[Jon Chalk]

Just rang local dealer to enquire about replacement JCW Soundkit filters, having put nearly 20,000 miles on mine in last 14 months;

Main filter element - £59.95, no stock in the UK.

Secondary filter element - £ no price available, no history of stock, no idea when it could be available.

Going to try another, bigger dealer & one that I bought it from, but I foresee aftermarket filters in the future

[humph]

Try Chris at Woodmans. He'll tell you exactly what the craic is.

[JWF]

a K&N high flow or piper cross (who i think make it since they make all the other jcw filters will di well)

[Jon Chalk]

tried another dealer (Woollastons, MINI2 sponsor) - pretty much same story, but a bit more helpful - main filter could be on site 3-5 days from germany, if ordered, but small secondary filter still a problem.

basically it is listed as a part, but is not available yet & has no pricing details.

the very helpful Craig in their service dept. has put in an enquiry to BMW parts to request further info & find out story.

JWF - yeah you're probably right, that's what I'll do for the main one, but it's the little secondary one that's even filthier.

[JWF]

ah i forgot about the spound kit has that too tis why im keeping my open cone induction kit on when i get the sound kit in the new year

[S33BBY]

The filter used in the air box when you have the Sound Kit is simply a Pipercross foam element. Don't pay BMW prices when you could get it for about £30!

The sound pipe element is another story, but that doesn't really matter as it's not for air but rather for sound. If you really want one, I bet it's possible to find one of that size anyway.

Edit: Actually, I'm talking nonsense. You'll have a Pipercross element already in your air box, which is non-disposable (hence cleanable). Just get the Pipercross cleaning kit.

[Jon Chalk]

Quote: Originally Posted by S33BBY (original)

The filter used in the air box when you have the Sound Kit is simply a Pipercross foam element. Don't pay BMW prices when you could get it for about £30!

Yep; not going to pay £59.95

Quote:

Edit: Actually, I'm talking nonsense. You'll have a Pipercross element already in your air box, which is non-disposable (hence cleanable). Just get the Pipercross cleaning kit.

So could use that to clean the smaller one as well. Cheers S33bby

[JWF]

a lesson in filter cleaning make sure you 1 have a old one to put in 2 dont need the car for 2 days as it my k&n forever to dry out as you have to let them dry on their own no hair dryers or hot drying sources as it messes up the element when it has no oil in

[Jon Chalk]

Thanks for the tip, JWF - I will have to do it over a weekend & borrow the wife's car if needed.

[S33BBY]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jon Chalk (original)

So could use that to clean the smaller one as well. Cheers S33bby

The small filter is probably disposable; it's more likely to be paper, so no it won't be cleanable. As I mentioned, there's no real need to clean it as it won't be very dirty (as it's facing inwards) and it does very little in terms of air flow anyway. But take a look around as I know small filters like that are available.

[JWF]

the rear filter imo is a bit daft i would have just gone with a open cone kit and will be keeping my piper cross cone when my sound kit is fitted

[Jon Chalk]

Quote: Originally Posted by S33BBY (original)

The small filter is probably disposable; it's more likely to be paper, so no it won't be cleanable. As I mentioned, there's no real need to clean it as it won't be very dirty (as it's facing inwards) and it does very little in terms of air flow anyway. But take a look around as I know small filters like that are available.

I've had a look at it already & it's filthy on the external side (much dirtier looking than main filter), so it must be sucking in some air (&dirt) + construction looks like main filter (similar surround material, proper mesh & similar-looking element), so I'll give it a clean & see what happens.
If it falls to bits, I'll let you guys know, so no-one else makes the same mistake!!

Quote: Originally Posted by JWF (original)

the rear filter imo is a bit daft i would have just gone with a open cone kit and will be keeping my piper cross cone when my sound kit is fitted

But I just can't give up cold air! - in 18 months when the warranty goes I'll be doing a bit more & it'll probably get some sort of cone & CAI.

[JWF]

ive got a k&n cone atm but im swapping for a piper cross cone next week with a CAI tube

[Jon Chalk]

Had time to clean this weekend - before & after pictures below.

Could not believe how dirty they were - definitely not going to leave it as long again before cleaning or replacement

[S33BBY]

Good stuff. I've got to say that doesn't look like a Pipercross filter to me. JCW definitely told me they fit a Pipercross element.

[JWF]

Quote: Originally Posted by S33BBY (original)

Good stuff. I've got to say that doesn't look like a Pipercross filter to me. JCW definitely told me they fit a Pipercross element.

yeah same here looks more like the K&N as it looks like a cotton element rather than a foam one as pipercross use

[Jon Chalk]

"Made in Italy" on both main & small one - ???

Actually used K&N cleaning & oil kit on it - so now it looks red/pink after oil applied.

[S33BBY]

Yeah, it looks more like a K&N (cotton-type). It's certainly not paper by the looks of it anyway.

[drainaudio]

HI guys,
Did you ever work out whether the filters for the Sound Kit are actually K&N?
I've had mine for 12months now and would reall like to give them a clean - I guess using the K&N cleaning kit won't really make any difference if it's actually K&N or not will it?

I see the actual K&N filters have a 1,000,000mile warranty so I'm assuming the filters with the Sound Kit should last the lifetime of the car as long as they are well maintained?

Any harm done if you clean them every 6 months?

Thanks, Geoff.

[BlueZed]

JCW stuff is made by Pipercross, so you can get new oil aerosols from anyone who stocks their filters.

JWF, can you tell me why you are getting a sound kit if the main 'sound' part of it i.e. the filter housing is being left off? It'd be cheaper to just get a JCW exhaust and a MTH/Bluefin surely?