How do I replace cabin air filter???

[jiggseob]

I think I saw a how-to on here somewhere, but its not in the how-tos. Anyone remember a post that tells me the secret(s)???

[chipndawn]

Here ya go! I had just looked it up and book marked it the other day. Haven't got around to actually doing it yet though.

http://pics.tdiclub.com/data/517/113...ter_change.pdf

-Dawn

P.S. Scroll down to page five-ish to get to the New Beetle instructions...

[jiggseob]

While waiting the four minutes for you to reply, I found:

http://forums.newbeetle.org/showthre...threadid=48478

Thanks again...

[chipndawn]

Hey, great sleuthing skills...I like yours better! I'll add your find to my bug bookmarks.

Let me know how it goes and and how long it takes to do, pleeeeease.

-Dawn

[jiggseob]

The how-to says "remove the plenum (plenum also has clips that may pop when you remove it), you should see the filter.."

I thought "the plenum" was the curved plenum thing in the middle. Its not.

The thing you have to remove is a cover panel on the pass. side of the car underneath the forward dash panel.

On my '98 Beetle, I had to:

1. push forward on the front half of the hump in the middle of the dash. It moves forward and then up from its clips.

2. remove the two right-most of the first three torx 20 screws in the first picture.

3. grab the exposed edge of the right half of the forward dash panel, and while lifting up firmly, wiggle fore-and-aft. The forward dash panel will pop off its clips and come out in your hand.

4. There is a trapezoidal (with round corners) hatch cover panel under there held on by six torx-20 screws. Three along the front edge and three along the back edge. Get those screws out using a driver with a good magnet. You are working over the abyss there, any dropped screw is GONE.

5. That cover has a gasket under it, and you have to pry it up and break the gasket loose all the way around the perimeter. Take your time and be careful and you won't trash the gasket.

6. Once the gasket is loose, then you have to wiggle the panel this way and that and pry it a bit towards the centre of the car, and it will come out.

7. The air filter is under that right (pass. side) cover by the base of the A-pillar. The filter is held in by a couple of screws. Its a paper element in a plastic frame.

8. my replacement filter was only the paper element. I had to work the old filter off the plastic frame and put the plastic frame on my replacement filter. The replacement filter -activated charcoal - was 12.95 at Canadian Tire.

9. putting the hatch cover in was tricky, but it was easier than taking it out.

10. When working the right half of the forward dash panel back into its clips, again wiggle fore-and-aft as you push down firmly but gently. Make sure the clips are lined up in their slots or they will fold over and bend rather than clip.

11. Slide the centre hump back into place.


As pictured in the second picture, there is a hatch in front of the driver. Not knowing what I was doing, I took the six screws holding it in place, and pried it off its gasket and wiggled it out. I think I found the ECU under there. I found the filter under the cover on the passengers side.

All the best,

Mathew Banack, 98 tdi

[jiggseob]

Oh, yes, it took an hour, including removing the left side of the dash and the cover over the ECU which didn't need to be done. The hour included a qick vacuum of the front seat area to clean up all the crud that fell off the filter on the way out.