Changing the cabin air filter in your B6 or B7 Audi A4, S4 or RS4 (2002-2008) is really easy and can be done in under 10 minutes with no tools (not even a screwdriver!) and costs just $12-18. Replacing the cabin filter will help keep the air pumped into your car via the heat or air conditioning fresh, remove pollen, and even deodorizes the air if you opt for a charcoal filter. After replacing my old filter with a new one, I could actually tell a difference in the AC blowing out cooler and stronger than before, which surprised me a bit.
How often should you change your cabin air filter?
It is recommended to replace the cabin filter every year or 15K miles, so given I’ve never changed mine I’m probably well overdue for this! If you notice your AC smells a little funky, you may want to go ahead and do this sooner – or at least remove the filter and shake it out and reinstall it at a minimum. My old filter was dramatically heavier than the new one, which indicates it has prevented a lot of pollen and contaminants from entering the cabin, which means this thing actually works 🙂
Where can you buy a new filter?
The OEM filter is made by Mann-Filter and you can buy it with the Charcoal option (deodorizes air) which is part CUK 3037 or without charcoal which is a few bucks cheaper and carries the part number CU 3037. You can pick a replacement filter at your local Audi dealership (they likely have them in stock), or get it on Amazon with the link above.
How do you install the cabin air filter?
Replacing the filter is easy – simply pop your hood, pull back the weather stripping, and then pop off the cover pictured above in the very upper left corner of your engine bay. You’ll then see where the cabin intake is located, then press in two clips to open the airbox and remove the filter. Simply insert the new filter with the arrow pointing down, then put everything back together and voila – you’re done! You can watch this handy video if there is any confusion:
That’s all there is to it – remember to do this every 1-2 years at a minimum for best performance. This is part of scheduled maintenance for several of the recommended service intervals, and Audi dealers charge up to $70 for the parts and labor for this, so save yourself some money and do it yourself for a fraction of the cost in just a few minutes!
