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The last time I was road-tripping, I only had one pain point: trying to re-inflate my tires with the janky coin-op air pumps at gas stations. I stopped at no less than three in bustling Los Angeles, CA, and none of them worked correctly. Hence why I (usually) don’t leave home without my own tire inflator. The Etenwolf S1 is the perfect small-but-mighty solution you can toss in your car or even in a backpack and have air at the ready whenever you need it.

40% Off: S1 Portable Tire Inflator for $59.99 (Normally $99.99)

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Etenwolf’s a solid brand, especially at this price point. It’s the inflator of choice at the off-road school I teach 4×4 skills at in rural New York (though, of course, the guys there use the larger model for quickly finlating big tires). That said, this little S1 can still provide 160 psi of pressure (way higher than your tires will want), and the battery stays fresh for a whole year if you just leave it charged and in the car. With use, the battery can refill 17 tires—that’s enough to help you home with a slow leak. And when you need to re-power, all you need is a USB-C outlet, and you can recharge the 5,200 mAh battery.

Grab one today while they’re deeply discounted for Memorial Day!

ETENWOLF S1 Specs

• Max Pressure: 160 PSI
• Motor: 19,000 RPM brushless
• Battery: 5,200 mAh rechargeable lithium-ion
• Standby: up to 12 months
• Charging: USB-C
• Display: Backlit LCD (PSI / BAR / KPA / kg/cm²)
• Auto-Stop: Yes — preset target PSI
• Emergency Light: 3 modes (Strobe / Flash / SOS)
• Hose Storage: Built-in rear compartment
• Car tire refill: ~1 min (30 → 35 PSI, 195/65 R15)
• Per charge: 17 car tires / 60 motorcycle tires / 70 bike tires / 80 basketballs
• In the box: S1 inflator, Schrader air chuck, USB-C cable, Presta adapter, ball needle, user manual

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Late last year, Jason Fenske from the Engineering Explained YouTube channel detailed several faults encountered during just six months of leasing a Lucid Air sedan. In January, he reported that Lucid had reached out and explained how it intended to fix the flaws, but in the five months since, things have only gotten worse, as he explains in another new video (embedded below). As if that’s not frustrating enough, when Lucid offered to replace the car under Lemon Law, Fenske discovered that finding an exact match to his current spec in an effort to maintain his current lease payments was impossible. So Lucid offered to compensate him for his past payments, buying the car outright to let him start a new lease with a new car. But even that didn’t work out, and there’s still more to the story, including how Lucid’s offer of a Gravity SUV as a long-term loaner only added to his inventory of irritations.

Weekend From Hell: 8 Unique Lucid Air Glitches in One Trip

After Lucid offered to address Feske’s multiple earlier issues with software updates, some problems still persisted, and on a single weekend trip over four days and roughly 400 miles, eight unique new problems appeared from a Thursday to a Sunday. You can watch the full video above for more details, but in a nutshell, these were the issues:

1. All of the Air’s electronic door handles popped out, but the rears would not open.
2. One rear vent was measured to be blowing 50 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the other, despite temperature testing being carried out in a garage out of sunlight, and with equal settings for all four zones of the climate control system.
3. Dynamic white lines to assist with parking using the display from the rearview camera did not load.
4. Apple CarPlay booted up, but navigation did not work, despite leaving the car, coming back, and trying again.
5. On another occasion, CarPlay simply would not load at all.
6. With around 7,000 miles on the odometer, Fenske noted that the car’s stop mode, despite being set to ‘Hold’ instead of ‘Roll’ (enabling one-pedal driving in tandem with regeneration set to ‘High’), randomly switched to the opposite after just a few minutes inside a nearby store, causing the car to roll forward after being started and pressure being taken off the brake pedal.
7. The car indicated that the speed limit in a 45-mph zone was 75, despite neither the zone before nor after the 45-mph zone being a 75-mph zone.
8. Music randomly stopped playing, on one occasion pausing three times during a single song and never resuming playing automatically, despite good cell coverage.

