k, how imperative is a dirty air filter (and potentially clogged fuel filter) to the mileage, acceleration and idling?

how imperative is the muffler to those specs as well? mine fell off but the resonator is keeping the sound down quite well...

how the hell do I change my air filter? I undid a bolt in top of the air filter box and gas squirted out!!! how do I change this thing???

where is the fuel filter located?

FOR CANADIANS: what is your average fuel consumption? i can't get it below 8L/100KM...it's all time average is 9.1L/100km...is this average? or could it be better?

if any or all of these questions could be answered, i'd be grateful...

Adasm

Without air and or fuel the car won't run, both filters are important. There should be metal clips holding the top & bottom of the air filter housing together. Sometimes Canadian models differ from those in the US. Fuel filter should be under the car near the main fuel pump (right rear).

As Bosch Said.. the american model may be dif... but on my 92 passat... ***it helps very much to disonnect the intake tube between the intake/throttle body and the air box and to remove the boots... the bolt your taking out is for the injection. DON't Take Out the bolts. just unclip the clips... They're a pain, but can be unclipped a bit easier with a long screwdriver. The airbox will split in half (bottom half and top half) and the filter is in there... it's a HUGE pain to get the filter in, but it does go in. Also... Try not to lift the top half of the box any farther than you have to to remove/install the filter. lifting too much will pull off a few vacuum lines and can tear fuel injection lines. Hope this helps.

As for L/Km.. I get 28-32 Mpg. if you can convert that somehow.

As far as I can tell... My 28-32 mpg equals around 7.57-8.0L per 100Km. I'd say you should change your filters and try a tune up. If that doesn't improove it... check the O2s Good luck.

thanx guys, i'm gonna attempt the filter change again when it's not raining...

One other thing... if your car is an automatic, don't expect much more fuel economy. consumerguides.com reported an avg of 20mpg with the auto.