Never, never, never try and fit an air filter!!

[dave_p]

Bought a K&N air filter for my X5 3.0d Sport off ebay last week. Thought it would be quite straight forward to fit. How wrong could I be?

Took the engine cover off, then tried to remove the top cover of the air filter housing - 5 torx screws were very easy to reach. But, there was 1 right at the back, couldn't even reach it (and I'm 6ft 4ins tall!!) let alone get a tool to it.

Phoned my local BMW dealer and spoke to a technician - he said that the whole top cover (around the pollen filter) needs to be removed, along with the windscreen washer container and about 8 bolts on the top cover, then the centre section pulls out. The wiper motor screws needs to be removed so that the cover can be pulled to one side and the air filter top cover back torx screw can then be reached - by kneeling on the bumper!!

Well I started taking my £52000 car to pieces, dropping various bits of plastic down the side of the engine. Enough was enough - I telephoned BMW assist - they sent someone out to me within 45 minutes. It then started chucking it down with rain and he told me that this was a big job, one for a service department - To change a bloody air filter? I said.

We were past the point of no return, the original BMW air filter was damaged - due to me losing my temper and trying to pull the thing out with the top cover of the housing still there.

Anyway, about 3 hours later, the K&N filter is now fitted. I am missing a bolt and a bit of plastic from the panel near the pollen filter - it's a bit of plastic that allows the twist bolts to secure themselves.

Never again will I attempt such a task. Of all the mods, this has got to be the hardest.