Woman Refuses $40 Air Filter At Take 5. Then She Sees What The Worker Wrote On Her Receipt: 'I Did The Impossible'

A woman says a mechanic wasn’t thrilled when she declined to buy a new engine air filter during an oil change, insisting she’d replace it herself instead.

Kaylie Cheyenne (@kaylie_cheyenne_), a Texas-based content creator, shared the exchange after taking her vehicle to Take 5 for routine maintenance, including an oil change, a replacement plug gasket, and a new oil filter.

“How the guy doing my oil change acted when I told him I’ll change my own air filter,” she wrote in the text overlay of her clip.

Cheyenne then showed her receipt, which included the note: “Customer did not want air filter air filter is sucking in bad.”

The video cuts to a new air filter sitting on the ground, suggesting she bought the part herself and installed it after leaving the shop.

“He proceeded to tell me that I wouldn’t find an air filter cheaper than $40….. but against all odds… I did the impossible lol,” Cheyenne wrote.

As of this writing, the video has more than 845,200 views.

Is It Worth Changing Your Own Air Filter? 

For many cars, replacing the engine air filter is one of the easier maintenance jobs owners can handle themselves.

The filter usually sits inside a plastic housing under the hood. On many vehicles, getting to it only requires releasing a few clips or removing a handful of screws. AutoZone estimates the job will take roughly 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the vehicle’s design.

That helps explain why some drivers choose to buy the part themselves rather than pay a shop to install it. The price of the filter varies by vehicle and brand, but the labor involved can be minimal when the housing is easy to reach.

Still, drivers should not replace a filter simply because a shop recommends one during every oil change. AutoZone says how often you replace your air filter largely depends on your driving habits, but it suggests replacing it once a year or every 12,000 miles. Dusty roads and other harsh conditions can shorten that lifespan.

A dirty engine air filter can restrict airflow, but checking it is fairly straightforward. AAA says technicians often inspect the filter visually. At the same time, the owner’s manual provides the best guidance on when the manufacturer recommends replacing it.

If you’re replacing it yourself, make sure you buy the correct filter and pay attention to how the old one is installed before pulling it out. It's also worth brushing out any debris in the housing before sealing everything back up.

For a vehicle with an awkwardly placed filter or a housing that requires more disassembly, paying a shop may still be worth it. But when the filter is easy to access, doing the job at home can be a reasonable way to save money.

Drivers Said They’d Rather Do It Themselves 

Many viewers said they skip the upsell and instead replace their air filters at home.

“Yeah they wanted to charge me $80 for a filter,” one commenter wrote. “It was $20, I think, at Walmart, and took two seconds to switch out. I will always do things myself. If idk how. Well, that’s what YouTube is for.”

Another shared a similar experience.

“Declined the dealership, wanting to replace my cabin filter for $120!!! 6 months ago,” they wrote. “Bought a new filter for $20. Finally went to replace it myself last weekend.”

Others said they had received similarly high quotes.

“When Kia quoted me 70$ for my engine air filter, and I told them to piss off cause auto zone had the premium one for [$]20 and I know how to change it,” one viewer wrote.

“Lol, my auto shop wanted to charge me 130 for labor and the filter,” another added. “I can buy it online for less than $40.”

Not everyone thought the recommendation was unreasonable, though.

“Documentation is necessary [whether] you want to get it changed or not,” one commenter wrote. “You get debri[s] in the mass air flow sensor from a dirty filter, and your car stalls. I guarantee you would blame the shop.”

Another viewer, who identified herself as a dealership technician, offered her perspective.

“I think they get commission lol,” she wrote. “But thank you for changing it when we recommend[ed] it, sincerely a not-so-petty woman dealership tech.”

Motor1 reached out to Cheyenne via TikTok direct message and Take 5 Oil Change for comment. We’ll update this story if we hear back.