Oil Filter Rant

[Bobby_M]

I've been changing my own oil since forever. I even did my parents' cars when I was 12. You know, you hit the local big box store, find the Fram book or look up on the little LCD gadget to find the appropriate oil filter part number. Never had a problem. My wife got a new vehicle in 2010 and this was the first oil change. She had somewhere to go 2 hours later, but I can do this job in 10 minutes. I drained everything, filled the new filter with oil and went to spin it on. WTF? Threads are all wrong.

I figure I made a stupid selection mistake at the store so I go to Fram's website and nope, that's the number for this car. Surely I selected the wrong year or engine but no. I check another source, same part number given. I call the Fram hotline, sure enough, only one part number listed for the only 4.0 liter they list. I press Zero and talk to the an Indian fellow named Josh. He says "oh, it doesn't fit, you must need the XYZ number instead.

"Why isn't this alternate listed in the books or on your automated phone application guide?"

"It must be too new"

"Oh, it's for a 2010 vehicle and it's 2011 and your website obviously takes at least a year to be updated."

"What would you like me to do sir?"

 

[pernox]

Well, aside from the fact that they do an absolutely horrific job of filtering oil, that would be a compelling reason to take your business elsewhere! I hate piss-poor customer service.

 

[MMTG]

Bobby,

You should do some research on FRAM FILTERS...they're garbage! I only use Mobil 1 filters or WIX after finding out how cheap FRAMS are

 

[Golddiggie]

IF I was changing my own oil, I'd probably just use K&N oil filters... I have one of their FIPK2 assemblies on my 02 Ranger (4.0L v6) and love it...

 

[Zen_Brew]

I press Zero and talk to the an Indian fellow named Josh. He says "oh, it doesn't fit, you must need the XYZ number instead.

Indian phone bank worker named Josh. That's classic.

Suckage on the lack of update on the part number. You would think at least it would be correct on their web site or automated phone check. Fram doesn't get reviewed very well. If you need a cheaper option than the premium filters Purolator gets good marks at a good price.

 

[Golddiggie]

He probably has a name that contains the same letters...

I love it when they say "hello my name is 'Bob' how may I help you" and you can SMELL the curry through the phone... Every time I get someone like that on the phone, I want to reach right through the handset and SMACK them (or worse)... Far too often, you can barely understand them through the heavy accent...

 

[Bobby_M]

I never really thought of varying quality in filters. I usually just picked one. I ended up going out a getting a Wix.

 

[Zen_Brew]

I never really thought of varying quality in filters. I usually just picked one. I ended up going out a getting a Wix.

Yeah, I'm no mechanic, but I think the basic quality fundamentals come down to % of particulate removed per pass through the filter, smallest size particulate removed, and surface area of filtering medium (more surface area = less clogging restrictions and back pressure)

 

[Reelale]

Meh.....I just pay the $20.00 or so. I let them worry about the nuances. And I Keep my hands clean.

 

[jmendez29]

He probably has a name that contains the same letters...

I love it when they say "hello my name is 'Bob' how may I help you" and you can SMELL the curry through the phone... Every time I get someone like that on the phone, I want to reach right through the handset and SMACK them (or worse)... Far too often, you can barely understand them through the heavy accent...

When they shipped all the call center jobs to India, they had the locals take American names for the phones so they can seem more personable to us. Supposedly, we seem to be offended by names like Habib.

 

[middleofnowhere]

I had a similar experience, in my 2009 Vibe (back in 2009). Went to Walmart, no fram filter available, went to GM, none in stock, tried NAPA, and a couple local stores, nothing listed.

So I leave here to go on vacation, drive 1400km only to go to a Mr. Lube and they not have anything listed. So I leave and stop into another GM dealership, they take the car in and start the oil change, only to find out after they beat the original filter off that they don't have a filter either.

They look it up in the database, the nearest one is an hour away. The parts guy leaves to go get it from the other dealer. It was horrible. I was on vacation and sitting there waiting for my car wasting my vacation. I look across the street and see a Toyota dealer, and run across and ask if they have a filter for a 2009 Matrix with the 2.4l engine, of course they do. They give me one after I tell them my brutal day. I ran back across to the GM dealer, give them the filter and am on my way in 5 minutes.

It was a horrific first oil change experience on the Vibe. You would have thought that GM would have thought that the car was made by Toyota and just ran across the street instead of going to the GM dealer that was an hour away!

 

[DemonIAm]

Never Fram, evers. Cut a used one open one day. Paper filter degrades, sending junk into the engine. Try Purolator PureOne, Mobil1, Wix, or OEM.

I've never heard of aftermarket companies not having the filters before the car is on the street. Then again, I'll always buy used.

 

[mountainman13]

Even though it seems to have been covered, I'll get on the Fram bash train. Don't use them. They suck. Mobil 1 all the way.

 

[TwoFortySX]

I am a car guy through and through! When I was in my early twenties I swear I turned every bolt on my baby. She is a 1990 Nissan 240sx with a motor swap, built suspension and etc which was all done by my own two hands.

