The DIY Service B maintenance for my W214 E53 included changing the dust filter and cabin filter. The dust filter is easily accessed from under the hood just above the 12v AGM battery. However, changing the cabin filter can only be described as a PITA. It took about an hour to change the filter.

1) Start by moving the front passenger seat to the most rearward position. Remove the floor mat especially if it is the Winter rubber mat since every inch of available space in the passenger footwell is needed to remove the cover below the glove box.

2) Remove the two screws (Torx 20 bit) near the glove compartment door hinge securing the plastic cover below the glove box.

3) Pry the rear edge of the cover where the screws were removed downwards. The 12v accessory socket and housing is part of this cover.

4) Pull the cover rearwards to disengage the two “hooks” supporting the front and outer edges of the cover.

5) There are three cable connectors attached to devices on the cover. Remove the cable from the “hooks” in the cover and remove the connectors for the light and what appears to be a sensor. I attempted to remove the 12v socket cable connector but found it was not necessary to position the cover out of the way alongside the center console.

6) Remove the cover from the bottom of the cabin filter by turning the cover lock 90 degrees counter clockwise. Pry the lock-end of the cover down and shift the cover towards outside of the car to disengage the “tab” on the console end of this cover. This is more difficult than it sounds because a Silicone gasket around this cover holds it very securely in place.

7) Pull the old filter out of the housing.

8) Insert the new charcoal cabin filter. It may be necessary to squeeze the two sides of the filter together slightly to coax it into the housing. Make sure that the black plastic fitting on the lower right corner of the filter is properly seated into the housing. The post on the filter cover lock will be inserted into this plastic fitting.

9) Reinstall the filter cover and secure it by turning the lock 90 degrees. I found that this step was the most difficult. So much so, that I may consider stretching the next cabin filter change by another 10K miles.

10) Reconnect the cable connectors, and reinstall the cover below the glove compartment securing it with two screws.


Backside of glove box cover.


Front edge of glove box cover.


Cabin filter cover and lock.


Backside of cabin filter cover.


Cabin filter lower corner where cover lock engages.

 

Nice writeup. Appreciate the details for when I have to do this. How many miles and time did you have when replacing the filters? Do you know if it's based on miles or time? I have just over 21K and had the dealership do just an oil change at 20K and skipped the air filters and brake fluid. Was planning on doing the air filters myself in August and will likely have around 30K miles on the car. I'll have the dealership do only oil and break fluid. Wondering if I should have them do the cabin filter to avoid the hassle. The other one is a no brainer.

 

I did the DIY Service B at just over 19K miles and 10 months as I was preparing for a 2500 mile trip and did not want to stretch the oil change interval. I am still seeing an intermittment CEL and decided it would be best to strictly adhere to the required engine maintenance to avoid any warranty drama with the CEL. I changed the dust and cabin filter at the same time as the oil change since I am not certain how to record partial service work in the Workshop Menu. I selected Full Service when resetting the maintenance counter.

At 19K miles the dust filter was noticeably in need of a change. There was really no difference in the appearance of the new and used cabin filter. Twenty-five years ago when MB included maintenance in the purchase price of the car, the Service A and B intervals were 13K and 26K miles. Stretching the cabin filter change interval to 30K miles should not be an issue. In my judgment the filter change is mileage based and the brake fluid flush is time based. I will change the brake fluid in 12 to 14 months down the road.


New dust filter installed in housing cover above 12v battery at 19K miles.

 

Do we know if any of the cabin air filter process is different if you have the “energizing air” option? Thanks!

 

Like you I did the filter in the engine compartment. Very easy. After watching videos on YouTube, I decided not to change the inside charcoal filter myself: I paid to have it done. Your description is excellent. One thing you did not mention is that a lot of the work has to be done on your back - a non starter for me! The dealer did mine at 20,000 miles under pre-paid maintenance. I did it myself at 40,000 miles.

Like you the filter in the engine compartment needed to be changed. The charcoal filter looked almost new and I wonder if it really needed to be changed.

On my Ford the inside filter is behind the glove box. Changing it takes look less than 10 minutes.

I often wonder why German engineering makes simple routine jobs so difficult. But then again they did lose the war!

 

Thanks for the great write-up and pictures!

 

I changed the cabin filter kneeling on a padded mat next to the open passenger door. The dealer tech probably raises the car to waist level and works under the glove box while standing next to the car.

 

Based upon the description of Energizing Air Control in the MBUSA W214 configurator my guess is that there are different part numbers or at least one additional prefilter.

"A fine-particle prefilter teams with a combination particulate/activated charcoal filter in the cabin to help screen out even smaller particles such as allergens, soot and pollen (down to 2.5 microns, or 0.0001 inch) and some pollutants in gaseous form."

Here are the filter part numbers I installed. You can try entering these numbers along with your VIN to see if the parts are flagged as incompatible for your car.

254-835-01-00 Fine Particle Filter
254-830-14-02 Dust Filter

The Dust Filter is the one under the hood.