Hospital traffic, the Pond and a stuffy car in Thornton Heath
Thornton Heath Pond is no longer a pond but a roundabout on the A23, and one of the area's regular peak-time bottlenecks. South of it, London Road runs past Croydon University Hospital, busy with buses, ambulances and staff and visitors' cars all day. Frequent buses on Brigstock Road and the High Street add to it. For drivers who do this route daily, a lot of time is spent stationary in other vehicles' exhaust.
Hospital staff commuting in from across south London are a good example. Long shifts, early starts and journeys through congested roads mean hours with the fan running. A clogged cabin filter makes the car stuffy and slow to demist, and a damp one can smell. An activated carbon filter adds a layer that absorbs some of the exhaust odours and gases in queues. It won't solve every smell, but it makes those journeys more pleasant.
Most side streets around Selhurst and Bensham Manor are narrow terraces with 20mph limits and cars parked on both sides, so the car sits on the street overnight. Leaves and grit collect at the base of the windscreen, and if they reach the filter housing they restrict airflow and hold moisture. Cars parked near Grangewood Park, which is wooded, see more of this in autumn. When we change the filter, we remove that debris, check for damp or mould and test every fan speed and vent.
From the Pond, take Thornton Road to the Lombard roundabout, then the A236 across Mitcham Common and the A237 into Hackbridge, around 15 minutes. Most cabin filters take 15 to 30 minutes, and we're open until 8pm, Monday to Saturday, which suits shift workers. If you can't get away, we can arrange collection and delivery. You'll get a written quote first and a 3-month workmanship warranty on the fitting.

