Well there have been things I have done to my Jeep that worked out really well or were a non-issue and just worked as they were advertised, and then there are those things that are nothing short of a nightmare.
My K&N FIPK has given me nothing but trouble since I bought it; first off I spent a lot of money but thought it was worth it. (I bought into the hype) secondly I thought the thing would provide more power etc but at most it really just makes noise (Which is ok) but I have had it on my 96 5.2 and now my 98 5.9 and it just doesn't measure up to all the hype. Of course there is the filter testing that has been done and if anyone has seen the outcome to that you have to admit it makes you think maybe it wasn't such a great upgrade. In theory it should be a good upgrade but they make claims that just don't hold water. The filter is not a good filtering unit; I'll go as far as to say it's generally bad as far as filtering dirt. The plastic tube is just a piece of junk that may have been designed well but the quality of their manufacturing isn't worth the money to say the least. My first tube was not molded correctly and rubbed the hood liner really bad; they all do to some degree or another but this was because it was a bad mold. You could see how it was off. The replacement they sent had an issue with the ring that slips over the Intake; it was loose but it mounted so I ignored it. The other day I'm changing out the cap and rotor (Those of you with 5.2's or 5.9's know this is a pain to do)
I removed the tube to get a better angle on removing the cap; when I go to re-install the tube I see the ring is completely loose and part is out of the molding. So I try for the better part of an hour to get that band back up into it's place and it's impossible. It's like putting a square peg in a round hole! Since I have no other vehicle I have to make this work somehow; so I pull the band out and re-install it upside down. Sounds strange but it did work; although I'm sure it's not a tight seal. Truthfully it never really did seal completely in my mind anyways but now it's worse. Also there were a couple places where the band mounts inside the tube where plastic had obviously broken away; I can only guess that it's now in my intake somewhere? All this and what I paid? You would think you should expect more; charge me what you will but at least give me a quality product. It's my choice to spend the money or not.
So I contact a guy named Thomas Walden at K&N; this is the same guy that sent me the first replacement. I have tried and tried to get a hold of him and can't get a reply from him or customer service; when I call I get a voice mail or someone who will have him return my call. So basically I have nothing.
I will not own another K&N product; too expensive and it doesn't filter anywhere near like they claim it does. On top of that to add insult to injury their quality isn't there. I take care of what I have; I didn't throw it around the yard and blame them for my mistake. This is a quality issue they are very aware of. The first thing Thomas asked me when I called him about the first tube was if it was the band; he told me that they are having a lot of issues with it coming loose. Strangely my first one was locked in there tight.
If anyone is using this I would check it; even if you think it's ok. When the band comes loose from the plastic there will be plastic that will break off and go right into the intake.
I'm seriously thinking about going back to the original filter box; I really haven't seen any intakes that are worth the money they want for them. Plus I feel stupid paying $250-300 for one of these and truth be known it's probably not helping my engine as far as filtering anyways.
My K&N FIPK has given me nothing but trouble since I bought it; first off I spent a lot of money but thought it was worth it. (I bought into the hype) secondly I thought the thing would provide more power etc but at most it really just makes noise (Which is ok) but I have had it on my 96 5.2 and now my 98 5.9 and it just doesn't measure up to all the hype. Of course there is the filter testing that has been done and if anyone has seen the outcome to that you have to admit it makes you think maybe it wasn't such a great upgrade. In theory it should be a good upgrade but they make claims that just don't hold water. The filter is not a good filtering unit; I'll go as far as to say it's generally bad as far as filtering dirt. The plastic tube is just a piece of junk that may have been designed well but the quality of their manufacturing isn't worth the money to say the least. My first tube was not molded correctly and rubbed the hood liner really bad; they all do to some degree or another but this was because it was a bad mold. You could see how it was off. The replacement they sent had an issue with the ring that slips over the Intake; it was loose but it mounted so I ignored it. The other day I'm changing out the cap and rotor (Those of you with 5.2's or 5.9's know this is a pain to do)
I removed the tube to get a better angle on removing the cap; when I go to re-install the tube I see the ring is completely loose and part is out of the molding. So I try for the better part of an hour to get that band back up into it's place and it's impossible. It's like putting a square peg in a round hole! Since I have no other vehicle I have to make this work somehow; so I pull the band out and re-install it upside down. Sounds strange but it did work; although I'm sure it's not a tight seal. Truthfully it never really did seal completely in my mind anyways but now it's worse. Also there were a couple places where the band mounts inside the tube where plastic had obviously broken away; I can only guess that it's now in my intake somewhere? All this and what I paid? You would think you should expect more; charge me what you will but at least give me a quality product. It's my choice to spend the money or not.
So I contact a guy named Thomas Walden at K&N; this is the same guy that sent me the first replacement. I have tried and tried to get a hold of him and can't get a reply from him or customer service; when I call I get a voice mail or someone who will have him return my call. So basically I have nothing.
I will not own another K&N product; too expensive and it doesn't filter anywhere near like they claim it does. On top of that to add insult to injury their quality isn't there. I take care of what I have; I didn't throw it around the yard and blame them for my mistake. This is a quality issue they are very aware of. The first thing Thomas asked me when I called him about the first tube was if it was the band; he told me that they are having a lot of issues with it coming loose. Strangely my first one was locked in there tight.
If anyone is using this I would check it; even if you think it's ok. When the band comes loose from the plastic there will be plastic that will break off and go right into the intake.
I'm seriously thinking about going back to the original filter box; I really haven't seen any intakes that are worth the money they want for them. Plus I feel stupid paying $250-300 for one of these and truth be known it's probably not helping my engine as far as filtering anyways.