Cabin air filter replacement $170 for 2018 model 3?
Is this the going price? do folks typically get this done at a non Tesla shops at lower rates? I read here that replacement is difficult for pre 2020 models, wondering if I should just cought it up. Thank you.
You could do it yourself for just $45 by ordering the part of Teslas website; I plan on replacing mine myself shortly.
Replacement is a PITA but anyone can do it.
How long did it take? I saw the video on the tesla website, and it seemed pretty straight-forward.
Probably 90 minutes, upside down crammed in there. Followed a YouTube video.
That's insane. I've never owned a car where the cabin filter took longer than ten minutes. Are they trying to make these cars hard to work on?
Design has already been changed. Probably only take me 20 minutes next time.
Can confirm my 2022 took me max 15 min
Didn’t take me anywhere near that long. 30 min tops. Definitely not worth paying to have it done.
It's an annoying job but I'm too cheap to pay that much for the SC to do it.
Plus I like the carbon filters from Amazon.
Just make sure you get that kool it too, otherwise that smell most likely won’t go away
Oh definitely need that! Every time! Otherwise you're right, that smell will 100% linger
Easier on new models. Did mine and they moved some of the screws into a better position.
It’s really not that bad. A screwdriver with a flexible attachment is all you need. Took me about 20 minutes
I did it in about 20 minutes in my garage with a set off Amazon for 25 bucks!
Agreed. Took 30 minutes max for me and 6 of those minutes were running the AC on full blast after I sprayed the Foam Cleaner to run through and another two minutes to refill my wine.
Mine was 54 dollars with labor.
Just had mine done yesterday and it was $64
Mine was $75 all in parts + labor + tax
You wouldn’t spend more than $24 doing it yourself. You’re mostly paying for labor, most of which goes to the service center and not their employees anyways. Takes like 5 minutes to clean the coil and change the filter
This is 100% a DIY job. Get YouTube certified on the process and save yourself $120.
I mean this is an entirely reasonable labor charge. They have to get your car, pull it into the bay, get into the passenger side, open the door all the way, contort under the car, remove the panels, swap the filters, put it all back together etc. and they're charging you $100 for the privilege. That's standard.
This is why I DIY.
No, It’s under the dash
No, It’s under the dash
You got more than a filter replacement, your evaporator coil was also cleaned.
Right -- filter alone with labor was ~$90, I neglected to mention. Is evap coil cleaning also as simple as folks make it out to be?
It depends on what your skill set and comfort level is. To remove and replace the filters, and spray in the cleaner, there is some disassembly of the interior panels required. I have replaced the filters myself but it is a bit cramped and the screw for the filter cover is not easy to get to.
I would do it yourself. Filters on amazon cost $20
Get HEPA filters and DIY... just plan on standing in your head for 39 minutes
Did it myself, so easy. Took a total of 5 mins.
$120 in labor to pull the panel and swap filters? LMAO. Do it yourself.
that sounds reasonable honestly, probably 75 for oem filter plus install labor. I got one on amazon for 45 and did it in 15 mins or so
get the hepa filters and do it yourself. will take 5 mins
I’ll do it for half that 🙋♂️
Wait you just didn’t do it yourself? I’ll do it for 169
Haven't done it yet, just scheduled service and got the estimate - starting to think I should do it myself 😉 apparently pre 2020's are more complicated but not to a crazy extent.
Took me about 20 minutes the first time, I bought the filters from Tesla for $40.
Thanks for sharing so I don’t make the same mistake!
Do it yourself
30 minutes and better filters than originals.
It takes about 15 minutes to do yourself. Lots of videos on YouTube.
u/Tax_Questions_Abound - Did you complain that your HVAC has a stinky musky like smell or something? There is no reason to need to pay the crazy labor rate for them to use the Kool It mold treatment.
Unless you car actually has a mold issue because of the design defect 🤷🏽♂️
My 2018 P3D+ had the original cabin filters replaced at about 45,000 miles and I had a mobile tech do it for me for $59 OTD with tax, labor, and filters included.
If I were you, I would ask them to remove the Kool It foam cleaner from the estimate. Your estimate should drop to about under $60. Buy the same Kool It! Mold treatment on amazon and have the can ready on hand when the mobile tech comes to do the work. Ask him if he can spray that in there for you once he opens the cover. 👍🏽 I just saved you $120
The kool it was the least of his problem. If the M3 is anything like the MY. It can be a pain to get to the filter. Thus the labor costs. As others recommended. Watch some YouTube videos get your self HEPA filters, a can of Kool it and call it a day
The M3 and MY can start to smell like taint after 18 months
Did you read my 3rd paragraph...
I had Tesla Mobile service do my cabin air filters for under $60 OTD including the filters, tax, and labor.
I agree, that one screw at the top is a PITA, you could get the abstract ocean mod to make it magnetic for an easy future replacement
I read it. The most common reason for replacing these is the foul odor. Just swapping the filters is not going to fix that. Besides spraying the cleaner while the filters are out, does not really add any additional time.
I’m glad you’re happy with your $60 fix. Personally I’d do it myself, for a little less and do it as the manufacturer recommends
My car doesn't have the smell, I know how to take car of my vehicles. The only reason I changed my cabin filter was because it has been almost 3.5 years and 45,000 miles.
I kept the old filters and the mobile tech said they looked in great condition. I had no leaves or large debris in it, just a couple tiny debris which easily came out if I tapped it against the ground.
If you have been following the platform as an owner since the car came out, you would know the issue is the AC when used would accumulate moisture and the filters would get wet along with the unit below the filters which does not have adequate drainage. In 2019 Tesla came up with a hacky software work around after many customer complaints (Tesla Service told the customers this was "with in spec" and is a normal "maintence issue"). So the software attempts to keep running the fan for some time after the car is parked.
What I have always been doing is:
I don't use AUTO for the HVAC
I don't use the AC, just keep my temp at 60°F and no AC... I manually adjust the direction and speed of fan
If the temps get warm and I do want AC, I'll hit the Auto button and change the temp to something like 73°F or so, HOWEVER, about a few miles before I reach my destination, I will turn off the AC button and left the fan keep blowing for the entire time (this will help remove the moisture build up).
End result, no musky smell for me in my car!
Filters are about $20 to $25 on Amazon and it takes me about 5 minutes to change. Not too hard. There are YouTube videos showing how easy.
Just had mine replaced in May on my 2021 M3 RWD. Cost me $61.48 and the Tesla OEM filter has been far superior to the Amazon purchased one I put in myself last year. I pass a farm daily and this one honestly seems to filter out much more of the smell.
Also…the technician said they no longer recommend cleaning the coils. As of now I have had no smell return.
It's a 5 min job to change the filters. The foam cleaner takes longer since you have to wait on it to drain out.
They told me $75 to come to my house and do uty
Foam cleaner.
Took me about 45 mins to 1 hr. Just YouTube and follow instructions. Gets easier the 2nd time when I did it got my sister took 20 mins.