'06 Cabin Air Filter Replacement

Just got back from the dealer so I thought I should share the the "fix" for the '06 is the same as the retrofit part for the '05 except that the cuts are nice and straight with finished edges. Otherwise its the same. I spoke to a salesman who used to be a tech and even said the retrofit isn't worthwhile.

 

Just thought people would like to know this as I don't believe the question was ever answered previously.

I changed the filter in my '06 sedan. It took nearly an hour but that's partially due to stopping and taking photos. Now I could do it in 15-20 minutes.

 

One thing I noticed - I read up online and the photos I saw were showing the retraction string on the left of the glove boxes; mine is on the right side. The disassembly was all done from the right side while sitting near the passenger door, no need to remove the console cover.

 

Open the passenger door and remove the dash's right side end cover - it just pulls off, there are three places where it snaps into place and these can be eased out, just start out holding it from the door pillar side.

 

Then unhook the retractor cable and there is one pushpin to remove, this was the hardest step of all as it is hard to see or get to. Stubby pointy Philips screw driver (only tool needed throughout) and just turn, don't put any pressure on, you're turning a fine-threaded plastic screw out of the body of the clip and this is the pivot point of the glove box assembly. Or, get it part way proud of the surround and then use a straight screwdriver edge to pry the screw-clip bezel out the rest of the way.

 

Remove the glove box by clearing the right side glider guide from the groove it rides in, and once you are clear on the right side, move the glove box to the right so it comes off the left side pivot point.

 

Now you can see the little black fabric cover below the glove box that hides the filter housing but it isn't accessible yet, of course.

 

The plastic box insert for the manual would come out now but it is easier to remove the three little screws on the right side of the dash hump so it clears easier.

 

This reveals the tips of three screws that come from the bottom side of this box and hold down a metal L bracket. Remove them and the bracket comes out (it butts up against little alignment stops for the three holes to line up again, remember this for reassembly). This bracket is what prevents you from getting to the filter at the earlier step.

 

The black fabric is a flap, like a window shade. Reach in to each bottom corner from the front and you will separate the corners from the velcro, then flip the flap up through where the bracket came out, that gets it out of your way.

 

The carrier holder looks like it was redesigned from the photos I saw earlier. It has plastic clip-tabs at all four corners and the way to release it from the housing is to grasp the upper (thumb) and lower (forefinger) clips on each side and very slightly squeeze them together top-to-bottom; this will release them from the housing. (Sort of making the motion like honking a rubber bulb.) Slide it out, it hangs up a bit on the right.

 

The filter sits right on top of the squirrel cage blower. Mine had leaves and was a charcoal black from the forest fires we had all summer, even though the car only has 6,000 miles in a year of use.

 

I had purchased the stock filter and it has a bottom edge that fits along the molded spots inside the carrier's edge, to keep it from flapping, I bet. If you buy a sturdy filter (1/2" thick and cut the pieces 8.5" x 8.5") that won't shift around you shouldn't need to worry, there are two keepers on the top edge, too. After all, the fan sucks!

 

Replace the filter, slide the carrier in the housing and all four clips should click into place, replace the cloth on the velcro at the bottom corners, replace the bracket and the three little screws, replace the manual box, replace the three little screws, replace the glove box (left pivot point first, then insert the right guide in the groove), replace the pushpin on the right as the pivot point, hook up the retraction string, snap on the right side dash cover.

 

Use a worklight if your interior is black.

I looked at our 2005 Legacy base-level GT wagon (5MT) glove box. This vehicle was purchased without the optional add on of the cabin filter.

 

The retractor string is on the right. There are not those three little screws that prevent the manual liner from being pulled out, so I removed it. There is a filter housing in there but it doesn't have that metal bracket. It also doesn't have the black fabric panel and no opening to remove the carrier without disassembling the whole friggin' console. It doesn't pull out at all, even if I could get my fingers in there to replace a filter. Oh well.

I looked at our 2005 Legacy base-level GT wagon (5MT) glove box. This vehicle was purchased without the optional add on of the cabin filter.

 

The retractor string is on the right. There are not those three little screws that prevent the manual liner from being pulled out, so I removed it. There is a filter housing in there but it doesn't have that metal bracket. It also doesn't have the black fabric panel and no opening to remove the carrier without disassembling the whole friggin' console. It doesn't pull out at all, even if I could get my fingers in there to replace a filter. Oh well.

 

 

They added the "updated" glove box parts sometime during the 2005 MY run. My 08/04 sedan does not have it, but a co-worker's 01/05 wagon does.

