Wasted $600 on a "lifetime" air filter system that clogged up in 3 months

I run a little mobile diesel repair side gig out of my truck, and I got suckered into buying one of those expensive reusable air filter systems for my service van. The guy at the supply house swore it would save me money over the paper filters because you just clean it and reuse it forever. Well, after about 3 months of driving on dusty gravel roads around farm jobs, that thing was so caked up my turbo was whistling like a tea kettle. I ended up having to buy a whole new filter housing because the gunk warped the seal. So I lost the $600 for the system, plus another hour of labor to swap it back to the regular paper filters. Has anyone else tried those reusable filters and had a bad experience, or did I just get a dud product?

3 comments

3 Comments

wendy62811d ago

Bought one of those K&N style filters for my old F-250 thinking I was being smart and eco-friendly or whatever. Lasted maybe 4 months before I noticed my gas mileage tanked and the engine sounded like it was sucking air through a straw. Took it out and it looked like a greasy wool sweater that had been sitting in a barn for years. Cleaned it three times with that special oil and it never worked right again. Ended up going back to the cheap paper ones from AutoZone and the truck ran better than it had in months. Sometimes the old school stuff is just better, especially if you're actually working your vehicle hard.

roberts9511d ago

Told ya those fancy filters are just marketing hype.

jake98611d ago

Wondered if the oil itself could be messing with the mass airflow sensor.