Cabin filter: is the replacement procedure for a 2015 Leaf all that different that other Nissan's? Versa? Juke?

We're overdue to replace our cabin filter.

I'm willing to give it a try, or perhaps pay our regular car mechanic. I'm not pleased at the prospect of paying our Nissan deal about $100 or so.

Is the procedure and part number all that different from a regular ICE vehicle? From a Versa or Juke ... or Altima or whatever?

I started off my career as a mechanical engineer, and the videos I've watched seem to indicate a lousy design that appears almost intended to be expensive to work on.

To me, it should be about the same degree of difficulty as changing wiper blades (which does have some learning curve).

Whining .... sorry ...
We had a 2007 Prius, and it was simple to replace the cabin filter. Do other Toyota's or Honda's or [fill-in-the-blank] have cabin filters that are a pain to replace?

There are four screws that hold the glove box in place. They should all be visible with the door open. Remove the glove box and the filter access port is easy to get to. The filter can be changed without removing the glove box, but it is very difficult.

I took the glove box out to replace the filter in the 2011, but there is a little more space in the 2015 so I just remove the dash panel below the glove box (also remove the small access panel in the side of the glove box so you can see the filter housing easier). The filter access port is smaller than the filter so you must flex the old filter to get it out and carefully flex the new filter to install it without damage. The Nissan parts listings show a different part number for the 2015 filter vs. the earlier models, but the aftermarket listings show the same filter. I had an extra filter for the 2011 so I confirmed that it is the same size as the Nissan filter for the 2015 (bought a Nissan filter for first replacement so I could see if there was a difference--installed the aftermarket filter the next time).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1poPD69xFY8

Definitely not as easy as it should be, but most people should be able to DIY. My main complaint is the lack of a rigid frame and the necessity of crushing the damn thing during the install process. I have my doubts as to whether this floppy pile of paper ever really fully expands to an effective seal afterwards.

Nubo said:

Definitely not as easy as it should be, but most people should be able to DIY. My main complaint is the lack of a rigid frame and the necessity of crushing the damn thing during the install process. I have my doubts as to whether this floppy pile of paper ever really fully expands to an effective seal afterwards.

Click to expand...

Yep. Also, I don't think it's worth it to compare it to other Nissans. It's irrelevant. It's totally different than the procedure on my former 02 Maxima.

I quickly found this video for the 02 to 03 Max: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS9ZGWwkdkY. Skip to ~4:10 to notice that there are two filters, each with a rigid housing. This is nothing like Leaf.