Mahle now selling oil filters made in China ?

[atlex]

And they don't appear to be as well made..

So I ordered up some more Mahle oil filters, since they have been my typical go-to for most of my cars. For the MX5s I typically go for the OC195 or OC196 whichever is cheaper, often the 196 is cheaper than the 195 and being a bigger filter, it's got less pressure drop, so win win.

I've got the NOS Austrian OC196 to compare with the new Chinese OC196.

Austrian on the Right and Chinese on the Left. I've marked some areas I don't like in the Chinese version's photos.

The best news I can give is that the filter medium and anti-drain back valves look very similar.

But there are three issues I can see without opening it up:

1) The .CN seal/lip is differently constructed and can come out more easily now (it's half as hard as the .AT version), so you can expect it to be more easily stuck to the filter housing. It's loose in there with almost no steel lip holding t back.

2) There's glue in the grooves where there wasn't any on the .AT version.

3) There's only 4 threads holding it in. On the .AT version there's 5.

Photos attached.

 

[Passport1]

Your comparison photos are interesting. I've got a Mahle filter in my scooter right now. I think it was made in India maybe China. Using a Mahle in my ancient 940 Volvo too. Don't think it ever heard a word of German. Neither has ever squawked about my filter selection. Seems a company like that would be careful to insure QA to protect its reputation.

Not trying to be pedantic, its your car it's your choice. Maybe with the Chinese variety you get egg rolls.

 

[wings&wheels]

Assuming no counterfeit, darn! Mahle along with Mann and Hengst are my go to's for the fun fleet.

Realistically, there is probably no difference in performance, Mahle is a very reputable company that I'm sure has effective quality controls in place.

But I understand the sentiment, it is a bit disappointing, like when I received this from the dealer:

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Assuming no counterfeit, darn! Mahle along with Mann and Hengst are my go to's for the fun fleet.

Realistically, there is probably no difference in performance, Mahle is a very reputable company that I'm sure has effective quality controls in place.

But I understand the sentiment, it is a bit disappointing, like when I received this from the dealer:
View attachment 81269

That looks like the kind of filter Toyota uses for their own cars, so using the same filter for Lotus is not a problem

 

[wings&wheels]

That looks like the kind of filter Toyota uses for their own cars, so using the same filter for Lotus is not a problem

Hi, yes it appears very much so. The Lotus box even has 90915-YZZF1 printed on an inner flap. I now buy these from the local Toyota dealer. I will have a cut filter comparison soon.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Number of threads look similar to me in the photos. Both have plenty of threads IMO.

 

[Tifosi]

The real question is, who is your source for these filters. Counterfeit parts are a major issue these days. If these are real Mahle filter but just made in China, I would not worry about it so much. Personally, I would not buy any parts from eBay, Amazon is maybe, depending on the seller. Counterfeit parts have been reported on both sites. Just about all auto makers have their own online store these days, and they usually sell the parts at a discount and if you can do dealer pickup, you will save on shipping as well.

Here are some examples of counterfeit oil filters or parts:

 

[PimTac]

Your comparison photos are interesting. I've got a Mahle filter in my scooter right now. I think it was made in India maybe China. Using a Mahle in my ancient 940 Volvo too. Don't think it ever heard a word of German. Neither has ever squawked about my filter selection. Seems a company like that would be careful to insure QA to protect its reputation.

Not trying to be pedantic, its your car it's your choice. Maybe with the Chinese variety you get egg rolls.

View attachment 81267

 

[nthach]

Denso(or rather Toyoda Boshoku) and Mahle do have plants in China. I’m assuming Mahle China is using Mahle Tennex in Japan and the Korean division for technical support - Mahle Tennex being Honda’s supplier.

 

[Zaedock]

The factory Kawasaki filter I removed from my new Brute Force was made in China, as was the replacement I picked up for the first change.
Disappointed to see that for sure, especially for the price. Ended up moving to an oversize TG7317 over the PH6017A from Walmart.

 

[atlex]

The real question is, who is your source for these filters.

I bought these from Endado, a Spanish car parts distributor whom I vaguely trust. I bought TWO OC196 for the MX5s and one OC217 for one of my toyotas. the OC217 that turned up was Austrian, however.

I've been checking the product codes. At first I thought, maybe the difference is china vs austria but it's actually the knecht or mahle branding version.

78636342 being Knecht ("Orange") vs 78636359 being Mahle - so the ones I have a legit Mahle Original Mahle product code.... here's a third-party photo showing what I mean.

So my next thought is, who the hell at Mahle QA'd these low grade filters, or are they fakes ?

So I'm going to reach out to them and ask what is going on. I.e. are they really making these in China now ? And would the filters I received pass QA ? etc.

Note: I've now contacted the Mahle 'fake products' contact address.

 

[atlex]

Number of threads look similar to me in the photos. Both have plenty of threads IMO.

They both have enough but the CN one seems to have one less. The start of the threaded section is different. Not a great sign. Sorry my photos aren't that good for looking at the threaded bits. Phone cameras being what they are.

 

[atlex]

Chinese Version Relief Valve - also it seems to be much deeper than the Austrian one...

Austrian relief valve...

So in summary they're a completely different filter, frankly. There's nothing in common but the NAME and Model nr.

 

[atlex]

So here's three boxes. the OC196 is the Chinese version. The rest are Austrian.

Major differences : font size, location, offset and the closure - the Austrian ones have a closure that meets in the middle. The Chinese packaging is totally different.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Some filter makes change suppliers all the time. Maybe MAHLE changed the design a bit and moved manufacturing to China. Or maybe they are knock-offs? Any kind of date code on the filter cans?

 

[atlex]

Some filter makes change suppliers all the time. Maybe MAHLE changed the design a bit and moved manufacturing to China. Or maybe they are knock-offs? Any kind of date code on the filter cans?

Why would they bother with such egregious packaging changes ? It's less effort to send the print file across than expect a local manufacturer to make a new one.

There has been no design change as far as I can tell, by which I mean, there's no point of origin between the Chinese one and the Austrian one. I.e. it's a different filter, designed by someone else. not an update to the Austrian design.

 

[Sayjac]

'Seems' you're displeased with new Mahle OF with China as compared to the Austria coo. Two solutions, if you want to use them but have doubts about authenticity, contact Mahle directly and ask for confirmation. Lacking that, just send them back and ask for refund.

I read a fair amount of claims here about alleged counterfeit filters. Generally, 'in my observation' filters turn out the be authentic. Just either change(s) in design and or/coo. Without knowing the vendor info, my 'speculation' is authentic but with some design changes with the change in coo. The bypass design change, with limited view down center tube, looks like they went from a flat spring design similar to Purolator to a coil type spring. Both function well as bypass. But, without seeing the outside, can't say definitively.

Somewhat related, some time ago Denso FTF OF changed coo to China too. In that case, my 'personal opinion' is the previous design with previous coo was superior. That said, comments here indicate satisfaction with newer product among users.

 

[wings&wheels]

Interesting the EAN and UPC code labels appear reversed on the Austria COO OC196 filter, but correct on the China COO one.

 

[drtyler]

Since the European automakers have plants in China, it also makes sense for Mahle to have factories there as well. Given how the past couple years have been with regards to the supply chain, they may have used the Chinese factory to supplement inventory in Europe. I'm sure the filter is fine.

 

[atlex]

I've mailed Mahle's 'original' counterfeiting contact with all the photos ( https://www.mahle-aftermarket.com/eu/en/brand-protection/faq/ )

we shall see...