This is a great thread to remind people of...

Just changed my cabin filter again... Decided to go ahead and make the cut. I forgot just how annoying it was to change this filter... I wish I would have done this mod the first time that I changed it.

 

Just changed my cabin filter and I can't for the life of me figure out why someone would cut an access hole when this is such an easy job to do.


Thanks for all the help on here. It really is a great site to learn from and save from having to have to take the car to the stealership.

 

^ all those screws you needed to remove to gain access to the filter strip out and can easily be lost. After the mod, you can easily take your filter out for inspection and vacuum it out if you want to extend the filters life.

A lot of people wait until their filters are painfully dirty to change and I suspect some of that is due to oversight and the fact that it's not as simple as changing an air filter under the hood.

I also have a Honda Pilot with no mod potential and it takes 20 minutes with some short cuts to do something that takes me 5 minutes in my TL. A a result, the TL gets a little more attention by me than the Pilot regarding the cabin filter.

 

Why? So it takes less than 5 minutes to change the filter...otherwise I never would. It isn't difficult per say to change it in the first place, but still requires taking apart multiple things and then putting it all back together. Or cut the access hole and then every future change is just opening the glove box.

 

I appreciate any mods that are offered here and I apologize if it sounds as though I don't. I think for the two screws and two snaps and then unclipping a couple panels it's just not worth possibly having any more rattles than I already have. If it works and makes life easier than by all means go for it. For me though, it just wasn't worth it.
Thanks again keep sharing those mods!

 

Thanks to the OP for this. I did it today - it was as simple as it sounds and will make life super easy changing the filter out again in the future.

 

Great mod, just got done with it, decided to do the mod for the hell of it, car has 150k miles and it still had the original Honda filter.

 

This was the first mod I did when I got the car. The plastic was kind of a pain to cut through but it was well worth it! Definitely recommend this mod.

 

The first time I removed the filter I didn't own a dremel tool. I've since had to buy one. I'll definitely do this mod. perhaps I'll keep the plastic and tape it back in place to maintain the air flow.

 

This is a good mod to do. Removing the panel is not difficult but there is a chance of breaking the clips and it makes it so much easier to change the filter. I should have done it sooner.

There is no effect on airflow and that is not a sealed area behind the glove box.

 

Thank you very much KJSmitty!

 

Resurrecting in 2023, my 2006 TL (17 year old car) had three clips break when removing the glove box. There was nothing I could do I was gentle. Removing the glove box, doing the cutout mod, replacing the filter, and reinstalling was 30 minutes total--including setup time and cleanup. Use an oscillating tool with a saw blade and it cuts like butter through the plastic.

 

forums save teh day again, thanks for sharing.