Does anyone use the BMS Cowl Filters?

[BMW135pls]

After removing the engine cowl every time I've done work inside the engine bay, I have come to dread having to remove/replace the cowl and associated bits moreso than the work itself. I greatly appreciate the idea of removing it altogether. I came upon the BMS Cowl Filter replacement filters, and they look like just what I'd want. And hey, if it makes the engine tone louder and help the bay circulate better, that's an added bonus. Does anyone here use these? Any feedback? Does the kit come with replacement screws? I accidentally may have... "misplaced" one or two of the screws somewhere... in the engine bay... by accident

http://www.burgertuning.com/cowl_fil...w_135_335.html

[Mernardi]

I use them and have no complaints. No replacement screws are provided. Engine noise is definitely increased. Makes working under the hood much easier.

I have the BMS intake installed on my N55. Haven't had any issues in the rain, but if using a spray wash water does get into the engine bay. I typically just put some paper towels around the intake filter to catch any water. I'm 99% sure that there would never be enough water from a wash to get in and cause a problem, but I'm paranoid. Also, good excuse to clean your engine bay/hood after a wash

My brother has them on his E92 335xi with DCI and has no issues either.

[BMW135pls]

Originally Posted by Mernardi

I use them and have no complaints. No replacement screws are provided. Engine noise is definitely increased. Makes working under the hood much easier.

I have the BMS intake installed on my N55. Haven't had any issues in the rain, but if using a spray wash water does get into the engine bay. I typically just put some paper towels around the intake filter to catch any water. I'm 99% sure that there would never be enough water from a wash to get in and cause a problem, but I'm paranoid. Also, good excuse to clean your engine bay/hood after a wash

My brother has them on his E92 335xi with DCI and has no issues either.

Cool, thanks. That kind of sucks that the windshield spray gets into the engine bay. I do use it fairly frequently. I was thinking this was a straight upgrade, but there is at least one downside that I will have to think about. The wash won't damage anything will it? Does it leave a residue? So you can't really use a drive thru carwash either I'd imagine, for the same reason unless you do like you do and stuff paper towels under the hood.

[Mernardi]

Originally Posted by BMW135pls

Cool, thanks. That kind of sucks that the windshield spray gets into the engine bay. I do use it fairly frequently. I was thinking this was a straight upgrade, but there is at least one downside that I will have to think about. The wash won't damage anything will it? Does it leave a residue? So you can't really use a drive thru carwash either I'd imagine, for the same reason unless you do like you do and stuff paper towels under the hood.

You mean windshield washer fluid? Honestly never thought to check if it gets in. I only really use my washer/wipers at speed and don't think it should be a concern.

Could a car wash cause damage with these? Technically yes. Definitely make sure your DME is sealed correctly. I haven't seen water get near my coils or anything.

After washing my car dozens and dozens of times with these on, I'm 99% sure you would be fine with a hand wash or spray wash (even without stuffing paper towels anywhere). I simply do this because it a. takes 2 seconds and b. makes sure I wipe down my engine bay/hood to make things all pretty. I never use drive thru washes as I am kind of OCD about my car/paint haha. That would be something you would have to test.

[BMW135pls]

Man, this sounds riskier than I thought. I mean it sounds like even if it's just raining you have to be worrying about water/corrosion in the engine bay. What's funny is I've never seen water on the cowl, so why would removing the cowl cause water to get in?

[user2688]

I'll throw in my two cents...

First off, I absolutely love the sound in the cabin without the cowl, and especially with intakes and a blow off the sound is amazing. Also, working under the hood is a lot easier and you won't end up wasting two hours looking for a screw from the cowl filter that fell into the engine bay.

However, I see two potential issues with this mod that have so far kept me from taking the leap.

1) Cooling: By removing the cowl you are effectively removing the seal between the engine bay and the base of the windshield. It is the same issue as installing hood spacers. Look it up and you will find that in many instances this has made cooling worse. I think that the reason behind this is that when you are moving forward the base of the windshield is actually a HIGH pressure zone and this could force the air into the engine bay from there. This causes the air to move in the opposite direction that it should. Again, hearsay but I remember reading up on that and there might even be a thread regarding this issue on here...
So far, I knew about this one:
http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/garag...swer-here.html

2) Water: Again, if BMW put that cowl there, they did it for a reason. If you have the cowl on, open your hood and spray some water on the windshield. Look at where the water flows: to the sides and then into the water drainage holes. Without the cowl, water from the middle of the windshield can go directly into the engine bay. Also, there's a rubber liner between the car's body and where the contact with the cowl would be. Water gets in there and stays there. Long term... rust? Water + metal and prolonged exposure?

