Month: November 2016

How to change the cabin air filter in a Mazda 3

I recently took my Mazda 3 to the dealer for a routine oil change (more on this later), and the service attendant reminded me that my cabin air filter was due for replacement. The typical fee is $80+tax, but they have a 10% service discount for the month. I politely declined.

Most people aren’t even aware that their car has a cabin air filter (CAF). The CAF is different from the standard air filter (AF) under the hood. The CAF cycles air entering the passenger cabin. This includes the heat, air conditioning, or fan air that enters the through the car’s vents. The maintenance schedule for the CAF ranges anywhere from 12,000 miles up to 30,000 miles. A dirty CAF can mean more exposure to dust, pollen, and outside particulates every time you turn on your car’s fan.

 

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What most people don’t know about the CAF is that replacing it is a 5-10 minute job, even faster if you are a car mechanic working at the dealership. It took me less than 5 minutes to replace mine. You can order the filter for the Mazda 3 (2010 – 2013 models) on Amazon.com for less than $15. If it takes 10 minutes to replace the filter at a rate of $65 ($80 dealer charge – $15 retail cost of filter = $65), the labor cost of replacing the CAF is $390/hr! If you are a high income earner taxed at a federal marginal rate of 39.6%, you just saved $609/hr or $101.50 for a 10 minute job!!! I ordered a generic CAF on eBay for $9 and saved even more.

Here’s how to do it:

The CAF in the Mazda 3 (2010-2013 models) can be accessed from the front passenger’s side under the glove compartment. The only tool that you need is a Phillips screwdriver. The first step is to remove the plastic side panel of the center console. There is a gap where you can reach in and pull:

mazda_side_panel_passenger

There is also a plastic cover that can be removed by pinching through the plastic pins:

mazda_under_glove_compartment

There is a sensor cable connected to the air filter cover. It is held in place with a plastic snap. Depress the snap, and disconnect the cable first:

mazda_connector_cable

The cover can be removed by unscrewing TWO of the screws on the panel. You can remove the lower left two screws:

mazda_3_bottom_screws

A Phillips head screwdriver is all that you will need. After the cover is removed, you now have access to the CAF . There are actually two filters that are stacked on top of one another. Reach in the pull out the bottom filter. Be sure to note the orientation of the filter as you are sliding the old one out. The longer plastic fin should be pointing to the left (toward the passenger).

The top filter can then be pulled down and taken out the same way. Note that the side with the foam edge should be on top. If you have a shop vacuum, you can remove any of the leaves and debris that have accumulated in the system. Place in a new filter, and reverse the steps! Voila!

Overall, it does not take long to do this replacement. The stakes are relatively low, and you can learn more about your car in the process!

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How Mustachian can a Doctor Be?

how mustacian can a doctor beOne of the guest speakers at this year’s World Domination Summit, was Pete Adeny, of Mr. Money Mustache fame. You can watch the talk online, but MMM essentially summaries his venture into reducing the excesses of life and how it allowed him to transition to early retirement around the same age I finally finished my fellowship training and started my career.

I’ve been a longstanding reader of his online ramblings, and have admired his willingness to carve out his own path off the typical career trajectory that most of us go through. It is also amazing that his trailblazing career decision has gathered a significant following online. Mustachianism, as his “followers” call the mindset, has been an inspiration for me to take a step back and analyze what is important in my life and what I actually need to have to be happy.

 

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I didn’t really consider that this approach to life actually works for doctors until I saw other like-minded physicians like White Coat Investor (WCI) and Physician on Fire (POF) cropping up in the online world. These guys live a frugal approach to life just like MMM. Great! You CAN be a high-income physician and still be practical!

 

Is that really true?

 

I began to wonder where the average doctor falls in the spectrum of luxury, and where I fall in this spectrum. Can this work for all physicians living anywhere in the country? Doctors like WCI and POF live in Utah and the Midwest, respectively. I grew up in the back woods of the Midwest, and I’d agree that these areas constitute the bulk of what it means to live in the U.S.

 

Middle class America.

Down to earth folks who you’d say “hi” do when you see them walking down the road.

 

How does Mustachianism and frugal living apply to doctors living on the coasts?

Does this belief and lifestyle work for a doctor trying to live in California, New York City, or Boston? There is a different mentality in these areas. I hate to generalize, but we have a more materialistic life in New York City than in Milwaukee. It takes a lot more convincing of someone living in Boston to save 50% of her income than her counterpart in Indiana due to external pressures (cost of living, high-end foods, general habits of your peers) in Boston.

In medicine, there is a term coined, “herd immunity”, which means that if enough of a population is immune to a certain condition (immunized), it essentially can provide protection to those who aren’t immune simply by numbers.

In financial terms, I’d call this “herd susceptibility”. If the bulk of your doctor friends in Manhattan wear Louboutin’s or Tory Burch’s, you might look like a pariah if you wear a pair of Xhiliration flats (Target brand) as a Gastroenterologist.

I’m all for driving a normal car, avoiding yearly $3000 a night safari vacations in Tanzania, or cooking your own dinner, but you most likely are expected to have a baseline appearance and level of living as a doctor. This baseline expectation is higher in Manhattan than in Memphis. Who wants a hobo as their doctor?

You would need to have a higher level of financial discipline working in the metropolitan areas. It can clearly be done, as there are plenty of MMM followers who live in NYC and Boston. As a doctor, you have to be extra motivated to live in a modest apartment, seek out like-minded peers, and desensitize yourself from you coworkers who frequent the Michellin-starred restaurants on the weeknights.

 

Some medical professions are more conducive to Mustachianism.

Some physicians work in outpatient clinics while others work in the hospital. Some of us see patients essentially only once and hopefully never again (Emergency Room physicians, Hospitalists, Anesthesiologists). Some of us never see patients (pathologists and radiologists). Some of us take care of patients for our entire career and see them every year (primary care, dermatologists, internists, ophthalmologists).

The frequency and duration of interaction with the patient determines the level of expectation from the patient of the doctor.

Let me explain.

For example, Emergency Room physicians take care of the acutely ill. The majority of these doctors wear scrubs to work or other clothing that they don’t mind soaking up the smell of vomit in the middle of the night. Their patients are sick and probably don’t care what car this doctor owns, what clothing she wears, or whether that is the latest Apple Watch on her arm. You can be driving an $80,000 Tesla or a $20 bike to work and no one will care.

In contrast, Plastic surgeons are most likely well-dressed, and their patients expect them to have a higher “expenditure for appearance”. How would you feel if your plastic surgeon drove a 12 year old Honda Civic and wore Tevas?

The disconnect is that an ER physician earning $400,000 a year living in Memphis will be more likely to reach financial independence earlier than a plastic surgeon earning $500,000 in the Upper East Side.

Ironic, isn’t it?

Who would have thought that it might be harder to save your money if you became a plastic surgeon or dermatologist than an Emergency Room doctor, even though your earning potential might be higher as a plastic surgeon?

How would you guys approach this conundrum?

 

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[Photo courtesy of of Flickr]