Suggestions for DIY Replacement of Your Honda Cabin Air Filter

Suggestions for DIY Replacement of your Honda Cabin Air Filter

Vehicle maintenance is more than the occasional oil change or tire rotation. Air filters in your car become clogged over time, especially if you live in a desert climate or an area with air pollution. Luckily, switching out a clogged Honda cabin air filter is an easy and inexpensive home repair. A clogged cabin air filter can burn out your HVAC system, reduce your fuel economy, dirty your interior and worsen your allergies, so be sure to change it out every 15,000 to 30,000 miles. 

Buy the Correct Cabin Air Filter

The first step of any DIY repair is ensuring you have the correct replacement part. Cabin air filters and engine intake air filters are similar in appearance, so be sure you’re buying the right one. If you haven’t replaced your engine’s air filter in a while, do both on one schedule.

To find the correct air filter for your Honda, you can ask an associate at a reputable auto parts chain. You can also use a VIN number lookup tool online. These tools can give a list of compatible replacement parts for any vehicle manufactured after 1981. You can find your car’s VIN number on the owner’s manual, title, registration or somewhere physically on the car. Possible locations include:

• Rear tire well
• Dashboard
• Engine block
• Spare tire
• Driver-side door

Keep your VIN number on a card in your wallet or a note on your smartphone for convenient future repairs and replacement part shopping. 

Locate the Cabin Air Filter Housing

Once you have the correct air filter for your car, gather some safety materials for the job. If it’s been a while since you’ve changed your cabin air filter, it can be very dirty, so pick up a mask and some gloves. You may also need a small screwdriver.

First, find the cabin air filter housing. On most Hondas, this will be behind the glove compartment. Remove the glove compartment and you should see a paper block. This is the old cabin air filter. 

Before removing the old filter, note how it is installed and take a quick picture. Air filters have distinct front and back sides to direct air flow, so you need to line the arrows on the filter up the correct way for proper installation.

Once you have a frame of reference, slide out the old filter and use a small vacuum to clear the area of excess dirt and debris. You don’t want any of that grime to immediately dirty up your new filter.

Reassemble and Test for Satisfaction

Slide the new filter into place in exactly the same way the old filter was installed. Put the glove compartment back into place in front of the air filter. Before you put away your gloves and relax, test the new air filter by turning on the HVAC system in your car. You may notice decreased fan noise and strain on your system already. 

Finding and replacing a Honda Fit cabin air filter is an easy DIY project with instant benefits. Good cabin air quality is important for the long-term performance of your car as well as its overall safety. 

Guest Article.