Mazda is offering up to a $30 rebate on cabin filters.

I don't remember who it was, but someone wrote that the dealer replaced theirs because it was clogged. The cost was around $30, which I thought was a rip off. Apparently, that's what they cost...oh well.

The rebate is good for purchases between June and Oct 2004. I was sitting in the waiting room while my oil was being changed and saw the coupons at the front counter.

I scanned the coupon but it's larger than the 200k I just realized is the max that I can attach to this post. It looks like a national program, so give your local dealer a call to make sure they have them, if you need a replacement.

It's recommended that the cabin filter be replaced after 24 months, but the previous poster had his replaced by the dealer after only nine months.

 

Starbucks:

Thanks, I was the one who paid for a $30 cabin air filter replacement from the dealer after only 9 months. I wasn't there to see the old filter, but the technician made me feel like it would be stupid not to replace it. He claimed that most of the RX-8s that were being brought in needed this replacement filter due to leaves and pollen. Do you know if that rebate must be presented at the time the filter is replaced, or can it be used to get a refund for replacements that have already been performed?

I wonder if Mazda is offering this rebate because the filters are becoming clogged earlier than expected. Maybe there are some other owners, like me, who were disappointed that the $30 filter lasted less than half of its expected 2-year life.

 

I picked up a couple of the rebates while I was at Mazda today. The rebate is only available if the installation is performed by the Mazda dealer. Check what they charge for installation. This is a DIY that only takes a few minutes.

 

Buckeye should qualify: the dealer installed it, and it sounds like the work was done during June. You're supposed to attach the bill to the coupon, and mail it somewhere.

 

IMPORTANT: For anyone who has had his/her cabin air filter replaced by the dealer, the rebate offer mentioned above is still good, but it must be sent in and postmarked by November 30, 2004! It's an easy way to get up to $30 back, so take advantage of it if you can.

 

if there is a coupon then link to it if possible.
Also, is this in just in the US?

 

Honestly though, how do you know if the filter needs to be replaced?

 

The offer is good only in the United States, sorry. You have to get the coupon from the service department at the dealer--as far as I know it is not available on-line.

As far as knowing when to replace your filter, I would just follow the interval recommended in the manual, which is every 24 months, unless somone tells you otherwise. If you want to check it yourself, there is a DIY thread about replacing your cabin air filter. Take it out and visually inspect it--if it appears to be extremely dirty or clogged with leaves and other debris, you should probably replace it.

 

What stinks is the rebate is only good if a dealer's service department installs it for you, so you have to pay their labor (at least that's what my coupon that came in the mail said) for something that's easily done yourself.

 

Yeah, for some reason I wasn't charged labor when mine was replaced. My thinking is that they went ahead and dug out the filter to check it without my consent, so it would have been wrong for them to charge me for the labor. This rebate is really only useful to those people, like myself, who were urged by the dealer to replace the cabin air filter well ahead of the recommended interval. I was not happy about paying $30 for a new filter after 9 months of ownership, when it clearly states in the manual that it should last 24 months. This rebate makes me feel better about the situation.