KC61

I was replacing the cabin air filter last night in my wife's 2013 GLK350 and was wondering about the air flow direction. I believe the air flow is towards the front of the car not towards the back, correct? Not sure the filter that was in there was installed properly. Any ideas?

JohnnyC

It is asymmetrical, can only go in one direction.

KC61

Not true, it will go in either way

B737

umm the lock should only work in one direction to latch it. if its in backwards it wont latch.

KC61

Not true either, so does anyone know the answer to which direction is the airflow?

B737

dude, the lock only slides to the outboard position for locking, and inboard for unlocking, because of the tabs. if you have it installed wrong you will not be able to slide the lock to the right as viewing from behind.

it sounds like you may be a good candidate for dealer service. good luck

KC61

So the air flow is towards the front of the car, that's all I asked. Simple enough. But just so you know, that slide will detach from the filter quite easily and allow you to install the filter either way.

B737

why would you detach the locking mechanism from the filter lol they come attached together.

KC61

I can tell my request has been a Complete waste of time

JohnnyC

Here is your evaporator case and air distributor 204-830-35-03 and 204-830-17-03. If you take the time to remove these units, you will discover that there is a matching asymmetrical profile of the air filter. You can put it in incorrectly and crush one side of the flimsy filter and let air through, or you can put it in the right way with the filter covering maximum surface area. It is the small angle to the engine.

KC61

So for anyone that really wants to know I removed the cabin air filter and turned the blower motor on to detect flow with my hand. The flow does in fact flow from the rear to the front. The blower motor sits right under the globe box and pushes air forward into the ventilation system.