2004 Regal Air Filter

[FuelSaver]

Hi,
My 2004 Regal's (10000km/6200mi only) air filter is kindof dirty.

It is an [OEM] oily paper filter and everything sticks to it, be it dust, insects or other stuff. Of course, the dirt is stuck mainly where the air intake is, (the rest of the filter looks clean).

The question is, should I replace the filter ? If yes, should I look for that oily paper type ?

tia

[Ruley73]

If it's bad enough and you feel you aren't getting "normal" fuel economy then I would replace it. The filter you put back in it doesn't have to be oily like the one you removed. You can replace it with a regular filter with a paper filtering element like a Fram, STP, Wix, Purolator etc. and you shouldn't notice much of a difference. Those all perform about the same and one isn't really much better than the other. I haven't seen any tests or anything but I do sell car parts and that's my opinion.

Your other option would be to get a reusable air filter such as a K&N or a Fram Air Hog. You just clean and re-oil these with an inexpensive kit ($10 for the K&N kit that can be used multiple times) when you would normally throw away the old one. You don't need the kit to use them the first time because the filters do come ready to install. So far I've heard that the K&N is better of the two and it is in this case a little cheaper ($39 vs. $47 at AutoZone). These reusable filters have a higher initial cost but are definitely worth it if you can afford them because they WILL inevitably save you money. They have oiled cotton filtering elements which filter better and are less restrictive than the paper filters. The increased airflow is very beneficial and noticeably increases your fuel economy and throttle response. Most customers say the've seen a 2-3 MPG increase from a K&N filter alone. The K&N filters have been around for quite a few years, but Fram Air Hogs are still fairly new and I haven't heard much about them.

I hope this helps.