Fenske documented all these problems so he could email Lucid for assistance, with the most concerning being how the car changed its stop mode after he spent just a few minutes inside a nearby store. Picture this: when starting the car, you put your foot on the brake and select Drive or Reverse, and with ‘Hold’ selected instead of ‘Roll,’ the car should slowly creep away in the selected direction. Normal, right? As Fenske was on a slight decline and the car had changed its setting without warning, he rolled forward. Trying to go back into Park and into Reverse again didn’t solve the issue (he didn’t know the setting had changed at this point), and on the third try, he used the accelerator pedal, and the car finally moved back. As Fenske notes, if this setting changes when someone is on a steep hill, especially when they’re accustomed to the car behaving as they had selected, this could cause a crash or worse. Unfortunately, the problems didn’t end there.

Other Problems Appearing on Fenske’s Lucid Air

While all the above happened over one weekend, other issues have appeared in Fenske’s short time with the car. The audio system was particularly buggy, sometimes not working at all, and sometimes sounding tinny. On other occasions, only the front speakers would stop working, and these audio issues were separate from the regular but random pausing of music. Another problem was that the heated seats would keep turning off, and sometimes, the car would select neither Drive nor Reverse, despite all other functions working – Fenske theorizes that the car thinks it’s connected to a charger when this happens. Finally, on that one weekend trip while skiing, the Lucid mobile app was operating in the background and consumed a whopping 46 percent of Fenske’s new iPhone 17’s battery charge, despite only one minute of screen time, while a GPS-tracking app that was running simultaneously in the background only used 7 percent.

Yet another issue discovered later on is that, after leaving the frunk and trunk open for roughly 10 minutes or more (as many do while packing for a trip), the apertures would not close, regardless of whether Fenske used the buttons in the storage spaces, the screen on the dashboard, or his smartphone app. This was despite the car showing on-screen confirmation that the openings weren’t closed and that the app wasn’t working. Furthermore, after closing manually, the trunk would sometimes not reopen. Since the people at Lucid are reasonable, they agreed that these numerous issues were too big to live with on an $85,000 car, and they tried to make the “popular YouTuber,” as the engineer laughingly admits he is, happy with a replacement.

Lucid’s Solution to a Buggy Air Touring Backfires with the Gravity SUV

Lucid offered to replace the car under the existing lease agreement using a similar spec, but legally, for Fenske’s payments to stay the same, Lucid would have to provide the exact same spec, not similar. With Fenske finding over 4,600 unique builds based on the Air Touring alone, and with Lucid being a relatively low-volume company, that would be impossible. To Lucid’s credit, the company still didn’t give up, offering a full buyback and a new lease, providing a Gravity SUV as a long-term loaner while a suitable vehicle was being sourced, but Fenske was at his breaking point and declined for three reasons.

Firstly, the lease signed in August 2025 was at $865, and speccing the same build now is $265 more, at $1,130. Secondly, Fenske only wanted a three-year lease, and at this point is already 11 months in; not only would a new lease restart the term, but a signing two-year lease would increase payments even more dramatically, to $1,440. Finally, the experience left a bitter taste in Fenske’s mouth, and he knew that if the replacement was bad, it would make things even worse for Lucid. If the replacement was good, critics would suggest Lucid had provided a flawless car just because of Jason’s publicity, impossible as that would be for software-related issues. Even though he declined, Lucid kept trying to make things right by maintaining the offer of a long-term Gravity loan.

Related: New Lucid Gravity Recall Isn’t Even Lucid’s Fault

So, Fenske took delivery of the electric SUV and planned an in-depth long-term review, but shortly after editing the video, the Gravity had to return to Lucid Service because a passenger-side window would not roll back up even after multiple vehicle resets. As if the experience couldn’t get much worse, the cruise control “cancel” button would only work sporadically, and the cameras would repeatedly fail to load images. Sigh. Lucid may be brilliant when it comes to engineering and packaging, but its software still has a long way to go, as Fenske’s closing statement sums up nicely.

“While Lucid has been very understanding and supportive, I am not sure if I will complete the long-term loan. While I believe Lucid has continuously innovated in the EV space and delivered impressive engineering throughout their vehicles, unfortunately, my personal experience has been overshadowed by glitchy software.” – Jason Fenske, Engineering Explained

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• Tesla patented a new way of cooling down your EV’s cabin in the summer heat.
• Its new method involves using vacuums to suck up hot air and put it directly into the car’s HVAC system.
• This would make cooling hot spots inside of cars much easier, potentially unlocking more range.

