trespinosranch
Registered Member
I now really agree with this statement. I replaced my filter with one from PotAuto (carbon). I immediately noticed the car wasn't cooling as efficiently as with the OEM filter. The difference was really noticeable returning to the car after it being parked in the sun for an hour. The car did not cool down within the 3 minutes it used to take. Yes, it was installed correctly with the arrow pointing down.Several people have installed the charcoal versions.
I have mentioned in other threads that one needs to be careful about assuming that a filter that traps the most particles is the best for your system. That applies to home HVAC also.
The problem is that it "could" in some cases cause the fan to work harder, possibly causing the fan to fail, or could reduce the effectiveness of the system (especially cooling). The same is true of any filter that is too dirty. It's not a clear cut case either way, but something to consider.
I would rather use a regular filter and change it twice as often, rather than getting an expensive filter that may restrict air flow even when new out of the box.
For the same reasons, most home HVAC professionals warn against using the most restrictive and expensive home filters in their systems.
So, I went to the Stealership and overpaid for an OEM filter and replaced the PotAuto. The HVAC is now running like it used to.
One thing I noticed is the PotAuto filter weighs 7 ounces and the OEM filter weighs 2 ounces. So all that extra weight/density was probably restricting airflow, providing less cooling.
Now I just need a place where I can find OEM filters at a reasonable price.