I went to clean my K&N air filter today and.....

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Joe1

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I decided it was time to clean my K&N filter today as it has been two years since I've looked at it. As I popped the cover off, I got the shock of my life. Inside was a conventional air filter! The only explanation I can think of is I had my car serviced by an independent mechanic last October and they discarded the K&N and replaced it with a paper filter. The receipt I received did not mention anything about air filter replacement.

The air filter cover has a big honking sticker on it that says "STOP, Do not discard. This vehicle is equipped with a lifetime filter" etc etc.

I'm not totally upset about this as I figure the paper filter is better from a filtering perspective. I got 165k miles out of the K&N in the Subaru, but I wanted to see if the car could hit 200k with it.

Lesson learned: Be explicit when getting service as to what will be done and not done. Don't assume that ASE certification is an assurance of competence.
 
Or the tech thought he would do you a "favor" by swapping his old dirty paper filter with the one in your car is my guess.
 
im an anti k&n guy but that kinda sucks. The kandn on my truck when I bought it was full of holes and the whole intake tract was coated in filth. washed the whole intake in my tub and ever since then while using paper elements the intake has been spotless.
 
Either an employee had the same application as yours and wanted it,or else he cleaned it and put it up on EBAY.Why else wouldn't they charge for a new one...unless they wanted to hide the fact they took it.
 
Originally Posted By: abycat
im an anti k&n guy but that kinda sucks. The kandn on my truck when I bought it was full of holes and the whole intake tract was coated in filth. washed the whole intake in my tub and ever since then while using paper elements the intake has been spotless.


+1 Me too, blessing that it's gone...
smile.gif
 
I was having an oil change done on my company vehicle a few years back at a fast oil change place they contracted with .

Another customer dropped his Dodge Cummins off for lube and air-filter , he told the shop manager there is a new air filter in the tools box and please use it.

I watched them service the Cummins, the mechanic took the air-filter from the tool box , and it turned out to be an extremely dirty used filter .
The jerk manager had the used dirty filter installed , they did not even call the guy to tell him
 
Originally Posted By: Neely97
Did you address this with the shop?



I don't plan to bring it up as it has been several months. The owner of the shop is a stand up guy. I assume one of his employees was the culprit. I'll learn my lesson from this and move on.
 
Man that sucks. K&N filters are great. Most people don't take the time to learn how to wash and oil them so they tend to bash them instead (even dealers of K&N).
 
Yeah one of the "tech's likely drove the same car, saw the sticker for the kn filter, and ganked it. Even the lowliest idiot knows that KN filters are expensive, washable, and reusable. This wasn't an accident.
 
Originally Posted By: Throt
I've been thinking about getting one, are they really worth the 50 bucks?


Not to steal this thread. But, No. Well, if economy of replacement air filters is more important to you than protecting your engine from damage done by silica, then, yes. But the payoff is very long. And if you figure the time value of money, it's questionable if a K&N ever pays for itself.

For example, I buy Napa Gold air filters when they are on sale. For my Outback, they cost less than $7. A K&N costs $48. Don't forget the K&N filter cleaner, at $13, and the filter oil is $9. So, the effective price of the K&N is $70. So I could buy 10 replaceable filters for the price of the K&N. The Owners Manual calls for air filter replacement at 30k miles. So, I would have to drive my Outback 330k miles before I got a return on investment on the K&N.

Even if I bought my disposable filters at full price, I wouldn't see a return on the K&N until the 180k mile service. Do you plan on driving your car that long?

K&N does claim a 1-4 hp gain when using their filter. They are very careful in stating that they do not claim a fuel economy increase. the power gain comes at a price, in my opinion. The slight power increase comes from greater air flow. But more air flow comes from less filtration. Less filtration means more foreign material entering the engine. Foreign material can lead to wear.

I had a K&N on my Alero. And as others have mentioned, I was often frustrated with the amount of dirt on the filtered side of my filter housing. Now, my K&N is in the landfill. Where it belongs.
 
Originally Posted By: Throt
I've been thinking about getting one, are they really worth the 50 bucks?


They are worth the 50 dollars if you keep your car a long time. I had mine in my car for over 10 years. I could have easily sold it if and when I disposed on my car as they are reusable and can last 1 million miles. They also need to be washed and oiled every 25-50k miles


Opinions are polarizing. Some people like them and many have negative comments about them.
 
Originally Posted By: Joe1

I decided it was time to clean my K&N filter today as it has been two years since I've looked at it. As I popped the cover off, I got the shock of my life. Inside was a conventional air filter! The only explanation I can think of is I had my car serviced by an independent mechanic last October and they discarded the K&N and replaced it with a paper filter. The receipt I received did not mention anything about air filter replacement.

The air filter cover has a big honking sticker on it that says "STOP, Do not discard. This vehicle is equipped with a lifetime filter" etc etc.

I'm not totally upset about this as I figure the paper filter is better from a filtering perspective. I got 165k miles out of the K&N in the Subaru, but I wanted to see if the car could hit 200k with it.

Lesson learned: Be explicit when getting service as to what will be done and not done. Don't assume that ASE certification is an assurance of competence.



Once when I needed an oil change and it was below zero I went to a quick lube place "Pit Stop". Its was a Volvo 760 wagon. Forgot to tell them to skip air filter check. They used a screwdriver to pop a hose off and damaged the MAF sensor. I did not realize it at the time. A $400 problem I found out latter.
 
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