02-06 Mini Cooper S Oil Filters.

[Medic_Coop]

On my current adventure to find the best oil filter for my '06 Mini Cooper S, I have purchased a few. From what I can see from the current offering I have, the OEM Mini filter is the worst of the three I am purchased. The three filters I have so far are:

Mini OEM Filter: P/N: 11 42 7 512 446 Made in Austria.
Wix Filter: P/N: 57303 Made in Austria
Mann Filter: P/N: HU816/2x Made in Germany

Of the 3, I would rate the overall contruction in this order.

1. Mann
2. Wix
3. OEM.....WAY behind!

PICS TO COME.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Do you know who makes the OEM filter? In case of our cars, Mann is the OEM.

I did buy some Made in Austria filters for the 530i and they were Mahle/Knecht, which is also one of the OEM suppliers, and these fiters were very high quality as well... on par or better than Mann.

 

[Medic_Coop]

The problem with the OEM filter is that they are made with a fiber type endcap. Both endcaps are not uniform and they are "shedding" before they are installed. The material is easy to crush and it is not pliable like rubber.

 

[FowVay]

The fiber end caps is a fleece material. This is a trademark of the Mahle-Knecht company from Austria.

Mahle will use the white fleece and Mann will use a gold colored syntactic potting. Both of these are excellent quality filters.

If the Wix has black plastic end caps and it's made in Austria then it may very well be a Hengst product. Again, these are all excellent quality filters and any of them will serve you well.