Aside from oil changes, the replaced maintenance item on the BMW E46 is the cabin air filter. The cabin air filter plays the important role of taking air from the outside of the vehicle and filtering it before it enters the cabin. It also protects the HVAC system from contamination that would otherwise enter the vehicle without the cabin filter.
The cabin air filter is replaced during BMW’s Inspection Service 1, which occurs every 30,000 miles. The cabin filter is extremely easy to replace and changing it out might take you just a few minutes to do.
As opposed to being located in the glovebox as is typically found in other vehicles, the cabin air filter on the E46 is located at the top of the engine bay when you open the hood. This tutorial applies to various BMW E46 models such as the 323i, 325i, 328i, and 330i coupes, sedans, wagons, and convertibles.
Tools & Materials
You don’t need any tools for this job, just the cabin air filter itself.
Cabin Air Filter
There is a huge selection of cabin air filters available for the BMW E46. The most common types you’ll find is the ordinary paper element filters and the charcoal-activated filters.
Paper element filters are the lowest cost and do the basic job of filtering out debris and small particulates in the air. Charcoal-activated filters actually don’t last as long as paper element ones, but they do filter out different types of allergens and pollutants. Some of the most popular ones for the E46 are listed below.
Mann-Filter Cabin Filter: Standard / Charcoal
UAC Cabin Air Filter: Standard
FRAM Fresh Breeze Cabin Air Filter: Charcoal
How to Change Cabin Air Filter on a BMW E46
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, it’s super easy to replace the cabin air filter on the E46 (323, 325, 328, 330 models). Open the hood. Above the engine is the cabin air filter housing. Twist the three lock tabs to unlock the cover.
Pull off the cover and then take out the old cabin air filter. At this point, you may want to vacuum up and clean the area before inserting a new cabin filter.
Take your new cabin air filter and install it the same way to old one came out.
The cabin filter is oriented so that the curve goes towards the back of the vehicle. To ensure it fits correctly, match up the tabs on the back of the filter when installing.
Replace the cover and twist the lock tabs again while holding down the cover to lock the cover in place.
And that’s a wrap! It’s a job that takes less than five minutes to do but plays a critical role in improving the air quality of your E46 and in the operation of your HVAC system.
