San Francisco German Auto Repair

Wildfire smoke does more than make the sky hazy. Fine ash, soot, and airborne particles can get pulled into your car's ventilation system whenever the fan is running, especially when outside air is drawn through the HVAC system. That extra contamination can load up a cabin air filter faster than normal driving would. In an area like San Francisco, where smoke can move in from fires far outside the city, a filter can go from looking acceptable to heavily coated in a short time. Wildfire Smoke Contains Very Fine Particles Cabin air filters are designed to catch dust, pollen, road debris, and other airborne material before it reaches the passenger compartment. Wildfire smoke adds a much finer layer of contamination. Those small particles can settle deep into the filter media instead of sitting only on the surface. Over time, airflow becomes more restricted. At our shop, we sometimes see filters that look dark gray or almost black after smoky conditions even though ... read more