I own a 2007 Toyota Camry hybrid with 151K miles and serviced every 3K miles. I recently learned that there is a permanent, cleanable screen that acts as a filter associated with the hybrid battery pack. However, to clean it, you have to remove the part of the car in front of the rear window and maybe more of the interior. This would cost several hundred dollars. If this filter becomes too dirty, I understand that it would compromise the air cooling of the battery pack, possibly reducing its life. Replacing the battery pack would cost about $4K. The dealer has had little interest in customers requesting this filter or its fan be cleaned. Is cleaning this filter something I should be concerned about and have done since the car is 14 years old?
Thank you for bringing this video to my attention. I had seen it previously. It's the reason that I had started this post. That is, would you be aware of any industry data or recommendations from Toyota for cleaning the battery pack filter and fan time or mileage intervals in the 2007 Toyota Camry hybrid specifically? As you probably know, this job is more time consuming for similar work in later model year Camry hybrids?
If this was my car, I would be freaking out. Is there any way to get a vacuum or compressed air so you can easily clean it out?
Thanks for getting back with me. I do not believe that there is an easy way to clean this filter short of removing it and much of the rear part of the interior. The filter is located near the bottom of a plastic "box" in the top of the trunk under the rear window. This box has 10 rivets holding the bottom part of the box to the rest of the container that holds the filter and its fan. It looks completely inaccessible from the trunk. There is also an air intake in front of the rear window and behind the middle of the back seat. I don't know what is in the space of approximately 12" between the intake and the filter. If the filter were designed to be vacuumed from the air intake, there would probably be some instructions in the owner's manual. So, to answer your question directly, there does not appear to be a way to clean the filter easily and cheaply. What I need to know is if cleaning the filter is a maintenance action I need to take to ensure the longevity of my battery pack?
Here is the link to the short YouTube video, which addresses cleaning the battery pack filter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zegM8wS-D4I Please notice that the fan can get very dirty, too, and should be cleaned at the same time.