Cabin filter OEM Honda or OEM Volkswagen

I would change my own cabin filter...seems EZ breezy....

My 2017 Classic Edition has 24,500km just an oil change and Cabin filter.

That's a cabin air filter from a Honda, probably a civic circa 2014-17. Having worked for Honda as a technician for several years, the pine needles are actually quite common since the filter sits horizontally above the blower motor, allowing things to fall on top of the filter and accumulate like this.

I couldn’t find a similar sized non-OEM filter, so I went OEM there too. But also, before you buy the cabin filter, try vacuuming the one that is in there. If you can get it pretty clean then don’t worry about a new one for another few thousand miles.

Approaching 7k miles on 2018 GSW S 4motion 6mt, loving the car. -Warranty work to clean musty smell out of HVAC system, and replace cabin filter. This was performed free during first oil change. Dealership was excellent throughout the process and told me to not run recirc before shutting the car off.

Compared to the honda ones I don't notice a difference in the cabin air. They fitted fine and saved me about $20 bucks.

This is one of those things I do once a year. I live on dirt roads and 12-15K is about all I can take before needing to do a change.

I can't verify but it does seem like the OEM cabin filter in the Atlas is not charcoal activated, as I'm noticing all kinds of odors (including washer fluid) that I never got while driving my '08 Jetta with an activated charcoal filter.

My AC smells like wet dog for the first 30 seconds I run it. Wonder if changing the cabin filter would help.

Mk7 GTI, currently at 5k miles but strong mildew smell coming from the vents.. I know the cabin air filters will last at least 15-20k miles. Anyone have a similar issue?