Hello.
I was so youtube convinced that only the sprays,cloths would work ... doh...
The filter came out like Mark,and you etc said.Easier than thought.
The filter looks terrible(half black),and there was a kitchen towel roll half used behind where the glove box came out.I dont know if that could have also effected the filters function.
I also found out this car was a rental car before I bought it.
There were leaves in the filter,and it needs to be vacuumed.Lots of dirt.Obviously it should have been replaced sooner.
The filter is not damaged,no holes in it or anything like that.
I,ll be looking for a new one,but cleaning up this one ,I would expect things to clear up even more,combined with the HVAC.
Thanks for all the teaching...learned a lot.