[deadmn1337]

Originally Posted by jazze90

It is a bad idea to remove the cowl. The cowl serves a purpose of keeping toxic fumes out of your driver area and diverts water around important electrical parts in the engine bay like the ECU compartment. Unless you enjoy breathing in fumes from the engine bay on a daily basis I would not recommend running this at all.

I drive with the windows open all the time and have no ill affects or smells coming in that way. My A/C is always on recirculate so never get any smells that way either. The ecu is in a box that is water proof so any minor water that goes in that area isn't going to affect anything unless you have a large problem like rats chewing on wires and exposing them.

If you don't like trust it then don't trust it but spreading false claims of having problems is stupid. I know guys that have been running without a cowl for years and have had no problems. Find one guys that has a problem due to the cowl being off.

[jayzF30]

Actually a local car just recently had to replace his AC motor. Water got in through the passenger side air filter opening. It is not a cheap part to replace.

[C.Pop]

Originally Posted by jazze90

Actually a local car just recently had to replace his AC motor. Water got in through the passenger side air filter opening. It is not a cheap part to replace.

I assume you mean blower motor, not A/C compressor. The blower is easily seen through the passenger side cabin air intake vent once the cowl is removed. If so...

This is a very common occurence, but it has nothing to do with the cowl, lack thereof, or BMS filters. It has to do with a small rubber gasket/seal that adheres to the bottom of the windshield, and is typically left off by windshield replacement companies.

Instead of allowing water to run off to the drain, it lets the water run straight down into your blower motor. This even with the cowl on. Yes, it is expensive to replace. No, it has nothing to do with the cowl.

It's worth looking into this if you've had your windshield replaced. I live in AZ, we rarely get rain, but just me washing the car was enough to make the blower motor fail due to water dripping directly on it. FWIW, BMW won't warranty it if they see signs of water damage. I got the windshield company to pay for it after explaining what happened to them and having the local dealer back me up. Evidently I was one of about 50 in the Phoenix area with this problem, lol. The gasket was a measely $12. This was all with the cowl on 100% of the time.

It's worth understanding the real problem before making an assumption and spreading false theories presented as fact. I realize that you had good intentions, but you are incorrect as to the cause for your friends problem. Hope this cleared it up.

[MDORPHN]

And if you have toxic fumes wafting from your engine compartment, something is wrong with your car.

Neil

[Johnny Boost]

Originally Posted by C.Pop

I assume you mean blower motor, not A/C compressor. The blower is easily seen through the passenger side cabin air intake vent once the cowl is removed. If so...

This is a very common occurence, but it has nothing to do with the cowl, lack thereof, or BMS filters. It has to do with a small rubber gasket/seal that adheres to the bottom of the windshield, and is typically left off by windshield replacement companies.

Instead of allowing water to run off to the drain, it lets the water run straight down into your blower motor. This even with the cowl on. Yes, it is expensive to replace. No, it has nothing to do with the cowl.

It's worth looking into this if you've had your windshield replaced. I live in AZ, we rarely get rain, but just me washing the car was enough to make the blower motor fail due to water dripping directly on it. FWIW, BMW won't warranty it if they see signs of water damage. I got the windshield company to pay for it after explaining what happened to them and having the local dealer back me up. Evidently I was one of about 50 in the Phoenix area with this problem, lol. The gasket was a measely $12. This was all with the cowl on 100% of the time.

It's worth understanding the real problem before making an assumption and spreading false theories presented as fact. I realize that you had good intentions, but you are incorrect as to the cause for your friends problem. Hope this cleared it up.

[nailer335]

Originally Posted by LaVerita

+1

doesnt removing the cowl mean you cant drive in rain?

Fwiw I have driven with no cowl for about 1.5 years now, rain or shine, and haven't had a problem yet.

[medvec04]

Same here I've been driving around with mine off for about a year and no problems and I live in Florida where it pours during the summer

[glachhman]

Originally Posted by C.Pop

I assume you mean blower motor, not A/C compressor. The blower is easily seen through the passenger side cabin air intake vent once the cowl is removed. If so...

This is a very common occurence, but it has nothing to do with the cowl, lack thereof, or BMS filters. It has to do with a small rubber gasket/seal that adheres to the bottom of the windshield, and is typically left off by windshield replacement companies.

Instead of allowing water to run off to the drain, it lets the water run straight down into your blower motor. This even with the cowl on. Yes, it is expensive to replace. No, it has nothing to do with the cowl.

