Hi, I went and got a scheduled oil change last Saturday at Rapid Lube.
Now now...don't freak...its was pissin' rain out, and I had a 10 dollar off coupon which ended up costing me 50 bucks...tax included. (I also got a free gift. Flashlight and air pressure guage, plus the conventional coffee and newspaper.)
On the check list while I was waiting, I saw that they had the cabin air filter listed however, the manager said he doesn't have any in stock. I said thats cool, can you show me how to put it in? He demonstrated and when doing so, we found out there wasn't one in there anyway. Never was one since I picked the thing up in Oct 2007. Not a biggie.
I went to Canadian Tire at lunch today, and they don't stock it.
Without paying Mopar prices, can anybody in the GTA advsie me were they got their's?
I wouldnt mind putting it in..as i do get hay fever.
Thanks..

There is another thread going on regarding this. Seems like the filter is installed ONLY on the Limited's. Some people have found some cheap filters on line and others have gone out and found a substitute. I for example bought a 20 inch x 16 inch by 1 inch air conditioner filter (US$6 which can yield about 2 filters).

I cut it to size (8.5 inches x 8 inches if I am not mistaken) and put it in there. Works fine. There is a forum member who seems to have built some that are washable. I don't remember if he was selling them or not... I just went with the fastest and cheapest way to add the filter to my Patriot since I also suffer from hay fever.

There is another thread going on regarding this. Seems like the filter is installed ONLY on the Limited's. Some people have found some cheap filters on line and others have gone out and found a substitute. I for example bought a 20 inch x 16 inch by 1 inch air conditioner filter (US$6 which can yield about 2 filters).

I cut it to size (8.5 inches x 8 inches if I am not mistaken) and put it in there. Works fine. There is a forum member who seems to have built some that are washable. I don't remember if he was selling them or not... I just went with the fastest and cheapest way to add the filter to my Patriot since I also suffer from hay fever.

while size may be standard,
washable filters are generally coated with some type of oils,
wasnt meant as an breathing air filter,
would be wary using a washable filter for the engine air compartment,

Really? Hmmm... Then I shall nix the washable then. Stick to disposable.

The one I saw made by a forum member was just a couple of layers of foam if I am not mistaken. It had a blue frame... I remember that much.

Really? Hmmm... Then I shall nix the washable then. Stick to disposable.

The one I saw made by a forum member was just a couple of layers of foam if I am not mistaken. It had a blue frame... I remember that much.

on my behalf,
but reusables/washables are usually coated in oils,
whether its harmful to breathe or not, i dont know,
if given a choice i wouldnt risk it

Here's a nice follow-up surrounding this.
I checked with Canadian Tire and they don't stock this part..well...the store I was in didn't
Two days ago, I got a customer survey email from Mr. Lube about my initial visit last Saturday, so I filled it out and populated an 'additional comments' section. In that section i mentioned that they were out of stock of the cabin filter,however the manager never offered to order one in and try to get me back as a repeat customer. The rest of the survey only had positive things to say about their facility.
I got a response back from the francise owner thanking me for my comments and offered me a 30% discount of the cabin filter and if I was interested, they would immediatley order it in. As I didn't find one this week, I said sure.
I went there late this aft' after work and had it put in. At the same time, I had them replace a burnt out rear liscense plate bulb.
The whole thing cost me $55.00.
Any idea what the filter costs at the dealers parts dept?
On another note, I was worried that this filter may restrict good air flow from the a/c but its seemed nice. I dont know if I am imagining things but the a/c air that came out smelled nice and crisp as well.
Thats a nice pleasant change from one day last week, when I cranked it on and it smelled like someone pissed down the vents.Unsure what that was all about.

Cant say much about the price since I took the cheap way out. I did happen to read up on the cabin a/f at lunch today in the owners manual and it is only a "particulate filter" which means that it should not restrict air flow much at all. It can help dissipate some smells but dont be surprised if you still get some smells in the cabin. Oh, and lastly, it only works when the recirculate is turned off on the a/c.

