Looking for a cheap source of New Air filters for Prius Engine

DavidA,

Nice numbers ! I hope to get any where close to those numbers on my Big Road Trip this summer!

Just an FYI:
The indicated MPG is always better than real 'paper and pencil' MPG numbers. ( Thanks Toyota....)
A quick calculation and you could have also listed 'Real MPG'.

And if your a big accuracy geek you could factor in odometer correction factor. ( These cars have GPS speed/distance available. All these numbers could be accurate/self-calibrating. Thanks Toyota....)

And going along with the title of this thread....
Maybe I'll spurge and clean out my existing air filter before the trip... with compressed air. Now that's cheap !!

 

Its also a good way to blow micro-holes into the filter paper, rendering it useless.

 

Micro-holes?
Like what you see when you hold a K&N air filter up to the sun and see pin holes shining through?
Nope, I don't see those.

Remember, we are on The Cheap thread.
I am the opposite of that guy that replaces his air filter at each oil change. That is NOT cheap.

 

Using compressed air on a filter is a pretty big no-no, for the reasons stated above. Knocking it against the bench is acceptable.

 

Wouldn't either method cause some of the dust and such from the dirty side to return and settle on the clean side to be sucked into the engine later?

 

I wasn't recommending either. Replacing it is the best choice by far.

 

The OEM filter on the right doesn't really seem to be dirty. I heard one way to determine if the filter is dirty is to hold it up to the Sun to see if it was really blocked.

 

Man, you guys are still discussing expensive air filters...

Even though I have no idea what the OP is saying in his first post in this thread, the title says CHEAP.

Get with the program......

 

Maybe if a used filter or crappy paper filter costs you an engine, its not so "cheap" after all?

 

It wasn't too dirty in the pic, but I was losing faith in its ability to do its job since it was at the four year point. My next task is the cabin air filter.

 

How can an air filter "lose its ability to do its job" ???

A gaping hole maybe.... but a slightly dirty air filter still does it's job just fine.

 

Just wondering: is there a way to tell using a ScanGauge II and such, if the engine is getting all the air it needs? IOW, that the filter hasn't gotten clogged enough?

 

kat,
That's a great idea!
Full throttle at a set high RPM test point watch "manifold pressure".
It will probably change a little with Density Altitude but good luck seeing a K&N or a new filter or a dirty filter.
You may need to log data on a Torque app to accurately compare exact data points.

 

Replaced the cabin air filter today. Also used the NAPA Gold product (except this one is white). After over four years, the OEM filter was dark brown with lots of small leaves and stones embedded. Totally gross. I won't wait as long next time.

 

How many miles?

 

30K miles (I'm one mile from work). Very little lifetime use of the A/C. And for $15 and three minutes of my own time to swap out, I consider that very cheap. Could have had the dealer sell me one and put it in. Ummm, no thanks.

 

can you compare that and quote the price of the Gen filter ?

 

Be glad to. The Gold filter was right on par quality wise with the OEM filter that I removed . As far as dealer costs go, I didn't call my dealer about doing it in their shop (and I won't need to), but I just found this on the web, from a Toyota dealer...


Notice the cost to install on the bottom right? And $25 for a filter (2-pack, $50), while not eyebrow raising, is more than just about anything at a retail auto parts store. And why would I ever want to buy a pack of two of these, unless I owned two identical Prii?