Engine Air Filter Life

If all else fails, use the recommendations from the folks who designed and built the car.
IIRC, Toyota says that you should replace the air filter every 30K.
I replace mine every 12K, but I also replace my oil more frequently than my OEM recommends.

I cannot imagine that Alabama is dust and pollen free, and your filter is well beyond its expected normal service life.....even if it "looks new."
I'd change it immediately, and then every 30K at least.

Good Luck!

 

mine have always been clean as well. i can still see light through my 4 year old with 40,000 miles. can't even shake any dust out of it. i never change them.
cabin filter hets a bit dirtier, but still lasts a long time.
no idea on pre filter for air cleaner.

 

I'm a few km's short of 60,000, have yet to change either. The engine air filter looks really clean still. I can just discern a little darkness, hints at where the air is coming from, but really minor. The cabin filter has gotten a little grungy, but I just blew it out with air.

It could be our area, we have a protracted rainy season, keeps the dust down?

 

the only reason i changed the cabin filter at 30,000 was that i use the carbon/charcoal and figured it might be spent. no way of really knowing though.

 

You can "tell where the air enters the intake ahead of the air filter" by following the intake plumbing to its open end near the back of the right headlight. Evidently that's a good location, as far as being relatively dirt-free.

There's no reason to replace an air filter element that isn't in danger of leaking unfiltered air, and isn't clogged enough to reduce engine power significantly. In fact, it catches fine particles better than when new.

 

That's the thing. In the past with carbureted engines, a dirty air filter caused the air/fuel mixture to get progressively richer. Not so with computerized fuel injection.

 

There are two main reasons to replace your air filter.

Dirt and moisture leading to deterioration of the media.

If you live someplace without a lot of dust or pollen, your filter can stay clean much longer than the recommended change interval.

If you live someplace dry, your filter won't deteriorate as much as it would in a damp/wet place.

 

They can last quite a while - I usually replace mine every 50k. At least in my area, the filter is still very clean after 30k. As long as the gasket remains in good shape, you are good to go.