i had my car serviced and they didnt care about me not having the charcoal filter.. unless they just didnt notice it.

 

I don't think it really matters since ECF's car was tuned by Dinan and found the charcoal filter missing too..

 

I've already done this mod. This is what I have found:

Car engine sounds louder than normal
Engine becomes more much more responsive BUT
There was no significant improvement felt in HP.

 

Hi guys,

Really quick, the charcoal filter in my 07 550i looks like it's been welded or melted at the 4 corners inside the top of the air box. I took a flathead and tried to pry/break the seals at the corners but it didn't budge and if I had put any more force on it, it may damage the box. What other tools did you guys use to remove the filter? Thanks a lot!

Dan

 

That's odd. Did you try prying it around the corners first? Mine looked the same, but with a little tug in the corners, it started to come out and eventually popped where the latches were in the corners.

 

Yeah! I even poked at the corners with the flathead but the melted plastic seemed to be too hard. Maybe it's just because I'm a weak ass or something. HA~! all that power and torque in the car and I don't even have a little manliness to back that up, sheesh! I'll try it again tonight with more power. Thanks again!

Dan

 

Hmm, mine was tough to pry open too, but keep trying. It might/ might not work

 

Actually I got it off. It took some muscle strength and finesse to get it off but I did it. I can't really compare it to anything since I had the car for 2 days before taking off the filter but whatever. If I have some extra nickels and dimes left I'll throw in a K&N filter as well.

Dan

 

so removing charcoal filter = improvement, then changing stock air filter to k&n filter = additional improvement??

 

Yep. It won't be drastic, but it's better. Do the mod. It's cheap ($40) and worth it. And removing the CF is free.