I'm really interested in this topic. I did do a search on it as I don't want to be accused of harming any small furry animals etc.I know its been talked about loads but i've just seen K&N's video on it.

I read the tech stuff on the k&n website and watched this video http://www.knfilters.com/MAF/2MAFSensorVideo.htm and http://www.knfilters.com/MAF/3MAFSensorVideo.htm

Is there really any truth to it? or are MAF failures either coincidental or simply over enthusiastic oiling.

K&N recommend impregnating 50ml of their oil onto the filter...and even that sounds like a lot.

Edited 6 April, 201016 yr by newskoda

I wouldn't use oiled filters in case of damage to the MAF. I have a Pipercross panel filter.

Myth

Most definately a myth.....

I had been doing warranty claims for Skoda for over 5 years , and the amount of MAF`s that was done was unbelieveable!!!!!!

Up to the point where all the numbers and codes , I did not need to look up , they was all in my head

I had a pipercross in a box waiting to go on , until I decided which one to go for , and my MAF failed , is this because I thought about K&N?

Now if you clean it , and then you put too much spray oil on , yes you can damage by over oiling megga amounts , but no

K&N will not damage the MAF

Sarah

Like most things, if you do it right and follow the instructions to the letter, there will be no problem at all.

Make sure you use the recommended quantity of the correct oil at the recommended intervals.

More/more often is not better!!!

Edited 8 April, 201016 yr by rwbaldwin

Myth

Most definately a myth.....

I had been doing warranty claims for Skoda for over 5 years , and the amount of MAF`s that was done was unbelieveable!!!!!!

Up to the point where all the numbers and codes , I did not need to look up , they was all in my head

I had a pipercross in a box waiting to go on , until I decided which one to go for , and my MAF failed , is this because I thought about K&N?

Now if you clean it , and then you put too much spray oil on , yes you can damage by over oiling megga amounts , but no

K&N will not damage the MAF

Sarah

but there's equally as many negative views from users of the K&n from the UK and across the pond that have had maf issues almost immediately after fitting it. I am aware that in some cases they come over oiled from the factory and might be best to wipe them with a cloth before fitting.

On a different note...Also worth mentioning that cotton and foam break down over time. Even reticulated foam. And if you have multi layer foam then dirt can get trapped and this cannot be washed out.

but there's equally as many negative views from users of the K&n from the UK and across the pond that have had maf issues almost immediately after fitting it. I am aware that in some cases they come over oiled from the factory and might be best to wipe them with a cloth before fitting.

On a different note...Also worth mentioning that cotton and foam break down over time. Even reticulated foam. And if you have multi layer foam then dirt can get trapped and this cannot be washed out.

They do not come over oiled from factory at all

K&N are THE market leader of filter , ahve been for many many years

I very much doubt they will do that well by damaging mafs

Try pointing the finger at Bosch for rubbish MAF`s , coilpacks and coolant temp sensors in the first place

Sarah

Edited 9 April, 201016 yr by AwesomeSarah

They do not come over oiled from factory at all

K&N are THE market leader of filter , ahve been for many many years

I very much doubt they will do that well by damaging mafs

Try pointing the finger at Bosch for rubbish MAF`s , coilpacks and coolant temp sensors in the first place

Sarah

Market leader because they do well in race applications where every bit of power needs to be squeezed out.

Greenhams claim to be a market leader in ppe but doesnt mean they are perfect and make great products.

And yes they do come over-oiled because the people who oil them are not technical and put on more oil than the 2ounces that is suggested. There's loads of posts on forums (including this one) of users who have had to wipe off the excessive oil because it appeared to be dripping. Why would they do that? for fun?

The fact that k&n were unable to answer my question properly speaks volumes imo. I have looked at this objectively because as mentioned before i'm not associated with any car filter manufacturer. I do however work in a technical environment and know that an answer like that (the one from k&n)simply doesn't cut the mustard.

