Changed air and cabin filters at 32,000 miles

Don't know. In my Oldsmobiles the answer is somewhere between "not much" and "zero". You've got the situation so you should be able to tell us. I'd be interested in finding out.

 

I've read on various websites (autozone and the epa) that a dirty air filter can take 10 % of your mileage. I believe that is probably a stretch except unless the filter is almost completely clogged. In the past on my previous cars I would change at about 50,000 miles and would only notice a very slight difference. I would go from 32 MPG to 33 MPG on my 4 cyl. Eagle Talon. But on the other side though a dirty air filter will rob your peak horsepower significantly on most vehicles and typically after you replace your air filter you immediately notice the power difference. (probably wont on the Prius)

 

Let us know if your mileage improved after changing the filter.

If the filters were that filthy, you may want to change them more often, maybe at 15 or 20 K.

 

The Scheduled Maintenance Guide for 2007 says to change the engine air filter at 30k, but if you drive in dusty conditions, you are supposed to check it every 5k (each oil change) . I replaced mine at 15k, the engine air filter was a little dirty, the cabin air filter was very dirty.

 

Yes, for the engine air filter you would actually have to remove it and check the bottom side because the air enters underneath.

It really depends on your local conditions.

I could have cleaned mine and replaced it at 15k, but I already had the new one on hand and I bought it online (metrotpn.com), so it was not that expensive.

 

Depending on how clogged it is the MPG can drop quite a bit. Think of yourself wearing a paper breathing face mask that's unblocked. Now think of how much air you could breath into your lungs if the mask was almost completely blocked with debris.

I live on a dirt road & my Air & Cabin filters were filthy @ 29,000 when I replaced them. Oddly enough the MPG didn't drop. Maybe the Prius knows something I don't know.

 

Well, if you drive gently as many Prius drivers do, then you usually are not requesting much power from the ICE, hence a clogged air filter may not manifest itself in driveability issues.

The clogged air filter will be an issue if you are flooring the accelerator, trying to climb a mountain grade at freeway speeds, and wondering why your Prius doesn't perform.

 

You're right. FL is flat as a board-no hills or mountains. I usually don't go over 20 MPH on the road as it's like a dust bowl when dry & the crap that's thrown down & graded on it has stones in it. I will NEVER live on a dirt road again!

 

I'd be far more concerned about the nasty stuff from the mouse poop than I would be about the mileage.

 

When in the trade I would clean the air filter of cars at every service by softly blowing through it with compressed air.
Not blasting them hard as that may tear the element just a soft blow to lift the big stuff. Oh and I would blow across the dirty side not from behind, blowing along the flutes to lift the dirt out worked well.

 

Nice tip, I typically pull mine out and just tap it lightly against my hand to shake the bigger stuff out while I am waiting for the oil to finish draining.

 

Glad to hear that you got them replaced. They were well past their lifetime. Now your Prius can breathe a lot better.