With all respect to all who read this, I am simply asking a question. Most of you know my penchant for OEM parts (my definition of OEM is "items purchased from a legit auto dealer") so please try and forget that for now.
When you are replacing maintenance parts, say air filters, how can you visually inspect an air filter and say it is just as good or better than an OEM?
On RA, there are 13 different choices for my 4Runner ranging from $2.86 to $15.58. There are 12 choices for my GX ranging from $3.60 to $17.10.
They can't all be the same, can they? Before my OEM days, I had purchased many parts from many places and all the air filters I purchased
looked about the same. Some had stiffer filter material, some had fluffier material, some had different color frames, etc. I even used one of those
oiled filters til I saw my throttle body and MAF sensor coated in oil.
How do we judge air filters? How do we know which one is better for our vehicles?
How can we look at metal and rubber components on our parts and determine this metal is better than that? Or just as good as?
Every HVAC guy that comes to my house tells me to use those cheap $1 filters in my furnace. Seriously, I just can't do it.
Maybe this is just a rant....Maybe in the real life world we live in, there are no "correct" answers.
When you are replacing maintenance parts, say air filters, how can you visually inspect an air filter and say it is just as good or better than an OEM?
On RA, there are 13 different choices for my 4Runner ranging from $2.86 to $15.58. There are 12 choices for my GX ranging from $3.60 to $17.10.
They can't all be the same, can they? Before my OEM days, I had purchased many parts from many places and all the air filters I purchased
looked about the same. Some had stiffer filter material, some had fluffier material, some had different color frames, etc. I even used one of those
oiled filters til I saw my throttle body and MAF sensor coated in oil.
How do we judge air filters? How do we know which one is better for our vehicles?
How can we look at metal and rubber components on our parts and determine this metal is better than that? Or just as good as?
Every HVAC guy that comes to my house tells me to use those cheap $1 filters in my furnace. Seriously, I just can't do it.
Maybe this is just a rant....Maybe in the real life world we live in, there are no "correct" answers.