This has to be one of the simplest DIYs that the stealership charges an arm and a leg for.

Task: Remove glovebox and replace in cabin air filter
Time: About 10-15 minutes, more if you have never removed your glovebox before
Product: In cabin air filter, I used a carbon filter replacement off of eBay vs the OEM ($23.26 +S&H at infinitipartsusa.com, $13.36 +S&H at rockauto.com, carbon air filter ATP Part # RA64 {#27277EG025, 7B0819644})
Tools/Supplies Needed: none, just your fingers

Process:

1) To start to remove glovebox, pull on LEFT side with it partly open up and out



2) RIGHT side is held in place by damper pin, which can be pryed off gently



3) Remove this black plastic panel, pull out gently from bottom



4) After black plastic panel removed, you will see the white plastic door to the in cabin air filter


5) Pull back from RIGHT side of the white plastic panel, otherwise you'll break the 2 plastic tabs on the LEFT, and remove the panel. You can then pull out the old filter and replace it.


6) This is a close up of the white plastic panel door--the 2 outer longer tabs hold the air filter in place so you need to hold the air filter up at the top of the opening



7) Here's my new carbon air filter on the LEFT compared to the old on the RIGHT



8) Reverse steps to replace everything. The glovebox may take some fiddling to get it back on track, once you reattach the damper pin on the RIGHT.

DONE!

Added to FAQ. This is the same for the M35 so, it'll be a general M howto.

great write up....

just curious...what is the correct way that the filter "arrow" is to point?? Up or down...I guess it's regarding the direction of the air flow, correct?? thanks.

Arrow should always be pointing up.

Not always true, air flow should always go downwards. Depending on the brand of cabin filter you have, the arrow will have a different meaning.

So, based on the 2006 M35/45 FSM

it looks like the direction of airflow is TOWARD the blower motor which is at the bottom (closer to the floorboard-you can reach into the space and feel it and spin it around) and towards the driver side

Thanks so much for the write up; armed with your instructions and a WIX filter, it took all of eight minutes to complete this task.

no prob, man--no need to burn hard-earned cash...lol

Hey, bought new filter yesterday did the work this morning. 5 minutes to get to the filter and swap it , 15 mins to get the glovebox back together , heheh " DIY " saved probably around hundred bucks for cabin and air filter together ( if not more ) ... Thanks so much

Old one :




New one:

Partysan7-

you're very welcome--i know the DIYs that i've read on this site have saved me some serious dough too...

i had the musty smell when i started my AC, so that's the reason why i bought the aftermarket carbon filter to see if that would solve the problem--it has helped a lot, still get a little whiff of the smell, but seems to happen for a shorter period of time with the new filter in. prolly will be swapping it out at more frequent intervals when the smell gets bad again.

yeah, the panels come off easily and swapping the filter is a snap, getting the glovebox properly seated can be the b*tch...accounting for about 13 out of the total 15 minutes spent for the DIY. hard to believe how much the stealership will charge the unsuspecting customer??!!!

one trick--you have to make sure the lower edge of the glovebox door is in the proper place, otherwise it doesn't sit right and you can't close it even though both sides are in the grooves, you just have to fiddle/"f" with it until it is seated properly and then it will open and close normally and it can be latched shut.

Craig

Last week I got my oil changed and the Infiniti dealership reported that both my filters (engine and cabin) had to be replaced and reported about $260.00 bucks plus they wanted to rotate my tires too ($68.00). My car turned over 18K miles and I guess that is part of the interval maint. Well I thought it was pricey to remove filters so I checked forums and found out that the enginer filter replacement was a breeze. So I searched ebay and infinitparts.com and found OEM between 20-30 bucks without shipping. I took out my old filter and noticed that the thing was very dirty and grimey (like oil on it) so I knew I could not wait so I contacted Pep Boys for the filter and they had to order one from another store. While I was talking to the parts dept manager I told him that I needed my tires rotated and how much do they charge. He said it is free. Also, I asked if they had a OEM or high grade cabin filter. He checked the computer and quoted me two prices (10 bucks and 15 bucks). I picked the German made cabin filter. I then walked to service desk and asked if they could fit me in for cabin filter and tire rotation (that was Sunday). well my filters came in and I replaced the engine myself and they replaced cabin and rotated tires for a total of $27.00 (which included the cabin filter). I emailed my infiniti service rep and he laughed and told me that he is going to take his car in soon. I used to laugh at my wife because she gets her oil changes at Pep boys instead at dealership because of the distance. Pep Boys is close to our house where as the dealership is 20 plus miles away. But now after the work and price I might have second thoughts next time.

