After Market Oil Filter

[sweetlou]

Happy Thanksgiving all

Just curious what if any after market brand of oil filter anyone uses? I have heard horror stories of people taking out collasped ones when they go to change them. I have always just ran out to Baron and picked one up and will probably continue to do so, I was just curious if anyone here has actually experienced a collasped filter or if someones uses a different brand with no problems.


Thanks
mark

[Hagar46]

I know this is not the response you are looking for, but I found a kit to convert the MINI oil filter to allow after market spin-on filters. The conversion kit was made by Cobalt Precision Automotive (sold thru Moss Mini but discontinued) and I use a K&N spin-on filter. Much easier to change the filter, no worry about collapsing the cartridge, etc. I have put 100k miles on the car since the conversion and so far no problems, knock on wood. And I go to HPT several times a year for high speed driving. I'm very pleased with the conversion.

[Minidave]

To go back to your original question, I bought a filter from the local parts house - looked the same, came with the o-ring and so on. BUT, when I took it out of the cannister, it wasn't collapsed, but it was twisted, like the cannister had twisted it as I tightened it. This effectively may have closed off a lot of the filter surface area - I can't say for sure, but for the small difference in price, I go to Baron and use the factory filter now. I've yet to remove a factory filter that twisted like that one did.

On the '07 and newer cars, the housing is made differently and I don't know if it would have the same problem, but I'm still gonna stick with the factory spec part.

I pretty much only use OEM stuff on my cars anymore..........

[kabootist]

I believe the OEM non-BMW brand is MANN filters. I get them when I order the oil from Amsoil. So technically before-market?

[sweetlou]

Dave you are right,twisted not collapsed thanks.

Kabootist, thanks for the info on the "before market" Do you notice a big difference with the Amsoil? I used Royal Purple a couple of times and Ehh didn't notice anything spectacular So went back to Castrol Synthetic. always used Castrol anyway in everything else.

Mark

[kabootist]

The Amsoil just makes me feel better. I used Royal Purple in my 03 as well.

When i get lazy i go for the Mobil 1, which i use in all my other cars.

The BMW motorcycle gets BMW oil (9 bucks a quart!) since its under warranty and I don't want any questions when it breaks down...hasn't failed me yet after almost 8k miles.

[monza]

WIX (available locally at OReilly) makes a very good filter, which are also sold as NAPA's gold series. I like them because they use media that meets or exceeds the OEM and vary by application, unlike others like Fram that use the same media on every filter they make. No collapse issues on filters I have used, WIX or OEM. I cant speak for any other filters. If I cant get WIX, I use OEM. Lots of folks like the MANN filters, who I believe make the BMW filters.

On oil, Im a huge believer in changing often and not getting hung up on high dollar oil. I use Castrol in the MINI, as did my brother before me. I have in the past had cars where I used only Brand X premium synthetic, but over the years have found that there just isnt any difference when you are changing often. If I was going with the long change intervals that BMW says to do, then I would only use a premium, but I change every 3k. In a previous car I had, I put on 100k miles using Castrol Dino oil, and this was a car that had 20psi of boost (9-5 Aero). When I sold the car I had no sludge and excellent compression (so said the mechanic that inspected it for the buyer) and had its original turbo that wasn't burning oil (which is rare for a SAAB at 100k to not need a new blower). The R53 now has 82k on the clock and has no signs of abnormal wear.

Your mileage may vary

[Minidave]

Since the oil in an R53 doesn't lube the supercharger, I didn't see the need for synthetic either, but on the Turbo cars, where the engine oil also lubes and cools the bearings in the Turbo - I go with the higher temp ability of the synthetic, like Mobil 1.

I find every 3K oil changes to be a waste of resources, but I know a lot of people swear by the short change intervals. With modern fuel injection and filtration, these engines don't run dirty like they did back in the day, every 3K is overkill to me......

YMMV

[monza]

I find every 3K oil changes to be a waste of resources,

eh, I think that could be debated. I dont know how one could argue with empircal data either way which is more beneficial. I personally give my collected oil to a friend who re-processes it into industrial lubricant for heavy machinery. O'Reilly and all other auto parts stores sell the oil to either someone who does the same thing, or processes it into diesel fuel or plastics. So the vast majority of it is being re-purposed. Now whether the interval is 3k or 5k doesnt really make much difference in the big picture IMHO.

I recall once seeing on a SAAB messageboard the carbon footprint of a turbo, just the manufacturing process with the iron housing, ceramic turbines, etc...It was surprisingly huge! The argument was that the use of frequent changes of oil (which was being recycled) was more than offset by the reduced use of resources to manufacture replacement parts that were directly damaged by oil quality. Its exactly like the ceramic cup vs. the paper cup conundrum. It takes 1600 times the energy to produce a ceramic cup than a paper cup, so on a carbon footprint view the ceramic cup doesnt look like the 'green solution', especially if the paper cup is being recycled.

Its all an interesting philsophical discussion. One that will never be answered because we all have differing views on the subject. Its all good stuff

[Minidave]

True enough, however...........

There is the fact that in the big picture, there is a limited amount of oil - period. If you can use less of it for oil changes, more can be used for other things that might be more valuable. I don't pretend to have all the answers, but I'll bet most people don't realize that even synthetic oil is actually made from good old regular crude oil stocks, so even using synth-oil doesn't really help, unless you use a lot less of it, whether by extending the change intervals or whatever....

However, I think I can say (and possibly prove) that 3K oil changes in a modern, normally driven car are unecessary - 7,500 on a regular basis will provide more than adequate lubrication and use at the outset - 1/2 the oil.

