oil filters.....details

M1 filters were made by Champion, who manufactured numerous well known filter brands including Fram, K&N, Wix, etc. But a few years ago Champion was acquired by a consortium called Rank. I haven’t seen anything bad but about a year ago I heard some reports that M1 filters were being made in China. Purolator is supposedly, again as of a few years ago, jointly owned by Bosch, and Mann & Hummel. Many of the Bosch and Mann oil filters are currently being made in a Purolator oil filter manufacturing plant in NC.

My car takes a fancy cartridge filter. Although wix lists a p/n, it's incorrect. I got several at the dealer when I got the car. They even gave me 10% off. Will order a dozen or so next time online to save a few bucks.

https://i.imgur.com/6dbUwyN.png

The + looking contraption is actually 2 pieces. The vertical portion is a plug that goes into the plastic oil filter housing. When doing an oil change, said plug is removed to drain the filter housing. The horizontal portion is a keeper pin that goes through the housing and vertical portion to keep it in place. Such smart engineers at kia. KISS!

I'd gladly trade this !@# for a traditional spinon.

…but every once in a while, I will use Purolator. My Azera has always had Hyundai factory filters in it. However, my brother always uses WIX. He has an oil change indicator on his car and always changes the oil when the indicator tells him to. He tells me that he will get another 1800-2000 miles on a WIX filter than any other kind. Just because of that info, he says that means the WIX keeps the oil cleaner.

The oil change indicator does not know what brand of filter is on the car so you can't expect that "another 1800-2000 miles on a WIX filter than any other kind" is due to the filter. The on board "computer" in a car that establishes oil life is based solely on driving habits. Drive longer distances, hence getting the engine up to temperature, and the oil life will go up as compared to short distance driving. The device does not know if you are using synthetic oil or a $30 filter vs. a $10 filter.

Here's another perspective...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npOTUs5jx4I

^^I'm sorry. I cannot watch that guy. Like nails on a chalk board for me.

The filter does filter contaminants in the oil. The more contaminates, the less oil life. The oil life sensor measures the contaminants. Also, a person’s driving habits stay fairly consistent. Especially if you are retired and my brother retired from GM when he was 49 years old. If anything, after he retired he started driving less than when he was working. He went from driving 30 miles one way to work to just cruising around town. So the variation in his driving habits are nil. In fact, the oil change interval should have dropped after he retired, but it stayed fairly consistent. I did try WIX filters a couple of times and did get more miles between changes but since I don’t rely on the oil change sensor, I stopped buying them years ago and now change the oil on set mileage.

GM products, at least up to 2021, do not include a sensor and a sensor would be the only way to establish contaminants or degradation of the additive package.

GM's system is software-based and uses complex math or algorithms to better predict when the engine oil will need to be changed. This system is continually tracking how the vehicle is being operated and under what conditions. General Motors (GM) started using this type of OLM (GM calls it GM Oil-Life System, or GMOLS) back in 1998 and based the need for an oil change heavily on the number of engine revolutions and operating temperature.

GM studied the average vehicle driving conditions and decided on four classifications: normal highway driving conditions, high temperature/high load situations, city driving/short trips and cold starts and extreme short trips.

GM’s research showed that engine oil degrades primarily related to oil temperature. In the first three operational categories, oil wear was related to operating temperature and that extreme short trips, the final operating category, generated enough water and oil contaminates to cause the oil to degrade (temperature related: lower oil temperature = high contamination). Using this information and data from many other sensors on the vehicle, the software will routinely adjust the oil change interval based on operational characteristics, climate conditions and driving habits.

Think differently (?)...call your local Chevy dealer and ask the price of the 2021 Corvette oil life sensor.

Last car lasted for 20 years before I sold it. No idea how much I saved over that time, or if I ended up paying more in repair bills as a result.

Ignorance is bliss, I guess.

If you check the comparison charts for aftermarket filters, every brand has a model for your application. These filters fit but may not be exactly the same as OEM filters.

For example, the oil filter for Yanmar small diesel boat engines. You will say that this is an exotic example, but these filters also fit many auto engines.

When I became a boat owner, I bought the aftermarket brand to save money. After using these for several years, a Yanmar mechanic was shocked when he saw an aftermarket filter on my engine. He told me that the Yanmar OEM filter has an anti-drain-back check valve inside the filter and other brands do not. The filter is mounted in an upright position with the spin-on base down, similar to many auto engines. The oil had drained through the stopped gear pump back into the oil pan. The valve prevents that from happening by keeping the filter full.

On startup, the engine previously had a banging noise for a few seconds. After the Yanmar filter was installed, this noise disappeared.

The point is that the aftermarket manufacturers did not care to include the anti-drain-back valve. What else are they leaving out?

wife got her GM SUV in 2011, it came with an AC Delco PF63.

what I learned from the car forum is this filter was marginally longer than what came on a 2010.

People began to use it even though it didn't come with their car.

I don't actually know why a larger filter, because most filters have gotten smaller. And it doesn't matter, what should matter is the amount of filtration inside.

Anyway, I used the PF63 OE filter until it changed into a PF63E. It just seemed to be poorly constructed. At that time, I went to the Wix XP. I've even used the non XP as well.

It's interesting how we become brand loyal.

On the German car I avoided Mann once it went to Mexico. I don't like the price going up, and the mfg. costs going down, that's it. No need to read it any other way. So the Mahle is made in Austria and the Hengst in Germany (or at least 4 years ago I stocked up lol).

Glad to see Pennzoil Platinum is $25 gift card when you buy 10 quarts, limit 2x$25. That's like $20.39 minus $12.50 for 5 quarts. I use that as well except for the German car.

I used to use the M-1 as it used to be an outstanding filter, not so sure anymore. The reason I stopped is they changed the dimensions of the filter slightly. While it still fit properly, it left about 1 mm of the flange exposed. That, in itself is not an issue as long as you clean that area first before removing the filter for a change. If you don't dirt, sand, crud will likely enter when you removed it as that flange is crud trap when it is exposed like that. So I found a filter that covers the flange completely like it should, which is every filter I have ever used (except the newer M-1).

thought about that--on my 1998 Nissan the oil filter clearly "shrunk" quite a bit. I remember the forum insisting upon OE, and Japan made, and one day it went to China. That's when everyone abandoned ship right or wrong. I guess I was the same way with AC Delco when the PF63 went to a PF63E.

Also, I have thought about how much is riding on a gasket, that's the only thing on a disposable filter that keeps all the oil from pouring out. I remember as a kid being told by my dad to make sure the old gasket has come off, and the check is really by wiping that mating surface.

The German car was the first and only car that has the cartridge. To me the issue with that is the residual that is there when it's opened and filter removed. I sop the excess oil up.

Feel confident with WIX only because I've been using for more than a decade.

Anyway, I went to Auto Zone and was able to "try" the filter wrench end cap. It was NOT 76mm, it was 74mm. Imagine what a hard time getting this info online. If I had gone the amazon route, I would have gotten the wrong cap wrench.

Also, Auto Zone was $7.99, not $6.49, and amazon is like $12.96

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NAIB1SC/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_glt_...

So the only difference between the wrench I have, and what I needed for the M1, is 15 flutes v 14 flutes. Why??!