you don't need to jack up the car, you don't need to remove the wheel, and you don't need to chop into the core support.

just turn your wheel, remove 5 pop rivets, and presto. yes, its quite easy.

 

to defuse the e-dickmeasuring contest that this has become, mjd240, you can choose whatever way you want to get the filter in front of the blower (wheel well, snake between blower & core support, or modify core support to provide more clearance).

regardless of which method you choose, the reason your filter is getting deformed/smooshed is because of the tight fit between the blower and the AC condenser lines. if you're careful, the filter won't get deformed too much. and if it is, it really isn't a big deal anyway. just take your time.

 

So taking off entire core support everytime i need to change my filter is frowned upon eh?

 

Thank you everyone. I will print out this post and take it to my mechanic. I will then reply here the method used for my 2nd G35 2005 Vortech Coupe airfilter change. I wish somebody would post a video on youtube so I could learn to do it myself.