Maybe, or maybe it's those mechanics that are over torquing those screws. I'd say get out there with a screw driver and get that airbox open to see for yourself. It might be good, as I don't think an oil change facility would pass up an opportunity to upsell an air filter change. There's usually a very high markup for such a job.
However, if it is in fact the original air filter... at least when you replace it you should notice a nice increase in fuel economy! After 80K miles, it's probably pretty dirty.