I noticed an immediate improvement since my eyes were getting somewhat of a stinging sensation from all the crap the a/c was pulling in from outside and directly into my face/eyes. Since installing the filter, no more stinging sensation in the eyes.

That "musty" smell you smelled may have been "old" humidity.

http://www.jeeppatriot.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7489&highlight=cabin+filter

Joebecker thread above.

i just did the cut a furnace filter in 4 sections routine, i thought i saw prices as high as $40 CDN on here while our US friends were paying $15

http://www.jeeppatriot.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7489&highlight=cabin+filter

Joebecker thread above.

i just did the cut a furnace filter in 4 sections routine, i thought i saw prices as high as $40 CDN on here while our US friends were paying $15

That's the one!

Thanks Dave... I was just lazy to start looking around... Rough week with the accounting auditors here. :(

The mopar cabin filter is about $35 from Chrysler

Oh, and lastly, it only works when the recirculate is turned off on the a/c.

Don't believe everything that you read in the user's manual. The filter is immediately before the fan. Any air that the fan moves is going to go through the filter. The verbage must be from a completely different model. Cut and paste but not checked for accuracy.

Don't believe everything that you read in the user's manual. The filter is immediately before the fan. Any air that the fan moves is going to go through the filter. The verbage must be from a completely different model. Cut and paste but not checked for accuracy.

Hmmm.... this could make sense.

Cant say much about the price since I took the cheap way out. I did happen to read up on the cabin a/f at lunch today in the owners manual and it is only a "particulate filter" which means that it should not restrict air flow much at all. It can help dissipate some smells but dont be surprised if you still get some smells in the cabin. Oh, and lastly, it only works when the recirculate is turned off on the a/c.

I noticed an immediate improvement since my eyes were getting somewhat of a stinging sensation from all the crap the a/c was pulling in from outside and directly into my face/eyes. Since installing the filter, no more stinging sensation in the eyes.

That "musty" smell you smelled may have been "old" humidity.
would the filter eliminate that musty smell? or make it worse?

would the filter eliminate that musty smell? or make it worse?

The "musty" smell typically originates on the evaporator coil which is after the filter. When you run the A/C and turn the vehicle off, there is still some moisture that has condensed on the coil (but not enough to form a water droplet and fall off) and/or a small amount of water in the drain pan. This moisture is what microbes, bateria, etc need. What is sometimes helpful, is to turn the A/C off (leave the fan on) a mile or so before you will be stopping. This way the air moving across the coil will pick up that moisture.

The "musty" smell typically originates on the evaporator coil which is after the filter. When you run the A/C and turn the vehicle off, there is still some moisture that has condensed on the coil (but not enough to form a water droplet and fall off) and/or a small amount of water in the drain pan. This moisture is what microbes, bateria, etc need. What is sometimes helpful, is to turn the A/C off (leave the fan on) a mile or so before you will be stopping. This way the air moving across the coil will pick up that moisture.
ah, so probably not then eh? :doh:

my problem is my 2.5km commute, so by the time the a/c is cold, it would be time to turn it off ha ha

would the filter eliminate that musty smell? or make it worse?

Depending on the filter it could lessen the smell. I don't believe it will make it worse UNLESS the filter also becomes humid. I personally don't like doing this but I know people who sometimes spray the filter with Lysol (antibacterial, etc.) or something like that. I believe someone mentioned they give their system a good dose of this stuff to eliminate any mildew or whatever in the ducts. I have done that in the past on other vehicles (Fiat's no less) with good results. Just got to put up with that smell until it fades away.

Another thing to try is to open all windows and on a sunny warm/hot day, run the heater full blast for awhile to see if any humidity (if thats the cause) will dry up within the system. After awhile (I guess untill you stop smelling anything coming out ofthe vents) shut the system off and let it sit a bit before using the a/c. If you use the a/c right away you could create condensation again. Hot + Cold = Condensation...

Last... have you checked you carpeting around any a/c duct to see if it is humid?