Looking for a New Oil Filter

[Patman]

Right Pretty lousy to think about many CO's not wanting to share an important specification about their filters but people need them regardless so the money switches hands. Frustrating to the rabbit hole bitog folk.

It’s frustrating when companies don’t want to give us the technical information that we ask for but they also realize that people like us are a small portion of their customer base. Most people buying oil filters just grab whatever is the cheapest option or they trust the flashy marketing on the box. It’s kind of a curse that we have on here since we know about all of the problem filters, in some ways I envy the people who are not aware of all of the issues that we know about here.

 

[JavierH19]

+1 on the napa/carquest and micro guard filters zeeosix suggests.

I'll also throw in the $10 stp XL line filters at AZ has as they're also good with metal crimp and seam, silicone adbv, 20um at 99%, tight spacing, and I don't see relief valve defects.

I'm pretty much decided on sourcing all of my filters from napa or az on my next filter run which I haven't done in well over a decade as I've been getting everything at Walmart but the filter prices there have risen too much and the quality is going down on the options available. A lower quality fram xg10575 at Walmart costs more than the equivalent napa/az filters.

 

[BrendanC]

Carquest Premium gets my vote.

 

[tblt44]

Champ from RA

 

[Carlostrece]

No one else is sharing that data so we can't answer that question. There are other filters that I & others like simply due to quality construction. Any Premium Guard built filters have proven to be good quality. You can get Oreilly's Auto Microgard Select or Napa Premium that should be built by the same company. Otherwise just stick with the Purolator One. They are well built filters & It comes with the data efficiency that you're trying to find.

Who makes Supertech oil filters and are they good? Just curious. In reality I couldn't use one at this time because Walmart is out of stock for the one I'd need.

Also, whatever money Walmart saves is often overshadowed by the inconveniences and frustrations of dealing with them. I think the stress of dealing with Walmart in the past has taken years off my life.

A Supertech filter would have to be the second coming of Jesus good to interest me in dealing with Wallyworld. I should make that my signature.

Lastly, in some filter dissection videos I've seen... Supertech filters had a leaf spring. I prefer coil spring because I think it's better. However, those videos might be old and things may have changed. Also, maybe the Supertech highend products are better and use a coil spring?

I couldn't find any info about Supertech oil filters product line at Walmart.com. So my curiosity was left unsatisfied.

 

[BrendanC]

Who makes Supertech oil filters and are they good? Just curious. In reality I couldn't use one at this time because Walmart is out of stock for the one I'd need.

Also, whatever money Walmart saves is often overshadowed by the inconveniences and frustrations of dealing with them. I think the stress of dealing with Walmart in the past has taken years off my life.

A Supertech filter would have to be the second coming of Jesus good to interest me in dealing with Wallyworld. I should make that my signature.

Lastly, in some filter dissection videos I've seen... Supertech filters had a leaf spring. I prefer coil spring because I think it's better. However, those videos might be old and things may have changed. Also, maybe the Supertech highend products are better and use a coil spring?

I couldn't find any info about Supertech oil filters product line at Walmart.com. So my curiosity was left unsatisfied.

Champion labs makes supertech oil filters

 

[Fair enough]

Take the Park Avenue to the dealer and buy the filter. Or check their service price. They sometimes rotate tires with the oil change and inspect the brakes etc.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Who makes Supertech oil filters and are they good? Just curious.

Made by Champ Labs. Efficiency is 99% @ 30u (printed on the box).

 

[ZeeOSix]

I've heard mostly good things about Supertech oil filters, but I also heard they use a leaf spring for their bypass valve. Is that correct? I want to avoid filters that use leaf springs. I prefer coil spring with silicon or any type of better (than rubber) seal.

Points back to Carquest Premium, MicroGard Select, or other similar filters made by Premium Guard (all use a coil spring in the dome end) as others pointed out in this thread. Seems everything made by Champ Labs and Fram have a leaf spring. If you're not "COO sensitive", then go that route and the oil filter Whack-a-Mole game can stop until some other chaos happens, lol.

 

[Eddie]

OEM gets my vote unless REAL data suggest otherwise.

 

[Carlostrece]

Take the Park Avenue to the dealer and buy the filter. Or check their service price. They sometimes rotate tires with the oil change and inspect the brakes etc.

There is no longer a Buick Dealership locally.

I'm not desperate. I'm having fun asking questions and learning. I no longer have any time pressures because my cousin changed my oil and filter last Monday.

My neck was broken in a car wreck. I haven't been able to change my own oil nor drive since 10 years ago. So I now do the research and my younger cousin turns the wrenches and pours the oil. He's not a BITOG member, but he likes to lurk and read threads.

My Buick Park Ave has new Maxlife Blend 5w30 in it and a new Baldwin B35-S filter on it. I bought that Baldwin filter a month ago.

Baldwin is plenty good enough for now. At my next oil change, I'll start using Purolator One or another filter that's recommended in this thread.

My cousin was going to switch his vehicles from NAPA Gold oil filters (which he no longer likes) to Wix or Baldwin, but due to this thread he changed his mind and had me order (from Amazon) Purolator One filters for him shipped to his house.

So far we've been unable to find a local store that sells Purolator. Most local stores sell Wix. One sells Baldwin. Several sell FRAM, and there's NAPA, Carquest, Oreilly, and Walmart store brands. That's about it for brands locally available. Amazon greatly increases our brands selection.

In future we might use Purolator One, or maybe Carquest Premium or Oreilly Microgard Select, or Fleetgard, or one of the others recommened in this thread.

