Awesome trick. Was done in less than 10mins! It's not comfortable laying on your back hanging out the door which helped me get it done quicker lol. Thanks for the tip!
This process worked on my wife's 2004 Mazda3 Hatchback (2.3 liter). It was a bit tricky at times; not from a technical perspective, but just some awkward, tight spots. It probably took me about 30-45 minutes to get it done, but I am a novice when it comes to car work. One note regarding the plastic cover that sits adjacent to the center console: mine was not able to be removed with a screwdriver. I had to use a tack puller to wedge out the piece that secured the plastic cover.
I neither had fun nor was quick when doing this, BUT you're video was a huge help so much thanks haha. I'm only 6 feet, so I don't know how you got in there but it is done now with only minor cursing:). Oddly enough, I pulled the old one out and there was nothing but the plastic frames, no filter. Strange indeed. Thanks. Dave
When I first bought the car, I took it in for maintenance, and had the mechanic remove the filters and leave the area empty so I wouldn't have to deal with it again. (It's not worth it - I'm used to just installing one inexpensive filter in the glove compartment, rather than struggling, removing the fusebox, spending $20-$30 on TWO filters, etc.) He showed me the old filters, which were filthy, meaning that the previous owner probably never replaced them after 65,000 miles.
