OK so I am looking to do an interim service on the car, getting KwikFit to do a brake fluid and oil / filter change for £40 (would cost me that for all the parts, and then a bit more in time, hassle and tools) and then want to do the air filter...

I think its the cone shape one only (fairly sure it is) but does anyone have any recommendations of decent ones that don't cost a fortune, but might improve quality of driving?

The truth is you probably won't notice any difference on a stock car, (new "performance" filter vs new stock/"budget" filter) you may as well fit a cheap pattern filter, because its a new, clean air filter, it flows better than an old, blocked one, (compared to even the most expensive "performance" filters)

So if you fit a budget/ pattern filter, the money saved could be put towards something else IMO

To get a noticable improvement, you really need to fit a tuning box, remap or bluefin, (this would give you your most "bang-for-buck") , an EGR blanking plate/ EGR disabling/ delete makes a small difference (but at low cost) freer flowing exhaust (dpf delete/ decat/ large bore sports system etc)

Once all that has been done, and the air intake is also improved (better parts / gas flowed airbox/ shorter/better boost hoses etc) -

A performance filter may improve the pickup a bit from lower revs

I spent a lot of money/ time/ effort to find out all this stuff / seperate the BS from fact - i run the cheapest pattern air filter i can find - (but change it every 6 months 5k) its about £10

So on balance, i would fit a stock/ pattern filter, and put the money saved towards fuel/ tyres/ essentials or even a remap/ tuning box

Thanks Foca, Cheap pattern it is!

As for the EGR, that is planned to be blanked when I get enough time and decent weather to do so, and as for the tuning box, I was going to get one, but we need to get a place of our own, so that is certainly going to be a last option now unfortunately!

Thankfully, my car doesnt have a DPF either, so that should save some hassle long term!

In case its any help to anyone... Filter was easy to do, slacken the jubilee clip and pull the hose off, undo the torx screws (3 on front, 2 on the rear) pull the casing up and slide the old out, and the new in.

In the event of the 1.6tdci - Ignore the haynes manual, as it suggests that this is a cone shaped filter - its not, it is a panel type as per the 1.8 and 2.0.