replace than others. Service centers have the right experience and tools for the job, but if you do it yourself, follow the directions to ensure you don’t damage hardware.
  • While cabin air filters are great at removing pollen in spring and summer, they’re also effective in cold weather, when vehicle tailpipe emissions are higher.

Learn More

For further facts and tips about cabin air filters and other auto parts, go to www.acdelco.com.