# Oil filter low down

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-filter-low-down/142841>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Created:** [June 23, 2019, 1:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-filter-low-down/142841 "2019-06-23T13:56:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 10\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Rod-Knox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Rod-Knox](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Rod-Knox)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 1:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-filter-low-down/142841/1 "2019-06-23T13:56:54Z")

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I ran across this and wonder how the man gets away with trashing Fram

But I’m not surprised since I found the same thing when I cut various filters open long ago and decided to stay with OE and Wix.

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**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 2:02pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-filter-low-down/142841/2 "2019-06-23T14:02:22Z")

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Odd that I don’t remember any posts about Fram filters damaging any engines, thousands of posts…

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**Author:** ![Cavell](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cavell/32/43396_2.png) [@Cavell](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Cavell)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 2:11pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-filter-low-down/142841/3 "2019-06-23T14:11:14Z")

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well, they do sell fram at the big blue store. maybe thats it.

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**Author:** ![vipergg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/50afbb/32.png) [@vipergg](https://community.cartalk.com/u/vipergg)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 2:32pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-filter-low-down/142841/4 "2019-06-23T14:32:25Z")

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I suspect if you do regular and not extended oil changes even FRAM is adequate . Used to use them a long time ago and never had an issue with them . Are they the best , no they aren’t .

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**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 4:11pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-filter-low-down/142841/5 "2019-06-23T16:11:45Z")

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Another pseudo oil filter expert; or not.

Bottom line; Frams are sold in the billions. If there was any problem at all with Frams the lawsuits would be stacked neck deep in every courthouse in the nation.

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**Author:** ![bcohen2010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@bcohen2010](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bcohen2010)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 5:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-filter-low-down/142841/6 "2019-06-23T17:12:03Z")

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These discussion boards are full of threads from people who ruined their engine because they didn’t check the oil often enough, or change their oil often enough. I can’t recall ever seeing a thread claiming engine damage due to using a low-cost oil filter–Fram or otherwise.

Personally, I use only WIX brand filters, but I also only change the oil once a year, and top off as needed in between oil changes. None of our cars are driven more than 5,000 miles in a year.

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**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/48514_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 5:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-filter-low-down/142841/7 "2019-06-23T17:38:15Z")

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What might have been REALLY instructive would have been if he cut-apart the “White Box” (no name) filters from China that Jiffy Lube uses.

🤔

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**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 6:03pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-filter-low-down/142841/8 "2019-06-23T18:03:34Z")

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You folks do remember back in the 50’s or so when filters were not standard equipment at all? So no filter, cheap filter, may not cause catastrophic engine failure like no oil would. Kinda like no one ever complains about their Wal Mart brand oil or the farm brand recycled oil (Resolute I think) causing an engine failure. I just use OEM filters and $5/quart oil in everything-even my lawn mower and snow blower. Just because and I don’t have to worry about it. I did see a few Wix filters though on the old restored cars so I’d never say they weren’t good.

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**Author:** ![Docnick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Docnick](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Docnick)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 6:46pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-filter-low-down/142841/9 "2019-06-23T18:46:39Z")

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I changed my own oil for years with the cars on ramps and used Fram filters often. Oil change intervals were 3000 miles and never a problem

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**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 7:11pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-filter-low-down/142841/10 "2019-06-23T19:11:34Z")

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VDCdriver is correct about those no-name white (or yellow in some cases) box filters from the Chinese Outback.

A Subaru dealer I worked for used to get flyers ever so often from a company that provided these things and not only oil filters but air/fuel, plug wires, and so on. The prices were way below dirt cheap.

A Subaru oil filter was something like a dollar and an air filter a 1.50. I never cut an oil filter open but it did look very cheap. The air filters I could examine and they were flimsy as tissue paper.

Thankfully the dealer only ordered this garbage once and a small quantity at that.
