Cabin / Air Filter Combo

The non-charcoal infused ones are even cheaper. I always keep a set on hand and change them as needed. I also keep my HVAC system in manual mode with the fan on low; to prevent mold formation. I'll switch to auto mode on long road trips and cut-off the AC 10 minutes to shut down to give the system a chance to dry out.

Combo Set Engine ＆ Carbonized Cabin Filter For 19-24 LEXUS UX250h & 2025 UX300h | eBay

 

You are not due unless you have 30K miles or 36 months - you have neither. So why are they suggesting you need it changed?

 

Thanks. I definitely want the carbon filter despite knowing it would need to be a thick carbon filter in order to filter out most odors. I’m putting the AC on manually as well but need to find a way to remind myself to shut it off before arriving home. I’ve put the heat on twice as a quick fix. Anything to prevent mold.

 

I've found 30K to be a bit extreme for the cabin filter. You probably don't get much dust, dander, pollen, wildfire smoke and ash down there in San Bruno; but up here I usually need to change it around 20K. I do leave my fan on low all the time though.
I can usually get come crap to fall out of my engine air filter, when I tap it out on the sidewalk. I replace them in pairs, but I could probably get away without changing the engine air filter since I'm 75% EV, most of the time. Their cheap, so I change them.

YMMV.....

 

I bought an air filter from Afe, cleanable. Use again and again.
Buy once-cry once

 

I tend to

I tend to change my cabin filter every 12-18 months. They're not expensive, and I have bad allergies. So a new carbon filter every year or so helps with that.

Not really something I am worried about in the 03 anymore though. Since the AC gave out 2 months ago, the windows are down whenever I drive, and that means the cabin air filter is useless to me.

 

Cabin air filter(and engine air filter) shouldn't really be changed on a milage or time schedule but on an inspection schedule. If it's dirty, change it. If it isn't, leave it alone. Someone in a clean environment could get five or more years and 100k miles on a filter, while someone else might only six months and 5k. Totally depends on individual driving circumstances.

Exception:
Activated charcoal cabin air filters need to be changed annually since the charcoal has an effective lifespan. After a year, the charcoal becomes inert enough that the filter becomes an ordinary filter. It will still filter out all the typical particles, but it will no longer filter odors as effectively.


(I did change all my filters - including battery - at 2y/20k, but that was mostly because I was taking it to the CarCarNut for an inspection and wanted it as good as possible from my end. I also had the filters sitting around since shortly after I bought the car and wanted to cycle my stock. The engine and battery filters absolutely didn't need to be changed - they were still near perfect. So do as I say, not as I do. lol)

 

Updated part number for the engine air filter is 17801-F2060.

For you, I highly recommend the more expensive cabin air filter. The difference is it contains activated charcoal to filter out odors. You've mentioned in the past that you're very susceptible to odors, which is why I'm recommending it so strongly. Just note that you have to replace that one every year if you want to maintain it's odor-filtering capabilities. After a year, the charcoal has degraded enough that it's mostly a regular filter at that point.

 

Thank you. I spoke with Longo Toyota parts today and they actually took the time to examine both carbon air filters. 87139-7620 MSRP $52 has a different weave and apparently thicker carbon than 87139-YZZ93. I think I’m going to try the thicker one since it’s 50% off this weekend.

In the mean time I’m still not clear on what’s going on with HVAC despite having read the AC section in the manual twice. I have everything shut off except the fan and I’m getting cool air coming in. I put temp to 80 to see if the air would heat up. Goal is to manually control so I can avoid mold buildup.

 

Oh my what a mess. Duplicate posts, couldn’t get photos to attach properly etc.

 

Huh, I didn't even realize they made a budget version of the charcoal air filter. I use the -76020 myself and am happy with it.

I didn't think to mention before, but I wouldn't order an activated charcoal cabin air filter until you plan to actually use it. They start losing their effectiveness when the charcoal is exposed to oxygen; that's why the one-year lifespan. They come packaged in bags inside the outer box, but it's not exactly the thickest plastic in the world. If the bag has a couple holes in it and you set the filter on your shelf for a year, the charcoal will be done before you even put it in your car.