Anyway, some of the posts in this thread made my heart skip a beat. I couldn't even imagine taking my car somewhere giving them 20 bucks and saying have at it.

To add something quality to the thread, I hate FRAM as do most car guys so that's covered. I run a K&N Gold oil filter year around. The oil weight varies depending on the season but I always like full synthetic Mobil 1. Usually SAE30 in the summer and 5W30 in the winter. I prefer to use Redline synthetic gear oil in my transmission and differential. The differential likes 75W90 GL5 and the transmission likes 75W80 GL4. If I still tracked my car then those oils would change but sadly life has kind of stopped that from happening anymore.

 

[bengerman]

I am a car guy through and through! When I was in my early twenties I swear I turned every bolt on my baby. She is a 1990 Nissan 240sx with a motor swap, built suspension and etc which was all done by my own two hands.

Anyway, some of the posts in this thread made my heart skip a beat. I couldn't even imagine taking my car somewhere giving them 20 bucks and saying have at it.

To add something quality to the thread, I hate FRAM as do most car guys so that's covered. I run a K&N Gold oil filter year around. The oil weight varies depending on the season but I always like full synthetic Mobil 1. Usually SAE30 in the summer and 5W30 in the winter. I prefer to use Redline synthetic gear oil in my transmission and differential. The differential likes 75W90 GL5 and the transmission likes 75W80 GL4. If I still tracked my car then those oils would change but sadly life has kind of stopped that from happening anymore.

i totally agree. (other than that i'm still in my twenties,and it's just a saturn....)
nobody but me has done anything to my car since i got her 3 years ago, other than alignment and tires (and if i had the space/tools to do those myself i would)
plugs, fluids, thermostat, stereo, replacing glass, clutch replacement, breake master cylinder rebuild, etc, all done by me, nobody to blame but myself, nobody to pay but myself. (before i owned this car i'd never done any automotive work at all.)


bak to the topic, though...

Fram is the....budget...option for basically everything they make. Wix are awesome filters, i've heard mixed reviews on K&N oil filters (but no doubt on their air filters)

if you ever have an oil-related question, consult Bob (google "Bob is the Oil Guy")

 

[rustbucket]

Wix ftw

 

[KayaBrew]

Bobby,

You should do some research on FRAM FILTERS...they're garbage! I only use Mobil 1 filters or WIX after finding out how cheap FRAMS are

That's just what I was going to say. Check out NAPA "Gold" filters. They're a little spendier, but WTF it's only your engine, right?

 

[Brodeurman69]

Believe it or Not but NAPA gold filters are wix filters and yes they are great.

 

[rustbucket]

i hate napa... especially more now that i see that stupid commercial with the guy singing about being a car doctor... (ugh, i want to just send the whole franchise to the underground)

 

[KayaBrew]

Believe it or Not but NAPA gold filters are wix filters and yes they are great.

I actually knew that, but forgot until you reminded me! I don't think 8 bucks is unreasonable for a filter for my Tacoma. I always use synthetic oil as well.

 

[beergears]

Another feature of the oil filter is the built-in valve (I forget how it goes exactly - I know it from motorcycle applications where it is potentially more critical than on cars?).

I remember reading that they were poorly implemented on cheap filters.

 

[KingBrianI]

Well as long as everyone is listing their preferences, I'm running Amsoil 10w-30 and an Amsoil EA oil filter in my S2000. I haven't done any used oil analyses but Amsoil products always get very good reviews and I've always had good results using them. But damn are they getting expensive! I think it's around $50 for the oil and filter for each change.

 

[pernox]

Well as long as everyone is listing their preferences, I'm running Amsoil 10w-30 and an Amsoil EA oil filter in my S2000. I haven't done any used oil analyses but Amsoil products always get very good reviews and I've always had good results using them. But damn are they getting expensive! I think it's around $50 for the oil and filter for each change.

How often are you changing? The whole 3k bit is crap unless you're running used motor oil from a farm tractor and a FRAM (hehe) filter. Run it 5k, send a sample in, and be prepared for it to come back with advice to run it another 5k with just a filter change. There's some science suggesting that too-frequent oil changes can actually do more harm than good due to the detergent content in modern oils and its effect on piston rings, and that a "broken in" oil should be left in until it degrades or is contaminated to a damaging level.

For you and I with a couple cars we like to beat on, it's not quite so critical, but fleet mechanics can benefit from getting an extra few thousand miles out of an oil change to the tune of thousands of dollars of savings per year..

I race my Impala from time to time, and go 5k+ with 5qts Mobil 1 (0w40 - the LT1 likes it) and an ACDelco filter. I could probably run the oil longer, (analysis came back fine after 5k) but it sits over the winter outside under cover, so the moisture content scares me. That, and oil changes are much more of a PITA than on the pickup, so I do the oil whenever I get down for the filter. [wink]

 

[KingBrianI]

How often are you changing? The whole 3k bit is crap unless you're running used motor oil from a farm tractor and a FRAM (hehe) filter. Run it 5k, send a sample in, and be prepared for it to come back with advice to run it another 5k with just a filter change. There's some science suggesting that too-frequent oil changes can actually do more harm than good due to the detergent content in modern oils and its effect on piston rings, and that a "broken in" oil should be left in until it degrades or is contaminated to a damaging level.

