@ch0psh0p, if it takes 1 hours, and around $5 to make 2 filters, and dyou can buy two filters from the site you listed at $16 each, that comes out to $32, he is still saving $27,
I don’t know about you, but at saving $27 an hour, it would be well worth my time.

Granted, if you could find the right filter for around 5-10 dollars on an aftermarket site, the cost benefit wouldn’t be as attractive.

To the OP, that’s a great hack. Too many people equate hacking with computers and electronics these days that the rarely stop to appreciate the ingenuity and pure determination that it takes to pull something like this off. Good Job!

I take issue with the phrase “wasting an hour,” I rather enjoyed that hour, thank you very much. ;-)

Anyway, the next step is to invest $20 in a washable furnace filter and make a permanent replacement.

Unless you live in a smog cloud you don’t need a cabin filter in your car just take it out and break the tab off to sense there is a filter.

bro, if you ever drive anywhere dusty you might want to keep the filter. I spent a weekend at a rally driving around on unbelievably dusty roads and I never got all the dust out of my car’s HVAC system. Every time I started the car I’d get a new puff of dust.

Good hack. But as others have said you can buy aftermarket filters for ca. $5-10 a piece. I paid ca. $18 for two (including s&h) for my RAV4 from some online merchant. Do a simple google search. It is not worth spending 1 hour for this savings (but the hack factor is still good!).

In-faucet water filters are a ripoff. My cousin spends nearly $80 a month on tiny proprietary water filter cartridges, while I spend $5 every couple months for a standardized whole house filter.

HHAHAHAAA … You Drive a Yaris ? Who admits that?

I do appriciate people who drive hybrids and compact cars such as the (LOL) Yaris.. I drive a 66′ GTO with a 428ci engine that never has to get smoged and gets 12 miles the gallon. What does have to do with a cheep air filter? When ever I smash on the gas pedal, the tires spin and smokes the tires until I let off.. clogging your cheaply made cabin air filter. NOT to mention it has the carbon footprint of 7 Prius cars!!! haha! love choking the trees!!!

The whole “$10 part cost” vs “$50 replacement cost” is an interesting meta-issue. Though I guess that’s one of the things we give up when we just take our cars in for their “regular service.” Sigh.

Is the original filter black because it’s dirty, or is it one of those filters than includes activated charcoal for odor mitigation?

Ive been curious about that, but I doubt mine has been changed since the yarris was released…
lol @ logan: you cant choke trees with carbon, only as much as you can choke a cow with grass.

Good ideal though I always replaced these things myself but didn’t give much thought to making one.