Air filter K&N or Wix

Had K&N's for years. Never had a problem with them.

I went with K&N, perfect fit in the stock box and reusable so you don't need to replace each time, just wash. It's a little pricy up front. But worth it in my opinion.

Noticeable difference off the line and cruising at low speeds with the K&N filter and pipe. Pre-tune I still noticed a small difference. Maybe combined with the turbo muffler it does something. Once tuned it will make a larger difference.

new air cleaner (K&N cone filter)

I have used K&N filters on many applications with 0 problems.

K&N Filter Replacement

Just installed the K & N filters. Whoever, designed the air filter housings is a complete and utter moron! It is inexcusable at how difficult it is too change out the passenger side filter. What were they thinking. I had to chop with a knife the existing filter (passenger side only) to get it out of the tiny gap that is available. The 'G' clips are not hinged to fold back, so they act as great hooks to snag the filters. Then had to vacuum out the housings to make sure I did not leave any debris before installing the K & N's. One of the main benefits of the K & N's is that they are slimmer that the OEM's and will therefore be easier to access for future maintenance as they will slip in and out of the housings easier. THe reason I bought them is I have had good experiences with them in the past, I live at 10,000 feet and any extra air my engines can get makes a big difference!

I bought the K&N at http://www.martelbrothers.com/customer/knstore.php . It is cheaper about $41 each. I called VW serviceman to make an appointment that I would like to install K&N filters, and he told me anytime.

They are expensive. Expensive to buy, expensive to maintain. For the $75 or so that this filter costs, you can buy a half dozen top quality conventional filters and change them frequently. Price the K&N filter cleaning and recharge kit. For a filter to work, you must clean and re-oil it, not just stick it in and forget it. Following the instructions in the $15 recharge kit, it takes a half hour to do this, adding unnecessary time and expense to your maintenance. It amuses us in the shop where I work when these come in the door. People pay a lot of money for them, but when we try to sell them a cleaning and re-oil service for a visibly clogged filter they usually decline the service, because it is "a lifetime filter". There is no noticeable increase in power, fuel economy, or anything else that could possibly justify the installation. You will notice absolutely no difference afterward, other than you have less money. Go down to your local race track or drag strip and look around; I have *never* seen a $30,000 racing engine with an oil type air filter on it. Incorrect installation or maintenance *can* cause damage to your MAF sensor. GM even had a service bulletin out a few years ago advisiing their dealerships that failed transmissions due to over oiled aftermarket air filters were to be denied under warranty. MAF is a critical input for calculating transmission shifts; apparently contaminated MAF sensors were resulting in slipping during shifts causing failures on new cars that had warranty coverage remainiing. Why risk problems when there is no gain to be had?

they let too much dirt pass through i wouldn't use them, especially on a turbocharged vehicle. the turbo will just suck all the oil out of them.