Gotta Have AIr!

Try to spot the Old vs. New air filter!

Yes, your gas engine car has to have air to breath, just like the driver! Once the air gets into your intake and heads for the engine, it really needs to get filtered just to weed out any particles of what scientists call "not air" before going on the engine. To perform this critical weeding out, thank goodness we have car air filters!

Looking into a spaceship?
Nah, just the inside of a new air filter. 

On the NMS Cayman, we just replaced the old filter with a new one, and I had the enjoyable experience of learning that the very cheap mail-ordered filter I ordered first really didn't fit. With the big oval shape of this car's filters, it HAS to be a certain size to fit over the mounting point, and, well, the cheap one just didn't fit. The oval was too small by just a little bit. 

Name brand Mahle air filter made in Turkiye. Good!

First I tried to bend it, then I trimmed some of it down, but since even that didn't work, I bit the bullet and ordered the more expensive OEM type filter (like I already had on the car) and guess what? IT FIT EASY!  

Discount air filter made in China that didn't fit. Bad. Very bad. 

Part 2 of this adventure, and the good news part, is that I ordered the good filter from FCP Euro. They specialize in parts for European brands like the Porsche, and within a few days the new filter (THAT FIT) was on the car. 

From the passenger rear, looking into the engine bay, where in the world does the air filter go?

BINGO! The main intake is behind the driver's door, into the side of the car, so the air filter is over there behind the driver's seat (top center of photo.) Easy!

The really GOOD NEWS part of this is that FCP Euro offers your money back when you buy the next replacement part, and ship them the old part! It is true, and in the past I've done several sets of brake pads this way! Lucky for me, my old air filter came from them, so I'm shipping them the old one (since I ordered a new one) and I'll get my money back from the old filter! I don't know how they afford to do this, but it's a good deal in my book. 

New filter in place, just need to fasten the screw in the upper right, then put the cover over all of this and screw that in with two screws at the lower right and lower left. 

If you own an Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mercedes, Mini, Porsche, VW, or Volvo, NMS says to definitely check them out and learn about the lifetime money back deal! 

FCP EURO LINK