No offence to you as i know you supply k&n products as well as possibly pipercross etc.

I know a mechanic has been a VW independent for 27 years and he says that bosch parts are the best and he has seen little problems with them

Edited 9 April, 201016 yr by newskoda

Market leader because they do well in race applications where every bit of power needs to be squeezed out.

Greenhams claim to be a market leader in ppe but doesnt mean they are perfect and make great products.

And yes they do come over-oiled because the people who oil them are not technical and put on more oil than the 2ounces that is suggested. There's loads of posts on forums (including this one) of users who have had to wipe off the excessive oil because it appeared to be dripping. Why would they do that? for fun?

The fact that k&n were unable to answer my question properly speaks volumes imo. I have looked at this objectively because as mentioned before i'm not associated with any car filter manufacturer. I do however work in a technical environment and know that an answer like that (the one from k&n)simply doesn't cut the mustard.

No offence to you as i know you supply k&n products as well as possibly pipercross etc.

I know a mechanic has been a VW independent for 27 years and he says that bosch parts are the best and he has seen little problems with them

I am sorry , but I think Bosch products have gone extreamly downhill

Coilpacks have to be THE most unreliable thing that has been used in VAG cars for well over 10 years

Even the new 2.0 ones have Bosch coil packs

The 1.8T ones made it on to Watchdog

Oh and DV`s too

Sarah

I knew you'd be along when I saw this topic Sarah, I remember what you said when I was down for the rolling road day.

I have to echo what you're saying, as my experiences reflect it. I have had no problems in approx. 2 years of running a K&N, whereas an Ibiza Cupra 1.8T belonging to a friend of mine eats coilpacks, DV's and the N75 valve on a fairly regular basis.

Contradictions galore from k&n.On one had they say that over oiling doesn't cause problems then on another section, it does. make your mind up k&n.

http://www.knfilters.com/faq.htm

17. How much oil should I use to re-oil my filter after it is cleaned?

The best way to ensure proper oiling is to use our squeeze bottle Recharger® kit (Part No. 99-5050). With a squeeze bottle, you simply run a bead along the top of each pleat on both sides of the filter. If using an aerosol Recharger® kit (Part No. 99-5000), make one light pass over the entire filter area front and back. The oil will then be evenly absorbed throughout the rest of the cotton medium over the next several minutes. We recommend you let your filter set for 1 hour to let any excess oil run off the filter. In any event, you do not need to worry about over oiling your filter and you should make sure the oil appears fully absorbed before re-installation. If you want exact oiling requirements, enter the part number in the "Search by Part" box on our Application Search Page and the factory oil amount will be shown.

http://www.aptfast.com/kn_additional_stuff/KN_airfilter_facts.htm The below is taken from k&n's old updates which presumably was done before the alledged rumor surface about the MAF getting damaged.

Over-Oiling

Back to top

When servicing a K&N filter, take care not to over-oil the element. Besides impeding air flow, excess oil can migrate into the intake system where it can coat electronic sensors, which may hinder their operation. Never saturate the filter. If oil drips from the filter, wash it and start over. Use only K&N oil. For example, an E-1500 filter has 92.4-inches of surface area requiring 1.707 fluid ounces of oil. Follow oiling instructions included with your filter or refer to the instructions listed in the back of this catalog

Current version,,,see here http://www.knfilters.com/filter_facts.htm After the MAF sensor/over oiling story broke out, k&n re-worded their website. To cover their greasy sales backs.see below.

Over-oiling

When servicing a K&N filter, take care not to over-oil the element. Besides impeding air flow, excess oil can migrate into the intake system where it can coat electronic sensors, which some OEM’s claim may hinder the sensors’ operation and result in a repair that will not be covered under warranty. Although K&N disagrees with such claims, as explained in more detail on this web site, in order to avoid a dispute with an OEM over the denial of a warranty claim, we suggest that you be careful not to over-oil your K&N air filter. Never saturate the filter. If oil drips from the filter, wash it and start over. Use only K&N oil. For example, an E-1500 filter has 92.4-inches of surface area requiring 1.707 fluid ounces of oil. Follow oiling instructions included with your filter or refer to the instructions listed here.

