Filters serviced - really needed doing!

[MartinThorn]

Changed the Oil and Engine Air filters this morning.. definitely needed doing, both dirty!

The old air filter was interesting as it had a very fine (and dirty) additional filter on the input side which surely must have been restricting airflow quite a lot!?

Minor panic when car didn't start at first after the fuel filter change - got some air in which is inevitable I think. Started ok second time!

(Car is currently on about 105k miles if that helps anyone! Not exactly sure when the fuel filter was last done (if ever)).

Cabin Pollen filter next.. seem a slightly fiddly glovebox job so just having a tea break!

 

[TheSwede]

Air filter. The additional white layer (blackish in this pic) is for cold climates. Not needed in most places.

 

[MartinThorn]

Filter replacements now complete, the pollen filter being perhaps the most fiddly. A long nosed plier on the filter cover upper catches helped get it off (access is a bit tight inside the glovebox).. the pollen filter also was in need of replacement!

Lower catches of the filter cover easy to access and undo/unclip those 3 with a flat head screw driver first, then the upper tabs (3 of them) I grabbed with the long nose pliers one at a time and pulled each one down and out with the cover fully off after the third one pulled!

New vs. Old filter, spot the satisfying difference!

ps. Watch out for these metal clips on the CD/Nav Head unit fascia surround (that has to be removed) falling off!

 

[tracktoy]

Wow, Bet your motor feels much happier now full air flow has been resumed.

 

[serdar_18fr]

(Car is currently on about 105k miles if that helps anyone! Not exactly sure when the fuel filter was last done (if ever)).

Assuming petrol is already filtered when it arrives stations, at least in developed regions of the world, and much cleaner compared to the previous decades, VAG and a lot of other manufacturers expect fuel filters to last for the lifetime of the car, I guess. For example, I didn't see any interval specified in my SEAT Leon 1.4 TSI's or Cupra Ateca 1.5 TSI's maintenance schedules for its replacement or I haven't seen the dealer replacing it for years, in at least three previous cars of mine, including another brand since 2007. As a side note, in some engines fuel filter is a part of the low pressure fuel pump, can't be serviced separately and replaced with the pump as a whole when needed.

 

[Pinky]

I don't think i've seen dirtier air and cabin filters.
Did previous owner just drive around behind buses and hgvs?

 

[MartinThorn]

I don't think i've seen dirtier air and cabin filters.
Did previous owner just drive around behind buses and hgvs

Had it 4 years (2014 car) so this is definitely mostly my fault! Should be ok for a while now.

 

[MartinThorn]

Assuming petrol is already filtered when it arrives stations, at least in developed regions of the world, and much cleaner compared to the previous decades, VAG and a lot of other manufacturers expect fuel filters to last for the lifetime of the car, I guess. For example, I didn't see any interval specified in my SEAT Leon 1.4 TSI's or Cupra Ateca 1.5 TSI's maintenance schedules for its replacement or I haven't seen the dealer replacing it for years, in at least three previous cars of mine, including another brand since 2007. As a side note, in some engines fuel filter is a part of the low pressure fuel pump, can't be serviced separately and replaced with the pump as a whole when needed.

It's a diesel, will check the service interval when I get home. Definitely dirty due to something!

Edit: an internet search suggests for 2.0 TDI engines the fuel filter replacement should be every 40k miles or less.

 

[RUM4MO]

I can't work out how/why SEAT especially have made it "tricky" to remove the pollen filter cover.

My first experience was on my older daughter's 2019 Leon Cupra, I had made up thin plastic screens to slip in below the old filter to stop junk dropping down into the air box (I had some old laminated A4 sized sheets of paper, used maybe 3 to fill the full width), but I think that I was a bit confused as how to actually get the cover off without breaking something. At that time I created a "how to do it" for future reference
Soon after that I changed the pollen filter on our younger daughter's 2019 Arona xEel and that went okay, two years later, I thought that I'd check that her garage had not binned that Frecious version of the Mann filter, completely failed to get the cover off but spotted that it now had a large hole in it, so needed to try to find out how I had removed it the previous time - and yes, grab the two upper tabs with small pliers, so simple when you know how! (blinking annoying when you've forgotten though!!!) From memory the SEAT workshop manual and the Mann instruction sheet don't help at this point.

