Different OEM CX-5 cabin filters

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CX5 GT
It has been discussed a lot but here are some pictures of the different Mazda oem cabin filters.

Original that comes with the car from factory. Not sold by dealers.

It had been discussed that is has small amount of charcoal in it and has darker look even as new.

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Oem made in Japan. Part no kd-45-61-j6x. Sold by dealers but recently superceeded by new part number kd-45-61-9u. Don't have details yet what is changed or new in the new part no.

Sorry but the pics are from my used one, it’s a bit dirty (used).

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Value line. Made in China.
Part no kd-45-61-j6x- VM

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Made in Japan (on the right) vs made in China one. Side to side pic.

Again sorry, the Japan one is used and that is why it’s dark.

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On a side note, the Japan one seems to have a bit more surface area counting it to 32 vs 29 for the 'value line' one and the value one kind of seems just a bit more dense vs the Japan one.
 
Here are my collections of cabin filter info for gen-1 CX-5, but everything is applicable to gen-2 CX-5.

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Mazda "Genuine" Cabin Air Filter are Different from Factory Cabin Filter!

Went to my Mazda dealer and pulled the cabin filter out from a brand new 2016.5 CX-5 Touring in the showroom. The cabin filter from factory is indeed a charcoal filter as I suspected. This means my 17,315-mile cabin filter is not as dirty as I thought! Many people may actually throw away a perfectly fine charcoal cabin filter too early as it looks black and dirty comparing to the white "genuine" charcoal-free cabin filter from Mazda dealers.

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Mazda Cabin Filter Comparison
Went to Mazda dealer yesterday and took more pictures on 2016.5 CX-5's new charcoal cabin filter from factory, Mazda genuine non-charcoal cabin filter with P/N KD45-61-J6X, and Mazda Value Products non-charcoal cabin filter with P/N KD45-61-J6X-MV. From the comparison picture below we can see the picture you posted earlier is Value Products with white plastic frame instead of black. Value Products cabin filter is about $10 cheaper than Mazda Genuine Parts on list price.

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BTW, there seems to be a Mazda genuine non-charcoal cabin air filter with different (newer) part number KD45-61-J6X-9U which superseded KD45-61-J6X mentioned above. The packaging is different and it looks like a Value Products white paper box. It doesn’t say where is it made, and the previous KD45-61-J6X non-Value-Products cabin filter is made in Japan.

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interesting, the japan one is a bit darker vs the Value line seeing your pictures. Unless its used one on the picture or the plastic package darkens it. :)
May be it has some charcoal after all although not as much as the oem that comes with the car.
Also I now noticed that the japan one actually has -9A on the part number at the end. ie kd-45-61-j6x-9a.
Its on the filter itself not the box.

The value line China one is as cheap as it can get. Not worth the price for sure

What bugs me is that Mazda does good job of hiding who (which manufacturer) makes most of their parts. Especially filters, etc.
On other car brands and european ones for example I always find out the oem manufacturer but its almost impossible for the CX5.
 
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The value-line filters remind me of the one's I get for about $8 or $9 from ebay or Amazon, but I think the OEM filter that came with the car might have filtered better. No big deal, I change it about every 6-7 months when the air flow gets restricted. YMMV
 
interesting, the japan one is a bit darker vs the Value line seeing your pictures. Unless its used one on the picture or the plastic package darkens it. :)
May be it has some charcoal after all although not as much as the oem that comes with the car.
Also I now noticed that the japan one actually has -9A on the part number at the end. ie kd-45-61-j6x-9a.
Its on the filter itself not the box.

The value line China one is as cheap as it can get. Not worth the price for sure

What bugs me is that Mazda does good job of hiding who (which manufacturer) makes most of their parts. Especially filters, etc.
On other car brands and european ones for example I always find out the oem manufacturer but its almost impossible for the CX5.
Unlike those from factory, the filtering element of Japanese KD45-61-J6X cabin filter is white without any charcoal. The plastic bag does darken the Japanese filter a bit in the picture.
 
Curiosity got the best of me and after checking the box of a spare filter, it shows replacing " OEM No. KD45-61-J6X-MV " (doesn't mention Mazda though) in addition to Fram,Pennzoil,Purolator , etc numbers. I haven't checked the price of the Mazda MV filter but I wouldn't pay too much for it.
Pollen season is here with a vengeance and just ordered a better filter to use until fall and keep the cheapie filter for winter time.
 
msrp price for each as of today:
KD45-61-J6X (new number KD45-61-J6X-9U) - $30.77
KD45-61-J6X-VM (value line) - $21.58
not including discounts which are usually 15 to 30% from the online dealers' websites but you get jacked on shipping.
 
This whole “value line” thing bugs me. Isn’t life complicated enough?

I guess if I’m buying OEM parts for DIY, I can pay attention to getting the one I want, but the whole reason I might go to the dealer for service is to have assurance of top quality OEM parts that fit correctly and trained mechanics who see Mazdas every day. Now I have to browbeat the service writer to figure out what parts are being used? And I wouldn’t put it past them to sub “value line” for standard even if the paperwork (and charge) is for standard.

- Mark
 
This whole “value line” thing bugs me. Isn’t life complicated enough?

I guess if I’m buying OEM parts for DIY, I can pay attention to getting the one I want, but the whole reason I might go to the dealer for service is to have assurance of top quality OEM parts that fit correctly and trained mechanics who see Mazdas every day. Now I have to browbeat the service writer to figure out what parts are being used? And I wouldn’t put it past them to sub “value line” for standard even if the paperwork (and charge) is for standard.

- Mark
Well at least we can hope that Mazda branded MV parts should fit properly and are designed with the correct specifications
 
I personally have had several issues with aftermarket air filters (both engine and cabin). The filters fit into the space but don’t seal, are slightly different dimensions, or are obviously sub-standard in thickness, pleats, etc. Maybe I’ve just had bad luck.

- Mark
 
I personally have had several issues with aftermarket air filters (both engine and cabin). The filters fit into the space but don’t seal, are slightly different dimensions, or are obviously sub-standard in thickness, pleats, etc. Maybe I’ve just had bad luck.

- Mark

The one I linked above does not have that issue.
 
plenty of more discussion on the cabin air filters here:

I did add the two cabin air filters mentioned above to the knowledge sharing document as well as a link back to this thread for future reference.
 
I personally have had several issues with aftermarket air filters (both engine and cabin). The filters fit into the space but don’t seal, are slightly different dimensions, or are obviously sub-standard in thickness, pleats, etc. Maybe I’ve just had bad luck.

- Mark
Agreed. But I still don’t mind to use cheap aftermarket cabin air filters as it’ll never be sealed perfectly by design even with OEM. And I believe engine air filter is more important, and would never use aftermarket one for it.

And I’ve tried this aftermarket cabin filter and it definitely doesn’t fit well like the OEM cabin filter.


Just placed an order and thanks for the info!
 
plenty of more discussion on the cabin air filters here:

I did add the two cabin air filters mentioned above to the knowledge sharing document as well as a link back to this thread for future reference.
Here’s another good thread for cabin air filter:

Cabin Air Filter & Glove Box Removal
 
I personally have had several issues with aftermarket air filters (both engine and cabin). The filters fit into the space but don’t seal, are slightly different dimensions, or are obviously sub-standard in thickness, pleats, etc. Maybe I’ve just had bad luck.

- Mark

Mine either.
 
I ordered the EPAuto CPJ6X (KD45-61-J6X)
part that Sig CX 5 recommended yesterday. I'll let you guys know if there are any fitment issues in my 2019 CX 5
 
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