Maintenance service....one last bit

Another continuation from this post and this post. I felt that this last item deserves a post of its own to create awareness for a small thing that is oft-ignored by car owners.

When we talk about the air-conditioning in our cars, the more discerning car owner will think of refrigerant refills, checking for refrigerant leaks and compressor health. Most owners I know are not aware of a cheap service item called a AC cabin filter.

Without going into too much detail on how a car AC works - A blower fan in your dashboard sucks ambient air from your car's interior or exterior, and blows it through the evaporator core, which is also in your dashboard. The evaporator is the component that rapidly cools the air flowing through it, resulting in cold air coming out of your AC vents.

image credit : acavalanche.com

Now, you can probably imagine all the dirt, dust and moisture that gets blown onto the evaporator. Over time, these junk will accumulate on the evaporator and clog it up. Before you know it, you'll notice decreased airflow from the AC vents despite the blower set at full blast, and the air coming out will have a strange damp smell, and you will be looking at a repair bill for something that could've been prevented with a cheap AC cabin filter.

A clogged evaporator core. Image credit : F150forum.com

A cabin filter sits behind the evaporator core and filters out most of the small particles and moisture in the air flow so that they won't accumulate on the evaporator core. For most cars in Malaysia, a filter can probably last for a year or two before requiring replacement. If you car comes with a filter and you notice a stench in the air coming out of the vent and the airflow has decreased, it's a good bet your filter needs to be replaced.

The cabin filter compartment in the Ford Fiesta is a bit more troublesome to reach - I need to remove a center console panel to access the main AC duct (indicated by red arrow in the photo below. That's not my car)

image credit : paultan.org

Once that is opened, I need to unscrew the cover of the cabin filter compartment (also indicated with a red arrow below. This IS my car.)

You can see the two panel type filters inside.

Why is it arranged so oddly? (top and bottom, with a slight overlap) This is because it is kinda difficult to find the Fiesta-specific cabin filter in Malaysia, so we used the one made for the Fiesta's brother from another mother, the 3rd gen Mazda 2. Obviously it's not a perfect fit, but as long as it covers the entire evaporator it'll work.

Before installing the new filters, a quick inspection of the evaporator surface shows that all looks good and shiny.

A comparison between the new and old cabin filters (new on the left, old on the right.)

Special thanks to @choku, who not only help me import this from a China seller, but also accepting payment from me in SBD!

After installing the new filters, just reverse the process and close everything up, start to finish all done in 15 minutes.

So, when you have the time, check if your cabin filter is due for a replacement, or if you car even have one (The Ford Fiesta does not come with one). It just a small thing that needs your attention every 1-2 years, but could save you a lot of headache down the road.

P/S : A shout out to @davidke20 who first taught me about the importance of cabin filters years ago!