I followed the MID when it came to air filter replacement, I have 12,012 miles on my 08 Type-S. I changed it out today, checked out what the OE filter looks like. Pretty nasty. I don't live in a dusty area, but I'm starting to wonder if maybe the MID is a bit generous when it comes to miles between air filter replacements.

This thing looks like it should have been changed several thousand miles ago. What do you guys think?

Sorry for the pic quality, I took it with my Blackberry.

 

That looks to me to be the stock OEM filter. If it is, you do know that this filter is an oil-wetted filter, right? This means that it will naturally attract debris that a dry element filter may not. This reduces air flow. The OEM filter is also a dual element filter. It is oil-wetted on the inlet side and dry element on the engine side. It is a quality filter, but expensive and does need replacement more frequently if exposed to dust and other debris.

 

Not too bad.. I was always under the impression that automotive air filters actually increase in effectiveness the dirtier they get (to a point). Then again I may be thinking of HEPA filters. Either way, I'm a big believer in following the MID as long as the car is driven regularly.

 

Yes it's OE, and yes I know it's oiled.

The point of the thread is the filter appears it needed to be changed well before the MID indicated it was time to do so.

 

That filter is fine. It could go another 12,000 miles easily. Filtering efficiency generally increases the dirtier it gets. MPG is unaffected because the car is fuel injected. There are still plenty of clean areas and air will flow better than you think through the dirty areas. The filter is oversized from the factory to take into account normal loading. The oiled side does seem to catch things that paper will let fall back into the airbox. The only downside is you can't vacuum it out and reuse. But it's worth it for the superior filtration. The only thing you could possibly lose from a very dirty filter is a little top end power at full throttle but that one isn't dirty enough to cause a power drop.

IMO, stick with the OEM filters. They filter much better than aftermarket and in my experience the gaskets hold up much longer. I check mine at 20,000 miles but lately it seems to go an easy 35,000 or more. The cabin filter is a different story... The engine air filter is the most important filter in the car, Acura would not have put a two stage expensive filter in there if it wasn't so important.

 

^^^ In total agreement, with the possible exception of the 12,000 more miles part. In your case I think that the MID is accurate with a replacement schedule.

 

I replaced it with an OEM filter, was $27 at the dealer.

 

Yeah, I got a little carried away there lol. But it looks like the OP has a lot of darker crud floating around where he lives so it makes it look bad. Where I live, there is a lot of lighter colored dust which doesn't show up as easily in the filter. I've had mine not look that bad yet I could see no light through it when holding it up to the sun. Unless the TL is operated in extremely dusty conditions, replacing sooner than 20,000 is just wasting money.

Just to add a little more, if the filter were beginning to load up, those clean areas would start to fill in as the air takes the path of least resistance. As long as that's not the case, it's really not causing a restriction.

Unrelated but IMO, the MID lets the car go too far on the dino oil it was calibrated for and the transmission change interval is ridiculous.

 

I agree on the trans. I'm probably going to do the 3x3 at either 20k or 30k miles. It might be overkill, but I'd rather pay the money for fluid than $3k on a trans down the road.

The strange part about the filter, I live in the burbs. No smog or anything like that around here, so I dunno how the filter ended up so cruddy. I changed it out, no big deal.

 

I think that's a good plan.

What's the color of the soil in your area? I've noticed that the color of the airfilter is almost always directly related to the color of the soil in the area.

 

A fairly light brown color, nothing dark.

I could be way off here....but I'm wondering if some of the dust from the Brembos is making it's way into the air inlet and getting sucked up into the filter.

 

Yes, I know that was the point. My comments were general in nature and also meant for others who might want to learn something they didn't know.

 

I change both of my filters once a year, in the spring. As you mentioned, the cabin filter tends to get dirtier quicker than the engine air filter. I use a Purelator filter which is made in Israel and is a dry element filter. Not as good as the OEM unit in terms of quality or capability, but the area in which I live is pretty clean so I'm Ok. I also inspect my throttle body for any foreign debris (caught some illegals in there once - heh, heh).

I have thought about going back to the OEM factory filter, but perhaps not at this time.

 

I have 15,800 miles im about to change my oil and oil filter this week idk if i got my air filter changed yet, when should i change it out?

 

The MID will indicate when it's due. If you aren't sure, just pull out the air filter while changing the oil. If it looks cruddy like mine did, change it out if you want.

Most places like Autozone, Advance Auto, etc don't stock the air filters. You can get them at the dealer parts counter, I paid $27 for mine.