As described previously[1], I performed my first examination of the TSX cabin air filter. Having just purchased the vehicle as a CPO (certified pre-owned), I didn't know when the Acura filter was installed. At the 30,000 mile service interval? At 35,000 during certification?* No idea.

*(The vehicle was offered for sale as a certified vehicle in mid-late June, at 34,880 miles. I removed the filter pictured below at about 38,360 miles.)

I've purchased a couple of brands of filters, compared them. But first, how to access the filter.


ACCESSING THE FILTER

The procedure is clearly indicated in the 2004 Owner's Manual (page 11); inexplicably, it's omitted from my 2006 manual. It's quite similar to changing a 2006 Accord cabin air filter (looks like the same plenum to me), documented here on Temple of VTEC. The right-hand pneumatic stop arm is simple. A "C" hook fastens on a bar on the glovebox lid. Just push back gently to release, and it ought to recede out of the way.

A slight difference is in the side tab installation. The TSX glovebox side tabs are snap-in pieces that attach from inside the glovebox. The bumper itself fits through the hole, and sits forward of the hole (facing the engine firewall). To remove, hold the glove box slightly above the point where the bumpers hit the dash fascia. The tabs can be released with a soft pry bar or screwdriver under the lip of the stop on the inside. On jlukja's suggestion, I put my finger through the hole and just pushed them into the glovebox to release. They're identical on both sides. You may need to close the glovebox a bit more to get the bumper through the hole and out.




If you're finicky like me, you might want to clean and dress the rubber bumpers with a little protectant. You might even do a little cleaning/treatment of dash areas which aren't usually exposed.

There's a string to hold the glovebox from swinging loose, but don't drop the glovebox too hard, as the fastener isn't very sturdy. Emptying the glovebox is probably a wise idea.



The air filter tray is removed by pushing two release tabs inward, and sliding the tray straight out. It's just like the Honda Accord unit pictured here on Temple of Vtec (you can see the pneumatic arm clearly there, too).



The filter drops into the tray, with the filter's "air flow" indicator matching the tray's. On the fore and aft end, the outermost vanes of the filter fit into a retaining slot; if you don't do this, some vanes will be "scrunched."


FILTERS, FILTERS,...

The filter for the 2006 TSX is essentially the same for the 2006 Accord. No newsflash there. Differences? Price. The Acura part may be imported, while a Honda filter I bought from a dealer is domestic, made by micronAir US. The Acura part has a ribbon of glue stick running down the center, providing a wee bit of rigidity; since the filter sits in a tray, this is probably helpful only for packing and shipping. (Some filters come in a box, but my Honda part came in a clear bag.) Quality appears comparable, what really matters is particulate filtering ability. micronAir devotes a lot of their web site to hoopla about the filtration effeciency of their product. A cheaper filter from Napa (4815), Wix (24815), or Purolator (C35519) will fit fine. ATP makes a charcoal impregnated filter (HA5) for a higher price which looks comparable to micronAir's "combi-filter." But is the material, hence filtration, comparable? Packaging hasn't provided any clues, none that I've seen assert HEPA quality particulate capture. (Note that Filtrete home air return filters do have "ratings," e.g. 300, 600, 1000, 1250. Of course, over the course of a few months, a home air return filter will probably get more use than an auto filter during normal, twice-daily commuting. A soccer mom-mobile's filter probably gets more use.)

Here's the Honda/micronAir filter side by side with a Purolator "BreatheEASY" equivalent bought from my local auto parts chain for $10 less.




The filters are, naturally the same size.




Here's a close-up, with the Purolator still on top, the Honda/micronAir filter below. The filter material looks pretty darned similar. Is either clearly superior? You tell me. The micronAir material seems a bit finer. Unfortunately neither has any kind of "filter rating" marking that I recognize.




Here's the Acura part that I removed from my plenum. Aside from the ribbon of glue gun dribble down the middle, it's virtually indistinguishable from the micronAir filter.** Actually, the material looks similar to the Purolator, but that could be a result of use. Markings? It only says "G1161C," which means nothing to me. Unfortunately, I don't know if it had been in there for 5,000 miles, 8,000 miles, or longer. The filter I replaced it with, and will pull out in 5,000 miles, will tell. Note that the air flow is from top to bottom, so you're not seeing the "dirty stuff."

**(Maybe I should get some micronAir filters, and a glue gun, and go into business selling Acura-style filters.... )




I also changed out a roughly three month old, 1" 3M Filtrete 1250MPR home air return filter recently. (I always change the filter at the end of our April/May, North Carolina piedmont pollen apocalypse.) This the highest grade filter they sell (that I know of). 3M claims this high performance filter "captures at least 90% of large airborne particles," as well as "smoke, smog, and particles that carry viruses." According to their site, "The 3M MPR (Microparticle Performance Rating) focuses on a filter's ability to capture smaller particles between 0.3 and 1 micron in size. Based on independent laboratory tests, 3M's MPR measures a filter’s ability to capture submicron particles that make up 99% of the particles in the air, such as bacteria, smoke and smog." This language is very similar to the marketing discourse you'll find on micronAir's web site.

