Why can't people use the parts that are "designed & tested" for the vehicle? Is it worth the money you save to risk causing a check engine light to come on or worse that it might cause other problems for you down the road and you'll ever wonder why your lexus fail "prematurely"

 

What risk? Are you seriously going to tell me that using a third-party engine air filter from a company such as WIX is going to damage my engine in any way? So, you are telling me that I need to drive 90 minutes each direction to go to the local dealership to be charged twice the price that I can purchase a WIX filter from a nearby NAPA shop? Do you have any proof that the Denso is better than any other product? How do you know that products such as those form WIX are not in fact a superior product?

Save your criticisms of folks who want to work on their own vehicles and use non-Toyota products unless you can bring some actual facts instead of your now boring witticisms.

 

K&N's have "superior" breathing capabilities but less filtering as i have researched and found on my oil analysis on 2 of my past cars..resulting in more contaminants in the oil over a regular oil change interval.
Paper is a better filtering media with less cons other than more frequent replacement intervals.

You are right about the K&N mesh, often folks put too much oil when re-oiling, the vacuum of the intake will pull the oil onto the MAF sensor and can mess up the calibration.

 

Just replace the filter every 10,000 miles and you will maintain airflow almost as good as K&N while providing much more filtering capability. I too agree that Wix makes a great filter. I think Purlator or Fram are filters probably are just as good for the engine or cabin.

 

I too have used K&N on most of my vehicles and just assumed that they provided excellent air flow AND superior filtration, I didn't realize that the filtration characteristics were inferior to paper.
Here's a site that tested various brands:
http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/kn-vs-oem-filter.html
and K&N's attempt to debunk the less filtration claim
http://www.knfilters.com/filter_facts.htm
I tend to believe the unbiased testing.

 

that review pretty much summed up what i found out on my oil analysis .

As a "lifetime' replacement filter i would like to consider if they made one for my RX is the AEM dry-flo. It is a non-oiled washable filter. It would be interesting to see how it would perform under the same tests.
But for now, OEM and OEM-style paper replacement air filters like Fram for me.

 

THANK YOU! Someone really needed to say that!

BTW- the brand new engine air filter I just installed in our RX is marked Toyota and has a Toyota part number. I guess it must be a third-party air filter too. Ha, ha, ha.

 

This sums it up. If you drive in dusty conditions the K&N will definitely let more containment's pass thru, besides it not a race car.

 

The Magnuson-Moss warranty act allows you to use aftermarket parts and still maintain your vehicle warranty. As long as you have records of the maintenance. I keep receipts and log everything into the maintenance manual that comes with the car.
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles...ne-maintenance

 

By far the easiest engine air filter replacement I've ever done. Took me literally 5 mins without having to look up directions.

 

Thanks. Is my first vehicle with a plastic cover. I assume its there to intimidate car owners who want to do maintenance themselves. or does it have a legit purpose?

 

Mostly there for aesthetics to keep things looking nice. Easy enough to remove, though. .