Yes it's $5 at RockAuto, but I have to pay $4 for shipping.
Who’s the manufacturer and where’s the cheapest place to buy these?
- Thread starter Nicasio
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Yeah, the shipping does get you. I'm perfectly okay with the O'Reilly price. I'm not trying to get the cheapest filter. The only way this makes sense is to see what the final "Bulk Price" would be and compare it to the O'Reilly's. Most any good filter today is going to be over $10. Again, I just like how this filter is built and it's no nonsense approach to marketing.
Over the last few years, I've been running Motorcraft & mostly WIX right now I have a Wix XP on it.
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I have never paid 10 bucks for any oil filter. Given my Xterra has 390K on it I guess they were all good oil filters.
Since less that 10% of people change their own oil, I presume that means 90% of the vehicles on the road are running OEM or jobber filters. These boutique filters are probably sold to satisfy our OCD.
I'll bet you changed your oil quite a bit. Right? I guess (In a back-handed way) you're making a point that I agree with. "Filters" need not be cutting edge.
In other words, proper maintenance and filter changes (With any filter) supersede boutique filters and extended OCI's. That's where the Microgard comes in...
It fits into my OCD and isn't going to break the bank.
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It was intended to be straight forward, not backhanded. I personally think the microgard select is significantly overpriced since it doesn't even filter as well as much cheaper filters from Fram, Pentius, etc. Most vehicle owners use basic filters and many last hundreds of thousands of miles.
Many industrial studies seem to indicate in machine lubrication that very small partiles - at like 3 to 5um, cause machine wear and there is a modern effort to filter them out with bypass filtration. If you think this might be applicable to engines, even the best engine oil filters don't make it anywhere close to that level, so your best remedy is short OCI - where your dumping those ultra fine suspended particles out.
So yes, I guess we agree.
Having said all that If you want to pay for a microgard with your hard earned money, that is your inalienable right to do so and don't let anyone tell you it isn't.
Ok so I swung by AutoZone and Oreilly's today (5 mins from each other) to pick up some fuel system cleaner and to compare the Microgard and STP filters. Both for 2022 Civic. Verified they are not the same. Also, STP is made in China and is $1 cheaper. STP looks identical to the Premium Guard.
In many ways I'm like you. I've found through the Oil Filter Value Analysis I maintain, two of the three top ranked filters are available at Walmart. The Purolator One ranked third is available at Menard's or Amazon. And Walmart has a really good selection of name brand oils across the price spectrum. They truly do make it simple and provide great value at the same time.I keep my life simple... I go to Wal Mart pick up my Mobil 1 0w20 and a Fram 7317 Oil Filter go to the check out pay for it and move on....KISS Keep It Simple Stupid......
BTW if the filter you're purchasing is the TG7317, it's ranked #1 in my analysis!
Where has Motorcraft ranked? Also WIX and WIX XP ranked?
If filtration and price are primary considerations pretty hard to beat a Tough Guatd at Walmart for an everyday, walk in anytime filter.
I totally get the interest in build features but I find it interesting that actual filtration is often not the driving factor in determining whether a filter is good on this board.
Hi Scott,
I filtered (no pun intended!) out the the brands you asked about and pasted them below. To see the entire analysis of 32 oil filters, visit my thread titled "Oil Filter Value Analysis".
How can Wix xp be that low? Also how can a Motorcraft filter be rated only for 5,000 MI and in the owner's manual it's rated for 10?
Hi Scott,
Thank you for the questions!
Based on the data;
1. The Wix XP has a 35 micron rating, a 10,000 mile life rating and a very high price of $15.16. There are a number of other filters that offer better performance specs at a lower price.
2. Car company branded oil filters rarely if ever have advertised performance data. OilfiltersOnline.com was my source for the 5,000 mile value. If you have a page out of your owners manual that states the Motorcraft filter is good for a 10,000 mile OCI, paste it into your reply along with your vehicle year, make, model & engine. I'll update the analysis accordingly.
In the process of checking this filter, two sites are claiming efficiency of 80% at 20 microns. I'll make that update (from the 95% at 30 microns) also then sort and update the rankings and share them.
Again, I appreciate the questions.
Some on this site WAY overthink this and other things too....
Ford OMs have this statement in them, so the oil filter must be able to go "up to" 10,000 miles.
10,000 it is . . . I'll make the update. Thank you ZeeOSix!
You might note that it's an "up to" based on the Ford owner's manual oil/filter change recommendation.
The Motorcraft filter FL810A has been updated to a 10,000 mile filter life per the Ford manual and 80% efficiency @20 microns per the O'Reilly and RockAuto websites. The filter's ranking moved from 14th to 9th.
Thanks for doing this! I still like the Microgard better. I suppose it's OCD etc... Some will say there are cheaper filters and "That's all I use and my car has 300+K miles"... But I look at the build quality. Price is not a factor when there's only a $5-6 difference. (A $15 plus filter better be cleaning my oil exceptionally well for the cost!) So really, it comes down to the quality and build and no nonsense marketing.