Car interiors get hot, and conditioning them (whether it be preconditioning before you get in, or just keeping it at the right temperature while scooting down the road) saps up a significant amount of juice that could have been translated into mileage instead.

That’s what makes one of Tesla’s latest patents so interesting. Its invention proposes a new way of cooling down a car’s interior by targeting “hot air pockets” in the cabin. Here’s how it’s done.

Photo by: Tesla

According to the patent, Tesla’s method involves installing a suction unit into the car’s HVAC system. This creates negative pressure (aka: vacuum) that can be applied to specific vents in the car near these pockets of hot air. The hot air is then sucked into the car’s HVAC system and conditioned with the rest of the cabin air before being recirculated back into the car.

A good example of this would be solar radiation. The sun beating down on the car’s glass roof is an easy way to heat up the cabin—I’m sure you’ve felt this before when getting into a car on a hot day, or even when feeling the sun hitting your arm or leg for an extended time while driving down the road. The larger the vehicle and its interior space (Think Model X compared to a Model 3), the more surface area and ambient cabin space that requires conditioning.

But Tesla’s idea is that this thermal conditioning can be a done a bit more efficiently. The goal, according to the patent, is to “maximize thermal comfort and minimize energy consumption”—basically, pull air from spaces that need to be cooled and more evenly distribute the temperature in the cabin.

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Based on the data in the patent, Tesla shows that the tech could lower the power draw by as much as 7.4%. That might not seem like a lot, however, that’s a savings of around 127 watts when it’s 104 degrees outside. That cuts the peak power consumed by the HVAC down from 1,720 watts to just 1,593.

Tesla’s patent goes further by noting that the suction can be conditionally activated by sensing the temperature in the cabin and activating the suction only in areas that need to be conditioned.

The idea is admittedly pretty innovative. Of course, this is just a patent, so it may never actually make it into an actual production car. But this is a clever way of improving range without boosting battery capacity, playing with aerodynamics, or doing anything special to the powertrain. 

On a 100-degree day, for example, air conditioner use contributes to a range loss of up to 18%, a study from Recurrent found. If Tesla’s method is able to squeeze a bit more range out of its cars while also improving passenger comfort, that’s a win-win.

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As hot summer weather approaches, your car’s interior needs plenty of cool air to keep you and your crew comfortable around town. Too often, we take car air conditioning for granted. But having cold air in hot weather is not just another feature. It’s a necessity.

If you notice any unusual noises, odors, condensation, or temperature fluctuations, there’s a chance you could have an AC issue.

So what can we do to encourage the health of our climate control system before car AC repair is needed? How can we help our car air conditioner operate better? We asked Kelley Blue Book’s in-house service and maintenance expert, Gary Hardesty, an A.S.E. certified master technician, to share his AC expertise, and these are our top 10 tips for keeping your AC in tip-top shape.

MORE: Does AC in a Car Use Gas?

1. Watch High Engine Temperatures on Steep Grades

If your summer getaway means heading for the mountains and you’re traveling uphill on a steep grade, loaded with people and gear in hot weather, keep an eye on the engine temperature. Running the air conditioner puts extra strain on your engine, which can contribute to overheating. If you see the engine temp gauge rising, Hardesty says to turn your heat on full blast for a few minutes to help lower the engine temperature and temporarily lessen the burden on the car’s cooling system.

2. Keep “Inducts” Under the Windshield Dry and Clear

Water, dirt, and leaves at the base of the windshield reduce operating efficiency and can contribute to mold in the climate control system. The area where the hood and windshield meet is an optimal collection point for debris like pine needles and windblown leaves. Unfortunately, the air conditioning intake is in that area, making it a bad place for old leaves to decay. Hardesty suggests regularly removing any obstructions that restrict airflow, as well as smaller debris that could enter the air distribution box and plug the water drains.

3. When Odors are Detected, Act Quickly

Strange smells coming from your car’s air vents can be a sign of serious problems, but some odors may just be from the previous owner, who was a smoker or allowed pet odors to accumulate. In these cases, Hardesty says placing orange peel on your car’s floor for a few days will help. Other options include spraying an odor neutralizer like Ozium into the vents or changing the air conditioning filter.

