Sad cabin air filter housing screws

bravoVictor · 01-03-2025, 06:53 PM

I just replaced my cabin air filter and the receiving side of the screws is a total mess, basically across the board. The screws had torn up the plastic and, well, I didn't make it better. I'm over here looking at RealOEM and I guess I could replace that whole cowl but that seems like a lot. Any suggestions on what to do here? I definitely didn't gorilla it on but it's pretty sad back there.

I saw https://burgertuning.com/collections...s-cowl-filters on a video I was watching, but there's a lot of "yo, these let water into a spot you don't want it, don't do it" out there and I'm not real excited about setting myself up for only being able to order filters from that one vendor.

E93Dude · 01-19-2025, 02:09 PM

I've been running the old Burger Motorsport cowl-delete cabin air filters since 2016. I've had zero/zero issues with water in the engine bay or anywhere else its not supposed to be - but maybe there are others who have. I have no regrets with my decision. And BTW, you do not have to purchase these $49 filters from BMS - they are available on Amazon now for half the price. Look up "B0BCFS6Z98" on Amazon.

The one new option BMS does have now are these same filters but with integrated filter guards if you are really concerned about water getting into your cabin air handling system - but they are not cheap at $88.

Regarding your having torn up the plastic for the receiving end of the screws, you want a self-tapping thread insert kit. Drill out the remainder of the mangled plastic, and insert the brass insert. Search on that term or search its Amazon stock number: B08R61RTJ2. Also, the following thread traces the fix applied by another owner with the exact same problem

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=855681

01-03-2025, 06:53 PM	#1
bravoVictor New Member 5 Rep 8 Posts Drives: 2008 E92 335i Join Date: Oct 2024 Location: Nuevo Mexico iTrader: (0)	Sad cabin air filter housing screws I just replaced my cabin air filter and the receiving side of the screws is a total mess, basically across the board. The screws had torn up the plastic and, well, I didn't make it better. I'm over here looking at RealOEM and I guess I could replace that whole cowl but that seems like a lot. Any suggestions on what to do here? I definitely didn't gorilla it on but it's pretty sad back there. I saw https://burgertuning.com/collections...s-cowl-filters on a video I was watching, but there's a lot of "yo, these let water into a spot you don't want it, don't do it" out there and I'm not real excited about setting myself up for only being able to order filters from that one vendor. __________________ 2008 335i Coupe MT - M sport suspension, JB4 tune, otherwise pretty stock. New to me in 2024, keeping it running and clean!
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01-19-2025, 02:09 PM	#2
E93Dude Lieutenant 419 Rep 470 Posts Drives: 2007 E93 MT6 Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: The Old Dominion iTrader: (0) Garage List 2007 BMW E93 [0.00]	I've been running the old Burger Motorsport cowl-delete cabin air filters since 2016. I've had zero/zero issues with water in the engine bay or anywhere else its not supposed to be - but maybe there are others who have. I have no regrets with my decision. And BTW, you do not have to purchase these $49 filters from BMS - they are available on Amazon now for half the price. Look up "B0BCFS6Z98" on Amazon. The one new option BMS *does* have now are these same filters but *with integrated filter guards* if you are really concerned about water getting into your cabin air handling system - but they are not cheap at $88. Regarding your having torn up the plastic for the receiving end of the screws, you want a self-tapping thread insert kit. Drill out the remainder of the mangled plastic, and insert the brass insert. Search on that term or search its Amazon stock number: B08R61RTJ2. Also, the following thread traces the fix applied by another owner with the exact same problem https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=855681 __________________ BMW: Doing Amazing(ly cheap) Things With Plastic (crap) Since the E90... Last edited by E93Dude; 01-19-2025 at 04:33 PM..
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