Considering the environment that an auto cabin filter is exposed to, it's a fair comparison of this high performance, small particulate catching filter to the vehicle version. In this pic, both filters have their "air flow in" side down; you're looking at the business end of the filter, where particulate is discoloring the filter vanes. This filter was in my apartment for three months, through a heat wave, so I'd guess my HVAC was running at least 60% of the 24-hour day. (BTW, I don't smoke.)



I'd say the Acura filter material compares favorably with the Filtrete 1250 filter, perhaps not quite as fine a material, but compared with the 3M Filtrete 1000MPR filter I replaced the 1250 with, it's very high quality.

I also noted that the filters appear to have caught the same amount of particulate. Now, my algebra may be screwy. If the home air filter was run 60% of the time for 3 months, that's roughly 1209 hours of indoor exposure. If (big IF) the vehicle filter was run for 8,000 miles at an average speed of 33 mph (my average speed based on the onboard MID computer for each tankful of gas), this filter was exposed to the outside air for roughly 242 hours. That's not a lot. Look at the pic again.


... AND MORE FILTERS

Last year, xizor bought a TL filter for his TSX (yep, the same part, but US made, and cheaper). The outgoing filter was a real beauty[2]:



Peterjedi got a Wix filter[3] (#24815)[4], and noted it had less ribs than the Acura OEM filter and didn't seem as good. But then it was an eensy bit cheaper than the Napa and Purolator filters, too.

Jlukja got a couple of Napa 4815 filters from Fleetfilters.com. His Acura filter looked pretty nasty at 20,000 miles[5]:



... After 13 months, he recently pulled the first of the Napa filters out. Here's what it looked like after only 10,400 miles in his TSX[6]:





REPLACEMENT INTERVAL

Now, no one's asserting that these pictured filters have exceeded their normal service lifetime, they're still filtering to some extent. But when there's sufficient debris caught in there, the effective surface area of the filter material is reduced, and I've read that will degrade efficiency.

Based on these pics of used filters following the Acura service interval, 10,000 miles seems a reasonable replacement interval, and the 2006 Owner's Manual's recommendation to wait for the idiot light be damned. YMMV depending on environmental and seasonal conditions. As always, your nose knows. If you wonder what your whiffing when you switch on the AC, it's time. We think nothing of spending $20-$30 on a quarterly oil change, or 6000 mile tire rotation & balance, so that much for a new cabin air filter is a trivial expense (and now you know that you can do the labor yourself).

Final tip ... if you go to a dealer to get a micronAir/Honda/Acura part, check their web site for coupon deals, or ask. There are enough vendors elsewhere willing to cut you a little discount.



Disclaimer:
There's a reason I haven't quoted any prices. Prices change. Shopping cunning varies. You may be able to negotiate a discount by buying two or three filters at one time. (Tip: look at those used filter shots again. Doesn't it make you want to buy a year's supply of 2-3 filters?) Bottom line: search the web, call your local dealer (Acura or Honda), don't be afraid to haggle. Happy hunting.

Relevant part numbers:
Honda: 80292-SDA-A01 (micronAir part HN03104P)
micronAir: MP 180; micronAir-US particulate filter HN03104P, combi filter HN03104C
ATP HA5 (charcoal impregnated)
Napa Gold: 4815
Purolator: C35519
Wix: 24815
Bosch: P3875

References:
2004 Owner's Manual
Temple of VTEC article by "Trip"
micronAir complete product reference, 2006-2007

Thanks to all the previous contributors:
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2063
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21633
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31992

 

wow nice write up.. btw, these are sooo easy to change.. i just changed mine too.. i just replaced it with the honda accord one..

 

very very good detailed writeup. with even HISTORY. nice. i plan to change out my filter this weekend with some time.

 

sweet reference thread.

 

Beautiful write-up and pix. I'm at twenty thou with original filter, so scoped out the Purolator ($15) Napa ($23) and Honda ($32) today. All prices inc tax. Since I have every expectation of them performing the same basic task and then being tossed, the Purolator it was. ALL installs are difficult for me so I'll put it off a week or two.

 

One of the best write up I ever seen, well done!!

 

Nice job!

 

I've changed my cabin filter about a month ago with 18,000 on the ODO and my filter looked just like the one on the left in the last photo. I will now change my cabin filter every year for now on!

What is black stuff on the filter in the last photo? Is it exhaust soot from cars when commuting? My filter had the same black crap on it.

 

very detailed. nice write-up! i'll reference this when i hit the 10k mark (i'm slightly under 5 now).

 

Thank you all for your kind feedback. ,)

Not sure what the "grey stuff" is, but can only guess it's microscopic particulates. My home filter gets wool fibers (I have an all wool rug which sheds). I'm going to bet that next April my cabin filter gets lots of yellow (the Loblolly Pine pollen, IIRC).

The Honda/micronAir filter is sold online as low as $16, prices subject to change. There are 2-3 Honda/Acura accessories/parts venders I've seen mentioned on the forums, but didn't want to "endorse" any in this DIY. Naturally, if you check your filter out of curiosity and it's obscene, running to a local store for a Napa or Purolator or Wix filter works wonders, emotionally as well as practically.

