
The cabin air filter in the XTS is located inside the glove compartment on the passenger side. After removing the glove compartment, you will see the cover for the cabin air filter. Opening this cover allows you to remove the filter. The Cadillac XTS is a mid-to-large-sized 4-door, 5-seater sedan with the following dimensions: length 5103mm, width 1852mm, height 1502mm, and a wheelbase of 2837mm. It is equipped with a 2.0T engine and a 6-speed automatic transmission, delivering a maximum power of 198 kW and a maximum torque of 353 Nm. The vehicle features front-wheel drive, with a MacPherson strut independent suspension at the front and a multi-link independent suspension at the rear.

Last time I changed the AC filter for my friend's XTS, it was quite a hassle. The thing is hidden deep behind the glove compartment on the passenger side. You have to remove the glove box to access it—first locate the limit rods on both sides, press them inward firmly, then slowly pull down the entire glove box. Inside, there's a plastic cover like a drawer; press the clips on both sides to pull out the filter frame. Make sure to get the right model: the OEM part is ACDelco CF187, and newer models sometimes use Mann-Filter CUK24001. Doing it yourself saves about $20 in labor costs, but be careful not to misalign the sealing strip when reassembling. Last time I didn't do it right, and there was air leakage—it even whistled at highway speeds.

When I first learned to replace the XTS air filter by myself, it was really chaotic. Kneeling on the passenger side floor in a skirt, my arms got marked by the glove box bracket. The white plastic filter housing is particularly prone to getting stuck when pulling it out, so you need to turn the AC to maximum for a few minutes to soften the old filter first. Once, the filter was completely covered in poplar fluff – scary stuff, no wonder my husband always complained about sneezing while driving. Now I make sure to replace it every 20,000 km, activated carbon filters for 50 RMB on Taobao. The key is to install the new filter with the arrow facing downward – if installed backward, not only does it lose effectiveness, but the sound of plastic flapping in the airflow is more annoying than mosquito buzzing.

Remove six T20 screws to reveal the interior. Rotate the glove compartment knobs 90 degrees to detach them, and the entire compartment will lower, exposing a silver metal bracket. The filter slot is located above the blower motor, covered by a rectangular panel with push-type latches. The old XTS design was indeed user-unfriendly, with some owners opting to cut an access hole below the blower motor for convenience. It's advisable to have a flashlight and needle-nose pliers ready—last time, fallen leaves in the gap were retrieved using pliers. The redesigned location near the engine compartment firewall is much more accessible.

You probably never guessed why the team designed it this way initially. American cars typically place the filter at the front of the evaporator's air intake, right in the deepest part of the dashboard on the passenger side. This setup filters all incoming air but requires removing over ten components for replacement. We timed skilled 4S technicians—their fastest was 22 minutes, while novices often snap the glove box hinge pins. Worse, the 2015 model switched the filter bracket to ABS plastic, which warps under prolonged heat, reducing airflow. A makeshift fix: use double-sided tape to add sealing strips around the filter edges.

Let me break it down step by step: 1. Empty the glove compartment contents 2. Press both sides of the compartment inward with both hands 3. Lower the compartment to reveal the silver metal frame 4. Use your fingernail to release the left clip of the filter cover 5. Pull out the old filter horizontally. It's convenient to keep an aftermarket filter in the spare tire well. I recommend tapping the filter slot monthly to remove dust, especially after the catkin season. Once when I opened it, I found the filter paper chewed through by mice - scared me so much I immediately bought a stainless steel rodent-proof mesh to cover the air intake. Wear an N95 mask when replacing; those mold spores are way worse than smog.