[monza]

There is the fact that in the big picture, there is a limited amount of oil - period. If you can use less of it for oil changes, more can be used for other things that might be more valuable.

This is an issue that our nation has no grasp of. Pharmaceuticals, plastics, gas...all sorts of every day items made from oil. The finite supply will run out, yet we still throw out millions of pounds of discarded plastic containers,the guy down the street still drives his 9mpg Excursion to work in Olathe every day, and we demand ever increasing comfort in our lives.

Im all for "reduce reuse recycle". I have implemented a multitude of measures at my house and my lifestyles to reduce as much as I can, all the way down to refusing to use the plastic sacks at stores. As a society we have not committed to this, and wont until its a crisis. As for oil changes, I make a judgement based on what I know and feel comfortable with for the longevity of my cars. I guess I dont worry about the additonal 5 quarts periodically (that are being recycled). For the number of miles I drive, its 5 quarts per year extra when compared to changing at 7500 miles. I use 1200 quarts of gasoline in that same period. Maybe im wrong in my assumption of the increased oil use. Im still changing my lifestyles

[LiLReD1]

There is a difference between 100% synthetic, and fully synthetic. Mobil 1 used to be a group 4 oil that was fully synthetic, but they are now a group 3... which has better "virgin oil" to the mix. Group 4, such as Amsoil, and I believe Royal Purple are the only 2 oils I know that are real synthetics.

[Minidave]

They all start with base oil stocks, stripped down, then the synthetic stuff is added.......all of them. Check it out....

Synthetic oils, pioneered in the '70s by Mobil and now available from most major oil companies, take the all-season, multiviscosity approach to the outer limits. Unlike traditional mineral oils that are produced by distillation and further refining of existing crude oil stock, synthetic lubricants are made through chemical reactions. These new oils aren't synthetic or artificial in the sense that they're manufactured out of whole cloth--they still have the same natural ingredients found in "real" oil. But in a synthetic lubricant, these ingredients are recombined like a Lego set to yield synthesized-hydrocarbon molecular chains with desirable characteristics and uniformity not found in even the highest-quality traditional motor oils. Typically, the best synthetic oils use a combination of up to three different synthetic base fluids--polyalphaolefin (PAO), synthetic esters, and alkylated aromatics.

Because a synthetic oil's molecules are much more consistent in size and shape, they are better able to withstand extreme engine temperatures. By contrast, the unstable molecules in conventional oil can easily vaporize or oxidize in extreme heat. Mobil 1 synthetic is said to be capable of protecting engines "at well over 400 degrees F"; in the real world, most racers have no problem running synthetics up to 290 degrees F under prolonged use, but they get really jumpy when a conventional exceeds 270 degrees F.

Because a synthetic oil is chemically produced, there are no contaminants in the oil. By contrast, conventional oils contain small amounts of sulfur, wax, and asphaltic material that can promote detonation as well as varnish and sludge buildup. With no wax, synthetics will flow at much lower temperatures than conventional oils. In fact, synthetic oils are now available with viscosity ratings as low as 0W-30, as in Mobil 1's new Tri-Synthetic blend or Castrol Formula SLX. These oils flow more than seven times faster than a conventional 5W-30 motor oil during initial start-up, yet at normal operating temperatures act like a regular Grade 30 oil.

[LiLReD1]

Ok... I didn't deny yer claim. But it's nothing like what comes out of the ground at all, broken down by the molecule... that's about as synthetic as you can get. Of course it wasn't *poofed* out of mid air. lol

I do find it interesting what they say about Mobil. Amsoil claims the same...

As a jet fighter squadron commander LIEUTENANT COLONEL ALBERT J. AMATUZIO had ample opportunity to witness synthetic lubricants in action. These oils are used exclusively in jet engines because of three extraordinary performance characteristics: an ability to reduce friction and wear on engine components, an ability to function dependably at severe temperature extremes and an ability to withstand rigorous and lengthy engine operation without chemical breakdown.

Recognizing that these same benefits would prove invaluable in combustion engines, Al Amatuzio formulated the first synthetic motor oil in the world to meet API service requirements for automobile engines. The new lubricant performed like no other before it. When the first can of AMSOIL 10W-40 appeared on the market in 1972, it signaled the birth of an entire industry. AMSOIL synthetic lubricants have expanded the boundaries of lubrication science and redefined the performance possibilities of modern machinery and engines.

One of the few reasons I use Amsoil. http://www.amsoil.com/comparison/motor-oil.aspx

[sweetlou]

Oil Filter side note Napa sells the original Mann filter, I use the one on Independence Avenue for work and they show to even have one in stock. I t seems from memory they are priced about the same and if you are like me and a trip to Baron takes some planning and for the fact that if we go out there is a good chance we will leave in a different car than we came in (sadly we have out grown the mini). Easier is always better for me.

Mark

[LiLReD1]

I didn't get to a NAPA yet, but it was next after I went everywhere (Auto Zone and O'Reilly) to get a filter. Advanced Auto Parts is the only place that had one in stock, the other places were special order, they didn't even stock them. It was a Purolater filter, $30!

[ToddH]

I'm getting ready to order some of the MANN filters and Synthetic through my Amsoil buddy. I'm sure the filters were way less than $30.00 dollars - if you like I'm happy to tack on some more stuff - just let me know.

[Minidave]

I think I paid less than $9 for a factory filter at Baron........add $22 for 5 quarts of Mobil 1 from Wally World, and there's your $30 oil change right there.....

[monza]

Atlantic British ( minicarparts.com ) has a 6pk of Mann for $38 or 6pk of BMW for $50 (or $57 for 2nd G.) Which really is only cheaper than Baron if you are buying something else...