Don’t Be Like Me: Cabin Air Filter Broken Door Cover

So I have replaced lots of cabin air filters w/o issue but on a cold morning I snapped the right side retaining clip of the inside door by pressing too hard. The key is to lightly depress while looping a finger completely behind the retainer clip so as to get leverage on pulling it out. Here is a picture of the broken clip. (Which my dealership is replacing under warranty $23).

Also don’t waste $37 on a Toyota Cabin Air Filter (which I did because mine was full of moths and debris) I got 3 replacement filters off of EBay for the same price. (Note: I also bought the engine air filter at the dealership for $37 which I believe to be worth it because of the quality, etc..

 

"Here is a picture of the broken clip" - on a new clip you may file, un poko, aggressive angle of the stopper clip, as you may break it again.
if you buy something three times cheaper than original, most likely it is fake. it will keep debris out of the fan ok, for a short while, but you cannot judge filtering abilities of different matter by the price only. this is how aftermarket business works. we have beautiful, dream machines, reliable and long lasting. you start buying cheap filter, what next: cheap oil? cheap brakes? cheap transmission and gear liquids? why don't you just buy cheap kia and buy anything cheap for it, as it it not gonna last past 70K anyway? tell you wife that from now on you going to treat her with cheap fast food instead of restaurant and see how your relations go sour - it a joke, do not try it at home. my apologies to kia owners or gm or ford or audi - nothing is cheap for us. but compare to Toyota they just don't last!

 

Yes, aftermarket/cheap cabin air filters are adequate. I get charcoal infused 2 pack on Amazon for $20. Quality to my untrained hands/eyes is more than sufficient. Been using these on our fleet for years, no issues at all.

 

Don’t feel bad, I broke the same clip on my older Sequoia. It stays in place ok.

 

I buy all genuine Toyota parts either from a dealership or WalMart, I use Mobil1 oil and change every 6 months regardless of miles because I don’t put that many on my rig. The Fram filter from EBay was a perfect fit with high quality material used. It didn’t have as many pleats but for a cabin air filter I am satisfied it will do the trick.

 

And it did stay in place with a good seal…. But I knew it was broken…lol….my OCD. I’m just glad it was replaced under warranty.

 

Agree, the cabin air filter is not as critical as the engine air and oil filter so saving a few bucks on a cabin filter is not a bad thing.

 

I broke the one on my daughter's Tacoma years ago. A little piece of tape holds it in place until the next filter change.