Pop quiz: What is a cabin air filter?

A. A filter for your Cincinnati 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 SUV. It filters out common Cincinnati 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 Cincinnati auto owners have cabin air filters. They are fairly new on the scene in Ohio. Last check, about forty percent of new vehicles sold in Cincinnati come with cabin air filters, but the number is growing every year.

Cabin air filters make driving a lot more pleasant for Cincinnati drivers. Your SUV can be a haven during our Cincinnati 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 SUV owner's manual doesn't mention your cabin air filter, ask your friendly technician at Tuffy Auto Service Center Cincinnati 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 Cincinnati area, or if you start to notice a funky smell coming from your vents.

The team at Tuffy Auto Service Center Cincinnati urges Cincinnati car owners 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 Cincinnati more enjoyable.

Come by Tuffy Auto Service Center Cincinnati in Cincinnati and we'll take a look at your cabin air filter for you.