I have a 2010 1.6 diesel Fabia 2. It has done 27000 miles. The performance is OK but the edge seems to have gone off it. So I decided to fit a new air filter. I got a K&N filter which claims better than normal airflow. The result is the engine feels a lot better.

 

OK so I am comparing a 3 year old dirty standard filter with a new one made to provide superior air flow.

 

One posible problems is that the increased air flow is acheived by the filter having lager perforations in the material. Therefore, a larger amount of fine grit could be getting through. The filter uses a light oil on the filter material to collect this sort of grit. A study in Australia was against using this sort of filter but Australia can be a lot dustier than here.

 

So for £60 my car seems to have 5 -10 hp more. I don't think it has done any harm to the fuel consumption either. No figures yet but time will tell.

 

In any case, replace the air filter regularly for a nicer drive.

Clean filter vs dirty will always help

I still think the air filter interval is ridiculous on new cars. Isn't it something stupid like after 3 years on the Fabia? 

It's mileage related - although the intervals are long.  I'm changing mine with the oil every 7.5k miles.  It's under £20 each time and is an easy job.

I'm changing mine with the oil every 7.5k miles.  It's under £20 each time and is an easy job.

Are you using the official Skoda air filter or an alternative?

So for £60 my car seems to have 5 -10 hp more. I don't think it has done any harm to the fuel consumption either. No figures yet but time will tell.

 

 

The std (clean) filter will filter more air than your engine will ever need, so any increased BHP is likely to a placebo effect.

 

I change mine every service with an OE paper filter, as the 60,000 mile interval is way too long IMO.

Not the Diesel but a petrol 1.4 TSI, parts from the VW Parts desk so OEM. 

Airfilter £16.89

Pollen Filter £18.73

Oil Filter £8.21   Plus VAT = £52.60

(& new plug)

 

Obviously they can be cheaper elsewhere, or even at a Skoda Parts Desk.  

(I have just come to liking the Looks of the VW oil filter when in Grey other the ones in Black.)

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The K&N will be dirty as quick or even quicker than the disposable ones.

then needs correct cleaning & treating, so needs a Kit Bought.

over a 80,000 miles you can run with 4 nice fresh air filter for less than the K&N & kit,

& probably save on fuel while running the standard clean filters.

 

Filters are about Location Location Location.

& that is not just for use in Quarries, Deserts, Marshes & Floods.

(paper filters are hopeless when wet, & can be a risk if wading)

But,

Driving in Cities waiting behind Buses on a commute during rush hours can have your vehicles Air Filter filthy in no time.

So a new air filter at each service can be a very good idea, or at least inspect it.

Are you using the official Skoda air filter or an alternative?

 

Skoda until the warranty is out, then whatever is cheap OEM - the Skoda part is actually pretty competitive using GSF for prices...   I won't try a K&N though, used them before and hate the oil / cleaning side of it (it was better than the original filter though).

So for £60 my car seems to have 5 -10 hp more. I don't think it has done any harm to the fuel consumption either. No figures yet but time will tell.

 

Placebo effect. Its all in your mind having spent all that money.....

 

The power output is strictly limited by the MAF/MAP and other sensors on your car. You will only get reduced power in the case of a really blocked filter - usually well beyond the recommended 40,000 mile/4 yr recommended interval, and maybe a tiny but generally imperceptable decrease in dynamic performance (spool up time).

 

The oil (and oily grit) on the K&N filter has the potential to lead to damage - turbo /valves and DPF wise.

Edited 12 April, 201412 yr by xman

Thanks for all your comments. I am not promoting the K&N brand. I mentioned it to note that it was not a Skoda filter and that changing from a dirty to a clean filter seems like a good idea.

 

My car has never deilivered excellent fuel consumption. In Winter it drops to 45mpg on cool days and 40 on cold days. It is better in warm weather. This morning as an experiment, I reset the fuel consumption after going to a town about 10 miles away. The return trip resulted in a reading of 71 mpg. I have to say that the trip was mostly driving in traffic on country roads at around 40mph.

 

Yesterday I did a journey of 70 miles of driving fast-ish on country roads and got 63mpg. The return 70 miles using dual carriageway roads and driving at 70-75 resulted in a consumption reading of 54.

 

The air temperature on all these journey was 12 to 14C so not hot.

 

Now you can say that this is all down to the placebo effect. I can only report that the firgures I have just quoted would have been significantly lower with a dirty air filter.

 

I guess the message, as other have stated here, is to change or clean the air filter regularly.