Burger's Cowl Filters are pretty simple to install. Very straight forward. I've always wanted them on my N54 but never got around to installing them on my e90 because I picked up a e92 M3.
I searched the forum for anyone that has these installed. There are a few. I also noticed a few unanswered questions for installing these on a M car.
Tools needed:
8mm Socket
Small Flathead Screwdriver (optional)
Ziptie (optional)
Vacuum and cleaning supplies (optional)
1) Pop the hood, there are 3 8mm bolts on each side. Passengers is pretty straight forward. Lucky for us we don't have to relocate the sensor that sits infront of the passenger cover (I believe it's a recirculator sensor?)
When removing the driver's side, be gentle with removing the cover- Do you see the little black nipple coming out of the cover? That's the hood sensor!
Once both covers are pulled... It's time to be shocked at how many leaves/debris is under the covers! This is the time to clean!
2) Many have asked on the board about the hood sensor. What do we do with it? How do we remove it? My dash will always think the hood is up!
First disconnect the harness from the sensor. It does not need to be pried off with a flathead, you will damage it and it will be loose! Once you remove the harness, look for the two tabs that keep the sensor in the cover. Squeeze these and slide the sensor out.
Once the sensor is off the cover, reattached the harness. We are going to relocate this under the large cowl. You will need to remove the two rubber tabs and another 8mm bolt. Ziptie (optional) the sensor loosely to one of the brake lines or whatever you feel is safe under the cowl.
Now the most important thing!
You will need to turn the sensor off or the car will think you are driving away with the hood unlatched!
The nipple on the sensor acts as the trigger. It stays down when the hood is closed. With the sensor is open position, pull it up slightly until you hear/feel a click. THIS IS OFF POSITION.
3) Install the filters- IMPORTANT, in order to keep water out you have to make sure the LARGER SIDE is on the top.. pointing into the car.
Bolt them in. You'll have 2 extra bolts, one for each side. Bolt those back in to the cowl so you don't lose them.
Before:
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After:
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Excuse the pollen/dust build up. I didn't clean the engine bay yet!
My review of the filters. They are nice and I can tell they will keep stuff from getting into the cabin intake. My OEM filters were pretty gross with over 60k on them. People complain that the BMW filters do have carbon and don't work. But I honestly don't think the carbon will last long anyways. The filters seem pretty easy to clean, similar to a reusable intake filter.
I mainly got them out of curiosity and I needed to replace my filters. They were similar in price. Now- will I keep them? Maybe for a few months until I finish my cowl cover project (going to be sanding the covers down to smooth and wrap/paint them)
I did notice cabin noise to be a bit louder. I can hear my intake pretty clear (AA Green Filter). I prefer a pretty dead silent car, so I'm ocd with noise. This is the only reason why I might be pulling them out. Now this is also the biggest reason people install these! They want the added car noise.
Water test! I soaked the car with a hose while I did a quick quick wash (we've been in hurricane season all week here). The filters were dry to touch. It rained a good amount this week, flooding etc etc. Still dry. So to everyone that was worried about leaks, they are non existent.
Very long write up for such a simple install, but I hope I answered some questions that were left unanswered on alot of M3 Cowl filter threads!