But there are some odors to watch out for that might suggest a more significant issue, including gasoline, mildew, or a sweet odor.

4. Read the Air Conditioning Section of Your Owner’s Manual

Your owner’s manual is full of recommendations and requirements for operating the vehicle, including its climate control and engine cooling systems. Refer to its guidelines for antifreeze coolant to give proper corrosion protection and help prevent overheating. In case your summer travel plans don’t include a road trip, that book in your glovebox also contains information on maintaining the air conditioning system when the vehicle is unused for extended periods.

5. Add Air Conditioning Checkpoints to Your Maintenance Schedule

Always follow the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance schedule, which includes checking system performance to determine if a car air conditioning recharge is needed. Routine inspection may detect potential problems before they become troublesome. Staying on top of AC maintenance can help improve your fuel economy while keeping the car’s interior comfortable for you and your passengers. At a minimum, have the system checked at the start of each warm season. The service should include checking the drive belt tension, cleaning the condenser fins, and completing a performance test.

6. Change the AC Filter When Needed

Changing the cabin air filter is an essential part of car air conditioning maintenance. A typical replacement interval is 30,000 miles, but drivers and passengers with airborne allergen sensitivities may need to replace filters more frequently to help prevent dust and pollen from circulating inside the car. Clean cabin filters also allow for stronger airflow and can reduce unpleasant odors. Even car owners with minimal DIY skills can save money and replace the filter themselves by following the instructions in the owner’s manual.

7. Open Windows and Start Driving, Then Turn on Your Air 

Don’t expect the air conditioning to instantly cool the cabin during summer weather when the vehicle interior is blistering hot from sitting in the sun all day. You can give it a head start by opening your car’s windows to flush out hot air when you start the car and turn the blower on high. After a minute or so, close the windows and adjust the AC controls as needed to achieve comfort.

8. Use the Fresh Air Vent When Possible

Choosing between recirculating and outside-air mode can be perplexing to some people. Follow this straightforward advice: Use recirculation when outside conditions (smoke, dust, odors, or high humidity) are present. Otherwise, select outside air. Recirculation mode can make the inside air stuffy, and window fogging may occur. Extended use of this mode is not recommended. Instead, use outside-air mode whenever possible.

9. Occasionally Run the AC in Defrost Mode

According to Hardesty, the defrost mode in your car does more than take the frost off your windows. It prevents mildew and clears up moisture inside the AC unit. Doing this once a week for 5 to 10 minutes can help you avoid mold, mildew, or other unpleasant odors in your car.

10. Use Coldest Setting and Adjust the Fan

Most experts agree that setting your air conditioner to the lowest temperature is more efficient for the car’s cooling system and saves fuel. Why? Hardesty says that most cooling systems only cool the cabin by 30 degrees and then stop. If you reach that point and then set the temp higher, you also activate the heater. This dual effort strains the system and consumes more fuel. Instead, set the AC fan to low and rotate the vents away from you.

KBB Pro Tip: As with many other systems in your car, climate control weakens with wear and tear. Keep an eye out for telltale signs of common and costly issues, keep up with your regular maintenance, and don’t delay addressing any signs of trouble as soon as they arise — it could save you money and grief down the line.

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The most common issues that can constitute a visit to a service bay are refrigerant leaks, defective cooling fans, condenser/compressor malfunctions, and mildew in the vents. These services can range from $150 to $2,000, depending on the severity of the problem. Use the Kelley Blue Book Service Advisor tool to get an estimate for AC repair before making an appointment with your repair shop.

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated since its original publication. Joni Finkle contributed to this report.

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What Is a Cabin Air Filter and What Does It Do?

Cabin air filters clean the air entering the interior of dust, smog, odors, allergens, and other contaminants. Assuming everything is reasonably well sealed—the windows are closed, the top is in place, and the doors are attached—this filter keeps the outside from getting inside your vehicle.

Like any atmospheric filter, the one assigned to your vehicle’s cabin catches bad stuff as air from outside passes through it on the way to the interior. Cabin air filters are integrated into a vehicle’s ventilation system.

shop cabin air filters at amazon

Do All Cars Have a Cabin Air Filter?