For you and I with a couple cars we like to beat on, it's not quite so critical, but fleet mechanics can benefit from getting an extra few thousand miles out of an oil change to the tune of thousands of dollars of savings per year..

I race my Impala from time to time, and go 5k+ with 5qts Mobil 1 (0w40 - the LT1 likes it) and an ACDelco filter. I could probably run the oil longer, (analysis came back fine after 5k) but it sits over the winter outside under cover, so the moisture content scares me. That, and oil changes are much more of a PITA than on the pickup, so I do the oil whenever I get down for the filter. [wink]

I probably change every 7500 miles or so, so the $50 isn't really too bad. It's just that with Amsoil you get a discount for being a "preferred customer" which costs $20/year. So to make it worth it, I buy a bunch at a time, which really adds up.

The amsoil 10w-30 has a recommended 25,000 mile normal use / 15,000 mile severe use change interval, so I'm probably overdoing it by changing at half that. The filter is more of a concern but the amsoil ea filter is still supposed to be good for 15,000 miles. I get antsy around 7,500 though since I tend to have fun with the car. I'm also changing the transmission and diff fluids every 15,000 miles, which is overkill too, but my car seems happy.

 

[Bobby_M]

Believe it or not, I just got a call from an American wanting to apologize for the lackluster support. He explained they had some trouble communicating the nuances between two thread sizes for the same model and year and is sending me a case of extra guard filters. Now, opinions on quality aside, that ended up being way-out good customer service. Of course, I might put them on Ebay but still..

 

[MBasile]

I always go OEM for my Subaru. Why? Subaru is putting their money on the line if the filter fails and my motor dies (warranty). I also don't have issues like this one!

As for gear oil... Be careful suggesting redline for every make. The Subaru trannies shift like crap with that stuff in. Swepco all the way for my Suby. The Benz I have yet to find out what works well brand-wise (it's an auto anyways).

 

[bob1852]

Of course, I might put them on Ebay but still..

Just sell 'em on your website. It will be like wal-mart....one-stop shopping

 

[Golddiggie]

Bobby_M, good to know that they're at least trying to make things right... I think that's a big difference with some companies. I don't mind if there's an issue, as long as they work to resolve it and correct it properly (and quickly)... They did take a few extra business days to reach out to you, though...

MBasile, issue I see there is that unless you have the dealership, or authorized service center do the oil change, they can say that it's not an issue on their end and it was caused by improper service.

I've been taking my vehicle to a dealership for the service mostly due to the people there knowing my vehicle. The same few people have been working on it over the past several years. If those people leave, then I'll probably change where I take it.

Who knows with the next vehicle... I'll probably take it to the dealership while under warranty. After that, could be anyplace... As long as they can get the parts needed quickly enough, and don't rape me on the services...

 

[brum]

I always go OEM for my Subaru. Why? Subaru is putting their money on the line if the filter fails and my motor dies (warranty). I also don't have issues like this one!

As for gear oil... Be careful suggesting redline for every make. The Subaru trannies shift like crap with that stuff in. Swepco all the way for my Suby. The Benz I have yet to find out what works well brand-wise (it's an auto anyways).

I also use OEM subie filter on my 05 LGT. Replacing the crush washer every oil change also.

I run Rotella 15w40 as mine likes to eat some oil. the turbo seals are on their way out. Mobil1 5w30 goes through my engine like food after big glass of mexican water.

From everything I've gathered, Extra-S tranny and diff fluid is a godsend for subaru's. This summer mine are both getting replaced with it. Some people have funny cocktails for synchros and such, who knows haha

 

[Enggboy]

I run Rotella 15w40 as mine likes to eat some oil. the turbo seals are on their way out. Mobil1 5w30 goes through my engine like food after big glass of mexican water.

The Mobil1 5W30 seems to be on the thin side of the 30 weight as it leaked through my Miata faster than others, but if you don't want a heavy 15W in there at starting, try the Mobil1 0W-40. Lots of Turbo guys around here use it with good results.

As for oil filters (the original thread topic), my car has a very common filter, so no matter where I go, I can always find one, even if it is not the top brands, I can use it in a pinch.

 

[quadbikerjosh]

When they shipped all the call center jobs to India, they had the locals take American names for the phones so they can seem more personable to us. Supposedly, we seem to be offended by names like Habib.

yea they also had their employees watch john wayne videos to learn american culture.
"howdy partner! how may i help your co mput er to day?"
"uh yea, it wont boot up right and i keep getting a blank screen"
"well that sounds like a ho down pa rt ener. have you pluggged it in sir?"
"......click...."

 

[onthekeg]

Here is where I purchase all my filters. They are Napa Gold (WIX) and very inexpensive.
www.fleetfilter.com