 

-- Steve

That's good to know - we took delivery of the '05 wagon in Nov or Dec '04, so I guess it's an early MY2005. I should also note we took delivery of the '06 sedan in Oct '05; it was scheduled for Sept but no trucks were coming to the PNW due to the Katrina deliveries.

Thanks for the write up Montana, it helped out a lot!!

The only question i have is that right side (or either side) glider. I’m a noob when it comes to this stuff, but it looks like the glider can be un-clicked somehow. I noticed if I push the glider out of the groove, it puts a lot of stress on the plastic. There must be a better way to just remove one of those gliders. I’m guessing that these are probably standard clips. Anyone have any suggestions?

When it came time to remove the filter and plastic housing, there was no room to move it forward or tilt it up to get it out the top part of the glove compartment. How did you get it out as we had to undo the top popits or clips near the glove compartment latch and almost take off the dash??

Thanks for the walk thru! Still took me some extra time because I could not get the glove box hinge plastic screw to come out as I think it is stripped. I finally pried out the plastic screw with a small flat screw driver. My filter was filthy and it was only a year old.

 

Cheers,

Mike

When it came time to remove the filter and plastic housing, there was no room to move it forward or tilt it up to get it out the top part of the glove compartment. How did you get it out as we had to undo the top popits or clips near the glove compartment latch and almost take off the dash??

 

Did you get your filter out yet or not? Do you see the black fabric on the back of your glove box after removing the glove box door?

 

Cheers,

Mike

Just did my wife's 08 OBW with 9900 mi, 8 months old. Filter was very dirty, lots of tree parts. Dirtier than Montana's picture earlier in this thread.

 

Looks like they've simplified it a little from the previous write-ups I read. No more "curtain", the little cubby at the top slides out pretty easy, less fasteners to undo overall, I think.

 

Trickiest part is finding the correct pressure points for unsnapping the plastic parts.

i've changed mine 2 or 3x's now, and it doesnt get any easier the more you do it! i reguarly end up with multiple cuts and scrapes all over my hands! oh well, cleaner air is important!

HOLY EASY! I can't believe the stealership charges so much for such an easy project.

Anyone know if the 07 cabin filter setup is identical to the 06, i need to replace mine but dont feel like getting ripped off by the dealership

Anyone know if the 07 cabin filter setup is identical to the 06, i need to replace mine but dont feel like getting ripped off by the dealership

 

yes it is, I followed these instructions exactly the first time I did my 07 and it worked perfectly

Look what I found when I tried to replace my filter - NO FILTER No wonder I have been freekin dizzy!

wow that's crazy!

Look what I found when I tried to replace my filter - NO FILTER No wonder I have been freekin dizzy!

You waited so long it disintegrated. You've been inhaling it!

Look what I found when I tried to replace my filter - NO FILTER No wonder I have been freekin dizzy!

 

it's not the BEST scenario, but it's not the end of the world...plenty of cars out there don't have cabin filters.

 

That being said, it is a LOT better when there is a cabin air filter in place...unfortunately it still can NOT kill the stink of skunk! some of them are just doozies!

I think mwiener2 said that 05's did not come with filters. Is that true:confused:

I think mwiener2 said that 05's did not come with filters. Is that true:confused:

 

Are you the original owner? I'd bet the last one took it out...

I bought it at 33K

When we ordered the '05, the filter was an option, according to the salesman. We know the carrier is there and there is no filter in it.

tore it apart today and found no filter in the cage of my 05 today. The dealer wants $145 to replace the filter and spray something in there. YIKES. It's pretty easy to do once you do it once but what a joke when you should be able to change it through the cubby hole where the owners manual sits!

Minew doesn't have the cutout and I didn't have a filter to put in but I could do it in about 15 minutes now and am tempted to just dremel my own cutout in the back of the glove box trim unit to mimic what I have on my 08 where they created an access panel with screws.

It's hidden behind the glovebox anyway...

anyone do this yet?

When we ordered the '05, the filter was an option, according to the salesman. We know the carrier is there and there is no filter in it.

 

I found directions elsewhere on the internet for changing the filter on our early prod. '05 and unsuccessfully spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to get in to it. I didn't realize it was an option and not standard and I now see that apparently ours is early enough that it doesn't have the filter. Is this what the retrofit kit is for? I saw on another thread that you can purchase a bunch of '08 parts and accomplish the same thing, possibly more effectively. Is it even possible to get in to the place where the filter should be without doing a lot more tear-out than is normal for just changing the filter?

^ I pretty much followed the pics in post #2. Like someone said, it's a bit of a PITA the first time. I can do it now under 10 minutes. It's a really stupid design (I have an 05 too).