When I say it's a quick job, I'm serious. Some of you will take more time to sort through your glovebox contents than it takes to get the filter tray out to examine the filter. My best time is 45 seconds ... not that anyone's trying to set a record.

 

Excellent write up! I've been putting off changing my cabin air filter ....... for about five years

I'll be changing mine out this weekend and I'll be sure to show you guys what 5 years of crap does to one of these filters. haha.

 

^^

 

hey! I always drive with the windows down getting lots of fresh air.... that's I've had two windows break on me

 

Thanks for the compliment, and thanks for the advance warning! Hope it's not too bad.... But I'll bet it feels like a brand new HVAC system with a fresh filter.

 

Well, you're about to see what you've been breathing in through those windows.

 

wow.. great write up!!

 

Great writeup, very nicely done!

 

Excellent work! I just got to thinking - can one of those home filters with a known rating be cut to fit for the TSX? I just bought a bunch of 1250 rated filters (1x12x20). I looked up the dimenstions of the NAPA and it's:

Length: 9.210
Width: 8.860
Height: 1.180

There are a number of 1x10x10 filters that would almost fit - shave off a bit and your there (but you loose the structural support of the sides, but I don't know if that's a big deal). Any reason why that wouldn't work?

 

nice read.

this is literally a 5min DIY. unfortunately for me, i broke my damper assembly in the process.



part 21

 

interesting.

i'd like to see this happen too.

 

The thought has crossed my mind more than once. Particularly since the Filtrete 1250 16x20x1 that I use costs around $15, and could make FOUR of the cabin air filters. I might try that one of these long boring nights ... the next time I have a long boring night.

 

Thanks to that site afici0nad0 linked to, I now know that's the heater/blower unit on the 2006 Acura TSX, not a plenum. (Click images for links to vendor parts listing.)



Here's an IPB of the 2006 Honda Accord 2DR EX V6 KA5AT heater/blower:



The part numbers for the blower sub-assy, motor/assy fresh/recirculating, and motor assy. fan are nearly identical. ... As are the filter element part numbers (#6 on the TSX IPB, #7 on the Accord IBP).

 

Wow, I'm really impressed at your write-up WITH references! This will be super handy since I haven't had a chance to replace my cabin air filter yet.

 

+1

 

good job on the write up.. this should be linked in the FAQ's.

 

Bump for you to have a boring night soon.

Great write-up

 

Marked.

 

 

The cabin filter is the same one in the Honda Odyssey, too, BTW. You can buy them at HandAaccessories.

 

Well, I left that new air filter in a little longer than the 5,000-6,000 miles I'd promised. I recall I put it in at 36,000 miles and pulled it out a weekend ago at 45,000. Looks about like that previous one that I pulled out (leading me to believe that the CPO technician hadn't replaced it at 35,380). For my money, replacement about twice a year is a bit excessive, but certainly effective at keeping the system clean and functioning at top capacity. Will post a picture shortly.

 

After reading this thread i went to check out the air filter in my 07 and it seems that the set up is different from the 04. could be wrong but not sure. i also check the owner's manual and all it says it to get the dealer to replace air filter. the filter really needs to be changed, its smelling pretty funky with the heater/ A/C on.

On another note, how much would it be to get the filter replaced at the dealer. (its a lease car)

 

I don't think there's any difference going from 04 to 07. Besides, DavidSpalding's TSX is an 06, if I'm not mistaken. There are virtually no changes going from 06 to 07.

I think I recall my dealership wants $90 to replace the cabin filter.

 

good write up, please let us know if it is going to be linked on the faq's, otherwise i will bookmark it.

 

Nice write up. i gotta change mine as well...

 

So I can find it later when I search my own username?

 

*mod edit*

Yep, I have a 2006. In recent wet weather, the VSA indicator has blinked a few times indicating assistance ... I'm loving this car. My Saturday companion (girl) commented, "Nice car," and she has a late model VW Jetta.

I'm 99.44% sure it's the same heater-blower unit in the 2004. Check the others' who posted pics of theirs (see first post), I suspect you'll find a 2004 MY owner (Jlukja, perhaps). No, wait, check the 2004 manual online, which clearly shows how to do this, and it matches my 2006.

$90 to have a dealer do a 5 minute job, versus $25 ($15 if you buy a cheaper filter, or get a deal on a Honda Accord filter) for DIY. This is a no-brainer for me. But if the car's a lease, isn't regular maintenance included? (E.g. oil, oil filter, air filter, rotate & balance, etc.) If so, the cabin air filter ought to be replaced at least yearly IMHO. Or just ask them to do it with the next oil/filter change, and ensure they don't add on more than 1/4 hour's worth of labor doing it (you could help by emptying the glovebox).

 

My local Honda dealer wants $50 for the 2006 Accord filter. I hung up the phone after hearing the price.

 

For the filter, or for the parts & labor to install it? If just for the filter, I wish you'd stayed on the line to laugh hysterically at the guy/gal first.

 

Just to for the part. No labor included.

 

hey thanks, my 07 manual doesn't show how to replace the filter. i'll poke around with the glove box just FMI and i'll talk to the dealer about replacing it too.