just for the heck of it I checked mine on my 2011 ! And it had a little crapola on it after about 3000 miles and 4 months . blowed it off with the air compresor and all clean . they could of stiffened it up a little there made perty darn cheap but I guess it does its job .

are any of the after maket ones made any better ?

 

The CAF does need to bend going into location. And I would use a vacuum before blowing a CAF..

Better: imo would be the charcoal ones..

 

I didn't hit it hard with air just a little from the side and I lowered the presure never hurt it a bit IMHO anyway ! I guess be a few months befor I replace it next summer most likely . be looking around until then I agree Charcoal would be better .

 

The STP cabin air filter from Autozone is pretty flimsy also. I put one in my buddies Vibe and it has to bend also and it is pretty tough to push in because it is very flimsy. It is the sameway with the filter for my HHR but with the cheaper cost of the aftermarket versus the factory you get what you pay for.

 

After reading this thread I decided that my HHR with 98000 miles could use a check up. Glad I did, as you can see I had a little crud built up in that old filter. Great thread, cheap fix.

 

maybe previous owner didn`t want to spend 28 bucks for a new filter

 

$28. bucks for 1 filter ??

i can get 2 for that price at local auto parts store..

 

that was walmart, 28 bucks

 

$14 for the STP CAF at Autozone.

 

Unless it was the 'charcoal impregnated CAF', you paid too much.