The air around us can carry many contaminants, such as dust, dirt, exhaust soot and major allergens. Your car’s cabin air filter keeps these contaminants from entering the passenger compartment, so you only breathe in fresh air. Over time, however, the cabin air filter will fill up with dirt and contaminants and no longer do its job. If your A/C system is not as efficient as it used to be or you get an unpleasant odor from your vents, it might be time to change your cabin air filter.
Changing the cabin air filter on your Porsche is so easy that virtually anyone can do it. To get an overview of the procedure, check out this video from the YouTube channel, Ry the car guy. While the video is on a 986 Boxster, the procedure is also exactly the same for the 996. Detailed step-by-step instructions, along with the parts and tools you’ll need, can be found below.
Step 1: Prepare your vehicle and work area.
- Gather tools and parts.
- Put on gloves to protect your hands.
- Pop front compartment area (aka “frunk”).
Step 2: Access cabin air filter
- Remove the center plastic cowl panel by twisting off the plastic clips on each side.
- Remove the plastic panel on the passenger side which is held on by a T25 torx screw.
- You now have access to the cabin air filter.
Step 3: Replace cabin air filter
- Remove the cabin air filter.
- Install the new air filter; be sure the air filter is seated correctly and the direction of the air flow points downward.