It's worth looking into this if you've had your windshield replaced. I live in AZ, we rarely get rain, but just me washing the car was enough to make the blower motor fail due to water dripping directly on it. FWIW, BMW won't warranty it if they see signs of water damage. I got the windshield company to pay for it after explaining what happened to them and having the local dealer back me up. Evidently I was one of about 50 in the Phoenix area with this problem, lol. The gasket was a measely $12. This was all with the cowl on 100% of the time.

It's worth understanding the real problem before making an assumption and spreading false theories presented as fact. I realize that you had good intentions, but you are incorrect as to the cause for your friends problem. Hope this cleared it up.

Funny you post this, I had the same problem. When I bought my used e90, the bottom of the windshield has several runs of electrical tape going across over the bottom trim. Looked further into it, looks like the windshield was replaced and the place that did it, left off the trim that goes on the bottom edge. Nothing a little ingenuity and common sense can't fix though.

[AWil335i]

Washed my car for the first time today since installing the filters. I just did my normal wash... didn't try to avoid the area and didn't try to force water down there either. Ran a drying cloth over it quickly then popped the hood. Nothing really in the engine compartment.

[straightcashhomie]

just installed my bms cowl filters. quality is great. turbos sound 100 times better

[lol slow]

Bought these before reading thread, but you live and you learn. So to help out, I'll run these, wash my car and show some pics as well. My filter is gross and old, I also had some issues putting my cowl and all that plastic stuff back on and it ended up snapping a few of the "clip" area where you put the screws in to hold the filter in place and stuff...so this is a great alternative for my situation.

[poison ramen]

I was really curious about these and went ahead and bought the DCI and Cowl filters from BMS. One of the benefits I saw with running without the cowl was that the engine bay seemed a lot cooler, even after a long drive. But after a couple of weeks, the novelty of hearing the turbo's spool up quickly wore off for me; so I ended up going back to stock.

[G35350z]

This sounds relatively safe from rain & washing the car... but how about snow?
Snow would build up/freeze and stay there rather than run off or evaporate.

Hmm.. I'll probably just wait til spring.

[C.Pop]

If you're in a super cold climate, why are you worrying about engine bay cooling anyway? Regardless, unless you're performing rather short drives with snow piled up, I'd think the engine heat would melt any snow that you'd gather there. These things don't run exactly cool.

[G35350z]

Originally Posted by C.Pop

If you're in a super cold climate, why are you worrying about engine bay cooling anyway? Regardless, unless you're performing rather short drives with snow piled up, I'd think the engine heat would melt any snow that you'd gather there. These things don't run exactly cool.

Wasn't actually concerned about the engine bay cooling... itd be a novelty item to better hear the turbos/bov

Probably fine though, as long as the heat from engine radiates to the filters.

[lol slow]

quick update on these, I have no pictures but we had some horrible down pours here in Cleveland last week, probably some of the worst rain I've seen yet, couldn't do 25mph without it being sketchy. No issues at all, car ran, preformed and acted the same as usual.

These are mostly for sound, I have to admit the turbo spool is VERY loud now, 3x the normal sound for sure, I adore it.

I always drive with windows down, no smell, nothing of that sort.

I definitely recommend these if you're looking to get more sound out of your car, if you don't care for it, just keep whatever you have.

[stashtrey]

I got a set and the clickety-clack of the fuel injectors and valve train drove me nuts. Not a fan of all the noise. My DCI give me a nice sound without using these. I don't wrench that often so I'm not too worried about tearing the extra stuff off when I need to work on the car.

So... I have a set of nearly brand new BMS cowl filters for sale. Don't even remember what I paid... I think $50?

Make me an offer. Shipping included.

[chevronrob]

Stashtrey, stil fs? Would like to have these. Terry is out of stock

[MDORPHN]

I also have a used pair from the first batch that I used for 2 weeks if anyone is interested. Feel free to pm me.

Neil

[ndq]

Oldish thread.

I just bought mine and installed them. Sound is much nicer. Engine bay is cooler. It's been pouring rain for the last two days here and there's definitely no significant amount of water in the engine bay.

After a long drive in pouring rain I lifted the hood and there were a few drops of water here and there, most of it came from lifting the hood up.

[AlpineSwift]

Love my cowl filters. Frees up so much space under the hood. It's nice being able to just reach something without having to pull any other BS out of the way. Been through a couple nasty snow storms already since installing them and no issues with water at all.

[Torgus]

I like them but they may be for sale soon. I can hear all the ticks and clicks of the N54 which takes away alot of the luxury feel. It is nice hearing the turbos spool more and the BOV...decisions decisions.