Changed my filter today, thnx Craig, I thnk I broke the tabs off the plastic piece despite the warning, oh well...

BTW I used an OEM filter from infiniti parts that I purchased along with some other stuff I needed nd it was like $20.

i almost broke one too, Blanco when i first changed mine out. i know a few folks who've busted it--honestly just a stoopid design!

pedsemdoc wrote:honestly just a stoopid design!

Basically... why not just do a little pull down door nd call it a day, make it easy for everybody!?!?!?!

oh yeah I forgot to mention that I broke the white tabs off of the cover too not something you want to share with others but blanco took the first bite and thank god this topic popped up cuz I`ve put ( temporary) electrical tape and would like to buy the new cover from INFINITIPARTSUSA just need help with finding the right part . (the illustration picture isnt clear enough ).

Lol, what's so terrible about it? Nobody's perfect nd I put electrical tape on it just like you did nd I could care less about replacing it... unless it wiggles or something nd so far I havent noticed anything plus next time I replace the filter it'll b a lot easier...

BTW I think the part number is on the actual part iirc.

Is the process the same for the 2008-2010 M35 and M45?

Also, is it better to buy the replacement from Ebay or infinitipartsusa?

Thanks

I recently bought a 2007 M45 and it had a slight cigarette smoke odor, so I changed out the cabin air filter with a Purolator Breathe Easy for $15. I'm so glad I did, because as you can see, it was naaaaaasssty. The good news is that after a detail and changing this filter out, I can't smell any smoke odor whatsover

Oh, and here's something very interesting... Apparently this car has an air filter underneath of both front seats! I can't 100% verify this, because I have not actually looked myself. But the guy at WorldPac said that he was showing air filters under both seats in his system, with part numbers and all.

DJPlayedYA wrote:Oh, and here's something very interesting... Apparently this car has an air filter underneath of both front seats! I can't 100% verify this, because I have not actually looked myself. But the guy at WorldPac said that he was showing air filters under both seats in his system, with part numbers and all.

They're there all right--and even easier to replace. Stick your hand underneath your seat until you feel the filter--it's about 4-5 inches square and pull down. Reverse to install. Apparently they don't get really dirty--I got my M at 41k and that hadn't been changed but they looked brand new when I checked them. Although might be different if you smoke in your car...

I had a musty smell & a new charcoal filter didn't help. Turns out the drain tube was clogged - and keeps clogging after cleaning. My only guess it there is a leaf in there which floats back over the hole after a while & stops it up again. Ugh. I may have to crack open the box & take a look one day.

PS - do NOT waste your $$$ on those spray in a/c system cleaners. I paid $15 for a can and it made no difference, other than now my system smells like perfume (which sucks because the car interior now smells like an old lady instead of leather).

Partysan7 wrote:oh yeah I forgot to mention that I broke the white tabs off of the cover too

It's all too easy to do... there is no indication that you should pull the cover to the right & not towards you. My tabs are there but barely hanging on because I forgot this. Perhaps I should draw a diagram on mine to remind me or others.

I got a charcoal activated cabin filter from rockauto but there weren't any arrows on it. I think I put the charcoal side facing up but I'm wondering if any of you guys know the direction I'm supposed to put it?

The airflow is being pulled down through the filter so if the arrow is an indication of the direction of the air flow, it should point down. If the arrow is an indication of the orientation of the filter, it should point up. The filter I put in said "air flow" next to the arrow, so I pointed it down.

That musty smell everyone is talking about comes from the evaporator. You would have to remove it and clean the outside of it to get rid of the smell. That would cost a fortune. Those sprays are just mold killers which try to kill the mold on the evaporator fins.