New Replacement Fuel Filter Gives Massive Performance Gains

I changed the fuel filter on my VW Golf at the weekend. It was a job I'd not be able to do along with the rest of the service due to difficulty accessing the fuel filter under the car. Having managed to borrow the vehicle lift at a garage I was easily able to replace the fuel filter. I wasn't expecting a massive difference but wanted to replace the fuel filter as there was no record of a recent change despite the oil being changed several times over the last few years.

When I removed the fuel filter the colour of the fuel that came out from the tank side was pretty horrific, extremely dirty and black. The outside shell of the old fuel filter was very corroded and the bolts were very tough to undo with one breaking rather than releasing, all giving more indication that the fuel filter had not been changed for a very long time. The official recommendation from VW is for 20,000 mile changes but the car has 177,000 miles on the clock and I doubt the fuel filter has been changed since 100,000 miles.

The drive to work today was the first proper opportunity I'd had to experience the car following the fuel filter being changed. To say I was shocked by the performance difference is an understatement!