Cabin filter K&N or OEM BMW

Have had my 2015 535i X drive for 3 months now and I love it. Was looking at B58 for a while, and decided to go with the one I have now because it had 80k miles, was in great shape and had good maintenance records.

BMW M240i - it got an oil change, and a cabin filter. Continues to plug along just fine.

To make things easier, I put a K & N cabin filter in so I don’t have to replace it every year. I need to clean it as it’s due.

I put a K&N cabin filter and it's been going strong, wash it out and dry, goes back in and still smells fresh.

I bought a K&N cabin air filter. I wash it in my bath tub. Dry it. Take some spray oil I made myself with essential scented oils, rubbing alcohol, and glycerine. Spray it on. Let it sit for 5 minutes in the sun. Pop right in. Completely fine.

just went to autozone and forked out for the K&N, and holy shit it was worth it. Like night and day on the airflow. I can actually feel it on my face now, lol.

Besides the need for washing and re-conditioning, these filters also have the drawback that they were originally designed for increased airflow to the engine. For one, we don't have an engine to begin with. What we need is good cabin air. In this sense, the increased airflow is counterproductive as it lets more "stuff" through than regular filters. If you want the best cabin air, I would recommend a carbon-coated cabin filter. I have been using and have had no issues with air restriction, and I believe the air is better air compared with the other two vehicles in our family (but they are ICE vehicles, so who knows).

I have one. I clean it when it starts to smell. I just use simple green to clean it. Now, does it let more particles in that I breathe in? Probably, but no worse than breathing in the air outside. The worst cabin filter I used was the Bosch HEPA. Too restrictive and as soon as 12,000 miles hit, it was clogged and I was miserable for a few days in the summer heat

Production markings on the side of the filter as shown in the pics above indicate that this is a BMW OEM part. I can’t imagine that Halfords would be installing genuine BMW filters. There’s no way that they changed this.

That never got replaced, the filters still look white after 2-3 years in the cars I work on, this looks 5-10 years old.