Never in my life would I think it would be this many steps to change out a cabin filter... I'll put in a 2 wk vacation request to knock this job out😂😂😂 Thanks for the video bud! 💪😎💯

Wow, all that work to replace the filter. manufacturers do not want us to replace that filter ever. Great video. Thanks

This was a very very good video. It worked for my car perfectly . Without it I would have been lost

After seeing this, my cabin air filter will never be changed.

And I thought my 05 outback didn't have a cabin air filter.. Thank you very much for this video! Much appreciated!

Did mine today, your right the 2006 models and newer is much simpler. Took me a total of ten minutes to complete. Apparently the previous owner had not changed it in a while, totally clogged and tons of debris. Thanks again for a great video!

Success! This instruction style really works for me. Extremely helpful to have a model to follow, & no audio necessary. Reassembly was tricky in parts, but mostly because it was getting dark. Will definitely use MrSubaru for future first-time jobs.

Riiiight.......I'm not changing my filter.

Keep up the good work, friend!!! Your videos have guided me through many, many repairs. 4 years ago, I was clueless about anything mechanical. After many of your videos and hands-on learning, I’m a pretty competent home mechanic!!!

Guess that is why Jiffy Lube didn't ask about changing that filter. :-)

Great step-by-step guide it helped me get this done on my 2006 Subaru Outback! Cleaned the mice nest out!

Just finished up while following along to your video, thanks a bunch. Just got a project 05 outback so your channel is a big help!

I just did this but only removed 2 screws (inside glove box), 3 clips (across bottom below glove box), the glove box hinge screw/clip and right side glove box screw/clip (under upper side cover panel). The trick is you have to get the dash flat slots out of the left side glove box slot holes then you can just pull the glove box holder assembly back and get access, without removing everything else. Not the book way to do it but much faster. I did not break anything!

WOW you just did that with one hand amazing

Those Snap- On Ratcheting screwdrivers are the best.

I can not believe Subaru did this to me .💰💰💰

Damn.. So glad they made it a lot easier for the 2010 Legacy. Just drop the Glove Box and its right there.

If you do this... when everything is apart, there is a rectangle traced into the panel that blocks the air filter, you can use those as a template, cut along them and never again have to remove all those panels to get at the filter, just the glove box. The glove box itself hides the hole you cut.

Thanks for the video! I decided to just sell and drive my Crosstrek!

Even Subaru thought the '05 design was crap....there was no filter in there from day 1.

Thanks for the video! Saved me from breaking my dash panel ... and my hand!

Thank you from keeping me from snapping an interior piece because I missed a screw or plastic screw.

The engineer who designed this needs to be punched in the face. Unreal.

Awesome quality. Hope I can actually do it. I'm gonna want to clean every single thing I take off or open up, that's what'll slow me down. #inthedetails

thank you for posting this detailed video, you saved me a lot of money!!!

I'm just going to shoot some holes through the interior in the general area of the filter location with the 12 guage... That should improve air flow.

Just with one hand👏like a boss!

To replace your cabin air filter for your Subaru outback simply remove the engine block and transmission. Then the hard part begins....

That is a ton of work for a filter! Nice one Subaru...

You saved my life thank you

How much would it cost to ship it back to Japan and let them deal with it? Might be worth it.

Great video. Just changed the cabin filter on my 2009 legacy.. Thanks! I have a question though. When I was putting back my glove box, I noticed two wires with green HEADs that fit each other. I thought I had accidentally unplugged them during the process, so I decided to plug them back. After I started my car, my CHECK ENGINE light got illuminated. It went off again when I unplugged these wires. Any ideas what are those wires, what is their function, and why are they unplugged?

Agreeing with others here, messing with center console is completely unnecessary. Mine went something like this and took 10 min: Pop off side molding. Fully remove glove box (unhook spring cord, push in tabs to let swing down, remove right side push screw/clip to fully release glove box). Remove service manual compartment. Remove 5 push screws to L-bracket plastic piece, remove piece. Press tabs on both side to remove filter holder, it'll slide down and out easily.

