Cabin Air Filter replacement?

scaesare said:

I'm coming up on a year of ownership... and I prefer to do maintenance items that I can myself...

Has anybody replaced the cabin air filter on their S?

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VERY Easy to do. As for replacement, can be purchased from a service center. I also read that a Mercedes filter of some sort will fit as well, I will let others chime in on that one. But after almost 1 year and nearly 30,000 miles, mine is still fairly clean. I high pressure vacuum'd it, and it looks good. I'm going to run mine for another 4-6 months and see how it looks.

scaesare said:

Excellent, thanks for the response.

So it appears those side/front trim pieces have to come out first, before the rear piece comes out?

Do any of them have retaining mechanisms other than just popping out? Do the frunk-lid stops have to thread out... and if so, did anybody have any issue adjusting them afterward?

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The panels just snap in and out for the most part, no threads. Some of the clips are held on with 3m tape, those don't last long, most of mine fell off within the first few weeks of ownership. Gorilla Glue works wonders.....

Not everything needs to come off, I had them off already due to a previous video I made.

scaesare said:

Excellent, thanks for the response.

So it appears those side/front trim pieces have to come out first, before the rear piece comes out?

Do any of them have retaining mechanisms other than just popping out? Do the frunk-lid stops have to thread out... and if so, did anybody have any issue adjusting them afterward?

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You do not need to remove the side panels to get the rear panel out. Rear panel lifts up and back towards the windshield, then you maneuver it out. This allows access to fuse boxes, additional fluid fillers, and the cabin air filter.

Okay I got a bug up my butt to figure out if there was a non-Tesla cabin air filter that would fit. I drive a lot and it's dusty where I live - and I mean lots of fine dust - and my filter is overdue for replacement after 7500 miles. Less concerned with saving a few pennies, getting to the SC frequently is inconvenient for me so I figured if I could find something close then I could Amazon it, etc.

Well, Nope. The closest I could find is an ALCO MS-6401 which is within a few mm but it only fits a couple euro model Nissan and Renault cars, and I could not find a US source for it (though you Euro owners may be in luck). Cross-references to other brands did not turn up anything that I could find in the US either. Then there was the report in another thread on this board about a Mercedes S-class filter looking similar, so I searched dimensions for that but it turns out they are actually an inch off in two directions.

Then it dawned on me I could just get a few genuine Tesla units the next time I went in to service. So problem solved - and it only took me a *cough* hours :redface:

Thank you so much for the video. I live on a super dusty road and will likely need to change mine out. At 15k miles after 6 months!! Love my girl! My frunk piece is only one long piece vs the 3 in the video. Did this change when they changed the size of the frunk late last year. (Late November delivery)

There is a USA company that makes filters, mostly washable so can be reused many times. They currently do not list Tesla, but i am sure that if you supply an old filter, they may well produce to correct size. I use their filters on my boat with a huge cost saving! KN High Performance Aftermarket Air Filters Replaces Your Stock Air Filter

Dborn said:

There is a USA company that makes filters, mostly washable so can be reused many times. They currently do not list Tesla, but i am sure that if you supply an old filter, they may well produce to correct size. I use their filters on my boat with a huge cost saving! KN High Performance Aftermarket Air Filters Replaces Your Stock Air Filter

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Unfortunately, K&N filters don't filter very well. Originally racers used them because with carbureted engines they increased air flow and since race engines are rebuilt after each race anyway wear wasn't an issue.

jerry33 said:

Unfortunately, K&N filters don't filter very well. Originally racers used them because with carbureted engines they increased air flow and since race engines are rebuilt after each race anyway wear wasn't an issue.

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Also, k&n's are air filters for the engine. don't think they make cabin filters at all, but not completely sure. Porsches have occasional problems using the k&n's because some of the oil you use can clog up the mass air flow sensor.

Received from K&N today - Thank you for your interest in K&N filter products. We will be doing a nation-wide launch of our new cabin filters in about 90 days. I do not currently have the application listing for these filters. Please check back with us in a couple of months for an update.

$35 for a cabin filter isn't really all that bad actually. I paid $29 for my honda pilot I had previously so only an extra $6 here and I don't have to take off the glove box. Works for me. I talked to service today when I picked up a couple and the said the should be changed out every 12k miles but if you live or live on a lot of dirt roads cut it in half. Just FYI. And....if any of you have prepaid service plan they just changed their protocol and they will now be changing them every 12k miles. Not every 24k.

I replaced my cabin filter with a similar type for another car, but containing active coal.

Read here: http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/show...-air-filter-CR?p=677752&viewfull=1#post677752

It needs an little DIY to get it to fit, though.

Has anyone found a charcoal cabin filter from advanceautoparts.com that works perfectly with our vehicle?

And does it have active coal by now?
Per my experience there is a huge difference in air quality from that active coal.

Has anyone found a link or a part number for an aftermarket cabin filter that fits the Model S yet?

scaesare said:

I haven't heard of one.. .but the part from Tesla is only like $20.

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how did you get it for $20 they just sold me another 2 at $35 each. Maybe it's the west coast mark up..