Contradictions galore from k&n.On one had they say that over oiling doesn't cause problems then on another section, it does. make your mind up k&n.

http://www.knfilters.com/faq.htm

17. How much oil should I use to re-oil my filter after it is cleaned?

The best way to ensure proper oiling is to use our squeeze bottle Recharger® kit (Part No. 99-5050). With a squeeze bottle, you simply run a bead along the top of each pleat on both sides of the filter. If using an aerosol Recharger® kit (Part No. 99-5000), make one light pass over the entire filter area front and back. The oil will then be evenly absorbed throughout the rest of the cotton medium over the next several minutes. We recommend you let your filter set for 1 hour to let any excess oil run off the filter. In any event, you do not need to worry about over oiling your filter and you should make sure the oil appears fully absorbed before re-installation. If you want exact oiling requirements, enter the part number in the "Search by Part" box on our Application Search Page and the factory oil amount will be shown.

http://www.aptfast.com/kn_additional_stuff/KN_airfilter_facts.htm The below is taken from k&n's old updates which presumably was done before the alledged rumor surface about the MAF getting damaged.

Over-Oiling

Back to top

When servicing a K&N filter, take care not to over-oil the element. Besides impeding air flow, excess oil can migrate into the intake system where it can coat electronic sensors, which may hinder their operation. Never saturate the filter. If oil drips from the filter, wash it and start over. Use only K&N oil. For example, an E-1500 filter has 92.4-inches of surface area requiring 1.707 fluid ounces of oil. Follow oiling instructions included with your filter or refer to the instructions listed in the back of this catalog

Current version,,,see here http://www.knfilters.com/filter_facts.htm After the MAF sensor/over oiling story broke out, k&n re-worded their website. To cover their greasy sales backs.see below.

Over-oiling

When servicing a K&N filter, take care not to over-oil the element. Besides impeding air flow, excess oil can migrate into the intake system where it can coat electronic sensors, which some OEM’s claim may hinder the sensors’ operation and result in a repair that will not be covered under warranty. Although K&N disagrees with such claims, as explained in more detail on this web site, in order to avoid a dispute with an OEM over the denial of a warranty claim, we suggest that you be careful not to over-oil your K&N air filter. Never saturate the filter. If oil drips from the filter, wash it and start over. Use only K&N oil. For example, an E-1500 filter has 92.4-inches of surface area requiring 1.707 fluid ounces of oil. Follow oiling instructions included with your filter or refer to the instructions listed here.

All I can see on that is that they are telling the owner how NOT to over oil

If you do clean and then reoil your own filter , you can over oil , but they are not saying that they over oil , just the fact that you can

Sarah

All I can see on that is that they are telling the owner how NOT to over oil

If you do clean and then reoil your own filter , you can over oil , but they are not saying that they over oil , just the fact that you can

Sarah

can you not see the part which says it can find its way into the intake system where it can coat electronic sensors? their words not mine.

Also if you watch the k&n videos you see the CEO stating that no matter how many times you over oil it, the oil never comes off. You don't have to be a genius to see that's a massive contradiction of words.

can you not see the part which says it can find its way into the intake system where it can coat electronic sensors? their words not mine.

Also if you watch the k&n videos you see the CEO stating that no matter how many times you over oil it, the oil never comes off. You don't have to be a genius to see that's a massive contradiction of words.

I dont have to go looking at little missprints or contardictions , I know that these are fine

I have one for my son to have on his new little Fabia with a brake light switch

So would I give my son a filter that is like a ticking bomb for his MAF?

Now I wonder who makes the brake light switches?

Sarah