Mr Subaru, you said access panel update 2006+ I have the 2009 3.0r. It's 5 plastic screw clips directly behind glove box. If I pull the glove box insert, drop the door, is the cabin filter directly behind that plastic panel? It's dropping the entire box that has me stuck to get to the bottom 3 clips. Taking half the passenger side interior panels to change that.... I'll fix the filter when cleaning out the si shift button that starts to stick if you actually use the center drink holder. Happy New year my friend.

very interesting more complicated than i thought great job thanks

"I stay Snap On down to the socks, tires and undercarriage filled with rocks." Mr. "Notorious" Subaru

Thank you!

Looks like this will expose blend actuators perfectly for removal. Ironically I need to replace air cabin filter and no heat on passenger side. Just hit 170k miles, core flushed, fresh coolant...no change. I'm almost certain I need to replace one or both. Would you know the part numbers? It's an '09 Legacy Special edition, poor mans climate controls.

Thanks for the vids. A little off topic, but what is your experience with Subaru 2.5 engines and piston slap? My 04 forester with only 107k miles has it; knocks when it is first started, particularly loud in winter, but goes away once the engine warms up. Been like that 3 years now. Is this typical on flat 4's? Car is fine otherwise but needs struts and tires. I'd gladly do that work, but am wary of putting money in it if this noise just means the engine won't last. Curious to get your input since you have quite a few older Subarus.

Awesome that you did all that with one hand! So weird though that when I finally got in there I found NO previous filter! Who skips the air filter? BTW, what is your incentive to make these videos? Do they pay you by the view? It's such a fine service. I'll bet auto mechanics with shops don't love you, however.

Thanks for showing us, I have a question. If my 05 outback isn't blowing that much air at my feet but does everywhere else would that fix my problem?

What were they thinking with this design? I got a 2010 Impreza and it's a breeze.

Can a dirty filter make my a/c malfunction when it get real hot out? It runs long enough to cool the car down but then stops working sometimes...

Really? That is crazy. I will do that when I replace the servo motor in my '05.

Thanks vor the great video, i change my Filter on my 05 Legacy but i am not sure if i fit it in the right direction xD the airflow go's from bottom to top or? 😂

hi man this is competeyl off topic but i have a subaru outback sedan h6 3.0 i just purchased off a friend but its been sitting for two years and i already replaced all the essential liquids only thing left is the transmission fluid and my car idles hard when i turn it on and when i come to light it stalls .. i pugged a code reader to it and it shows p0732 2nd gear ratio and ocygen sensor dowmstream but i qlready replaced rhe oxygen sensor, could the cylinoid be cuplrit and what would be ur advice ? would just replacing the cylinoid sensor amd replacing transimmsion fluid fix it or am i looking at a bigger problem ?i really need help trying to fix the car on my own

Seriously man, this video was a lifesaver. Got a question for you though. I noticed when you pulled your filter tray out there was no filter in it. Mine was the same way. Is that normal or was the previous owner's dealership/mechanic and ass?

OMG so basically have to dismantle the whole interior. Maybe this filter doesn't need to be changed!

Oh man it's even a limited. I guess I missed that on one of the last videos.

Is this the only filter in the cabin? My car sat for a winter and is mildewy. My mother is a professional cleaner thanfully and it's not too bad, but I don't want to risk anyones health with the air system

Would a dirty cabin filter cause a weird smell sometimes, especially when the heater is on?

...Ok. I got the back bumper off. Still dont see the cabin filter yet...

With an Automatic transmission does it unscrew the same way?

Does the blower PULL air from top of filter towards the floor ?

nice~Snap-On shoes

Oil Can Henry's here in Oregon said they wouldn't do it either!

What a ballache..... At least I may as well change the heater blower while I'm in there!!

My dealership is trying to tell me I don't have a cabin filter in my Baja. Perhaps they just don't want to do all that?

What wire set do you recommend?

I was just wondering if there's an easier way to get this done. It just seems extremely difficult

This seems insane, but I can't add any more words of disbelief that haven't already been said. ALSO, before I tear apart my car from front to rear, how do I verify if the car even has the filter? 2003 Outback sedan H6..... all repair manuals that I am seeing are only claiming that there is a filter "if equipped". DO ALL of them have the same parts, and it is just a case of whether or not the filter is actually in the space allotted?

