Rant - Hate modern air filters!

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: Joe72Mart
How do the quick change lube shops upsell an air filter change on these cars and have you on your way in 20 minutes?


They don't do it and bill you for it anyhow?

 

[Virtuoso]

Originally Posted By: Garak
They don't do it and bill you for it anyhow?

+1

Or break things in the process..

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: Virtuoso
+1

Or break things in the process..


Exactly. My buddy suggested I take my air filter to a quick lube after seeing how difficult the replacement would be in the Audi. I told him absolutely not. Half the people working in the shop were born after the car was produced, let alone have any experience working on such a vehicle. They'd either refuse the job, louse it up royally, or claim to have done it and bill me accordingly, without having done anything at all.

Heck, when I did it, a bunch of plumbing had to come off, and I dropped a screw into the turbo, which I retrieved with a magnet. What would they have done? Left it there? Not even noticed what happened?

 

[Scum_Frog]

My Dodge Nitro is very easy to open the air box, two simple tabs and it's open.

The VW 2.0T on the other hand, like the picture somebody else posted, the airfilter sits within the engine cover.......this is my one "dislike" about this car so far.

My wifes old 2004 Suzuki Swift was a real PITA....the air box was screwed together rather than using tabs. Sombody striped one of the screws making opening it impossible at one of the four corners. Long story short, replaced three of the fours screws with platic ties and had to break it open around the stripped screw.

 

[Vikas]

Anybody tried to do it on a classic DSM turbo car i.e. 1st generation Eclipse/Talon AWD Turbo? A real pain :-(

 

[Jim Allen]

I have a sure cure for managing the "PITA syndrome" of changing air filters... just stop!

Install a restriction gauge in the system and don't touch the filter again until the gauge shows you need to. That will likely be a very long time.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: Jim Allen
I have a sure cure for managing the "PITA syndrome" of changing air filters... just stop!


Agreed. Knowing the Germans, the Audi was probably set up that way intentionally to prevent premature air filter replacements.

I think I ran two years on the filter that was in the car when I got it. It was far from excessively dirty. Had it not been shredded on its way out of the housing, it could have been reused.

 

[pbm]

I don't think air filters need to be changed nearly as often as the filter makers recommend. I just changed the OE A/F on my 2008 Corolla at 35K and it looked like it could have went another 35K.
The A/F on my 2002 Buick Century only gets changed approx. every 30K because it's a PIA to access (and it doesn't look too bad either).

 

[Black_Thunder]

alot of it simply depends on how the engine bay was designed and the engine put in it.


my 97 t-bird and 98 explorer pretty easy set up, 2 clips and tabs that lock it in, change in less then a minutes.

my truck has the cone filter which takes a few more minutes but not to bad.

the newer f150's actually have a tray that holes the filter, its the bomb to simply slide them out and push it back in its awesome.

my moms mercury mystique on the other hand.....yeah that sucks to get the clips off and back clipped again.

 

[Colt45ws]

Yeah the Ford 5.4L 3V setup is fantastic. Everyone I know at work is always jaw agape blown away by its simplicity the first time they are shown how it works.

 

[thelazyhero]

All the vehicles that I've owned, the air filter was never a hassle to get to including the P car. I think the easiest was the Volvo. Just 3 flip up clips and you're there.

 

[Stephen_G]

For me, in experience, the hardest to do was my grandparents twin 1997 Escorts (we had a 1997 sedan and a 1997 wagon for a few years before we traded the wagon in) Ford cylnder air filter with the air filter hoop on it, pain in the bottom to get on and off if you have big hands.

Easiest, tie between my 1992/2003 sable and our 2002 focus. The focus required screws but was a flat head screw, and it lifted verticaly, and the sables clips for the air filter which lifts out easily.



Easiest: 2006 Focus i owned, it had no user replacable air filter, it had a lifetime air filter in the fender that never needed replacement as long as the car was running, ford fitted a restriction gauge to the intake to allow you the ability to check if it was going bad (and if it did, it was expensive, but i have never seen one go bad)

For oil filters, easiest was that 2006 focus, right on the underside of the engine itself, behind the splash shield, it was moutned verticaly as well.

Hardest: 1992 mercury sable 3.8L, due to the fact that it was right next to the exhaust exit for the engine bay, and was mounted diagonaly to the engine, allowing for oil spill on the exhaust.

2003 sable is easy to get to, but is behind the exhaust, so it falls between those two.

Oil Filter:

Air Filter:

 

[TR Graham]

I love my 2002 Toyota Tacoma. The 3.4 V6 has an air box that sits just forward of the engine - push up on two clips, lift the hinged lid, and the filter slides right out. In fact, my Taco seems to be designed for easy maintenance - easy to change the oil and filter, drain plugs for transmission and diffs, and zirk fittings on key points of the drivetrain.

Maybe that's why I've kept it so long...

 

[95busa]

You guys should try changing the air filter on a motorcycle, most cruisers are easy. On the other hand, my G650GS required me to remove two body plastics, the battery and a large piece of ducting. Like 27 allen bolts and a good 1 1/2 hours of cussing. Putting it back together was no bueno. I could probably do it again in 1/2 hour, but the level of ridiculousness is pretty atrocious.

 

[TC]

Smaller engine compartments, coupled with lower hoods (for racier styling), lead to petite (but well-designed and good flowing) air filter boxes crammed wherever engineers can fit them. The good news is that, unlike my 1973 Mercury Capri that wanted its filter changed every 12K miles according to the manual, you can now go tens of thousands of miles before having to wrestle with that air box, easing the pain a bit.

 

[WMSmotorhead]

Depends on the car... 2005 Ford 500--EASY 2007 Ford Escape--Low clearance. 2001 Ford Focus, Takes a screwdriver and a few minutes.... CrownVic/Town Car--Simple...

 

[zzyzzx]

Originally Posted By: addyguy
Finally, the price! AF's on the two cars I mentioned were about $3-4 a peice. I replaced the one on the Skyhak every oil change, it was no big expense. But, as many know, modern panel air filters can be $30-$60 easily for some. I fell 'lucky' that the one for my Tribute is only $12...but stil, getting to it is a hassle.


You forgot to mention that they moved the air filter factory to China, and the price stayed the same.

Also, in relative terms an air filter on newer car is still easy to change.