Nuke

I doubt it. Have you looked at these things? A paper towel stretched over the filter frame will block as much or more crap. Maybe in another 40k or 50k miles IF I suspect my AC is functioning subpar. Personally, it's a waste of time and effort. And thanks to Ford's engineering expertise, changing the cabin air filter includes disturbing the cowling and creating the TSB-described water leak where it didn't exist before. Personal experience here...

Mustang Enthusiast

[QUOTE=Mustang Enthusiast;8261989]"As the temperature outside climbs, we want cold air conditioning inside our cars. And that means that everything has to work perfectly. Now one of the things that’s frequently overlooked is something that most; not all, but most cars have. And that is a cabin air filter. It filters all of the air that comes in to the inside of the car. Well as they get dirty, they block the amount of air that can circulate through the car, and that reduces the cooling efficiency of the air conditioning system. So if your car has a cabin air filter, and the A/C ‘s not working properly, well check the cabin air filter first".

Also, the center of this condenser could be blocked.

"It happens because there’s an electric cooling fan that’s pushing stuff right through this spot, and it all collects there, and blocks air flow over a period of time. Now the other thing that happens is that this is very close to the radiator, and leaves and debris pile up between the condenser and the radiator. How do you keep it clean? Every time you wash the car, wash your condenser with your garden hose".

www.Motorweek.com

Mustang Enthusiast

I haven't seen the filter yet, I was planning on replacing it this weekend with an aftermarket filter. I think Ford's engineering is good, but problems persist because of their Been Counters. Also, they insist on using the lowest bidders for manufacturing their parts. The 2011-2013 Mustangs manual transmission was built in China of all places. (Sorry Justin). I have to check and see if the TSB covers 2012 Mustangs or not. I also agree though, this is the first time with any vehicle I have ever owned that you have to go through the cowling to replace the cabin filter. Usually they are mounted behind and under the glove box.

Did you use a program and draw that picture of your car, or did you find it on another site?

Mustang Enthusiast

I know what you mean, it can be really hard to find a good mechanic at a dealership. If you have some free time, drop by your dealership's service center and educate them on where the filter is and how to change it. I normally would suggest you change it out yourself, but since you payed extra for the maintenance package, they owe it to you. Might check around your area and get recommendations on a better service center.

Nuke

There was/is a vendor on the forum that offered free drawings to the 1st xxx # of folks that responded and sent a picture of their Stang. I was one of the xxx. It was a promotional piece the guy did.

Ditty

It's funny, because I used to replace them all of the time at work when I worked at an independent service center. Though, they were all on 09 and lower year cars. When I bought the car I asked if the new ones had CAFs, and was told no. Every dealer that has seen the car said there wasn't one. I never really was THAT concerned to check and find out if there was one frankly, b/c it is a bit of a PITA to get to it. 3 separate dealers have told me that there isn't a CAF on the 11+ Mustangs. Guess who's going to get a new CAF tomorrow? I'm going to take the car in and demand that it be replaced. And, if they tell me again that there isn't one, I'm going to have him stand there while I pull it out.

kzonts

With all this talk about CAF, I decided to pull mine out to see how dirty it is. I have 60k on my car and this is what it looked like. It was pretty dirty so I replaced it. Damn thing is $20.

157dB

Thats not dirty at all.
Just getting to the point of good fitration.
New filters filter smaller and smaller particals
the dirtier they get.

Ditty

Yeah, that one in the pic is nothing like what I've seen. We've weighed dirty filters before and some are 5lbs heavier than a stock replacement. 5lbs of dirt, that's a lot.

Mustang Enthusiast

Sorry Ditty, I hope you didn't think I was insulting you or your Mustang in my post, that was not my intention. A lot of people didn't know the manual transmission was built in China. When people started to find out, they were really PO. But as long as it works correctly I guess it's all good, although I would rather see everything built in the US. It's not going to happen, but I wish we could return manufacturing back to this country.