How to replace the cabin air filters in a 2003 Honda Civic

To replace the two cabin air filters found in a 2003 Honda Civic, you'll first need to get a new set of filters.  A pair of Fram filters can be purchased from Amazon.com for $14.75.  (Other brands may be priced differently.)

The cabin air filters are located behind your Civic's glove compartment.  You don't need to remove the glove box completely; you just need to allow it to swing down and out of the way.  There is a plastic bracket on either side of the compartment that keeps it from falling out - to release the glove compartment, you'll need to remove these brackets.

Open the glove compartment.  The bracket is located toward the rear, and it's held in by two plastic tabs.  Push these tabs inward, toward each other, to release the bracket.  A good pair of slip-joint or needle-nose pliers will be a big help here.

Once you've pushed the tabs inward, the bracket should start to pop out, into the glove box.  Push the glove compartment a little bit closed, so that the bracket has room to move, and then push the bracket the rest of the way through the hole into the glove compartment.  (You may have to wiggle it a bit.)  Repeat this process on the other side, for the other bracket.

Now your glove compartment can swing all the way down.  With it out of the way, you'll see a whole mess of wires and connectors.  To the right of these wires is a black rectangular plastic cover, with two rows of little rectangles cut out of it.  Release this cover by pushing in on the tab on the left side, and then pulling the cover out toward you.  Now you can see the cabin air filter cases.

The air filters sit in black plastic cases, each with a long thin tab extending from it.  The first filter can be pulled straight out simply by grasping the tab and pulling.  Once that filter is out, remove the second filter by sliding it over to the left and then removing it the same way.

Now you can remove the filters from their case.  Simply pull each filter out (after noting which side faces up for when you install the new filters) and then wipe the case down with a dry rag.  Then push the new filter into place, being sure to install it in the same direction.  The edges of the cases have little tabs that the edges of the filters will fit over.  If the filter is not in snugly, it may not slide back into its compartment.

Once you have the new filters sitting in their cases, reinstall the cases back into your Civic.  Push the right filter in first (the one with the tab on the left side) and slide it over to the right, then install the left filter.  Make sure that when they are in place, both filters have the air flow directional arrow pointing down.

Now you can reattach the air filter cover by sliding the right side of the cover into the hole just to the right of the right side air filter, then pushing the cover in until it snaps into place.  Reattaching the side brackets is a little bit trickier.

To reattach the glove box brackets, push the glove box most of the way closed, so that the side holes are about even with the metal rails that the brackets would hit.  Insert each bracket from inside the glove compartment through the hole, with the rubber stopper and the two tabs facing away from the glove box.  Push the glove box back so that as you insert the bracket, the stopper is behind the metal rail, then push the bracket against the side of the glove compartment until the tabs snap into place.

If you think you'll be checking or replacing your cabin air filters often, you can leave one bracket out, to save yourself some time.  The other bracket will be strong enough to support the glove box as long as you don't keep anything abnormally heavy inside of it.

(Originally published on Helium.com, March 2012)