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?

Answer:  A cabin air filter is a special filter that cleans the air that comes into the passenger compartment – or cabin – of your vehicle.  Most new vehicles now have a cabin air filter.

A cabin air filter catches dust, pollen, spores, and other pollutants before they can get into your cabin.  It’s kind of like the filter on your furnace, cleaning the air you breathe inside.

As you can imagine, it eventually gets filled up and can even start to get smelly.  So – you just have it replaced.  Now some are easy to access, and others are tougher to get to.  Your service technician will be able to take care of it for you.

Your owner’s manual likely has a recommendation for when to replace the cabin air filter.  If you live and drive where there is a lot of dust, pollen, or pollution, the filter will fill up quickly.  Of course, if you’re getting a bad odor bring it to the attention of your service advisor.