Spartus

Hi guys,

It is time to change my air filter. Do you guys know of any places to get good deals on an oem air filter. Also, is it worth getting a acura oem filter or should I just go with the ones they sell in the local auto parts store such as a Purator brand filter.

Is it worth getting a K&N filter or not?

Thanks guys for your assistance.

hzm82

Yes get K&N, because 1) its will last the life of your car (reusable with cleaning) 2) better air flow then the OEM paper intake filter 3) might see better gas milage. 3) You'll save money by not having to replace filter ever 15k miles.

http://www.usdieselparts.com/knfilters/pages.cfm?id=26
has the best price for K&N filter I seen.

Spartus

Do you have a K&N filter in your car? If so, do you feel any difference in power, any gains, losses?

Also, do you know any websites that have great prices on oem acura parts.

I saw that your car has tinted windows and the 02 and up rear lights. It looks really good in my opinion. I've been wanting to get my windows tinted on my cars for a long time too but always hesitate since there are issues with hondas and acuras about the dot matrix on the rear glass. Most tint that I've seen look horrible. On your car, did they cover the dot matrix with film or cut the film up to the dot matrix? Also, your 02 and up rear lights, are they oem or a generic brand and how much do you think i can get a set of these oem lights for?

Thanks

aclonghorn

I just put in a K&N three days ago, and I have noticed more power, but that might be because I just went from 89 to 93 octane. But I would definitely put it in for the better air flow and the million mile warranty, and not having to even clean it for 50k miles.

Spartus

Do you guys think it's good for the car to keep the same k&N filter forever. i would think over time, the filter losses it's efficiency. What do guys think?

Also, please repond the above questions I posted. Thanks

aclonghorn

SPARTAN,
Also, I think that Yaron2 is selling his K&N air filter. It only has 300 miles on it. K&N's are the ultimate no-hassle upgrade. You just drop them in your air cleaner element, and don't worry about it for 50,000 miles (unless you live in dusty areas like Arizona).

hzm82

I didn't feel any power gain but I did see 2 mpg more.

http://www.acuraautomotiveparts.org/...p/mws/home.htm
will have better pricing on the OEM filter then the dealer even after shipping. check there.

Also places like Pepboys and Autozone carry the intake air filter for our cars. Its up to OEM specs. check there too for pricing.

My tint did properly cover the dot matrix. I just left my car in the FL sun for 2 days and I keep pressing the areas where the dot matrix seem to mess up the tint.

My current 02 lights are aftermarket. They cost around 200 shipped from ebay, I also had the OEM before an accident I can tell you an Acura Dealer that will ship the OEM ones for around 300 and that includes the wiring harness that you need. PM me if you need the website, phone #, and parts manager name.

hzm82

As long as you clean it properly, it does keep efficiency over time. The K&N filter is an oil mesh filter so it acutally uses some of the dirt build up to filter the air . The OEM is a paper filter that uses just surface area to trap dirt and need to be disposed if after some miles.

jean

I have installed a K&N air filter over 2 years ago, and quite happy with it. Good throttle response and gaz mileage is good..especially on the HWY.
J

Spartus

i know some of my friends had their tint film cut off where the dot matrix starts. this way, they don't have to worry about the film staying on the dot matrix, which is nearly impossible due to the grooved surface. i've looked at theirs and it looks really good like that. another way to avoid the dot matrix hassle is to sand down the dot matrix. this will make the surface smooth and straight, helping the film stay on better.

btw, what is the dot matrix there for? does it serve any purpose or it's just there to provide interior shade from the sun?

hzm82

umm yeah.........unless you don't want a radio in your car, don't sand down the dot matrix. Notice we don't have exteral antenna for our car? Well those dot matrix are the glass antenna.

hzm82

This is what my dot matrix looks like with my 28% tint. no air gaps or anything.

maxx96

I installed a K&N filter on my '03 TL-S and it works great more response and a couple of more mpg. I have one on my '96 Maxima and it works great too. As fas as loosing performance in time this is not true because if you use the cleaner kit it will restore the filter to new condition and I mean NEW! and is good for another 50k again you will be happy.

Bear2Day

First of all the price differance isn`t that big. I installed one about 3 months ago. 03 TLs Hard to tell about a differance. It seem to be a little faster, but it`s hard to tell. I`m not going to clean it, but replace it after about 20,000, miles, with a new K&N Filter.
It doesn`t matter what the price, get the best the first time!

Tom Blasing

On the K&N web site there is a rather long explination on the efficiency of their filter. Some where in there it explanes that with a 1/4"(?) of dirst on the K&N it still has better flow that a clean paper one.

makers

Just installed a K&N on Sunday (7/27). 230+ miles later, I can safely say that I'm getting better response and a bit more power (not neck snapping, but nice), and appear to be getting a bit better gas mileage (maybe 2-3 mpg more).

I look at it this way: even if the K&N ($45) lasts, say, the life of 3 regular filters ($15 each), it's at worst a push. Anything you get past that is a bonus in my book.

Spartus

HZM82: They did a really good job with your tint on the dot matrix. The ones I've seen here look like crap. Maybe if I tell them to cut the film at the point where the dot matrix starts it will solve the problem.

hzm82

Yeah the owner of the tint shopped used to own a TL. So she took good care of mine. Just get it tinited. If it turns out that it looks bad, you can get them to put vinyl over the dot matrix. Because if you cut it before the dot matrix part, if you have somewhat dark tint 50% or more, it will look bad.