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Air intake filter - yes or no?

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I also have installed extra weather seal around the edges of my frunk. I can only speak from my own experience, air flow seems to be same. When I had the air intake filter installed the difference was very noticeable but with just the deflector I don't notice any air flow difference from stock.
 
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I had one of these. Then I measured airflow from my vents with an anemometer. I immediately removed it. The restriction was significant - about 20% as I recall - and restricting airflow on a system not designed for it is never a good idea.
yup. chances are the blower or another component of the AC unit will fail. and probably just outside of warranty,
 
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If you've ever forgotten to change a home HVAC filter, you'll know what I mean. All that back pressure makes the thing work extra hard.

The hole to plastic ratio is poor with your product (guessing 1:6). You want some kind of aluminum or stainless steel mesh so that more air is let through than blocked. Not sure about the best size of the holes, but maybe anti-bug-size is the best way to go (yours on the left, bugscreen mesh on the right easily available through Amazon, maybe try something like this or this). Guessing more like a 2:3 or even 5:6 air:material ratio!

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There's quite a few candidates available from here: https://www.aliexpress.com/w/wholesale-water-strip-model-3.html

Not really sure what sort of things I should be looking for to get the best quality. What would you recommend is the best one for my 2019 Model 3?

FWIW, I went for this one. They're probably all the same, and this one's a few more quid than some of them, but assuming we can trust Aliexpress's system, it has a high number of ratings and high score (4.8). I wonder if there's something like reviewmeta or fakespot, but for Aliexpress instead of Amazon to help check for fake reviews/ratings.
 
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After installing this filter and causing damage to the AC/Heat motor or components I hope you are prepared when you take it to the Tesla service center for……..”sorry, not covered under warranty”.

Because of the high hole/gap to material ratio of the aforementioned wire mesh, the effect on the air flow (let alone the motor) is negligible, so you shouldn't have to worry about that at all.

Even if by some chance you do wish to install a heavy duty HEPA filter in the air intake (frunk area), I don't think one should necessarily worry then either due to a comment from the user @TomB985 from this old post who said:

The blower motor is not a positive displacement pump, which means it's going to spin whether or not airflow is present. The motor isn't going to be pushing any harder if there is a restriction. There is simply no mechanism for either component you mentioned to give a crap whether or not the filter is clogged. OEMs have been using cabin air filters for decades now, and I can't recall a situation where a clogged filter is ever caused a compressor or blower issue.

The user @alextt also backed him up and said:

Common misconceptions:
- A blower motor works "harder" when air is restricted.
- A vacuum motor works "harder" when suction is restricted (it actually consumes less energy)
- Adjusting the climate control set temperature to an extreme such that it says "HI" or "LO" in the display will heat or cool your car faster

The only "bad" that comes from restricted air flows is that you /might/ freeze up the evaporator - but this is very far fetched as most vehicles have temperature sensing bulbs on the evaporator to prevent this.

From tons of reviews from even the heavy duty HEPA filter (which is not what we were discussing), I haven't really heard anyone complain about breaking Tesla's fan/aircon motor.
 
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I thought I would share this and contribute to the discussion.

https://abstractocean.com/account/activate/6380108710061/dd353a62e79cffed262020c9d941b6ba-1674767001 Abstract Ocean seems to have a filter cover that is less air-restrictive, using a chicken wire-like mesh. I placed an order for it to put into a new 2023 M3 RWD and I'll report back as to fit.

Based on the discussion in this thread, I'm thinking of the weather deflector too. I'm in SoCal but it's been rainy this year so far and I'm trying to preemptively avoid the stink smell. I'll be driving it a bit this spring out to desert areas so the sand/dirt in the air is an issue but I don't want to block the air intake too much.

COP is set to no AC and the AC is set to Auto.
 
I added DIY window screen mesh to my intake to keep leaves out. I also added the weather deflector to keep water out, but I noticed that the intake duct in my 2023 Model 3 has a large drain hole. I don't know if earlier models have that. It makes me think the deflector may not be necessary. I installed it anyway.
 
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I thought I would share this and contribute to the discussion.

https://abstractocean.com/account/activate/6380108710061/dd353a62e79cffed262020c9d941b6ba-1674767001 Abstract Ocean seems to have a filter cover that is less air-restrictive, using a chicken wire-like mesh. I placed an order for it to put into a new 2023 M3 RWD and I'll report back as to fit.

Based on the discussion in this thread, I'm thinking of the weather deflector too. I'm in SoCal but it's been rainy this year so far and I'm trying to preemptively avoid the stink smell. I'll be driving it a bit this spring out to desert areas so the sand/dirt in the air is an issue but I don't want to block the air intake too much.

COP is set to no AC and the AC is set to Auto.
Wrong link and I can't seem to edit my previous post.

I am not quite sure if this will work and so the Farmogo looks tempting https://www.amazon.com/Farmogo-Tesla-Intake-Filter-accessories/dp/B09C59DHDP?th=1 but I don't have a device to measure air output. I'm thinking the weather deflector alone or with either the Farmogo or the Abstract Ocean. The weather deflector seems like it would keep a lot of stray leaves out and so like some of the posts above reference, anything else might be unnecessary. Just not sure how much the weather deflector reduces air intake, something no one else has commented on.
 
I added DIY window screen mesh to my intake to keep leaves out. I also added the weather deflector to keep water out, but I noticed that the intake duct in my 2023 Model 3 has a large drain hole. I don't know if earlier models have that. It makes me think the deflector may not be necessary. I installed it anyway.
Have a photo of where that hole is located?