CX-5 Cabin Filter…18 months too long

Looks like 18 months is too long between changes here in S Texas with oak trees hanging over the driveway? (nailbyt) This is just how it came out of my 2014 CX-5 today when I finally got around to changing it. Note to self...change cabin filter in 6 months.
Bill
 

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Looks like 18 months is too long between changes here in S Texas with oak trees hanging over the driveway? (nailbyt) This is just how it came out of my 2014 CX-5 today when I finally got around to changing it. Note to self...change cabin filter in 6 months.
Bill

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FYI OEM cabin filter from factory is charcoal filter and it looks dirty even if its new. And the OEM cabin filter available at US Mazda dealer is NOT charcoal.
 
FYI OEM cabin filter from factory is charcoal filter and it looks dirty even if it*s new. And the OEM cabin filter available at US Mazda dealer is NOT charcoal.

My 2017 GTR with less than 8000, and less than a year looked like the picture in this thread. There is no need to get an OEM filter. There are plenty of decent and cheaper filters in the market. And don't have your dealer replace and install. It is a ripoff. It could be done by yourself in fewer than two minutes.
 
FYI OEM cabin filter from factory is charcoal filter and it looks dirty even if it*s new. And the OEM cabin filter available at US Mazda dealer is NOT charcoal.

Yeah, It got me when I checked my filter at 8,000 miles. I thought it looked so dirty so I rushed out and bought a new one. Then I find out they come black from the factory. Unfortunately I found out after I trashed the original one.
 
If you park your car outside, especially under a tree, set the air mode to "recirculate" BEFORE shutting it off, to keep stuff from falling inside... it'll help make your filter last longer, if you like driving around with "fresh air" mode all the time
 
Since I am garaged, I replace once a year. But if I wasn't, probably every 6 months.

You can get an aftermarket charcoal cabin air filter on Amazon for ~$10.
 
I bought the OEM aldehyde filter from japan... it's expensive, but works way better than any of that charcoal crap you can find here... it removes not only odor, but pollutants from the air... you get what you pay, and it works... I've been using this type of filter in my protege for over 10 years now
https://www2.mazda.com/en/publicity/release/archive/1999/9904/990408ea.html
trivia: this filter design was women led R&D, according to a ford/mazda ad I saw years ago

both my mazdas are parked in the garage, and the 3 is daily driven... I usually use recirculated air mode, and finally replaced it this year when it reached 30k miles, but over 3 years old... it had some dirt/leaves in it, but nothing compared to the pic posted in this thread
 
Yeah change filter every 6 months, goes along with change brake fluid every year and change engine oil every 750 miles. That and change tires every 10K miles and finally when I retire my CX5 and compare running costs to my neighbor's X5 - it comes out even (drive)
 
Yeah change filter every 6 months, goes along with change brake fluid every year and change engine oil every 750 miles. That and change tires every 10K miles and finally when I retire my CX5 and compare running costs to my neighbor's X5 - it comes out even (drive)

(rofl)
 
I bought the OEM aldehyde filter from japan... it's expensive, but works way better than any of that charcoal crap you can find here... it removes not only odor, but pollutants from the air... you get what you pay, and it works... I've been using this type of filter in my protege for over 10 years now
https://www2.mazda.com/en/publicity/release/archive/1999/9904/990408ea.html
trivia: this filter design was women led R&D, according to a ford/mazda ad I saw years ago

both my mazdas are parked in the garage, and the 3 is daily driven... I usually use recirculated air mode, and finally replaced it this year when it reached 30k miles, but over 3 years old... it had some dirt/leaves in it, but nothing compared to the pic posted in this thread

do you have a link to that filter?
 
That is ridiculous. It looks like there is very little accumulation of dust and fine stuff, just some really large things of a scale the filter shouldn't have to deal with. There should be a grill, or mesh pre-filter.

If that were mine, I'd probably slap it on my knee, or blow it out with compressed air and put it back in. It doesn't look dirty aside from those big pieces.
 
I bought the Hepa filter off Amazon to replace the factory cabin air filter. Bosch makes HEPA filters sized for most common applications. They are one of the only ones who offer HEPA grade filters for automotive applications. It reduces airflow a little, but I am happy with it. It is a more substantial filter than the standard one and has very fine filtration. These last a while.

71ZVm04N9wL._SL1400_.jpg
 
If OP's filter is that bad...highly advise to wash the cowl area (below front passenger side windshield). Probably still has some leaves/ect.
 
That is ridiculous. It looks like there is very little accumulation of dust and fine stuff, just some really large things of a scale the filter shouldn't have to deal with. There should be a grill, or mesh pre-filter.

If that were mine, I'd probably slap it on my knee, or blow it out with compressed air and put it back in. It doesn't look dirty aside from those big pieces.
Ill do that too. :) Especially OPs cabin air filter is a charcoal filter which looks dirty even if its new.

Definitely clean the outside air inlets on cowl area at bottom edge of the windshield like CX-5um suggested.

The replacement schedule for cabin filter is 24 months or 30,000 miles. Unless you noticed reduced air flow from vents, or you have special needs, just stick with recommended schedule.
 
^ probably not park under a tree if possible.

Reason why I like the white filters is I can easily gauge how dirty it is. I have an small activated charcoal air purifier sack bag thingy I keep in the car to help absorb smells.
 
If OP's filter is that bad...highly advise to wash the cowl area (below front passenger side windshield). Probably still has some leaves/ect.

Yep...that area is cleaned out every time I wash the car. And system is 95% of the time set to recirc. That crap just makes it through to the filter no matter what.
Bill
 
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