OK, its been a while since I changed out my cabin air filter. So, I thought I would refresh my memory of how to do it, by watching a couple of Youtube videos.


Well, all the Youtube videos basically show the same basic info. My trouble is that they seem to differ in the way the air flow arrow is suppose to go.


About half say the arrow should face downward. They justify this by showing the "dirt" on the old filter is on the top, and therefore the air flow must be downward.


The others say that air should face upward. They justify this by saying the system draws air from the floorboard area, and therefore the air flow must be upward, away from the floor.

Which is it?

 

Probably doesn't really matter. I looked at the instructions online and it made no mention of direction or any arrows pointing either way.

The side with the dirt on the old filter is surely the tip off as the flow has to come from that side.

 

I just changed that filter for a friend that cannot bend over that well. I don't know how the system pulls air from the floorboard as the filter I took out had at least 10 tree leaves fall out on the floor mat. IMO the accordion portions goes up with the flat section down.

 

He is right I just replaced mine yesterday. Accordion part goes up and fits into a track.

 

Mine is a 2015 Mini Countryman S. I just was just forced to change the cabin filter due to a very nasty event. Noticed yesterday a terrible odor (dead animal). Opened the hood and pulled the plastic cover off of the battery compartment. Whoa! location confirmed!
As it turns out, there is a large vent intake hole behind the battery measuring about 7"x5". It is lined with a rubber gasket, but there is nothing stopping a mouse from entering this area. I popped the cover off the cabin filter box and slid out the filter old filter. There was the nest (on top of the filter) and the diseased mom and baby mice. Rolled this up and tossed into the trash. Spent hours cleaning and then cut a piece of 1/4" wire mesh to fit the hole behind the battery. Used UL metal sided duct tape to secure the wire mesh against the metal wall. Seems this will do the trick, but not sure why Mini Cooper has not designed a better mouse proof intake.
Now the filter question. I couldn't see into filter box so I used my phone to take several pictures. I never looked at the air flow direction on the filter I removed. Too nasty. I could see the blower motor to the left inside the filter compartment, but what is interesting is that the filter track shows that the filter only separates the blower (behind the center console) from the intake hole behind the battery. The air entering the filter cabin box from the passenger floorboard can pass directly to the blower motor without going through the filter. I can send photos of this to you if you would like to see them. So, if the air flow from the cabin goes to the blower without passing through the filter, how is this re-circulated air cleaned??? The air from the intake behind the battery has no shutter, so it would be bringing in outside air all the time through the filter. Given this find, I vote for installing the cabin filter with the air flow arrow pointed down toward the floorboard (also towards the driver side) as the air intake would need to be filtered in this manner.

Does anyone know a Mini Cooper service facility that could provide more insight to how the air flows and therefore the direction of the air flow arrow?

No more MINI Mouse for me! Hope this info helps someone.

 

Suggest you post this in the Gen3 section as well. The Gen1 "S" model has the battery in the boot.

I am thinking that the only thing that is cleaned in the outside air coming into the cabin, once there it is just recirculated until it vents out the back of the car.