i resently was talking with my friends uncle. he works for BMW or something like that. i really didn't hear what he said. but he said there was a problem with K&N and if you have a new BMW starting in 2004 and put a K&N filter on, it will void your warrenty. first thing that came to my head was 'bad blood between companies'. but then he went on to explain why. he told me that K&N will flow a lot of air but it's bassically un filtered air, so all the dust crap still getins in the engine. he also said that his M3 makes more power using the stock BMW filter than it does with a K&N filter becuase the air is cleaner and more combustable. has anyone heard of this rumor with K&N and bad filtering?

 

yes, and from personal experience (not on my rx7) it's true! honestly if you are using the stock air box then ALWAYS use the factory oem filter. it will always work best. if not oem then atleast stay with a paper filter. but all in all, YES IT IS TRUE KNEEGROW!

 

I am using K&N filter both cone and stock replacement filter, and I have no bad experience with it. In my experience it filters as good as the OEM filters.

 

I am using K&N filter both cone and stock replacement filter on all my cars, and I have no bad experience with it. In my experience it filters as good as the OEM filters.

 

If you keep it clean and OILED properly! They even say on the instructions with the filter and the filtercharger kit that the K&N doesn't filter the air hardly at all w/o the proper oiling. I think the problem with K&N "drop in" filters is exactly that. People drop them in and forget them. THAT will lead to many problems, unfiltered air being the biggest one.

Jon

 

The only problems I've ever heard of were excess oil getting on MAF sensors and creating false readings. I've never heard of dirt problems ever, and I seriously doubt the stock filters will flow more "cumbustable" air.

 

You are supposed to go about 10-15,000 miloes between washings. The more the stuff builds up, the better it filters. about every 7,000miles, I re-oil mine.

 

I clean and Oil Mine every oil change

No problems here, it only takes a few min. It takes longer for the Filter to dry then to do the maintinace on it.

It is just like any thing else you get what you put into it.

But as far as the post is concerned... ya it is on track and all the auto manufatures are starting to crak down on car mods due to pressure from the Insurance companys and the police because of Fast and Furious bull ****

 

They really dont filter, they do flow well. I have the Apexi's on my FD and I just assume its like running no filter at all

 

I think Jon is right on the money about people not oiling them properly. They'll flow more air that way.

But, a fresh paper element filter will flow as much air as a K&N, or at least it will flow ENOUGH air to satisfy the engine's requirements. So if a K&N costs $50, and the cleaner/oil kit costs what, another $15? Now you've got ~65 clams invested in something that you have to clean and oil periodically. A new paper element filter costs ~$5, and when it gets dirty, you just throw it away. So for the price of one K&N filter and accessories, I can treat my engine to 13 new air filters and I don't have to spend a minute cleaning and oiling them. How much is THAT worth?

 

Hahaha, the voice of reason has spoken.

I've got a cheap re-usable foam filter. What do you use to wash them? I've got a can of the oil to reoil them, but I'm not sure what's best to clean them with.

 

You normally clean the foam filters with mineral turps.

 

if you buy 13 filter..... are you buying them all at one time? or going to the store repeatedly?

 

well ok guys, this is my question now. i had to remove my air box b/c the inlet on the throttle body was at a differnt spot than on the 84 se 13b. so i use a sewer adapter to connect the end of the hard plastic peice to the AMF then to a cone filter. what kinda filter whould i use? i guess what i'm asking is whats better, clean air/littler restriced or more air/less filtered?

 

my thoughts exactly on this whole issue, unless you are moving the filter from car to car, assuming you are buying a new car that it fits on, it just makes more sense to buy paper filters.

 

um. i picked a random thread, and please throw me a party

MY 100th POST!



wheeee... party hats on

 

Your post count says 102, chief.
Too late for a 100-post party.

 

I just bought a K&N yesterday... i feel confident in my purchase though... GSL-SE stock paper filter is $18 in Kragens and $24 in Autozone... unless your using a universal paper filter then it might be $5 a piece... and besides a couple of oiling from time to time is worth my time over going to the store and getting a new paper filter... and besides your car will still be using MORE than 13 new filters saying the price is at $5 dollars a piece and in the very long run you'll still be spending more $$$ on paper over K&N....

 

Back to the first topic of this post.....

About the BMW and K&N situation, BMW parts are expensive. I am not sure what it costs to buy a BMW air filter, especially a factory one, but I am sure they want some of the money. Most people who drive BMWs, think they have some HOLIER THAN THOU car anyways, and would probably want some part that comes in a BMW box anyways.

You have to remember, at a dealership, only 20% of their profit is made from vehicle sales. 20% from financing, and 60% from servicing vehicles.

But, if it's true that BMW will void your warranty if you use a K&N filter, and you're not insanely rich, just buy the BMW filter. I used to have an old 83 BMW 528e sedan. The thing was pretty damn good shape. I got it cheap, since it was a trade in at a dealership I worked at........but when I found out how much it would cost to have it repaired on small items, I just left the car in a parking lot with the key in the door.

 

I agree, and to add to that, my local Autozone and Kragen don't even stock the paper air filter, so I have to special order it. That's a real pain in the ***. Oiling the K&N is much nicer then special ordering paper filters every so often.

 

There is a little law called The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act that prohibits mfr's from voiding warranties if an end user installs aftermarket parts. The way I see it, BMW can only void the warranty if BMW provides air filters free of charge or if they can PROVE that the air filter caused a failure.

 

This is not sound science. If anything can outflow the paper filter, then it is a restriction choking the engine's ability to breathe.

Car Craft put this to a test and the K&N outflowed all the brand new paper filters from the big guns...only the Holley air filter was better...this is in flow capability, not filtering ability. That part I don't know about, but here we go again.

Who here has lost an engine due to dust scoring the internals of your engine due to a K&N filter??

No friends, no "I heard" or "I know of a friend, dude, legendary racer"
crap....this is the only measure of the truth, the rest is 'Net Urban legend...bring on the Mobil1, your rotary needs it...

 

I was going to do a K&N filter, but now I think I'll just stick with the paper filters and keep them clean (3-6 months each), easier, cheaper, better and more consistent filtering because maintenance is easier. The Forum answers another burning question!

Ray

 

How do you keep paper filters clean? They don't wash well... I know, I've tried!

My K&N works fine... It's not a noticeable power increase, but it's got a million mile warranty! I think it's money well spent... the OEM paper filter is way more than 5 bucks, and over time, it really adds up. I've read that car companies use paper because it's cheap! Of course, with all the new technology coming around, who knows what BMW runs in their filterboxes.

 

K&N works ok but they're hardly performance oriented. They don't filter any better than those cheap $5 mesh filters off ebay. You want a real filter? A'pexi all the way...