K&N AIR FILTERS

hi, i have a 97 jetta 5spd. i am thinking about installing a K&N air filter on my jetta. i am a 11th grade high school student on a busget so this and a ansa exhaust system is all i am gonna afford for a while. i want to know if knn is worth the money, will it change the sound of the car, will it filter as well, performance gains i should expect, etc.etc. any info will be greatlly appreiciated thx.

Hey. I have a 2002 1.8t that I JUST installed a new K&N filter in. My car is out here in Colorado, so the filter really helped out with the lack of oxygen...helped make the most of the available oxygen anyway. I guess if you're at sealevel I can't give you as adaquate a response as far as the change in performance you'll see, but the filter is doing wonderfully for mine. I didn't make any gain in total horsepower so if that's what you're looking for you won't get it. However, the turbo in my car is a bit louder now (my car is still new to me so it's all otherwise stock).
Overall, I think the main difference the filter provided my car in the mountains was a chance to better utilize the air, which it will do for you as well, and hopefully it will feel altogether even better than mine if you are at sealevel.

Hey. I have a 2002 1.8t that I JUST installed a new K&N filter in. My car is out here in Colorado, so the filter really helped out with the lack of oxygen...helped make the most of the available oxygen anyway. I guess if you're at sealevel I can't give you as adaquate a response as far as the change in performance you'll see, but the filter is doing wonderfully for mine. I didn't make any gain in total horsepower so if that's what you're looking for you won't get it. However, the turbo in my car is a bit louder now (my car is still new to me so it's all otherwise stock).
Overall, I think the main difference the filter provided my car in the mountains was a chance to better utilize the air, which it will do for you as well, and hopefully it will feel altogether even better than mine if you are at sealevel.


Hey, thanks alot buddy. i was looking for performance but sound will do just great. i sukered my friend into buying one for his 5.0 mustang im gonna go install it for him an about an hour and see what happens. his is an automatic but i dont think that will make a difference? any way thanks alot

glad i could help you. i want you to know that the difference in sound is not a huge one, and the change in performance is the more dramatic of the two, so i think you'll win in either case.

That's good to hear, my friend had an ememrgency so im gonna install the filter tomorrow after school, ill fill you in on what i noticed, although my review won't be very acurate since i have never driven his car. if u have aim or yahoo or something ill im u what i noticed wen i put the filter in my car in about a week or 2.

i'd love to know what you find out about how the filter works in your car...my AIM is on the fritz right now but if you want to just post back here i can keep close tabs on this thread and reply once you've posted. hope your buddy's mustang likes the filter, hope your jetta likes its even more!

i'd love to know what you find out about how the filter works in your car...my AIM is on the fritz right now but if you want to just post back here i can keep close tabs on this thread and reply once you've posted. hope your buddy's mustang likes the filter, hope your jetta likes its even more!

alrigghty ill just reply here every 3 days? my aim is rudyrude15

shoud get my k&N on the 23rd of this month,,, how do u clean it? after you put the filter cleaner pn it do you spray water to clean it from behind the air filter or use tap water and follow the pleats?

i'll have to double-cheque my instructions that came with it, but i am pretty sure it is a simple soap and water cleaning. you'll want to have the filter out of the car before you clean it (and you don't need to clean it before putting it in for the first time). you'll also need to re-oil it once you've finished cleaning the filter...K&N has some special cleaning kits available, but these are not the only products you can use. like i said, let me double-cheque my instructions, i can't remember if there is a specific kind of soap or something. you also don't need to clean your filter (technically) for 100,000 miles after installing it. not something you should have to worry about too soon hopefully! :)

DO NOT USE SOAP just get the K&N cleaner kit and follow the directions. DO NOT GO 100k miles clean it every 3-5 months or when you see it getting dirty..

my filter just arrived at auto zone im gonna go pick it up around seven gonna install it saturday maybe. the air filter compartment on the jettas weird. ive installed filters on a 4 runner a camry a pathfinder and altima never had a problem. maybe its cuz this is my car and im scared??? just send me pics if u can, any tihng is appreciated. ill fill u in on what i notice tuesday wednsday saturday or sunday one of those

i'll have to double-cheque my instructions that came with it, but i am pretty sure it is a simple soap and water cleaning. you'll want to have the filter out of the car before you clean it (and you don't need to clean it before putting it in for the first time). you'll also need to re-oil it once you've finished cleaning the filter...K&N has some special cleaning kits available, but these are not the only products you can use. like i said, let me double-cheque my instructions, i can't remember if there is a specific kind of soap or something. you also don't need to clean your filter (technically) for 100,000 miles after installing it. not something you should have to worry about too soon hopefully! :)


dont believe those guys when they say every 50 000 miles spark thats pure bs. im doing mine every 6 months. u can use dish washer soap or a recharge kit from knn for 10 buks to clean the filter ive read the manual from there web site

oh, i know not to let the filter go for as long as they say...ha.

the installation is not all that hard, you just have a few different things to disconnect since vw decided to put a cover on EVERYTHING under the hood. altho, yours is a '97 and i'm not familiar with how they're set up. is yours a turbo or just a straight jetta. let me know and i'll get back to you. :)

