Photo: cabin filter of the car Author: Konstantin Shirokun
Drivers often ignore the cabin air filter, skipping the replacement deadline or refusing to use it at all. And they do it very wrong, exposing themselves to several dangers at once.
Read about why you can’t drive without a cabin filter, if it is provided by the design, in the RBC-Ukraine article.
The cabin filter is not only an element of comfort, but also a safety factor. Although, first of all, it was created to clean the air that the air conditioning system, its heater and air conditioner, take from the street into the cabin.
What does the cabin filter protect against?
First of all, the cabin filter traps dust and small plant debris. But if we are talking not about a cheap basic product, but about filters from leading global manufacturers, they do not let harmful microparticles into the car, which cause a painful reaction in the human body. For example, the latest generation filters, released into circulation in the last year or two, absorb allergenic particles, harmful gases, viruses, bacteria, mold spores.
Finally, a high-quality modern filter, with a layer of activated carbon, an antimicrobial layer and an electrified barrier, even traps odors. That is, passengers do not smell the exhaust fumes of old trucks, various “smelly” enterprises near the road, and the like.
Why are cabin filters expensive?
A simple filter is actually inexpensive, but if you want the car's climate control system to be used to its full potential, you'll need to buy a higher-class filter. And then you'll really have to pay more.
The price is explained by the complex design of the filter element, because their designers solve two mutually exclusive problems: the retention of microparticles up to 1 micron in size and the condition of not creating significant resistance to the air flow – so that it does not slow down at the entrance to the car. And such functionality is really not cheap.
Safety and cabin filter
A cabin filter that is not replaced in time limits the flow of fresh air into the cabin. And this often leads to fogging of the windows, which can happen almost instantly, say, when cold rain hits the windshield, when driving from a quiet location to a space blown by frosty air, etc. It is probably clear how the situation can end when the driver suddenly loses visibility while driving.
By the way, high-quality filters have the advantage of having a long service life; for example, experts recommend replacing some of them every 15,000 km or once a year.
The second reason why an old and clogged cabin filter can interfere with driving safety is that, although it passes air through itself, it may not clean it properly. Consequently, dust and similar microscopic dirt, having got into the cabin, will settle on the glass – which means it will fog up faster – and interfere with the driver very intensively.
What if there is no filter?
When a clogged filter starts to bother you, preventing the creation of a normal microclimate and causing fogging of the glass, some drivers simply remove it. Indeed, the heating and air conditioning start working at full capacity – but this will not last very long. After all, the debris from the unfiltered air will clog the honeycombs of the air conditioner (or heater) radiator, since the entire air flow (unfiltered!) passes through it. As a result, the owner will get the same symptoms as with an overfilled filter – fogging and poor efficiency of the air conditioning system. But to fix the problem, you will have to spend much more money than replacing the filter would require – because to clean the radiators, you have to completely dismantle the dashboard.
In brief
The main thing is that there is a cabin filter and that it is not clogged. Then the air in the cabin will be clean, the right temperature and the windows will not fog up unexpectedly and without apparent reason. This pleasure is quite affordable for the average motorist. And when there is already a desire to protect yourself from odors and various microscopic enemies, then you can spend extra money on an expensive multi-layer cabin filter.
In preparing this article, materials from Bosch and AutoBild were used .
Let us recall that RBC-Ukraine recently reported on how the wrong gasoline affects a car and how to fix the situation.