hey guys, my buddy has a GTI with a CAI Filter and he wants me to clean it for him, he thinks i know alot about it..but whats the ghetto way of cleaning a filter? soapy water?

 

depends on what kind of filter he has paper or the K&n type

 

if you don't know what you're doing why would you tell him you do? there is no ghetto way to do it. get a recharge kit and do it right. your air filter which basically pretects your engine from having things sucked into and exploding is not something you want to do the "cheap" way.

 

Do it the right way or you could be in for trouble. Get the proper cleaning kit.

 

exaclty. filter cleaning kit = a few dollars. new engine when you suck up a rock = a few thousand.

 

^ good comments guys. There is no "Ghetto" way if you want the car to live.

Another words, do it the "Ghetto" way and your car will be shot by a 9mm...lol

 

Buy a K&N filter for $10 at just about any auto parts store.
I suggest you read the instructions first. It is not a 30 minute job.
Your filter needs to air dry. Not blow dry.

 

If in doubt just get a new filter.

New filter > New engine

 

well i never did tell him i knew how to do it..he just assumed..and he is my friend and needs help so i figured id come to my friends (the people of CCS.net) and ask them what i can do so everyone wins..

thanks to the people who gave me advise on what to do..and yes..i understand the recharge kits..i acctualy suggested that to him first..but he asked for the cheaper way..

 

there is no cheaper way... well, there is, but it's very, very bad. don't do it. just get a recharge kit.

 

thats what my plan was..thanks for the advise +rep

 

you're welcome, thanks, and back at ya!

 

I will be getting the Fujita F5 air filter VERY shortly for my GMPP intake. Whats the best way to go about cleaning that thing when the time comes around?

 

How dirty is it? If you read the instructions with the recharge kit, K&N actually recommends that the filter needs to be REAL dirty before you clean and recharge it. They say that a film of dirt on it actually ads to the filtration. The following is from the K&N FAQ:

20. How do I know when to clean the filter?

The general rule of thumb is that the filter needs to be cleaned when the dirt build up gets as thick as the wire mesh. The usual interval is 30,000 - 50,000 miles depending on driving conditions. We recommend that you check your filter about once a year in normal usage.

 

Yeah but noone has drives normal.

 

buy a K&N recharge kit from autozone (10$ - 15$), take your filter off, spray with cleaner, wait 5 - 10 mins, soak with hose (or by hand in sink) to get all the **** and cleaner out, air dry (DO NOT USE A BLOW DRYER OR AIR CHUCK, blow dryer will shrink the filter material, and air chuck can cause holes and inperfections in the filter), spray filter until its all pink again, put back on, i usually let it hang upside down to remove any drippage, and give it a few revs and im good. Hope that helps.