Last but not least, what do you think happens in winter when there's a s**t ton of snow on your windshield and it starts melting? where is it going to go? How raised are those holes for the filters? If you get a lot of snow I don't see how you WON'T get snow on your filters. Melting snow.

Unless they come up with a solution to fix the water drainage problem and the air flow disruption (maybe a smaller plastic cowl?). I'm staying out of it. I really really like the idea of having the cowl off though. For now, it will be for only a quick joyride before putting the cowl back on after an install.


Again, this is my personal opinion and I may be wrong. Do some reading on it and decide for yourself.

[Mernardi]

As far as cooling goes, I have no issues. FBO N55 that often sees drag strips, road courses and autoX. Could there be a loss in cooling? Maybe, but I would guess it's minimal. My IAT's in logs are good. My oil temp never goes above 240.

Living in Chicago, I see plenty of snow. Being an N55, my filter is raised. Never had any issue since install. I do make an effort to reach in and remove the snow between the hood/window when brushing off my car. The DCI with N54, someone else will have to chime in. My brother's E92 does not see the light of day during winter so I have no idea.

It's all about personal preference. The risk to me is minimal. I see no rust or cause for concern with my car. If you live in a dry climate, I would think it's a no brainer though.

[Enfiftyfore]

I have an N54 with BMS cowls and DCI. No issues here so far. I really doubt that you could ever introduce (unintentionally) enough water during a wash to affect anything. The ease of access is awesome.

[rhodesman]

I have these as well. I actually went and got the E9x M3 cowls to replace the E8/9x cowl on top of getting the BMS filters. The M3 cowl still uses the gutters to filter water to the sides instead of down the engine bay. I think it's the perfect match. The M3 cowls are light plastic and conform to those two cross beams that attach to the strut towers so they don't intrude on the engine bay and keep the aesthetics of the engine bay, "sporty".

If water getting into the HVAC is a concern, you can get the M3 filter housings and filters as well. I'm considering that myself only because the car wash does pucker up my bum-hole a little seeing all that water go surging down. Furthermore, I do daily my car and this summer has been monsoon crazy! Since my car sits outside while I'm at work, I get a little "worried" about all that water raining down.

All in all, I've had no issues regardless, it's just a bit disconcerting either way. I've also been toying with 3D printing some gutters for the BMS filters, however my 3D printer isn't big enough to print them and the makerbot printer near me just closed down.

So if anyone has a larger format printer that can print the gutters, I have a near complete 3D CAD of the filter gutters that will prevent the water running down the windscreen and splashing up onto/into the filters.

Also to respond to what other commenters have said: The M3 cowl is the best of both worlds: water drainage as BMW intended and the lovely sounds you get with the DCI. So Again, M3 cowls FTW, M3 HVAC filters: if you really don't want to worry about it, ever again.

[bobbydupps]

I have the cowl filters and no issues. Plenty of washes and plently of rain and no problem at all. I didn't notice any difference in iats after the install, my ic does a good job so cooling is not an issue. Sound is amazing in the cabin, and not having to deal with removing the stock cowl every time u need to work on the car is a huge plus. Buy them.

[BMW135pls]

I emailed BMS about it, and they got back to me with this: "The cowl upgrade is considered a race part, so should be used in summer times. I haven't seen issue in the car wash or the rain, but when it snows then it could be an issue."

I find it weird how they say it's considered a "race part" when the product description implies that with these filters in place "removing the cowl isn't only for race cars" but I'd have to imagine it's the result of a PR reflex. Well I went and ordered them and the replacement OEM screws. Can't wait to hear what the engine sounds like with the cowl deleted!

[Boosted_N54]

Originally Posted by user2688

I'll throw in my two cents...

First off, I absolutely love the sound in the cabin without the cowl, and especially with intakes and a blow off the sound is amazing. Also, working under the hood is a lot easier and you won't end up wasting two hours looking for a screw from the cowl filter that fell into the engine bay.

However, I see two potential issues with this mod that have so far kept me from taking the leap.