Since I do my big annual maintenance in April, I tend to buy my cabin air filter in February during their Presidents' Day 15%-off sale. If you're not doing your own oil changes, I'd probably suggest doing your annual maintenance at the beginning of December and buy your parts during the 25%-off Black Friday sale.

 

Okay, this was hashed out ad nauseum in another thread, but that was a year or two ago and it's probably buried 10 pages down by now.

In previous generations(like your gen2), the A/C was controlled by the driver even when the climate control was set to AUTO. So you knew whether the A/C was enabled or not by the A/C light. This is not the case on the gen5 by default. From the factory, the climate control now controls the A/C just like everything else. It's not going to turn the light off and on, just like it doesn't indicate when it changes fan speed or changes the outlet vents.

If you really want it to operate the old way, you can still do that. In the settings on the infotainment display in the climate section, there's a setting called 'A/C to AUTO' or something like that. It's on by default, but if you turn it off, the climate control will function just like your gen2 did and the light will indicate if A/C is enabled.

If you want the climate control to control A/C most of the time(A/C to AUTO = On), but sometimes you want to override it, then you can temporarily disable the A/C by pressing the A/C button twice. The first press forces it on and the light will come on. The second press forces it off and the light will shut off. The A/C will then stay shut off until either you manually turn it on again or you press the AUTO button to let the car retake control of it. (I'm not sure if the A/C stays off after shutting off the car. It might go back to car-controlled after restarting.)

Personally, I'd just leave it alone and let the car handle everything unless/until you actually get a mold problem. This is not the mostly stupid system of your old gen2. These modern systems are loads smarter and take data from many different sensors. They will monitor inside temp, outside temp, humidity, & other stuff and then use a more complicated algorithm to decide if humidity might be building up in the A/C box. The system will adjust fan speeds, inside/outside air, and cooling level to keep things good. By taking control of the A/C yourself, you're handicapping the system from doing its job. But that's just my opinion(which is taken from TheCarCareNut).

 

I've only had the mold smell a handful of times, but it dissipates pretty quickly. I wouldn't worry about it, personally. It seems to only happen if you do a really long drive, and then park the car in a garage, and then leave it for a few days. And even then the mold smell goes away after 10 or so minutes of driving so the system isn't super moldy, it probably just has some condensate sitting in a catch basin that empties out as you drive. Unless you're going to leave it parked for weeks, I doubt that any real mold will build up to be honest.

 

Summer is always a good reminder for folks to know how to use their Toyota A/C properly to help avoid that nasty moldy/mildew smell that can occur. (Thus the need for the Toyota A/C disinfection/refresh kit which can be expensive if you don't do it yourself.)

Air conditioners collect moisture as they do the heat exchange from hot to cold. This moisture builds up inside our A/C units inside the dash. When we park the vehicle, especially in a dark garage, this water can grow mold and mildew and smell awful. (Remember seeing water under your car in the summer on the front/right side? This is the water from the A/C.)

Experts suggest we turn OFF the A/C when we are within about 5-minutes of our house when we are parking for the night, turning the "recirculate air" OFF and turn the blower on HIGH. This will dry out that water inside of there and prevent mold and mildew from growing and starting to stink.

Also using charcoal activated cabin air filters helps...I replace all of ours in June from some I found on Amazon and they are usually pretty dirty after a year of use.

 

Maybe its just because the humidity is high where I live - usually 50-60% in summer and 60-70% in winter, but I haven't found the extra steps of running the fan with the AC off as helpful at all in any of my previous cars, nor this one. Inevitably there's some mold smell that seems to go away after a few minutes of driving, no matter what precautions I take.

Unless of course I'm planning on leaving the car parked for an extended period of time. Then I do run the fan with the AC off to reduce as much condensation sitting in the unit as much as possible.