I have been meaning to do the cabin air filter in my car as it will smell funny now and then when I turn on the AC or heat, plus sometimes I end up with moisture on the inside of the windshield by the defrost vents, this can be caused by moisture buildup being held by the cabin air filter(more specifically the crap stuck in it), and then when it gets cold it condenses onto the glass.
I noticed pictures were missing from the original post in the forum sticky so I figured why not.
Here's what you do, this was on an 09 MZ3, I think there are minor differences in it and the earlier 04-06 models so I'm not sure.
Get in the passenger side floor.
***OPTIONAL STEP*** Remove the glove box if you want more room, I have a big head and found it helpful when feeling up under the dash.
First open the glove box, and push down slightly on the two "linkages" that are coming out so they disengage and allow it to drop further, here's a pic of what they look like so you know what's going on:
Then you can drop the glove box a bit further, so now you fingers can pop the glove box strut off. It's just a little snap fit, be careful not to break it, push inwards on the strut linkage, but make sure you're supporting the glove box so it's not binding on the linkage(you'll just break it if this is happening). Now you can lower the glove box completely and just pull it out of there, it just hooks over the pivot point at the bottom.
Now back to the required steps...
Remove this little fastener, using a very small screwdriver to pry the middle part out will get it out without breaking it.
Pull the panel outwards and back towards you, there is a tab to the front of it that it will slide out, will be very obvious once it's out.
Then poke your head under the dash and you'll see a large black cover:
There are two little tabs toward the front of the panel you push forwards to release it so it can tilt downwards... here is a pic of one of those tabs so you can see what you're dealing with:
.....
I noticed pictures were missing from the original post in the forum sticky so I figured why not.
Here's what you do, this was on an 09 MZ3, I think there are minor differences in it and the earlier 04-06 models so I'm not sure.
Get in the passenger side floor.
***OPTIONAL STEP*** Remove the glove box if you want more room, I have a big head and found it helpful when feeling up under the dash.
First open the glove box, and push down slightly on the two "linkages" that are coming out so they disengage and allow it to drop further, here's a pic of what they look like so you know what's going on:
Then you can drop the glove box a bit further, so now you fingers can pop the glove box strut off. It's just a little snap fit, be careful not to break it, push inwards on the strut linkage, but make sure you're supporting the glove box so it's not binding on the linkage(you'll just break it if this is happening). Now you can lower the glove box completely and just pull it out of there, it just hooks over the pivot point at the bottom.
Now back to the required steps...
Remove this little fastener, using a very small screwdriver to pry the middle part out will get it out without breaking it.
Pull the panel outwards and back towards you, there is a tab to the front of it that it will slide out, will be very obvious once it's out.
Then poke your head under the dash and you'll see a large black cover:
There are two little tabs toward the front of the panel you push forwards to release it so it can tilt downwards... here is a pic of one of those tabs so you can see what you're dealing with:
.....