K&N is basically an oil bath cleaner without the puddle of oil at the bottom. The the mesh may stop large particles, but the oil is holding the vast amount of the dirt. Without the pink oil, its just a really bad cloth filter... the oil does all of the work.
I have both wire and horsehair oil bath air filters and they both work fine.. the motors they have been attached to are still running (I know that means little).
I read a stat that the average age of a car in the US is over 11 years old... that means that there are cars on the road significantly longer than 11 years (my Jeep ZJ is 18 years old, 172000 miles).
I think the biggest advancement in engine life was detergent motor oil. PVC systems are as old as detergent oil, but detergent oil was not really standard until the 50's.
