‘Buy the Replacements on Amazon for $7:' Mechanic Tells Woman to Change the Cabin Filter After Her Oil Change. Should She Do It?

Motor 1

11-07-2025

A woman reveals how she usually gets away with not replacing her vehicle's cabin air filter during her regular oil change before revealing that she actually succumbed to mechanic pressure this time around.
TikTok user @girlmomnursekkb posted a
video
with her life hack on Saturday. She is in the lobby of the oil change place, waiting for her vehicle, and on-screen text reads, 'Getting my oil changed and waiting for them to come in and tell me my cabin air filter needs to be changed and for me to say I need to talk to my husband first.'
However, in the caption, she reveals, 'They got me this time though.'
Viewers Say It's a Common Upsell Tactic
In the comments section, many viewers advised against letting the oil change shop change your cabin air filter because they said it's more cost-effective to do it yourself.
'I buy the replacements on Amazon for $7 and do it myself,' wrote one person. 'Just pop out the glove box and replace it. So simple.'
A second user wrote, 'Change it before your oil changes. That way if they say it needs replacement you know they are just upselling all their customers and you need to find a new shop.'
A third user said that's exactly how they found out they were being upsold at the quick oil change place. 'I changed mine myself, and my car had to go in that same weekend,' they wrote. 'Those people tried to tell me that I needed a new cabin air filter. And they wanted to charge me $75 for what I bought on Amazon for $14.'
Someone else said, 'I change all my filters and wiper blades for my cars before I go there so they don't bother me with it. You can get it much cheaper at Walmart or AutoZone.'
Another person wrote, 'People religiously change the filter in their house, but want to act like it's snake oil to change the filter that does literally the same thing in their car.'
@girlmomnursekkb replied, 'Good point. I got it changed this time because it did look rough.'
How Much Does a Cabin Air Filter Cost to Replace?
Of course, the price varies by the brand and make and model of your vehicle, but in general, you can indeed purchase a cabin air filter on
Amazon
from anywhere between $10 and $35.
Walmart
and
AutoZone
also carry them in stock at similar price points.
So, How Often Should You Change Your Cabin Air Filter?
It
depends on several factors
. How are you maintaining and storing your vehicle? Are you putting a lot of miles on it? And are you driving it through a ton of debris? All those variables—plus a few more, including the season—contribute to how frequently you need to change your filter. So, maybe asking a mechanic's advice isn't the worst idea after all.
Motor1
reached out to @girlmomnursekkb via TikTok comment and direct message for comment.
Photo by: TikTok
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