Most modern vehicles include HVAC systems with a cabin air filter. Saab was one of the first manufacturers to introduce this feature, starting with the 1979 900. Other automakers soon followed suit, though this feature was primarily limited to vehicles from luxury marques. By the 2000s, cabin air filters made it to the mainstream. For instance, the 2002 Toyota Camry offered one. Though it’s not a mandated piece of equipment, the cabin air filter is now commonplace.

Note that the cabin air filter is entirely different from the air filter found under the hood of vehicles with internal combustion engines. That filter treats only the air going into the engine and assures that no debris or foreign matter makes it into the cylinders.

How Effective Are Cabin Air Filters?

If you’ve ever strolled the air filter aisle of a home improvement store, you’re aware of the wide array of options for what seems like a pretty simple part. It’s a similar situation with vehicle cabin air filters; the packaging will tell you what kinds and sizes of particles (usually measured in microns) the particular product can handle. The cost of a cabin air filter typically increases in relation to its claimed effectiveness.

You can go with the budget option, which will filter some particles but let others through. The mid-grade choice will catch more, but not as much as a top-of-the-line model. Because filter sizes vary by application, the selection available for your specific vehicle depends on what fits into its filter housing. If your local parts department doesn’t have what you want, consider searching online.

Some cabin air filters use activated charcoal to better trap odors. Others offer some level of HEPA-rated filtration (short for high-efficiency particulate arresting filtration). To meet this standard, a HEPA-rated filter must be able to remove a minimum of 99.97 percent of dust, pollen, mold, bacteria, and other airborne particles that measure as little as 0.3 microns.

Cabin Air Filter Maintenance FAQs

Why is it important to replace my cabin air filter regularly?

Just like the air filter on your furnace at home, a vehicle’s cabin filter is replaceable for a reason. Over time, the filter will get clogged and dirty simply by doing its job. Swapping in a new one will help ensure the air in the car is clean and that the ventilation system is working in its most efficient state.

How often should I replace my cabin air filter?

Air-filter replacement cadence depends on a lot of highly variable factors, including how often the vehicle is driven, the environments in which it’s operated, and how good of a filter is being used at the time. Owner’s manuals include recommended replacement frequency, and there are often two or more schedules you can choose from depending on how and where the car gets used. Consider this as guidance, but feel free to deviate from it as you see fit. Unlike failing to replace your engine’s air filter, running a dirty cabin filter is not going to void your warranty—but it may damage your lungs. That said, most cabin air filters are relatively inexpensive, so you owe it to yourself to avoid breathing dirty air behind the wheel.

What signs indicate that my cabin air filter needs replacing?

Aside from measuring how long the part has been in service, several things can help determine when it’s time for a new cabin air filter. If the air from your vents smells a bit funky, then that’s a likely sign to replace your cabin air filter. If the ventilation system isn’t blowing as hard as before or makes noise when the fan is running, then there’s likely a blockage somewhere in the system—there’s a reasonable chance a dirty cabin air filter is the culprit.

Visual inspection can assist in determining when it’s time for replacement, too, but it’s not always obvious that a filter is past its prime at a glance.

Can I change the cabin air filter myself?

The process to gain access to the cabin air filter varies from model to model. It should be outlined in your owner’s manual, and many filters are hidden behind the passenger’s side glove box. Getting to the filter for inspection and replacement typically requires simple hand tools, such as a screwdriver or socket wrench—on some cars it’s possible to change a cabin air filter without the need for any tools at all.

Where can I take my car to get a cabin air filter replaced?

Any repair shop will gladly replace your car’s cabin air filter for you, though it may require spending a few extra bucks on labor costs. Many parts stores will take on this job, too. And often for free. Though you may want to have a couple of spare Washingtons or Lincolns on hand to tip the individual assigned the task of replacing your vehicle’s cabin air filter.

shop cabin air filters at amazon

Ever since David was a wee Car and Driver intern, he has kept a spreadsheet listing all the vehicles he’s driven and tested. David really likes spreadsheets. He can parallel-park a school bus and once drove a Lincoln Town Car 63 mph in reverse. After taking a break from journalism to work on autonomous vehicles, he’s back writing for this and other automotive publications. When David’s not searching for the perfect used car, you can find him sampling the latest in gimmicky, limited-edition foodstuffs.

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