Not sure I agree on pouring it on the ground as a good option, especially given the second idea - "gardening with fire" much more in favour of that!
Pouring in with the old engine oil seems best way forward - modern diesels end up doing that a touch when regening (oil level can rise I understand and it's diesel - injected on the exhaust stroke and then getting past the rings? That is topping up the level)
Surprised the tip simply said they "don't want it" - mine must be pretty good as have always told me to either pour in the engine oil, put the bottle in the "non-recyclable" skip or taken it off me directly (and where it goes, I don't know!) When I've taken various bottles, gearbox oil, brake fluid, etc
I can only speak for my self, but i have always changed cabin filters on customers cars.
But i can imagine that less scropulus techs, could throw the new filter in the bin. Eithert they would be out of time och or just lazy..
It isnt always so much fun though. Having to remove a baby seat and a mountain of garbage on a C4 Picasso to get to the filter.
Or when some elderly lady has used the floor as an ashtray on a V50/Focus mk2 (you have to remove the throttlepedal to get to it on LHD cars..)
My own experience has been with cars well out of warranty, which had no doubt been serviced in later years by independent garages (or backyard mechanics) with no particular French car experience.
Mountains of rubbish or fag ash! Yuk! Some folks really do live like animals!
I must have been privileged as my C5 is the most awkward one I've changed this far - from what's described above that was a comparative wall in the park!
Basically the entire filter has to be posted through a slot that's half the size of its smallest dimension (which is why it's in two halves), and needs to bend behind the steering column. It's just the same on a B9 Berlingo, and probably others that share the same platform. In fact on the Berlingo it's even worse as I don't think the panel facing the driver's knees comes off, so it has to be done from below.
See the crumpled mess that the "experts" at Haynes have made of their filter while fitting and removing it...
For location reference, the two black metal lumps are the top pivots of the clutch and brake pedals, the silver diagonal tube is the steering column. There are various lumps of plastic to remove before you get to this point.
It would be easier for a garage than at home on a driveway, as it's so low down so you end up crumpled in a heap on the ground just to see and reach it. If you could raise the car on a ramp, up to waist height it would be much easier.
It sounds like they may have seen sense and moved away from this madness on later cars.
Clearly made for LHD on the Berlingo B9 and Picasso, no pedalbox to be worried about over here.
C3/C4 cactus especially and regular C4 mkI/II are exemplary as the cabin filter is acssesed from the engine bay.
My point is.....if "we" find it difficult to change a filter, Joe mechanic will find it equally difficult and time consuming, and hence may be tempted no to do it, or do it hastily !! Furthermore, mechanics have to work on countless types of cars, models and engines, whereas owners only have to be experts on one model. They are more likely to make mistakes, and likely to cover it up. These are just a sample of the dealer's expert handy work on my C5 and C4 during warranty period servicing:
1. Oil sump drain plug re-fitted without its sealing washer after oil change. Only detected after thousands of miles with the underside of the car covered in oil.
2. Top of fuel filter housing not fully tightened, resulting in the entire engine bay covered in a film of oil. It took ages looking for an engine oil leak before tracking it down to a diesel fuel leak from the filter housing.
3. Car returned from service with trim missing. On complaining, they found it in their rubbish bin, broken.
4. Car returned after 2 tyres fitted. One valve had been replaced by a simple rubber valve. It turned out the mechanic had broken the tyre pressure sensor and told no-one.
5. Worse of all, within 150miles of a main Citroen dealer service(Bristol) , the rear brakes started to squeal. On inspection, the pads were worm completely away to the metal. The squeal was metal on metal. The dealer's excuse was "the schedule does not require us to remove the wheels so we could not check the brake pad wear" - unbelievable!
The lesson is.....if you can do it yourself, do so.
...... The lesson is.....if you can do it yourself, do so
Agree and add two more,
1, XM - windscreen washer pipe trapped in Air filter box thus stopping water flow, and this was just before lending it to a friend for a week!
2, Xantia - I told garage not to change cabin filter, invoice said they had, they produced old one on request, but was not mine, took them out to car, I pulled filter out, "Halfords" , with mileage written in my handwriting! Invoice amended..... But what else was not done.
I had a chuckle at the 'do it yourself' comments
Working in Brum we had behind the workshop an alley that backed onto the houses, we had a guy come and ask how much to service his car, he said "hell no I'll do it myself." an hour later he was shouting over the fence "My cars on fire." boss told him he needed the fire brigade not the garage.
He'd spilled petrol over something hot and set the damned thing aflame............burned to a cinder before it could be put out despite us chucking all our fire extinguishers over to him.
You'd have to be a very special type of stupid to set fire to your car as a result of servicing it!
The point I think we've concluded is that there isn't an all-good option. It's your own competence vs a garage's honesty (or lack of). Lots of garages pay rubbish money and harass their staff to work quickly, so they pretty much create the circumstances for jobs to get skipped.
You should get a few bhp extra after changing that.
Back in my younger days I had a K&N filter, basically a cotton sheet impregnated with sticky oil. They supposedly allow more air to flow as they rely on stickiness rather than obstruction as a paper filter does. There are lots of debates about whether they're an improvement, but I thought so and they definitely sound lovely, as more airflow noise gets back out of the air inlet. Kind of a sucking/whooshing noise. Also some debate about whether they may ruin airflow sensors due to the oil residue, entirely possible but I never had issues. But I'd suggest treating them as disposable, washing them makes a right mess, leaving basically red-dyed animal fat and mineral oil all over the place. Definitely not good for the drains or soil (or the bath in my case!). Plus the cleaner and oil spray costs only a bit less than a new one anyway.
The point I think we've concluded is that there isn't an all-good option. It's your own competence vs a garage's honesty (or lack of). Lots of garages pay rubbish money and harass their staff to work quickly, so they pretty much create the circumstances for jobs to get skipped.
Ah, but the real answer is that all you need to do is call it a hobby and it becomes the good option! All it needs is you to invest you free time, buy tools as required and convince yourself quite how much you enjoyed the hour spent upside down with your head in the footwell, fingers cut to shreds, etc - what a positive fun car fixing session!
on a V50/Focus mk2 (you have to remove the throttlepedal to get to it on LHD cars..)
