Is charging $200 for replacing cabin and engine air filters normal?
Posted by princessgoatman@reddit | askcarguys | View on Reddit | 25 comments
Basically title. I’m feeling kind of fleeced. I could do the cabin myself but didn’t have it on hand and was fine with paying a few extra bucks for the convenience, but they charged me $120 labor and $40 per filter.
Proper-Cable-1438@reddit
I replace my cabin filter every 2nd tank of gas and my engine is still gettin it. Hope this helps
Apprehensive-Eye248@reddit
Youtube is the best for car stuff. I have DIY'd my Lexus and both Hondas for engine and cabin filters and none have been over 5 min or $20 and I'm a woman. That's actually how I just tested the honesty of my newest mechanic. I did it right before I took it in for new brakes- something I don't have the time/tools or desire to mess with. The last guy tried to tell me I needed one when I had just changed it and showed me a fake pic. Know your car and save your $.
Ok_Station5724@reddit
are cabin filters the same as engine filters?
Vibehi1966@reddit
60 y/o grandma here i bought one from amazon for about 10$ and my son opened my glove box pulled out the old one and placed the new one back in after watching youtube video. I paid him in peanutbutter cookies!!!!
Background-Race-6658@reddit
Cost of 4 tires for Toyota corolla
Lumphrey@reddit
Did the engine and cabin filters today on my 2006 Highlander and 2007 GX470. 46 bucks for the four filters from Amazon and took about 20 minutes total to do all four of them. Dealer would have been over 225 bucks and local shop charges 40 per filter…
JealousCartoonist144@reddit
Honda Pilot. Just paid $80 (labor) to change the cabin air filter and the air cleaner element. Engine air filter part was $23.99 and cabin air filter part was $25.99. Wasn’t expecting it to be that expensive. Not done at dealership
Hopeful-minihorse@reddit
Is engine air filter changeable on your own?
laddmm@reddit
Always ask for the price before you approve anything.
KW_555@reddit
That’s way too high to pay for such a simple operation. Even $50 is too much really. You can do it in two minutes for $10
Such-Stock-3949@reddit
.
Hitzandcritz@reddit
I just did both on my 2005 corolla last week and it was $42 for both parts and 15 minutes of my time. Wpuld jave been $196 at budget near me.
YoungStrider@reddit
It sounds like you're concerned about the labor costs for replacing the filters. It's always a good idea to compare the labor charges with the average rates in your area. Websites like [mechanicdispute.com.au](https://mechanicdispute.com.au) offer insights into reasonable charges and can help you understand if you're being fairly charged.
No_Type_6264@reddit
Today a BMW dealer wanted to charge me $200 for engine air filter and $300 for cabin filters on my X5
cabanacowboys@reddit
they charged you $120 for 2 minutes of labor
Nervous-Office-5681@reddit
I just changed my engine and cabin air filters in 10 minutes for total cost of $31. No tools required for either. A trained monkey could do it. You got fleeced!
Nervous-Office-5681@reddit
Hgff
Local-Bunch-257@reddit
Charging $200 for replacing both cabin and engine air filters might feel a little steep, but it’s not necessarily unusual, especially when factoring in the labor and parts costs. The $120 for labor is about average depending on where you're located, though it could vary. Some shops charge $75-$150 an hour for labor, so if they took an hour, it aligns with typical rates.
Character_Leather659@reddit
Yeah, that sounds high, especially for labor. Most cabin air filters take less than 10 minutes to swap out, and engine air filters aren’t much harder. The filters themselves usually run $15-30 each if you buy them yourself, so they definitely marked those up too. If you’re comfortable doing it yourself next time, you’ll save a good chunk of money. Even if you go to a dealership, you’d probably pay less than $200 total.
No-Application-9365@reddit
Yeah, that’s a ripoff. Most cabin and engine air filters cost $10–$30 each, and replacing them takes maybe 10–15 minutes. Even at a dealership, labor shouldn’t be that high for such a simple job. Next time, you can grab both filters yourself and swap them out in under 30 minutes. YouTube has tons of guides, and it’s one of the easiest DIY car maintenance tasks.
Weird_Evening_50@reddit
Yeah, that sounds pretty steep. I’ve done mine before, and while the filters themselves can be around $15-$30 each (depending on the brand and car), the labor for something as simple as replacing them shouldn’t take more than 10-20 minutes.
disregardable2@reddit
That does sound a bit on the high side, especially for something that’s generally pretty easy to do yourself. The filters themselves are usually priced around $10 to $20 each, and the labor for something like this typically wouldn’t exceed an hour, so paying $120 just for labor seems steep. If you went to a dealership, it's common for them to charge more for labor and parts than you would find at an auto parts store or a local mechanic...
LilDagnamet@reddit
I got a 2019 Nissan Versa Note and found one on Amazon for $15. I have a cabin filter that I am going to replace, I’ll Amit it is in an awkward place. YouTube is friend.
Real_Distribution_74@reddit
Do you have any common sense?
MoneyTeam824@reddit
You got Fleeeeeeced!