Don't get the cheap pair from FCP Groton either, they don't have the retaining either.


I'm just using silicone very sparingly and glueing them in

The plastic air baffle is a flimsy piece of plastic that clips into the upper edge of the air inlet opening and sits over the air filters. It's probably a bear to get back in without breaking. I left mine out after also leaving out the filters which I tried to clean. The plan is to put new filters and the plastic thingie back in there.

When you have the filters and their odd-shaped duct-housing things out, take the opportunity to poke your shop vac's narrow nozzle around in there. My car, with ~200,000 miles, used to live in a pine forest—I can tell by the debris in there.

When you take the filter duct clip things out, keep the right one on the right side and the left one on the left side. The two screws are on the right side of the car, by the battery; the one is on the left, by the brake booster. (As seen by the driver sitting in the driver's seat in a LHD car. I don't know how they're set up in the UK.) I have seen instructions that reverse this!

Here's my solution. I intentionally ordered the cheap eBay filters because I wanted new not washed filters this time around. I knew up front they didn't have tabs but didn't care. Why? Because I have Gorilla Tape although any duct tape will suffice. I cut the strip into two halves and worked around the edge. Here's the filters in place better than any "tabs" could hold them with a much better seal IMO. Attachment 12884

i've been thinking that a little creative fiberglass work and some plain industrial filter fabric would do the trick. Use the old filter to make a mold...

Dave

No Kiddin about those MicroFilters.. I took Mine out, they looked like hell ;) It was enough to imagine that crap would be in my nosetrills ;) Another kind of storry - NONE of the serious filters ever been changed ;) The fuel line filter still has a sticker - 1995.07. ;) I wonder how the performance will increese when I will change it to new one from Knecht ;)
About Microfilters - I took mine out and find out - they are both original, so decided to do a trick - washed 'em.. Now after about an a week of soaking them up and brushing - they are both WHITE ;) Try this if You are about to feel quite fool enough not to pay about 80$ for a pair (Euro prices)

z

I got mine from Rock Auto and paid $25.79 for Mann replacements. Seems like a quality fit with an extra foam around the edge, much better than the factory ones. Everything else they show for a part looked to be one-piece. As an interesting note the Mann filter instructions show no baffle being installed in the housing. I wonder if it was intentional.

I also just bought a set from Autohausaz.com and less than $25.00 for the pair. You can buy Airmatic Filtertech or Mann.

I was thinking the same thing, Dave. It wouldn't be a microfilter, but cut-to-shape fiberglass filter material could be cut to the same shape as the baffle and slipped in to replace the baffle. It'd be cheap and easy to replace. It might not filter microallergens, but it would keep out larger dust and seed particles.

Yep. But I was thinking of using a hepa filter and just cutting the guts to fit a fiberglass frame..

Mann filters are $26 for two on Amazon today. That seems like a good deal, I have always had good luck with their filters.

It seems like going without these filters in place would result in all that dirt and debris and unseen dust going into the system and getting plugged up deeper in the system. I'm not sure what comes first, probably the fan and I wouldn't want to listen to leaves in there, and maybe next the AC evaporator which is a little radiator with tight fins to cool the air, all of that debris would eventually completely plug the passageways through the evap and would be impossible to clean. Next is the heater core, dirt plugged on that as it gets hot seems like it would start to vaporize and smell. All of this risk to save $26 seems short sighted, meaning all would be well for a while until things get all plugged up and can't be accessed to clean without a big disassembly.

I finally found a used set for $5 and I cleaned them like Jesse said. AMAZING! lol

Thanks for the post. I need to do this, since god knows when/if the PO ever changed them.

Replaced my cabin air filters; they were in worse condition than I was expecting. The Airmatic brand ones from BavAuto fit nicely and the price was reasonable too.

The instructions in the main post of this thread really helped. Thanks!

Attachment 17071

Attachment 17072

Very nice thread! Thanks.

What's the purpose of the supplementary microfilter set and where is it located?
PN 64 11 9 404 386

https://www.etkbmw.com/bmw/EN/search...ti/ECE/64_0664

Thanks