Wix Air Filter

[poiuy223]

My Sonata is about to turn 1 year old in a couple of weeks and I hit the 25k mi mark yesterday. I decided to take a peek at the air and cabin filters...and good thing I did. Holy moly the white paper filters were dark gray. The air filter had lots of bits (i.e. leaves and bugs) stuck between the pleats. The cabin filter didn't have these bits but was still dark gray. They needed to be replaced immediately..

I stopped by a local Walmart, Pepboys, and O'Reilly's...none of these stores carried the part numbers I needed. Is it really that hard to find an air filter for the new Sonatas? These cars are everywhere and have been out for over a year now. Replacement parts should not be this hard to find.

I went to RockAuto and ordered 3 air filters and 3 cabin filters. Wix makes good oil filters I know, but how are their air filtration products? Has anyone experienced fitment issues? Last thing I want is for it not to fit right and have no place to "exchange"..

 

[EricF]

Wix's air and cabin filters are top notch.
You won't have any issues with them.
the Wix cabin filters supposedly have a coating of something to reduce odors. I can't tell the difference however.

Air Filter 49250
Cabin Air Filter 24013

these should be your Wix numbers.
I had to order these direct from wix for a few people myself..dunno why they aren't stocked mainstream, but I'm assuming they eventually will.

 

[Mud]

I've used Wix for years - air/fuel/oil - never an issue. I know what you mean about finding paarts locally sometimes. I use Rockauto very frequently and stock up on several filters at a time.

 

[Donald]

WIX are very good.

 

[gathermewool]

I'm a big fan of Fram air filters for OEM replacement. I just ordered one for my gf's Civic and it looks to be very well constructed. Fram is also running an air/oil filter combo promotion, limited to 2 sets. I bought two air filters and two Extended Guard oil filters. I'll be sending out my rebate form to get $12 back soon.

 

[chubbs1]

I have not had to replace my Sonata AF yet, but I just changed my Civic AF today and I used a WIX, perfect fit, sturdy. My Altima calls for a MANN filter as OEM but I used the WIX and it fit so perfectly and was at the least the same quality as the MANN if not better. It filters excellently as well because I had almost no Silicon last UOA. There are some people that have complained about the WIX filters but I have found them to be of outstanding quality for my vehicles.

 

[poiuy223]

Originally Posted By: chubbs1
There are some people that have complained about the WIX filters but I have found them to be of outstanding quality for my vehicles.

Uh oh...what complaints?

BTW, be sure to check your Sonata AF every now and then. I realized that the position of the air intake sucks in everything in front of us while we drive...which is probably why mine got clogged pretty badly.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Use a discard pantyhose as a prefilter, put it on the intake tube on front of the filter box. It will catch all large debris and sands, either replace it once every 6 months or just clean it.

 

[Jim Allen]

Originally Posted By: poiuy223

Uh oh...what complaints?


Bill in Utah had a fitment issue with a Toyota application, IIRC. Looked to be specific to that part number. That's the only BITOG related thing I can remember. On the whole, everything Wix makes runs from good to very good.

 

[abycat]

I use alot of the oil filters and have never had a problem. I just put a wix air filter in my truck to replace the k&n and the fitment was perfect. The filter also looked really well and evenly constructed. I give it my approval and im gonna run the a/f in my stuff from now on.

 

[doitmyself]

The problem with air filters of ALL brands is that each company has a few applications that they source from somebody else. In these cases you have to be careful that it fits well and is of good quality.

The first WIX AF I bought for my daughter's Sebring had blue rubber seals and was stamped made in Korea. It fit perfect and was high quality. The next one I bought 2 years later (EXACT same part no.) had black rubber, made in U.S., but fit poorly and the rubber was malformed (Checked several boxes...all the same). I returned it and used a well fitting Fram.

I also had a Briggs & Stratton Vanguard Wix air filter that would not fit in the housing. I imagine it was outsourced too.

So.....be careful with all brands of air filters for good fitment. Especially on less popular cars.

All other Wix Air filters that I have used have been superb in fit and build quality.

 

[wiswind]

I recall an issue, might have been Bill's, but I don't remember.
The issue was that there was no rubber gasket around the hard plastic body of the filter.
It was for a TOYOTA application.
I had a new WIX (from Rockauto) on hand ready to install, so I gave it a look.
MINE had the rubber gasket around the edge, so no issue with mine for my 2003 Sienna....WIX # 46017

Take extra care (regardless of brand) to properly seat the filter and the filter box gaskets to properly seal from air leaks around the filter.
I notice on a number of vehicle is it real easy to get a kink in the gasket, or get the 2 parts of the filter box not just quite lined up correctly, and a small mismatch can let a LOT of dust in.

As a side note, about the leaves/bugs from air being drawn in from the front of the vehicle.
My FORD windstar and my Toyota Sienna both draw the air in from the back side of the front, driver's side fender.
This results in getting MUCH less extra junk into the filter.
The issue in drawind air from the front....in addition to the bugs, is how much moisture is getting to that paper filter element from road spray, drizzle, fog, etc?

THIS pictures shows the filter/gasket in question.
I snuck my puppy into this picture

 

[poiuy223]

Got my filters from RockAuto in like 2 days. Awesome fast shipping.

The filters fit well and had no issues with gaskets. The pleats were well constructed although the edge had a couple that were wavy...not a big deal.

After swapping the AF and starting up the engine, I heard a small ticking noise. It went away after a few minutes. I noticed a small improvement while driving...acceleration was a tad smoother. I guess the engine is getting a fresh supply of air now.

 

[buickman50401]

I've had fitment/design issues with Purolator made cabin air filters for my car. They are about 1/4" too small in all dimensions.

The Wix and Fram filters have a piece of open cell foam (the grey kind like you'd find for a door jam seal on a house) to make them fit snugly in the airbox. The Purolators are quite loose fitting in the little tray the filter sets in.

 

[poiuy223]

Forgot to mention that all 6 Wix filters I got from RockAuto were made in South Korea.

 

[rjacket]

Originally Posted By: poiuy223
Got my filters from RockAuto in like 2 days. Awesome fast shipping.

The filters fit well and had no issues with gaskets. The pleats were well constructed although the edge had a couple that were wavy...not a big deal.

After swapping the AF and starting up the engine, I heard a small ticking noise. It went away after a few minutes. I noticed a small improvement while driving...acceleration was a tad smoother. I guess the engine is getting a fresh supply of air now.


I first changed air filters on my two cars at the 30k (recommended) interval and also was quite surprised how dirty they were. I noticed the performance improvement immediately after changing them. I think it's best to check air filters every 5-10k and remove leaves, bugs, and tap out and vac some dust.

One thing to clarify. A new air filter doesn't make your air cleaner, it let's it flow faster. The performance improvement is due to more air flow, not fresh air!

I think you let your cabin filter go too long. It normally needs cleaning / changing at half the air filter interval. But it's not bad in that as it clogs up, it cleans the air better. That restriction is good for you air quality whereas the restriction in the air filter is bad for fuel economy. Btw, make sure you change your HVAC air filter to the least restrictive - it'll save you money this winter!