| What's Going On? |
There are
43 guests on-line
|
|
|
|
|
|
Will a K&N filter void warranty?
Will the use of a K&N air filter void the new car warranty. I have been told it will not void the warranty unless the manufacturer provides the filter for free when needed. However, our new BMWs are unique in that maintenace is included for the first few years. So would the use of this filter then void the warranty? Just in case you were wondering why I would spend the extra money for a filter when it will be provided free of charge anyhow, I live in a area where they sand the roads frequently during the winter. It creates large quantities of dust on the roads and I would like to have a clean filter for fuel economy and engine longevity purposes. The service interval for our area is just to far apart if you go by the BMW interval provided. Thanks for any input. (Well any relevant input  ) | | Reply » Will a K&N filter void warranty? |
Well, if you are going to be driving around in very dusty conditions, the last thing in the world you should do is install an oil-covered K&N filter. It would make a nice muddy mess for the engine to try to suck air through.
I change my air filter at the same time I change my oil, every 7500 miles. It's very easy to swap out a clean paper filter. NAPA, as well as most other parts places, sells air filters that will fit your car. That would be the easiest route, and it's the best solution for the engine longevity that you are seeking.
Good luck!
-- Greg
| | Reply » Will a K&N filter void warranty? |
Quote: | Will the use of a K&N air filter void the new car warranty. | No. But like the other poster mention, you might want to consider OEM for your dusty environment.
| | Reply » Will a K&N filter void warranty? |
Quote: Will the use of a K&N air filter void the new car warranty. I have been told it will not void the warranty unless the manufacturer provides the filter for free when needed. However, our new BMWs are unique in that maintenace is included for the first few years. So would the use of this filter then void the warranty?
Just in case you were wondering why I would spend the extra money for a filter when it will be provided free of charge anyhow, I live in a area where they sand the roads frequently during the winter. It creates large quantities of dust on the roads and I would like to have a clean filter for fuel economy and engine longevity purposes. The service interval for our area is just to far apart if you go by the BMW interval provided.
Thanks for any input. (Well any relevant input ) |
First of all, what they said ^^
Secondly, it's illegal for a car manufacturer to "void your warranty." (meaning the entire warranty). They can only deny a claim if they can prove that an aftermarket or non-OEM brand part caused the failure in question. Magnusson-Moss Act of 1974.
| | Reply » Will a K&N filter void warranty? |
If it makes you feel better, replace the filter yourself halfway through the free service interval. It's only $22 for the filter from autohausaz.com.
K&Ns provide inferior filtering - I would not use one in a dusty environment.
| | Reply » Will a K&N filter void warranty? |
Quote:
K&Ns provide inferior filtering - I would not use one in a dusty environment. | This board seriously needs a BS flag. That is utter BS. A few of my friends race dirt bikes competitively and they only use K&N filters. K&N filters are actually *BETTER* for a dusty environment as paper filters clog up way too quickly and become ineffective.
There have been serveral tests performed by independent bodies on K&N filters to see just how efficiently they trapped dirt. I'll post 3 of them.
The first one was done in 1992 by a British Motor Industry Research association and is as follows:
Quote: | Originally Posted by 1992 study The test procedure was done according to ISO standard 5011, an international standard for air filters of the type used on heavy-duty and commercial vehicles.
The filter was a K&N commercial type unit using K&N's oil-impregnated, gauze media and measuring 16.14in. long and 10.43in. in diamter. Air flow was 550 cubic feet a minute. The filter test "dust" was "coarse grade" dust as specified by standards used by ACDelco in testing their filters. Coarse grade dust is made up the following percentages of varying diameters of dust particles.
0-5 microns 12%
5-10 microns 12%
10-20 microns 14%
20-40 microns 23%
40-80 microns 30%
80-200 microns 9%
The starting pressure differential across the filter was 26.45 inches of water. The test was run until the pressure differential reached 31.49 inches of water then the amount of dust trapped by the filter was determined and compared to the total amount of dust introduced to the filter. Dust introduced was 5.1680 lbs. and the dust trapped was 5.1307lbs. It took 102min. for the filter to reach the 31.49in. of water level. Filtration efficiency was 99.28%.
| Now, I have to qualify this test a bit to put it in the proper relation to a street high performance engine. First of all K&N commmercial filters typically are four-layers and units typically sold for use in passenger cars are three-layers. K&N states that the efficiency of the three-layer filter is 97% and additional tests back that up.
Next, the K&N commercial filter tested, had more filter area that the typical air filter we see in a high-performance V8 application, such as a 3x14in. unit. However, the efficiency of the filter media would be about the same. Only the time to reach a specified restriction level would change. It would be less because, for a given type of dust and a given flow rate, the smaller the filter was, the faster it would plug up.
Lastly, virtually no engine, run in a street high-performance duty cycle is going to see coarse grade dust in any significant amount unless the car is used as a farm or construction impliment.
Now on to a test performed in 1983 by the same British research association - this one is done according to the SAE J726 standard:
Quote: | Originally Posted by 1983 study This test was done with AC fine grade dust, the composition of which is different and perhaps more typical of "dust" a street engine would encounter.
0-5 microns 39%
5-10 microns 18%
10-20 microns 16%
20-40 microns 18%
40-80 microns 9%
The test was done with a K&N for a motorcycle application which is a three-layer filter. The initial pressure differential was .825in. of water and the ending differential was 6.85. The airflow rate was 40 cfm. The dust introduced was 15.6 grams and the dust trapped was 15.1 grams. The efficiency of the three-layer filter was 96.8 | This is fairly close to the 97% K&N claims for its street high-performance automotive filters.
While the motorcycle filter is obviously much smaller than a automotive unit, the efficiency would be about the same. With a bigger filter, the time to reach the ending level of restriciton would be longer.
In yet a third MIRA test done with filters of a size typical of V6 engines in high-performance sports coupes, two K&N oval filters were tested. One was a 2.56x7.48x6.18in. and the other was 3.22x7.05x4.5in. The test was run to ISO 5011 and AC fine grade dust was used. The filters' efficiency levels were 97.5% and 97.6% respectively.
In my opinion these tests show convincingly that the K&N, oil-impregnated, gauze air filter is not only capible of low restricion but high filtration levels. All of the tests discussed here showed efficiency levels above that of the 95% which most OEs specifiy.
Many off-road racers must agree, because a lot use the K&N and, if the K&N works in that kind of enviornment and those off-road race engines are reliable, it must be a heck of a good filter.
In the U.S. Chrysler markets factory-approved performance kits for some of its truck engines. The kit includes a K&N filter and the kit's use is covered under the factory warranty. Chrysler would not offer a kit such as that if the K&N Filter could not meet OE filter efficiency goals.
In Japan Nissan markets similar factory-approved performance kits for a couple of models that are offered only in the Japanese domestic markets. Like the Chrysler, kits, the Nissan kits include K&N filters.
Also, the one way a K&N can fail as an air filter is if it is run, contrary to the manufacturer's instrictions, without being oiled. Another way it can fail is if it is run with the wrong kind of oil. If you use a K&N, best results comes from cleaning annually and reoiling every six months. If you operate your car in a dusty environment (the coarse dust) clean and reoil more frequently. When you reoil, use only K&N's filter oil. Foam filter oil, engine oil, WD40 or ATF are not the proper products with which to reoil a K&N and will significatnly degrade the filter's efficiency.
|
Page 1 of 2 |
1 2
|
|
|
Menu
Will a K&N filter void warranty?