DarkCorner

I got an 07 about a month ago and the little old lady had a dog. Well you know where Im going with this. Its not too bad but it bugs me.
Do the two filters, filter the interior air or just air coming in the rig? I wonder if it would even help.
Doesnt look too hard to change myself. Anyone done this?
Thanks in advance.

Tevi

In my 01 its pretty easy

rrclx

Easy.

You take off the screws that hold the glovebox hinges and then carefully unseat the glovebox and pull it out. Carefully let it dangle on that string but you can unhook the string but its not nessesary. You will be looking at the partically concealed filter door. There is a splash shield that can also be removed but pull up the splash shield rubber stuff and with some wiggeling you can get the door off and replace filter is easy.

Regarding the dog odors, wipe down all the plastic parts and the seats real good. If that does not quite do it then vacuum the carpets really good. Remove 3rd row and clean everything there as it is harder to get to with the seats installed (thats how I did it). You should be able to get is cleaned out no problem. Last resort, have the carpets wet cleaned. Good luck.

V8_Fan

The only way to get rid of pet odors (odors are in the carpet) is to shampoo the carpet. I'd have the dealer do a full interior detail at the minimum (includes carpet/mat shampoo, leather seat cleaning ('cause you know the dog probably slobbered all over the seats and licked them countless times). I've done leather treatments myself using Leatherique (highly regarded in the high-end car leather market) and found the stuff the dealer uses (which is not the stuff in the Lexus bottle you buy from parts) is better than the leatherique. Not only that, but the leatherique is like $50 (good for maybe 3 treatments, takes like 1 hr to apply, let sit all day in the sun, then another hour to clean it up) while the dealer only charges $40 for the leather...IMHO, it's not worth the time to do it yourself, nor is it cost effective.

The cabin air filter does not filter odors (no carbon particles in it at all, unlike the LS filter). To change it, remove the 2 screws holding the bottom of the glove box. Let it dangle & remove the spring-loaded clip on the string. Remove the screws that attach the rear plastic cover. Squeeze in the sides and work it out. There's an oval panel in that plastic cover, on the back which is the ABS airbag harness. You can pop out the panel and leave the harness attached to the oval piece. Now you will see a plastic, tall but narrow door. Remove that. The filters are stacked one on top of the other. The top one slides into the slot on top of the bottom one. Remove the bottom filter, then slide the top one down and remove. Reinstallation is in the reverse order.

DarkCorner

I guess Im going to have to get the carpets done then.
I'll might change the filters anyway but it sounds like thats going to do nothing for smells.
Thanks for the step by step.
Cheers

Nello3

Definitely get the carpets done with the filter replacement. Not only will that help with the odor, but the cleaning will also help with pet dander issues (especially important if you have allergies).

rrclx

The filters do filter odor. I drive by a very smelly cattle ranch with the LX and the stench stays outside with the vents open (not recirc). In my RX without filter I need a gas mask!