Check the cabin air filter!!!

[deeg1]

I've been meaning to replace the cabin air filter in my 04 Vibe for.....a while.... (at least four years....). Just never got around to it. So today, I set out to do the dreaded flapping vent actuator fix. Mine started doing this last year while on a trip to Chicago.

Anyways. I removed the glove box, and thought hey!! what a great time to check the filter!

This is what I found:







I SHOULD HAVE done this a long time ago. I saw this and almost lost breakfast. No wonder the actuator failed, it couldn't properly close with that mass of mouse nest blocking it. I had NO IDEA this was there. No smell, nothing.

I live in a rural area, and have to keep them glue traps behind the washer/dryer. Danged mice get in from under the house and that's where they access the interior of the house. Usually find one or two a month back there, and THAT I can smell.

The mass of nest was lodged behind the air door. When I took the filter out, I could see it back there. I ended up putting a thin piece of card board into the filter slot before I attempted to vacuum it out. Just in case it came free and fell into the air ducts.

I guess this will be a yearly check from now on. I seldom drive the car in the summer, as I'm usually on two wheels once the snow melts. I'm assuming that they tried to take up residence as the car sat there for four months, unused. ~sigh~

[09vGT]

This by far has got to be the worst one I've seen on here! LOL! Really, thats SICK!

[vibenvy]

Yeah, that's pretty gross !

I remove the cabin air filters on our 2009 Vibe GTs every time I change the oil. I use the vaccuum and/or air compressor to clean out any dirt, leaves, etc. that may be in the filter. Our cabin air filters have yet to get very dirty since I clean them regularly. I have actually replaced them twice already, once at 15,000 miles and again at 30,000 miles. After seeing posts like this, I'm glad I don't have a problem remembering to clean and replace ours. Hopefully this will keep anything from trying to play house in either one of our Vibes .

[tpollauf]

Never removed any of ours YET but I think Juniors will get it replaced first. He's pushing 42K miles and will easily be the dirtier of the two. Them d ammm mice. They get into just about everything don't they

[bestvibe]

I set out to change the blower motor and resister and thought I'd check out the cabin air filter. Anyone know if there's supposed to be any insulation up there? Should I pull everything out? Of course, I'll get a new filter. Thanks for any assistance on this. Pretty amazing car for sure!
-Frets Halligan

[09vGT]

I take my previous comment back.

THAT is the dirtiest filter I've seen!

[bestvibe]

You should have seen inside the blower motor! It's all clean and new now!

[circuitsmith]

With all that stuff coming in how do cars without filters function past 5 years?
What's in my lungs??

[bestvibe]

With all that stuff coming in how do cars without filters function past 5 years?
What's in my lungs??

Yeah. I had no idea the car even had that filter, so I never checked it. I got the car about 3 years ago!

[flyboyron]

At first I thought that was our old filter.

My wife's 04 Vibe's filter looked just the same the first time we replaced it.

I now try and change it every year and it still gets leaves and bugs and stuff on it.

I think if that filter wasn't there, the trash would end up on your floorboard.

[Persephone]

Man, if only I had posted pictures of my filter. It probably hasn't been changed in all the years my car has been alive. It just completely fell to pieces. There were holes in it and the side pieces fell off. O_O It was so disgusting, I should be dead. I didn't know it was even there to change. lol

[Caretaker]

Just put that filter out for the squirrels. They will make a nest out of it. One day you'll go outside and find it missing. Look up; the squirrels have built a condo out of your Vibe's filter. That's what they did with my wash mits. The squirrels stole two of my mits and I found them up in the tree lining the squirrel's new plush fuzzy condo.

[vibenvy]

Just put that filter out for the squirrels. They will make a nest out of it. One day you'll go outside and find it missing. Look up; the squirrels have built a condo out of your Vibe's filter. That's what they did with my wash mits. The squirrels stole two of my mits and I found them up in the tree lining the squirrel's new plush fuzzy condo.

I literally LOLd when I read this !

[Mark]

I just bought an 08 and the cabin filter looked almost exactly like the one in the first pic, minus the mouse nest. When I was looking at the car the previous owner mentioned that the A/C wasn't working as good as it used to, and driving it home I noticed an odor. I had a new one here, so soon as I got home I changed it. Texted the guy a pic of the old one, he had no idea it was even there.