Hey guys,
I recently checked my OEM air filter because I had nothing better to do. This is what it looked like:













Absolutely filthy right? The filter only has about 15K miles on it. Is this normal? I live in the pacific NW and drive mostly freeway miles. I didn't notice anything wrong with the intake housing or anything either. The pattern of wear on the filter strikes me as odd too. Any ideas?

 

Gee, well ....... the filter is supposed to be checked and replaced every 12-15K miles anyway, so this is not that uncommon. In fact, if your filter is that dirty, I'd check it at 10-12K intervals and continue to replace it as necessary. Autozone has them for $15.
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Normal... freeways can be dirty too .. lots of dropped stuff ... brake pad wear ... dust blown onto the road. Matter of fact city streets prolly get washed more than freeways

 

looks normal to me too. what are the conditions of your commute?

 

My commute is usually sitting in bumper to bumper traffic going one way while the other way is normal freeway driving. It rains a bunch as I live in Oregon so maybe that has something to do with it. I thought the filters lasted longer than 12-15K miles I guess I was wrong.

No other car I've ever owned has ever had an air filter this dirty, but then again this is my DD. Thanks fellas.

 

The TL's filters are good for around 30K and in harsh conditions should be replaced b/w 15-20K miles. The filter does look dirty but it can last a bit longer. However my rule of thumb is once the filter is out, clean out the air-box with a vacuum and then put in a new filter and don't reuse the old one.

The Stock filter works VERY well since it's a 2 stage filter. I bought mine from a local honda dealer for around 20 dollars.

 

What you're looking at with your OEM filter is the oil-wetted side. Because that side has been oil-wetted, it is going to attract and hold dirt and debris more so than a dry element filter. All oil-wetted filters do this. If this had been a dry element filter, most of the stuff you see on your OEM filter would not have adhered to the element.

 

I'd check your pollen filter as well, I bet it's as dirty.

 

Ok,thanks for the good info

I wasn't under the impression that it was oil wetted. That would make sense that none of the other air filters in my other cars got as dirty. Thanks

pollen filter=cabin filter?

 

Yeep

 

That filter is not even close to being dirty. You could easily throw it back in for another 15K with absolutely no downsides.

 

^I'll take your word for it