November 27, 2025

Greetings!

I was at the dealership for a routine service recently when the advisor casually mentioned my cabin air filter needed replacing. The price? Over $100 for a part that looked like a dusty dryer sheet.

Out of curiosity, I said no and decided to look it up myself. Ten minutes later, I had a brand new filter in my car that cost me less than $15 and zero labor fees.

If you have never changed your own cabin air filter, this might be one of the easiest money saving car habits you will ever start. I just watched a YouTube video and I was shocked how easy it is to do this!

Be Well,
Anisa

Please add anisa@gophercentral.com to your address book or visit here.

Why Your Cabin Air Filter Matters

Your cabin air filter cleans the air that comes through your vents. It traps dust, pollen, mold spores and other junk that you do not want circulating inside your car.

When it gets clogged, your air conditioner and heater work harder, your airflow gets weaker, and the air inside your car gets stale and sometimes smelly.

How To Change It Yourself

As mentioned I just YouTubed it but here are some quick steps that apply to most cars.

Find your filter location
Most are behind the glove box or under the dashboard. A quick search with your car year, make, model and cabin air filter will show you exactly where it is.

Buy your replacement filter
Most auto parts stores sell them for $10 to $25. Some even offer free installation but you can easily do it yourself.

Access the compartment
In many cars, you simply lower or remove the glove box and pop open a small plastic cover.

Slide out the old filter
Pay attention to how it sits so you install the new one in the same direction.

Insert the new filter and close everything back up
That is it. No tools needed for most models.

In Closing

We all think car savings come from gas prices or big repairs. But sometimes the real wins come from tiny jobs that are overpriced because most people do not realize how simple they are.

Your cabin air filter is one of them.

Spend ten minutes. Save $85. Breathe easier. And keep your money where it belongs.

You Said It, We Saved It

From the 11/13 edition on Scams:

"Thanks for this reminder, Anisa. My mom almost fell for a fake Amazon refund call last month. She hung up and called me first!" – Rachel from Ohio

"I always tell my friends: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I’ve learned that the hard way." – Tim in California

"My brother-in-law fell for a romance scam that spiraled. Long story short he lost everything and is about to lose his house. No one could convince him it was a scam. Two of his three kids have stopped talking to him because they are fed up with it. Even after proving it was a scam he doesn't believe it." - Britney


Reply back to me with any comments on today's or past issues.

Featured Freebie: YouTube For How To's

We all know YouTube but did you know you can get instructions on how to do just about anything! Years ago I had one of those old big screen TVs that I had to replace the light bulb on. It cost over $200 to call someone in to do it.

I found a YouTube video on how to do it and it ended up costing me about $30 just the cost of the bulb!

Before you call a repair man see how hard it is to do yourself by watching a YouTube video!

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