Pop quiz: What is a cabin air filter?
A. A filter for your Fairbanks house?
B. A fresh, piney scent?
C. A filter for the passenger compartment of your car?
Clever you, it's C.
A cabin air filter cleans the outside air before it comes into the passenger compartment of your vehicle. It filters out common AK air particles like dust, pollen, spores, bacteria, pollutants, exhaust gas, odors and even sparrows.
These high tech filters can block particles larger than 3 microns. By contrast, a grain of sand is about 200 microns.
Not all Fairbanks vehicles have cabin air filters. They are fairly new on the scene in AK. Last check, about 40 percent of new vehicles sold in Fairbanks come with cabin air filters, but the number is growing every year.
Cabin air filters make driving a lot more pleasant for people in Fairbanks. Your vehicle can be a haven during our AK allergy season with very little dust and pollen getting into the cabin. Of course, like all filters, the cabin air filter eventually gets clogged. When this happens, your heating and air conditioning flow can become restricted. The filter can even get kind of smelly.
Check your owner's manual for replacement guidelines. If your vehicle owner's manual doesn't mention your cabin air filter, ask your friendly and knowledgeable service advisor at Gabe's Truck & Auto Repair for a recommendation. It's usually every year or 12,000 miles /19,000 kilometers. Change it sooner if you drive in dusty conditions around the Fairbanks area, or if you start to notice a funky smell coming from your vents.
The team at Gabe's Truck & Auto Repair urges Fairbanks drivers to keep their cabin air filter cleans. It may not help with your brother-in-law in the backseat, but it will make your driving experience around Fairbanks more enjoyable.
Come by and we'll take a look at your cabin air filter for you.
Gabe's Truck & Auto Repair
2015 Frank Ave
Fairbanks, AK 99701
907.456.6156