installing an air filter into a car to remove smells?

[Icefire]

basically every day my mom has to drive half an hour through an area that has a lot of feedlots (concentrated cows). and needless to say, it smells.

Is there some way to install a filter of some sort into her ventilation system to try to remove at least a good portion of the odours wafting into the cabin?

thanks.

It's a 2010 Hyunda Elantra.

[Phi for All]

A simpler fix is to use the air recirculation feature. It's the button among your fan/air conditioner/heater controls that has a car with an arrow like this:

 

 

The recirculation setting uses the air already in the car and is normally used to give your AC a break. Another benefit is to reduce stinky outside smells. Just make sure she pushes the button BEFORE she enters the bovine zone.

 

If it's still bad, any convenience store, parts store or pro car wash will have air fresheners galore. Much less expensive than any kind of special filtration system, I would imagine.

[insane_alien]

could use an activated charcoal filter. that'll remove the smells. although shutting off the air conditioning for a bit would be simpler(and cheaper, you'd save on fuel)

[Icefire]

could use an activated charcoal filter. that'll remove the smells. although shutting off the air conditioning for a bit would be simpler(and cheaper, you'd save on fuel)

 

Yeah that's what I was thinking, but I don't know where would be the best place to install one.

We hardly ever use A/C anyways.

[Pantaz]

Looks like it already has a cabin air filter.

http://www.google.com/search?q=Hyunda+Elantra+cabin+filter

[Icefire]

Looks like it already has a cabin air filter.

http://www.google.com/search?q=Hyunda+Elantra+cabin+filter

 

I did not know that.

It's not very good for methane, though

Can I stick a thin carbon filter over top it? or put on some sort of coating?

[insane_alien]

that filter is merely a particulate filter. it will not remove smells although there are some that include an activated charcoal filter layer as well. you'll want to get one of those, slightly more expensive but they should do the trick.

[Phi for All]

Has she tried the recirc button? You're supposed to get the cabin to the temperature you want, then press the recirculation button so it re-uses the air in the cabin so you don't have to keep heating and cooling outside air. If the air in the cabin is odor-free to begin with, it just recirculates that same air.

 

I try to use it if I see a vehicle ahead of me belching exhaust, but if you wait until you can smell something bad, it's too late to recirculate the air. Your mom needs to turn the fan on low and use recirculation before she hits the methane zone. Why go to the expense of filtering outside air when you can just block it for a while?