Hi all,

Not sure if this has been discussed before but looked at loads of threads - cannot find anywhere that tells me how to change the air filter on my E60 530d. In fact, I'm not even sure as to where the filter is.

Can anyone help?

Thanks.

 

the air filter should be the black box with silver clips and it should be on the right side of the engine. just pop the clips and you should see the filter.

 

Not on the diesel!
Go to DIY and see my post on 525d air filter with the pdf file :-

https://5series.net/forums/topic/902...5d-air-filter/

 

Ok. Thanks. Sounds like a tricky job. How often should they be changed and how much difference would a new one make to performance?

 

The filter should be changed at least once a year, more often it the car is driven in very dusty conditions. Performance and gas mileage will increase very much so if the filter is very dirty and replaced by a new one. Remember, this is how your car breathes.

 

wow I guess I dont understand diesel technology as well as I thought. is this the norm to have this complexity for changing an air filter??

With turbo petrol engines now why anyone would get a diesel is beyond me. Before the turbo era-of course the big turbos were a draw but in the USA is what I mean, why anyone would by a diesel

 

Yes the air filter change on the 530d is a pain in the backside as I found out when I did mine,took me over an hour just to get to it as you have to remove the top engine strut bar and both the microfilter's to get access to one of the torx screw's!

 

Actually it is easier to make power with diesel, before the crackdown in emissions there was the real chance of the manufacturers having a diesel in a sports car.

Diesels can make serious power.

 

In response to your second question,the simple answer is massive torque and mpg figures that you can only dream about with petrol engines.
However,if you are a petrol head ,you just have to test drive a 530d or 535d to appreciate how good the performance is,just forget about RPM.

Regarding your first question,I don't think it's the norm and I don't know why it's such a complex task on the BMW - my DIY oil & filter changes are done in a fraction of the time!

As regards an earlier comment,I would normally change an air filter every 36,000 miles or 36 months under "normal" environmental conditions,whether petrol or diesel.

 

Thanks for the comments. I actually had my 530d remapped which increased the power to 280bhp and 450lb ft of torque so it is plenty quick enough. I just have a feeling the air filter has never been changed and I've heard that it can make up to 30 bhp difference by having a clean filter. I think I'll get a local garage to put a new filter in.