 

[fantastic]

Who makes Supertech oil filters and are they good?

They have suffered the same Fram defect on the leaf springs that allow oil to flow past the metal contact area. However, I use a ST filter on one of my garden tractors simply b/c it's only $3.xx. As noted by others the Super Tech is made by Champ Labs. Preferably stick with the Purolator or Premium Guard filter brands for your Buick before buying the ST or Fram until they get that issue previously mentioned fixed.

 

[Carlostrece]

One thing my cousin told me today is not to worry about gravel hitting my oil filter when he drives my car (chauffers me around). He said the Buick Park Ave oil filter is at the rear of the engine, halfway up the engine where it's completely sheltered from flying gravel.

So a filter with a thinner can (like Purolator One) is not a concern because no gravel will hit the can.

 

[Carlostrece]

They have suffered the same Fram defect on the leaf springs that allow oil to flow past the metal contact area. However, I use a ST filter on one of my garden tractors simply b/c it's only $3.xx. As noted by others the Super Tech is made by Champ Labs. Preferably stick with the Purolator or Premium Guard filter brands for your Buick before buying the ST or Fram until they get that issue previously mentioned fixed.

Do all FRAM use a leaf spring? How about the Fram Endurance and Fram Racing filters? Their advertising crap says coil spring, but I can't see a good photo or diagram of the internals.

Fram's other filters state "coil spring" but the photos of the guts clearly show a leaf spring. I don't trust Fram much.

 

[fantastic]

Do all FRAM use a leaf spring? How about the Fram Endurance and Fram Racing filters? Their advertising crap says coil spring, but I can't see a good photo or diagram of the internals.

Fram's other filters state "coil spring" but the photos of the guts clearly show a leaf spring. I don't trust Fram much.

Pretty sure most Fram use that leaf spring style. The company was sold a few years back & quality took a nose dive unfortunately. Hopefully, it'll be remedied eventually but their stamping process is allowing unfiltered oil to flow through. Shown on this forum & YT videos via "Light Test" where we shine a flashlight inside the filters that are cut open. It shows the light leakage around that area. There have been a few that have shown no light but it's getting way too common to recommend them as we don't really know which models are the "Good" ones.

 

[D1dad]

Yet 99% of the cars driving down the road had absolutely no thought going into what filter they used. My soon to be niece had me change the oil on her car and the filter had been on so long that Ohio winters had eaten away the label. All I could tell was nitrile valve and no sludge came out of the oil pan. She couldn’t even remember where or when she got it changed. Made my eye twitch and my head hurt.

 

[Carlostrece]

They have suffered the same Fram defect on the leaf springs that allow oil to flow past the metal contact area. However, I use a ST filter on one of my garden tractors simply b/c it's only $3.xx. As noted by others the Super Tech is made by Champ Labs. Preferably stick with the Purolator or Premium Guard filter brands for your Buick before buying the ST or Fram until they get that issue previously mentioned fixed.

Ya. I want to avoid filters that use a leaf spring.

 

[Carlostrece]

Pretty sure most Fram use that leaf spring style. The company was sold a few years back & quality took a nose dive unfortunately. Hopefully, it'll be remedied eventually but their stamping process is allowing unfiltered oil to flow through. Shown on this forum & YT videos via "Light Test" where we shine a flashlight inside the filters that are cut open. It shows the light leakage around that area. There have been a few that have shown no light but it's getting way too common to recommend them as we don't really know which models are the "Good" ones.

About 30 min ago I watch a dissection video of all current FRAM filters, except the FRAM racing filter. Every model of FRAM dissected uses a leaf spring.

The FRAM Racing filter wasn't dissected in that video. So I don't know what type spring it uses.

 

[ZeeOSix]

The FRAM Racing filter wasn't dissected in that video. So I don't know what type spring it uses.

Leaf spring, but the one in this video has the fiber sealing ring in the end cap like the OG Ultra had. That was a couple years ago, so who knows if that sealing ring is still being used or not.

 

[Carlostrece]

Yet 99% of the cars driving down the road had absolutely no thought going into what filter they used. My soon to be niece had me change the oil on her car and the filter had been on so long that Ohio winters had eaten away the label. All I could tell was nitrile valve and no sludge came out of the oil pan. She couldn’t even remember where or when she got it changed. Made my eye twitch and my head hurt.

She might never have changed it. When I was a kid my mom drove her 79 Mazda GLC for 30K miles on the original conventional oil and filter the car came with. By the time her car had 30K miles I was in junior high and it was 1981-82 and I was old enough to start thinking about it. So I changed her oil and filter. Extremely black lumpy oil came out when I drained it. From then on I changed it annually at around 10K miles cause I was a kid with no one teaching me how often to change the oil and filter. I used whatever conventional oil my dad found at the grocery store that was low price. Usually Penzoil, sometimes Havoline. I don't remember what brand of oil filter he bought. Probably whatever was cheapest at grocery store. Likely FRAM.

In spite of all that, her Mazda 1.2L engine lasted 100K without any problems. It didn't even burn oil at 100K miles, but the head gasket blew like a volcano when I was driving on freeway and it poured boiling hot coolant through the firewall into my shoes while I was driving 70 mph.

My point is that your niece is not the only person who neglects their cars. It's amazing what some oblivious people can do with some cars with no obvious consequences. My dad also neglected his American made cars and he paid for it with lots of breakdowns, getting, stranded, towing and repair bills.