Steve, if you clamp the short rubber connector on the rear end of the filter all you can lose is the fuel inside the lifter itself. But the new filter should come with a "cap" on either end mate so having loosened both the jubilee clips pull the connector off the front of the filter and fit one of the caps from the new filter. Swing the front end down and pull the connector off the rear and just put your finger over the end of the filter till you get it out from under the car.
Tony.
@t-tony your advice was most helpful today when I replaced the fuel filter
.
I disconnected the battery,just to be on the safe side and then set to.
Couldn't find anything small enough to use as a hose clamp so I just went for it,expecting to get sprayed in petrol.
But nothing apart from a drip or two from the inlet side
,with a plastic tray at the ready I then pulled of the hose on the outlet and still no deluge.
Once the old filter was away from the car I emptied the contents into a container,clean as a whistle from the outlet side,but quite mucky from the inlet side.
I don't think it was the original filter as there wasn't a BMW logo on it,in fact there was no makers markings on it at all,just the directional arrow.
Oil and filter changed as well,so quite a busy afternoon
.
So all set for Donington now a week tomorrow
.
Steve