Ever check your Pollen Filter?

Changed the one on my wife's Focus a couple of weeks ago. Wasn't too bad, just had some minor vegetation in it:

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The oil filter was an interesting one. Can't say I've seen a rusty one before. How long must this have been on there to get like this?:

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Ford Focus by any chance?

Focus is easily done. Well, the MK1 at least. Just a case of popping the bonnet, undoing 1 screw on the passenger side scuttle panel, lifting it up and then you have access to the pollen filter. Unless it's the MK2/3 that are a nightmare?
 
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I changed both of mine in the range rover in feb and to say they were disgusting is an understatement, they were soddon, black and had that many leaves and debris I'm surprised the National Trust didn't declare them a nature reserve! They hadn't been changed for years and judging by the engine and gearbox oil that came out I'm guessing regular servicing wasn't a priority.
 
I didn't used to but it's dead easy to get at on my car. Generally I check what a garage say they've done (fluids, pollen filter, whatever else I can easily get at) within a day or two of having a car serviced.

Very quick way of telling if a garage isn't doing their job properly.

However, pollen filters can get dirty fairly quickly. A dirty filter isn't necessarily an indication that it wasn't changed out a year ago.
 
The amount of effort it takes on the mk2 & mk2.5 Focus to get to the pollen filter it's pointless to plan on just checking it - better off having the replacement ready and just swapping them anyhow.

Removing the filter involves taking out the glovebox, dropping the fusebox down and removing at least 1 large multi-connector before you can finally get to the filter and remove it. Plus it's likely you find a certain way it manages to come out but then can't work it out again to fit the new one.

All this is usually done while lying upside down with your head under the dash :rolleyes:

I'd say that manufacturers don't go out of their way to design the car to be harder to service, it's just a side effect of designing something which is cost effective in terms of part & design costs plus feasible for manufacturing at mass production line speeds. From experience, if they tried to design them to be more complex on purpose they'd only screw it up anyhow ;)
 
RX8 is very simple to change.

Unless you've got a MP3 adaptor and the THB Bury bluetooth module tucked behind the glovebox. Makes it a little tougher.
 
Same as many other Ford owners on here, I can't be bothered with the effort of taking apart the dash on the C-Max to change it. As tl45 says, you end up basically upside down half hanging out of the car which does wonders for your back.

The filter on the Aygo though is just a case of reaching up behind the glove box, finding and squeezing the tabs and giving it a pull.
 
Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I've just inspected my pollen filter and air system on my Volvo as the heat and aircon was notably less good than it used to be, it would get cold and warm but no real force of air into the cabin like I remember.. and steamy windows in cold weather.

After digging out a bunch of crud from the intakes under the bonnet just under the windscreen wipers I pulled the cabin filter out (passenger footwell behind the glove box) to find this!

It was a real pain to get to (I'm guessing its simply not done on services despite it being on the list) A panel has to be unscrewed right at the top back of the footwell, then the filter housing has 4 torx screws which are a real pain to get to, involves lying half sideways out of the car slightly upside down with a vey short driver (I didn't have one short enough so I had to use some mole grips to grip a torx bit)!

I'm not sure it's EVER been changed after I rinsed it in some warm water, and it's a surprisingly large filter, about ten inches square.

This is the 3rd rinse of hot water with a bit of detergent splashed in.. I will buy a new one but cant for a few days so thought I'd wash it a bit and see how it went.

I think it's safe to say it was blocked up looking at the colour of the water, it was as black as used engine oil!!!

Before:

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After:

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