I came across this on ebay and wonder if anyone tried it or even heard of it before. Looks like the filter fits at the air box above the battery. I always noticed how the fan is right there and it looks dirty. I cant find a filter listed anywhere at this location according to Mercedes diagrams. Its a Chinese aftermarket product.

 

Can you post the link to the ebay listing, as well? If there is not a part number to cross reference, then it's probably some aftermarket creation.

This housing is supposed to trap water and let it drain. I would worry that the paper filter would catch and hold water, perhaps letting it infiltrate the fresh air intake, maybe leading to mold and mildew.

The arrow points to the drain valve.

 

Heres the first listing I came across. I forget what I was searching for when I noticed it in the google search so had to click on it and check it out.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/204307223515

The box you posted is the box that fits right over the battery in the engine bay.

The issue i can think of is theres a door that opens and closes inside above the fan. I see it opening and closing all the time when the cars off when I was messing around with my battery tester. Looks like it does function tests whenever the car is opened/unlocked.

When working on the battery you can look in and see the fan Part# 90. I noticed mines covered in dirt since its exposed. The regular cabin air filter is installed past that fan. The ebay filter would install on the opening of Part# 30.

Im not going to get the filter. Just curious if anyone else has seen it.

 

The air flows from the vent below the windshield, down then into the box that installs above the battery (removed in this photo) then travels thru the opening where the filter is installed. Im thinking Merccedes did this so its fresh air not from the engine bay, and any water/rain gets trapped in that box above the battery.



heres the box installed.



Here the box is removed, you can just barely see the fan in the opening where that filter would go. Its open to get filthy.

 

When i was working on my battery I had noticed the foam seal on that box was all worn, compressed and even falling apart. I scraped what was left of it off and installed new foam. I just used some self adhesive foam weather stripping.

Can see a worn seal in this photo.

 

I see that now. I will take a look at mine tomorrow. If the fan looks really dirty, that filter may be worth getting.

 

My fan doesn't look dirty, but I do agree that a filter may be a good idea. There is a screen for the air intake at the bottom of the windshield for big stuff, and a cabin filter for microscopic stuff, but nothing to keep the fan clean, Makes you wonder. I think I will get one and try it.

 

The seller sent me an offer with a discount. Just save the item in your watch list, see if he sends you an offer. 6.26% off, its a discount.

 

I just bought one, it does look like a good idea.

 

I was outside putting air in the tires so decided to take a look under the hood at that vent area.

I noticed the weather stripping I installed on the air intake housing is getting trashed on the bottom, probably from the way the box seats down in there. Going to have to look for a better seal. its just cheap foam rubber.









The seal does seem to be working at keeping out dirt and dust from the engine bay at least. When i was working on the battery 2 months ago i gave the area a wipe down to remove most of the dirt and it still looks clean. Can see the areas i didnt clean and how dirty they are. I also noticed the gasket on the fresh air/circulating door looks worn and dirty. This is the door that I see opening and closing on its own all the time.



Door with the white/grey gasket.




Can see how much dirt gets in there from the areas I didnt clean.



Poor photo, was getting dark out. Can see the rusty nut on the fan.

 

See my second post

 

I am being using this filter for a year now and it does not interfere with the door that open and close the blower motor. The function of the door is to close for recirculation and depends on programming it closes too when you conect the ac. I'm replacing it every 6 months. Fist time I installed it I disassembled my blower motor cuz at low speeds was making noise. I clean the evaporator core, change the cabin filter, clean the walls of the evaporator towars the blower motor and entrance and I installed this pre cabin to colect dust and dirt before getting into the system. W204 tent to smell cuz of defective design of the evaporator core case and the drains get clogged easily. 1 Pic evaporator before clean. 2 Pic after cleaning. 3 Pic what it came from the drains.

 

Why not ..I ordered one too, can't but help extend the life of the in cabin filter.

 

Im seeing pre-filters on other cars. I cant see any negatives to installing it.








I got some more weather stripping and fixed the bottom seal on the air box.











I noticed some air boxes on ebay that have a foil faced foam on the bottom. Wondering why, its above the battery and the battery doesnt get that hot.

 

Received the filter today. Its in a box that says Mercedes-Benz Genuine Parts.

It reminds me of the hepa filter on my vacuum cleaner. Seems well made.

 

I got the same thing on Thursday and meant to post. The box looks legit, however there are no part numbers on the box or the filter. Hmmm! 🤔 Regardless, it looks high quality and fits well.

 

I couldn't find a Mercedes part # anywhere and most of the listings on ebay were shipped from China so I had no expectation it was a Mercedes part.

I learned my lesson with counterfeit parts when I bought a set of front sway bar links off Amazon, they showed up and looked very similar to the original Mercedes links but if you look real close and compare the stamping the lettering was slightly different. Those things didn't even last a full day before they broke on the car and were clunking around.

Surprising and odd seeing this filter in a Mercedes box, there's no need in my opinion. Would rather it just in a plain white box that says Made In China.

 

Got mine from same Seller on eBay..., quick ship and ,as already mentioned, good quality materials. Here in western Carolina, the yellow pine pollen is abundant in Spring/Summer and I have vacuumed/air gunned off a thick layer from the HVAC fan intake, cowl intakes not to mention the covering that ends up inside the car, on the dash top despite the cabin air filter. This pre filter should help out here. Thanks to TimC for the heads up and great photo shots.

 

I found these on AliExpress for about $4.55 each shipped. Good thing because the ebay seller only had a few left AND was about 3x as much after shipping. So, I ordered a few more because we also get a LOT of pollen in the spring and early summer in the mid-Atlantic area.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/32568...430001694283_2

 

delete...had incorrect info,,,

 

Not bad at all. Thanks for the link!

 

Bought a few of these as well and waiting for it to arrive.

 

Im happy with it. It fits well and stays in place while putting the air box back on. Seems just the right size so the air box can still seal around the sides to the car. I don't notice any difference with the heat on, doesn't seem to interfere with the air flow or fan speed that I can tell.

With it being winter the air seems cleaner so wont see much but spring with the pollen should be able to see how well it works. I'm figuring it will need to be changed maybe twice a year, once beginning of summer then again before winter.

I went on AliExpress and can find them for around $2 each if you order 10+ of them. I see there's a sale starting tomorrow the 8th on a lot of the items on there. I try to limit my time on there because I keep seeing junk I want.

 

Speaking of junk on AliExpress, can you guess what this is? And that it fits neatly in your cupholder?



https://www.aliexpress.us/item/32568...Cquery_from%3A

 

I must say the filter appears to do its job. I will be ordering a replacement.