I put it in!!! it was simple, but vw likes to make everything complicated, there are alot of wires running near the air box. i ended up having to unscrew the : intake hose, sum orange medication looking wire to the right of the box, the maf sensor, and this thin rop looking strtchy thing running all around the air box. vw sure is weird. it took me about 20 mins ti fugure out tho. Now to the juicy part. I noticed 1)no difference in sound (i only drove for one mile tho) 2)niice difference in throttle3)my rpms go up faster and waaay smoother, but kinda slower not slower but the car doesnt scream at high rpms but its going at high rpms, maybe the cars breathing better??? 4)after changing gears the car doesnt jerk as much5)it feels like i need to be at a little bit higher rpms to get the car off from a stand still. ill see what else happens when i drive it more, ill take it on ga 400 and see what happens. Oh yea also ive been meaning to ask is it only my jetta, or do yours take a long i mean long time to come on? i mean today i dont think it turnd on period. its always been like this. also i added coolant in the car, and theres a sign that said to use vw coolant only unless u flush, or it says it "WILL cause engine damage....i used peak i gues ill flush out the coolant.

i meant does the fan take a long time to come on*** my bad

If you mixed the green antifreeze you buy at the auto parts store with the pink stuff that should have been in the system from VW you have a problem on your hands. The two, when mixed, tend to congeal like sour milk. It's a huge pain to flush, and it takes a few separate flushes to get the system totally clear. Without the flush, the car with overheat and the water pump will burn out quickly from the added load.

If you mixed the green antifreeze you buy at the auto parts store with the pink stuff that should have been in the system from VW you have a problem on your hands. The two, when mixed, tend to congeal like sour milk. It's a huge pain to flush, and it takes a few separate flushes to get the system totally clear. Without the flush, the car with overheat and the water pump will burn out quickly from the added load.
shoot you see, when i first put the green one in, my coolant was all out. all. the light was flashing on my dash and wouldnt turn off till i added sum, i added the green 50/50 solution coolant. today i just topped it off. i bought this car like a month ago , and the guy said he always got it serviced at the dealer, and showed me papers. most likely i may of been red, although they tend to use the green on older cars
(97s not old is it?) any way on a teens budjet theres no way im paying for a flush id rather do it myself and do it right, but whats this about the watrer pump? my fans take a while to start running

DO NOT USE SOAP just get the K&N cleaner kit and follow the directions. DO NOT GO 100k miles clean it every 3-5 months or when you see it getting dirty..

There's a K&N recharge kit that you can pick up at most automotive stores. Autozone had it for around $13 when i picked it up. Check your air filter when you do an oilchange, it'll keep you updated as to its condition. The recharge kit will provide all the cleaning supplies and lube that you need to keep it running as it should. Take care of it and it will take car of you. It was the first mod I did on my '02 Jetta TDI and it added 3-5 horsepower and kicked up the sound in my turbo a notch. you shouldn't notice too much of a difference in power, but for me it helped out with power and fuel milage. :-) Good luck.

thanks tdi, you just reminded me i have to get an oil change. i heard good t hings about the mobile 1/ filter combo i guess il be using those. How do you change the spark plugs in your jetta? on mine it seems the plugs are hiding under the engine. will i have to use a ball and joint tool or something of that nature? i know u have an A4 b ut i wa just wondering if its the same way on those. thx for replys

thanks tdi, you just reminded me i have to get an oil change. i heard good t hings about the mobile 1/ filter combo i guess il be using those. How do you change the spark plugs in your jetta? on mine it seems the plugs are hiding under the engine. will i have to use a ball and joint tool or something of that nature? i know u have an A4 b ut i wa just wondering if its the same way on those. thx for replys

I tend to use Valvoline full synthetic rated for my diesel. I don't know much about VW's spark plugs cuz my car has glow plugs instead. Diesel's have a different set up then a gasoline vehicles. When you're doing the oil change tho make sure that you're using the right rating. VW is a pretty picky vehicle and won't deal well with cheap oil. Ihavn't had to change my glow plugs yet, so i couldn't even give you a rough estimate on anything.

As far as you're coolant goes... ouch. I just hope that they didn't mix somewhere in the system. Even when your light comes on there's still usually some in there somehwere. in my expereince it's been best to use vw rated parts and fluids, it'll save you time and aggrivation (not to mention $$$) in the end. you're water pump will probably be a hassle to get too and change. If you're not experienced with it and it does need to be flushed and changed do youself a favor and be sure to research it thoughroughly, get someone who know's vw to help you out, or have them do it. good luck

Shoot.....ok....shooot. ok ...ok... shoot,
i think im gonna get it flushed, but this time im gonna make sure they use the good ole' fashion green coolant, g11 right? i stuck a finger in the reservoir and i see sme kind of fatty substance on my finger left behind so it did mix. how much is it for a full radiator coolant flush? ive normally done these things myself so i dont really know prices. I expect it to be about 80 dollars?