The wildfire smoke covering large parts of the U.S. and Canada has people reaching for face masks again and staying indoors to avoid the worst effects of the bad air quality, but there’s another place where you can breathe a little easier: your car
But only if you’ve kept up the maintenance on one key part.
Nearly every new car and truck is equipped with a cabin air filter that is incorporated into the climate control system.
A recent survey by NAPA found only 26% of respondents said they thought they knew if their car had one or where it was located.
Most filter 98% of particulates down to the size of .5 microns, according to AAA, while HEPA-grade filters are available that can catch 99.97% of particulates as small as .3 microns.
New filters cost $15 to $20 and can usually be replaced by the owner without any tools. (Jitti Narksompong/iStock)
Tesla and Mercedes offer HEPA filters as factory equipment on some of their electric models, which use extra large filters that are installed under their hoods.
The standard filters cost as little as $15 to $20 and the replacement process often doesn’t require any tools. Replacement schedules usually range from 15,000 to 30,000 miles, but each vehicle is different and details can be found in the owner’s manual.
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Low air flow or a whistling noise can also be a sign that a filter needs to be replaced.