Any recomms for a fairly-price filter? from the Honda store.
I've had good luck getting them from AutoZone, $20 for the pair. They appear identical to the dealer parts.
You can get Fram or Purolator or something like that for about half of the Honda price. No doubt someone has done extensive testing to prove how inferior they are to the OEM kind...
You can also get the from several online dealer parts stores cheaper. Do a google search or go to www.odyclub.com. The Honda yuppies will try to make you think it has to be Honda oem but they are no better than any of the quality after market filter. Until recently the Honda oil filter was just a repackaged fram.
It's been my observation that aftermarket filters have pleats that are not as deep as OEM, meaning much less surface area. You also have no idea of the difference between aftermarket medium and OEM medium. This you cannot tell just by looking at it.
Try one of these sources: www.rockauto.com www.alleurasianautoparts.com or for factory parts: http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/ I've done business with all three multiple times and am a happy customer. I've found that the "name brand" (Wix, Fram, etc.) cabin air filters are often the very same Chinese or Mexican no-name imports that you can also get under obscure brands like Contico.
I'm sure that's true, but comparing these side by side with the OEM filters, they have the same number of pleats with the same depth as the OEM and it appears to be the same materials. Remember, we're talking about the cabin filter here, not an engine critical part. The dealers here both wanted $60+ per filter (it uses two), which is just over the top for an air conditioner filter.