1) Cooling: By removing the cowl you are effectively removing the seal between the engine bay and the base of the windshield. It is the same issue as installing hood spacers. Look it up and you will find that in many instances this has made cooling worse. I think that the reason behind this is that when you are moving forward the base of the windshield is actually a HIGH pressure zone and this could force the air into the engine bay from there. This causes the air to move in the opposite direction that it should. Again, hearsay but I remember reading up on that and there might even be a thread regarding this issue on here...
So far, I knew about this one:
http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/garag...swer-here.html

2) Water: Again, if BMW put that cowl there, they did it for a reason. If you have the cowl on, open your hood and spray some water on the windshield. Look at where the water flows: to the sides and then into the water drainage holes. Without the cowl, water from the middle of the windshield can go directly into the engine bay. Also, there's a rubber liner between the car's body and where the contact with the cowl would be. Water gets in there and stays there. Long term... rust? Water + metal and prolonged exposure?

Last but not least, what do you think happens in winter when there's a s**t ton of snow on your windshield and it starts melting? where is it going to go? How raised are those holes for the filters? If you get a lot of snow I don't see how you WON'T get snow on your filters. Melting snow.

Unless they come up with a solution to fix the water drainage problem and the air flow disruption (maybe a smaller plastic cowl?). I'm staying out of it. I really really like the idea of having the cowl off though. For now, it will be for only a quick joyride before putting the cowl back on after an install.


Again, this is my personal opinion and I may be wrong. Do some reading on it and decide for yourself.

I have the bms filter on.

i agree to whatever you say expect 1 cooling?

it actually helps having the cowl removed. all the heat trapped under the hood to escape if you remove the cowl .

[weeeee]

Do you have part numbers or a link for the m3 pieces you installed?

Originally Posted by rhodesman

I have these as well. I actually went and got the E9x M3 cowls to replace the E8/9x cowl on top of getting the BMS filters. The M3 cowl still uses the gutters to filter water to the sides instead of down the engine bay. I think it's the perfect match. The M3 cowls are light plastic and conform to those two cross beams that attach to the strut towers so they don't intrude on the engine bay and keep the aesthetics of the engine bay, "sporty".

If water getting into the HVAC is a concern, you can get the M3 filter housings and filters as well. I'm considering that myself only because the car wash does pucker up my bum-hole a little seeing all that water go surging down. Furthermore, I do daily my car and this summer has been monsoon crazy! Since my car sits outside while I'm at work, I get a little "worried" about all that water raining down.

All in all, I've had no issues regardless, it's just a bit disconcerting either way. I've also been toying with 3D printing some gutters for the BMS filters, however my 3D printer isn't big enough to print them and the makerbot printer near me just closed down.

So if anyone has a larger format printer that can print the gutters, I have a near complete 3D CAD of the filter gutters that will prevent the water running down the windscreen and splashing up onto/into the filters.

Also to respond to what other commenters have said: The M3 cowl is the best of both worlds: water drainage as BMW intended and the lovely sounds you get with the DCI. So Again, M3 cowls FTW, M3 HVAC filters: if you really don't want to worry about it, ever again.

[rhodesman]

Originally Posted by weeeee

Do you have part numbers or a link for the m3 pieces you installed?

I posted them here before...

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1143277

Look about half way down the thread, I respond with the part numbers that include just the cowls or the whole enchilada including the filters, housings and bolts.

Cheers!

[BMW135pls]

Ok, I just installed my cabin filters. What do I do with the two sensors that were attached to the OE cowl? The BMS install guide doesn't say what to do with them. Do I just leave them flopping around somewhere? And the electrical conduits that lay over the engine, just leave them laying there on top of the engine cover? Can't they overheat and melt?

[Mernardi]

Place or zip tie the sensors out of the way.

I have nothing melting under my hood lol.

[Juggernaut135i]

Just installed mine. I'm checking it after every drive. Still figuring out how I want to mount the wires hoses and plastic thing. Any pictures of how you guys did it would be great. Sorry to bring up an old thread. I did notice heat waves coming out which obviously means it's sucking in hot air through the cabin. But down in Florida it's either windows down or A/C on. I'm also gonna have my vinyl wrap guy wrap the ECU box in black for looks and extra protection against rain and dirt.

[WDE82]

Well this is what the cowl can prevent from getting in your engine bay. I wouldn't use these filters if the car spends its life outside.

[04mazdaspeed]

I have the cowl filters on mine as well. Love the sound. I don't drive the car in rain,snow, or heavy winds so its great for me. Even when I wash the car I don't notice any extra water sitting in the engine bay.

[YearOneOne]

Originally Posted by WDE82

Well this is what the cowl can prevent from getting in your engine bay. I wouldn't use these filters if the car spends its life outside.

No one told you to park under trees ?????

[WDE82]

I don't. It's from the PO, I guess.

[gmagnus7]

They work great, sound great, and I still have water drainage from trimming the stock cowl. Makes the BOV and spool audible with windows up now, it was fairly quiet before.