- 07/19/2018
- 1 Min Read
- By: Mansur Wisaa
How To Replace Your Engine Air Filter - Audi/VW (Jetta, Passat, GTI, A3, TT, Tiguan, CC, Q3)
If you have an MK6 GTI, you probably already understand why it's important to change out the engine air filter regularly. Here's how to do it:
The engine air filter is responsible for filtering the air that enters the intake before it has a chance to reach the throttle body or turbo. Why is this important? If you have a damaged air filter or no air filter at all, any small dirt, debris, leaves, or other foreign materials brought in through the intake would directly enter your throttle body or turbo and potentially lead to catastrophic failure. If your engine air filter is dirty and clogged up, air flow to the engine would suffer, potentially resulting in poor fuel economy, rough idle, and other symptoms of a "choking" engine.
We recommended that you change out the engine air filter every 30k-40k miles, or every tune-up. It's an easy and inexpensive item to replace that gives you peace of mind and prolongs the life of your engine.
What You'll Need
- Engine Air Filter
- T25 Torx bit or socket
- Driver or ratchet
Let's Get Started
On your MK6 GTI, the air box is located just behind the intake on the driver side of the car. There are six T25 screws holding the air box cover to the bottom half of the box. These screws are attached to the air box cover, so there's no need to take them completely out.
Once you've loosened those six screws, remove the breather tube at the front of the box. This may be difficult at first, but it will come out with a little force. Compress the sides of the tube and it should slide right off.
There are two remaining T25 screws at the back of the air box that secure the tubing before the mass air flow sensor. Again, these screws are not meant to be completely removed, just loosened from the bottom half of the box.
With all the fasteners loosened and the breather tube disconnected, you should be able to lift the air box cover out of the way, exposing the air filter. Once you've removed the old air filter, it's a good idea to wipe down the inside of the air box and clean out any debris or leaves that may have found their way in.
At last, drop your new engine air filter into place. Reassembly is the reverse of removal. Simply snug down all 8 of the T25 fasteners and be sure to reconnect the breather hose before closing the hood.
For the full technique, check out the DIY below, and don't forget to subscribe for new DIYS every week.
We recommend that you use a quality OE or OEM air filter. In our case, Volkswagen uses Mann as their genuine engine air filter so we installed a Mann filter.
Take the car for a quick drive and ensure that everything is operating as usual. With this easy preventative maintenance, your MK6 GTI will have clean air for miles to come!
