Engine air filter removal broke housing plastic piece

[spindlewood]

No one in the Q5 thread had an answer for this. Hoping someone here can.

I watched a couple of youtube videos to replace the engine air filter on my sq5. Seemed simple as **** right? Just undo the torx screws, loosen the clips, and rotate the air filter to take it out. Just a friction fit.

It wouldn't budge. Twist and twist, no luck. Rock a bit. No luck. Finally with a bit of force twist and yank and you guessed it... the sound of broken plastic. It looks like it came from the very back of the air box housing. It looks like it's there to make life difficult and catch the lip of the filter. Not sure. Hopefully pics show it well enough.

What is this piece of plastic for and do I need it at all? It seems obvious that I don't... but just checking.

Note that the plastic piece broke off of the car's air housing, not the filter. The Pic with the piece next to the filter was my wife's mockup of where she envisioned the piece resting in relation to the filter when installed.

[18GlacierS4]

Looks like its time for a cold air intake

[SHCKR]

No one in the Q5 thread had an answer for this. Hoping someone here can.

I watched a couple of youtube videos to replace the engine air filter on my sq5. Seemed simple as **** right? Just undo the torx screws, loosen the clips, and rotate the air filter to take it out. Just a friction fit.

It wouldn't budge. Twist and twist, no luck. Rock a bit. No luck. Finally with a bit of force twist and yank and you guessed it... the sound of broken plastic. It looks like it came from the very back of the air box housing. It looks like it's there to make life difficult and catch the lip of the filter. Not sure. Hopefully pics show it well enough.

What is this piece of plastic for and do I need it at all? It seems obvious that I don't... but just checking.

Note that the plastic piece broke off of the car's air housing, not the filter. The Pic with the piece next to the filter was my wife's mockup of where she envisioned the piece resting in relation to the filter when installed.

The hook on the air filter connects to that loop when you twist the filter in place. It serves to secure the filter in place. Reach out to me if yours won't stay on, I have a spare airbox with that piece intact, we might be able to work something out. Unless I'm looking at the picture wrong.