hey guys, i was just wondering how do you clean out your air filter, i was told to clean to out before a long trip and i am going to be travelling 2000km;s in 5 days to see my relatives for christmas, and also they live out in the desert so my filter will get pretty dirty out there aswell.
Cheers
Pnut
Is it an aftermarket one like pipercorss/K&N? Or standard BMW paper filter? You can clean aftermarket ones with soapy water or cleaning fluid. But as far as i know bmw dont clean there paper ones...there so cheap they just put in a new one.
You can't clean a paper one. They quite often fall apart, or hold the water too long and so don't dry out before refitting. Paper ones are cheap...really you should change a standard paper filter about every 10k - 1year to maintain optimum efficiency as they stop a lot of crap.
If a after market reusable one then the manufacturer will have instructions and fluids for cleaning. KN have a special spray cleaner and re-oil stuff (although I think the cleaner is just soapy water in a pump bottle from my experience of using the stuff....still I use it just to be sure)
You can just take the paper one out and bag it on the ground to knock the worst of the bits and dust out of it for regular attempts to keep it clear between the 10k - 1year replacment period ... Just be careful when knocking it out as the filter can split a bit if you flap it around, make sure you knock it out evenly on a flat surface.
Can't remember if they are star head screws or normal ones though. Its as simple as the above. i'd suggest getting a £14 haynes manual for the MINI. Worth every penny and usually has great instructions and pictures.
they are indeed torx headed screws,paper type filters are simply thrown away and replaced,the oil impregnated type of filter a cleaned using a spray cleaner and tapped on a piece of paper/cloth once clean the re-oiled with filter oil ,again a spray can , covering the surface evenly.
once the filter is removed it is worth cleaning the box out as it is usually full of dead bugs and small leaves, clean filter at least once a year ,more if you live in dusty climates
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How do you clean out your air filter ? 
