Ever wonder how long a K&N filter lasts?

I purchased this K&N filter new for my 06 Tacoma. After 175,000 miles, I put it in my 13 Tacoma. After 9,000 miles I put it in my 14 Tacoma. So currently after 50,000 miles in this truck, it is 18 years old and has lasted 234,000 miles so far.

I noticed today that the rubber seal around the edge is now deteriorating, I think it’s now time for a new one! I sent pictures to K&N since they have a million mile warranty, but I’ll bet it aged out.

 

I always wondered if they would honor the 1 million mile warranty. It's so subjective since they don't know if the filter was cleaned with the proper solution or how often, heat and cold conditions, how many owners the filter has had, etc. Curious to hear what they have to say.

 

Did you use their cleaning kit on it?

 

Yes. I’ve never used anything but the official K&N cleaning kit.

I’ve heard that the million mile warranty is limited to 10 years. I don’t have a receipt either, so let’s see what happens.

 

With as much as they make, they should honor it

 

UPDATE: I received an email from K&N today with a list of requested information. Name, address, kind of vehicle, purchase date, miles on the filter, model number, and pictures of it I stalled in the vehicle. I’ll be interested to see what comes of it next. I’ll let you know.

 

I hope they give you a new one. I don’t think they would make you go through all that trouble just to deny the claim. They probably don’t care much anyway and have thousands stacked up in a warehouse somewhere. I’ve always wondered if they really honor that warranty.

 

I ditched my K&N engine and cabin filters and went back to the paper oem. You should have enough sand in your motor for a sand castle by now though.

 

I don’t use them anymore.

Asking a parts counter guy for air filter oil is like asking for blinker fluid.

 

I raced off road for 18 years. Never once did I tear down an engine and see any kind of wear that you could attribute to dust entering. Properly cleaned and oiled, I trust a K&N filter as much as stock.

 

I used one for about 10 years on a 2001 F-150 without any issues. In my experience the biggest problems come from user error, especially over-oiling the filter. Most people soak it until it’s a solid red immediately, thinking that means it’s properly oiled, when in reality it’s far too much. The correct way is to use just two or three light sprays and then let it wick in for an hour or two. Some OEM filters from car manufacturers even come with a light coat of oil from the factory, it’s not nearly as bad as many make it out to be.

 

The issue with them is not oil, but the fact that the filter media is a porous gauze. OEM filters are fabric/paper based which have better filtering ability.

If you take a used oil analysis of an engine that was running a K&N or similar racing filter, silicon contamination levels will be extremely high. Silicon wears the inner components of engines.

 

With a bottle (not an aerosol), I apply the oil to the peaks of the filter pleats on the inlet side and let it wick throughout the gauze overnight. The next day, I touch up any area that needs oil with a drop or two. It's worked for me for more than three decades.

 

I just received an email from them, they said they shipped me a new filter!!

 

I put one in on my old truck, a Dodge Cummins. The filter was brand new out of the box and when I checked it at the next service, the turbo vanes were covered with an oil film and dust. Took the filter out and never ran one again in the truck. I shy away from them but do have a set on my 63 Falcon running triple Webers because I can’t find anything else. I wouldn’t run one in the Tacoma but that’s me.

 

Tacomas have a non removable prefilter. If there ever was any oil lifting off of the filter, it would get absorbed into the white permanent prefilter.

 

The K&N was turning my teeth pink and giving me diarrhea so I switched back to O.E. paper.

 

Have you ever done this or seen one with this result?

 

Yes. There are plenty of documented used oil analysis at bobistheoilguy.com

Below is a link to a very well done study on filter types:

https://www.billswebspace.com/AirFilterTest.htm

 

Here's my K&N filter on my 1972 Camaro SS that has a Shafiroff racing 427sbc that makes 600hp .
Using these calculations ....

K&N Filter 14" Dia 5" tall which has 219 square inches of filter media

CFM per square inch 1326.6 cfm

This filter will support 829 to 884 hp