Pop quiz: What is a cabin air filter?

A. A filter for your Loves Park house?
B. A fresh, piney scent?
C. A filter for the passenger compartment of your car?

Clever you, it’s C.

A cabin air filter cleans the outside air before it comes into the passenger compartment of your SUV. It filters out common Loves Park air particles like dust, pollen, spores, bacteria, pollutants, exhaust gas, odors and even sparrows.

These high tech filters can block particles larger than 3 microns. By contrast, a grain of sand is about 200 microns.

Not all Chicago auto owners have cabin air filters. They are fairly new on the scene in Illinois . Last check, about forty percent of new vehicles sold in Loves Park come with cabin air filters, but the number is growing every year.

Cabin air filters make driving a lot more pleasant for Loves Park auto owners. Your SUV can be a haven during our Loves Park allergy season with very little dust and pollen getting into the cabin. Of course, like all filters, the cabin air filter eventually gets clogged. When this happens, your heating and air conditioning flow can become restricted. The filter can even get kind of smelly.

Check your owner’s manual for replacement guidelines. If your SUV owner's manual doesn't mention your cabin air filter, ask your friendly tech at Tuffy Rockford for a recommendation. It’s usually every year or 12,000 miles / 19,000 kilometers. Change it sooner if you drive in dusty conditions around the Loves Park area, or if you start to notice a funky smell coming from your vents.

The team at Tuffy Rockford urges Loves Park auto owners to keep their cabin air filter cleans. It may not help with your brother-in-law in the backseat, but it will make your driving experience around Loves Park more enjoyable.

Come by Tuffy Rockford in Loves Park and we'll take a look at your cabin air filter for you.