A pollen filter or cabin air filter keeps the air that flows into the cabin clean. What it does is filter out any pollen or dirt that flows into the car. This is not only great to keep the air clean for any passengers inside the car, but it will also keep the system clean. The downside to this is, the more you drive the faster the filter gets blocked and you will find yourself soo in the situation when you will have to replace the pollen filter. The upside of keeping the pollen filter clean is that you can help improve the performance of your ventilation or air conditioning system.
How Often Should You Change The Pollen Filter?
The pollen filter is a part that would regularly need to be replaced. The more you drive the car, the dirtier it will get. That’s why it should really be replaced at regular intervals. Your car’s service schedule will give advice as to when it needs replacing. How often it is needed as such does really depend on the type of car you have and how much you drive and where. After all, driving in traffic or in heavily polluted areas will mean that the pollen filter needs replacing more often. As it will be more affected by grime and dust.
How Can You Tell If The Pollen Filter Needs Replacing?
The pollen filter’s main job is to stop the dirty air from entering the cabin. But if the air ventilation system is not performing very well it’s possible that it’s dirty. Over time lots of dust, grime, twigs, leaves, and even insects can accumulate across the service of the pollen filter.
The filter traps dust, pollen, and other foreign particles, essentially cleaning the air before you breathe it in. Often you may be able to remove some of the bits and pieces that have nestled itself in the filter. Like all filters, they need at least cleaning when they become clogged or start to smell. At some stage, though, a pollen filter replacement is inevitable.
Checking the condition of the pollen filter can be left to the mechanic for your next service. Usually, the pollen filter replacements will be covered by your service schedule which is recommended by your manufacturer. These scheduled services are important to the maintenance of your car and will prolong life for many years. There are multiple signs of a pollen filter that just isn’t working anymore, here are a few now.
Sign 1: Poor airflow
The most common issue with pollen filters is poor airflow, as more and more debris clumps together to block the filter. This will obviously mean that you don’t actually feel much, despite you speeding down the motorway. Opening a window hurts your MPG so this small breeze is a bit more of an issue.
Sign 2: A bad smell?
Another symptom of a blocked up pollen filter is a foul-smelling breeze. As dust builds, so does bacteria and fungus. These microorganisms will release a lot of pungent smells that no scented pine will ever protect you from. You might not notice it if you drive often, but newcomers to the car may just plug their nose as they struggle to breathe the ‘clean’ air.
Sign 3: Is that a WRRRR CRCH CRCH SSSSS sound I hear?
If there is some blockage, you may hear odd noises or just a loud low tone sound. This might alarm your passengers if you can even hear them over the sound of air being squeezed into your car. It definitely puts a slight dampener on any relaxing drive.
Particularly in the city, it is important to have a functioning pollen filter as there are plenty more pollutants in the air which you need to avoid. In urban environments, you may want to get your filters replaced more regularly due to the stop-start nature and heavy traffic. We recommend sticking to your scheduled servicing per your manufacturer’s guidelines, as this will keep the filters and the rest of the car in prime condition.
If you think there is a problem with your pollen filter then get a certified Clickmechanic to come out and inspect the problem with your airflow system.
