Charcoal Cabin Filter Questions
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 352
Likes: 12
From: Worcester, MA
15' CLS400
Charcoal Cabin Filter Questions
I'm having a hard time understanding why there is a button in my car to turn on the activated cabin charcoal filter. As I understand it, "activated charcoal" is just a type of very porous charcoal. You don't have to electrify it or do anything to it. So why is there a button to turn it on? 
Other mfr's also have charcoal filters but you don't need to turn them on. Can anyone verify if this button just turns on another fan to pass air through the filter?
On that same note, how is everyone using this anyway? Do you leave it on all the time and never shut it off? Maybe turn it on when you know a dead skunk is coming up in the road? Maybe turn it on when you pass some gas in the cabin
Other mfr's also have charcoal filters but you don't need to turn them on. Can anyone verify if this button just turns on another fan to pass air through the filter? On that same note, how is everyone using this anyway? Do you leave it on all the time and never shut it off? Maybe turn it on when you know a dead skunk is coming up in the road? Maybe turn it on when you pass some gas in the cabin
Super Member
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 624
Likes: 7
From: Las Vegas
1987 190E 2.3
Most of the time you don't need to use the charcoal filter, just the dust filters. You want to use the charcoal filter when you are in tunnels or behind buses/trucks with exhaust you can smell and in poorly ventilated areas.
