Change your Car Cabin Filter with Jill of All Trades

(FOX 2) - This week our Jill of All Trades, Jill Washburn, shows us how to change the cabin filter on our cars.  Most people don't even know that there's a cabin filter for the interior air-flow in their car, but it should be checked a couple of times a year and replaced, probably, at least once a year.  

Some vehicles have that filter accessible under the hood.  Most have it located in the interior, behind the glove box.  Jill demonstrates how to change the cabin filter in a Grand Cherokee. To find out how to change the cabin filter in your exact vehicle, search YouTube for a tutorial that shows you the location/process in your vehicle. They should all be relatively the same as what Jill shows.

First, Jill removes the door to the glove box. There is a snap-in access panel in the back of the glove box that covers the filter. Just pop off that access panel and you should be able to see the filter.  It should slide right out. If your vehicle is a couple of years old and that filter has never been changed, you will be shocked how dirty it is.  Just pull it out and slide the new one in.  The filter should be marked as to which end goes in first, and which side is up or down.  

After that, just reverse your steps and snap the panel back in, and then replace the glove box door.  Jill's filter had never been changed in the 5 years that she owned her vehicle.  She says that the airflow coming out of the vents after installing the new filter was noticeably better.

If you drive a lot of dirt roads, your filter will probably need to be replaced more frequently.  If you have allergies or asthma  or other respiratory issues, installing a clean filter can't hurt.  Also, if your vehicle has funky smells coming from the vents, having a clean filter in your vehicle may help.

PROJECT RATING:  Easy to Medium (depending on your vehicle)

To watch Jill replace the cabin filter in her vehicle, click on the video player above.