 

[MartinThorn]

Now for the interesting bit.. for these relatively simple jobs, this is what I was quoted after a recent MOT in August at Halfords (yes, I paid for an oil change which I could have done myself..):

Halfords Quote:
Air Filter: £72.59
Fuel Filter: £87.79
Pollen Filter: £64.12
Total: £224:50

I paid on eBay:
Air Filter(Bosch): £12.54
Fuel Filter(BluePrint): £14.99
Pollen Filter(Bosch): £14.96
Total: £42.49
Saving: £182

Clearly there's big savings to be had for those that have some (pretty simple) tools, time and willingness to give it a go (plenty of 'how tos' on here and YT)!
I appreciate Halfords are charging labour hours here.. but literally the air & fuel filters on this car are about a 10-15 minute job each..

 

[MartinThorn]

I can't work out how/why SEAT especially have made it "tricky" to remove the pollen filter cover.

My first experience was on my older daughter's 2019 Leon Cupra, I had made up thin plastic screens to slip in below the old filter to stop junk dropping down into the air box (I had some old laminated A4 sized sheets of paper, used maybe 3 to fill the full width), but I think that I was a bit confused as how to actually get the cover off without breaking something. At that time I created a "how to do it" for future reference
Soon after that I changed the pollen filter on our younger daughter's 2019 Arona xEel and that went okay, two years later, I thought that I'd check that her garage had not binned that Frecious version of the Mann filter, completely failed to get the cover off but spotted that it now had a large hole in it, so needed to try to find out how I had removed it the previous time - and yes, grab the two upper tabs with small pliers, so simple when you know how! (blinking annoying when you've forgotten though!!!) From memory the SEAT workshop manual and the Mann instruction sheet don't help at this point.

Yes, it was noticeably more fiddly than doing the fuel or the engine air filters..

 

[nd-photo.nl]

@MartinThorn well done! Simple maintenance can be done by yourself, saving money in the process.

Pro tip: I keep a notepad with specific things for my car, so I dont have to do research every year

 

[RUM4MO]

One thing about Halfords, if you price service parts in ECP and then in Halfords, the Halfords price is a lot lower/cheaper, and Halfords just source your order from ECP.
Now I do know that ECP's prices, well at least ordering for collection online, are seriously higher when compared with other sources than they used to be, Halfords is now a lot cheaper.

@nd-photo.nl oh yes, first thing that I do when I buy a new car is to find out part numbers for all possible service parts especially from the brands that I prefer to use which tend to be the same as what VAG fit at the factory without the VW Group packaging - including engine oil capacity.

 

[nd-photo.nl]

@RUM4MO Yes, exactly this

 

[SuperV8]

Assuming petrol is already filtered when it arrives stations, at least in developed regions of the world, and much cleaner compared to the previous decades, VAG and a lot of other manufacturers expect fuel filters to last for the lifetime of the car, I guess. For example, I didn't see any interval specified in my SEAT Leon 1.4 TSI's or Cupra Ateca 1.5 TSI's maintenance schedules for its replacement or I haven't seen the dealer replacing it for years, in at least three previous cars of mine, including another brand since 2007. As a side note, in some engines fuel filter is a part of the low pressure fuel pump, can't be serviced separately and replaced with the pump as a whole when needed.

That's the case with Petrol - but Diesel fuel filters need changing usually 30-40k miles.

 

[serdar_18fr]

That's the case with Petrol - but Diesel fuel filters need changing usually 30-40k miles.

Yes of course, but diesel never had a place in my car world so I could never get used to the fact that people could be talking about diesel, not petrol

 

[R3k1355]

I don't think i've seen dirtier air and cabin filters.
Did previous owner just drive around behind buses and hgvs?

It's when you buy a used car and come to realise you're probably the first person to change the cabin filter.

 

[MartinThorn]

It's when you buy a used car and come to realise you're probably the first person to change the cabin filter.

View attachment 50396

That's even worse than mine!!

 

[nd-photo.nl]

People don't service their cars like the usual SC member I reckon... (which is a shame)

 

[R3k1355]

People don't service their cars like the usual SC member I reckon... (which is a shame)

Alot of people take their car to whatever garage they use and trust that the service they pay for is the service that the manufacturer recommends. They don't have the knowledge or ability to double check what has really been done.

I think some garages cut parts from the service to make more money, how will the customer ever know?