On my 06, there’s a bunch of additional screws for some reason. I’m the 3rd owner.

There has to be an easier way, it takes too much time for a $21.°° Filter? Half the plastic under my dash has been pulled apart and busted!

Looks easy enough

My 06 Outback stinks like a dead body when I turn the A/C on. I replaced the cabin air filter last summer. I am worried that a mouse chewed a hole in the filter and died further up into my hard to reach duct work. I hope its dead on top of the filter. I dont mind just replacing the filter. Thats one thing I like about GM cars/trucks. They put a wire screw before you get to the blower motor. It limits damage by rodents. Subaru does not have such.

who else is here because you own one of these cars and was like "it cant seriously be this difficult to do a damn cabin air filter" only to watch this and realize that yes it absolutely is this stupidly difficult to change out the effing cabin air filter. I can do this same thing on my 09 forester with NO TOOLS AT ALL WHATSOEVER.

Really? You have to disassemble half the interior just to replace that filter? And I thought my '06 Mazda 3 was a pain!

Yeah my air filter is staying there for a good while 😂

I'm not able to get past the step at 3:26. You edited and the video as you unscrew the shifter knob; before the edit, the panel is secure, after the edit, the panel that surrounds the shifter is loose so that when you finish unscrewing the shifter knob the panel comes up as you pull up the shifter skirt. On my car, I can't figure out how to get that panel to come loose.

I love most of your vids but there is a way easier way to do this.

Just makes me wonder what a cabin filter pays of flat rate...

WTF! It’s as if a Subaru engineer decided to see just how difficult he could make to change something so damn simple. You SHOULD be able to just drop the glovebox and remove the filter cover, that’s it!! But nooooo, apparently not only don’t they want the average owner to DIY, but you’re probably not going to want to know how much it would cost you to have it done by a garage. I love my 05 but damn !!! I have to replace my drivers side window master switch, so I checked KZfaq to see what it involved, well I first watched one on a 2004, and it couldn’t be simpler, just pry up the old one, unplug cord and replace. The 2005, not soo simple, you have to remove the upper door first, then unscrew it from below. I’m not sure what happened in 2005 that pissed off Subaru engineers, but damn!! The one good thing that I’ve noticed about Subarus from 05 and up is I haven’t seen one with quarter panel rust, I was originally looking at older models and couldn’t find one without rust! That’s when I finally decided on the 2005

Subaru: "replace the 2005 Outback A/C filter every 12 months or 7,500 miles" Also Subaru: "you need to take out the entire center console to replace the A/C filter on the '05."

OMG, so much for "change cabin air filter once per year". It would be more time and cost effective to just get the car professionally detailed and buy more air freshener lol

SMH..there's gotta be an easier way..i may just start ripping stuff apart and put it back together with crazy glue lol

So get used to the smell is what your saying 😏?

oh my god who thought that was a good design 😵

I think I just decided not to change my cabin air filter

WTAF!

I watched this in hopes I might get intel to change filter on my 98 Legacy. Didn't help really. But my Legacy is a pain in the ass every step of the way. I'll never ever own another Subaru. Ok Toyota, you got a new buyer!!

This is why I call the Suckaroo

Yeah. I'll just pay to have it done. With my luck I'll end up removing something out of the engine.

wtf? why is it so damn difficult. times have changed

I'm starting to see why these cars are so neglected. Subaru didn't make it easy to do any type of service to it.

great video, but holy shit what a pain in the ass

How painful

Duuude wtf did you smoke? You can replace the filter from the engine bay or from the glove box without taking apart the center console/dash.

So imma try to slam it in

Part number?

Jesus dude you might as well take the transmission out too. You did wayyyy to much work. You don’t have to take out all those brackets or plastic rivets on the side. There are flex snap posts you just flex and it pops out.

Fuck it my filter can stay dirty

Who the f*ck designed this shit?! I hope they fired his ass. New Outbacks take like 5 minutes tops. This is INSANE! I'll live with a dirty filter.

This is ridiculous

Not easy at all. Too many steps just to change an air filter. Bad design by Subaru.

...and this is why I will never own a subaru... complete insanity

Breathing clean air is overrated! No thanks, that's way too much work for a dam cabin air filter!!!!