Genuine Parts VS Aftermarket Parts

[B1NZ]

My GF's VR4 has low oil pressure for the first few minutes of startup as well (common Fram thing) and the oil is far too dirty for only having done 3000km's since it's oil change. Engine is also quite "noisy".
.

Sounds like common mitsi lifter sounds?, low oil pressure will be because it's used up most of its oil already

cary thing is I used to use Fram filters all the time, I assumed they were all made the same, I liked the fram anti slip black coated end bits for when i was removing the filter with oil covered hands

[iOnic]

Sounds like common mitsi lifter sounds?, low oil pressure will be because it's used up most of its oil already

Yep it's the hydraulic lifters making the noise. Thing is, it was quiet and purring along straight after the oil change then a coupla thousand km's later the oil was filthy and it's ticking worse than ever..Gonna do an oil change this week with a filter that actually does some filtering and see how that goes

[Adamal]

New repco ones are good, ryco/old repco ones are good.
Open a fram and see why they aren't considered good.

Before you slam it..... Repco it!

[Makaveli]

So in another words there is a 50/50 chance that aftermarket filter is good and to avoid the "guesswork" just buy genuine? DOCILE Evo 3 (8 Sec Evo?) was running Fram filters BTW.

[iOnic]

If you saw DOCILE running no radiator would you say it was ok to run a street car without a radiator?

A drag car at that level only ever runs for 8-10 seconds at a time and on a typical day only does 10mins max of running. At the end of the day it has an oil and filter change (assuming it's not being pulled out for a rebuild that is) It really doesn't matter what filter you run on it as long as you have one - it gets a new one in the time it takes the average road car to warm up

[MR2BOY23]

I've found K&N oil filters to be the best

[TRD Man]

So in another words there is a 50/50 chance that aftermarket filter is good and to avoid the "guesswork" just buy genuine?

That's sound advice.

Two separate incidents changed my views on filters.

About 18 years ago we put an aftermarket filter on my 2E rally engine following a very expensive rebuild. The thing seized in the middle of it's 2nd competitive stage.
Thinking I must have done something wrong I took the car complete to a renowned expert in these engines for him to dismantle. He couldn't find a thing wrong other than the aftermarket filter.
He recalled that AVIS rental cars had experienced a string of engine failures with 2E powered Corollas & Starlets when they installed cheap non OE filters.
He rebuilt the engine exactly as it was and installed a factory filter and that car went on to complete two full seasons of rallying including two 4 day Rally NZ's.

About the same time I had bought my wife a late model low mileage Mazda V6. Before she went away on a long trip I changed the oil & filter and almost immediately we noticed the top end getting noisy.
On calling my friendly Mazda service manager, before I even had a chance to tell him what I'd done, he said "you've changed the oil haven't you, and you didn't use a genuine filter?" He was right and after changing back the problem all but went away.

So in my view, at $40, a genuine filter might seem expensive in comparison to cheaper aftermarket items but in reality they're good insurance.

[Elmendorf]

I use nothing but genuine oil filters in the starlet. Buy in bulk for a discount on the price, works for me.

VR4 however came with a fram filter and as Ionic has said the oil is filthy and engine is hell noisy 3000k later. I have heard mixed things about Fram filters, and from my old mans experience with valvoline filters I stare clear of them with a barge pole.

[FLAWLES]

the filter material is crap doesnt stop sh*t
the filter end plates are cardboard which soak through
the anti drain back seal is hopeless and stiff and doesnt do anything
the base plate is too thin and flexes causing bypass
the bypass spring is a leaf spring and isnt strong at all
the seal is thin and $&#$% out over time ( dries and breaks apart)
the case is way too thin and bends and $&#$% up wen u try take them off
those are all the main points of a filter covered and they are $&#$%..

thats a really bold statement
where as alot of manufacures have re-labeled fram filters

so i would liek to see some info ( first hand ) for reasoning

i have been using fram filters for just on 10yrs in high end diesel engines/transmissons with not one failure ( they are re-branded fram filters with my manufacture/suppliers name on them )

and alot of times it comes down the the grade/brand of oil that you are using
hence why sometimes it pays to do a independent oil sample test, to find out EXACTLY what the cause of failure is/was.........as alot of the time its not the filters fault

[MR2BOY23]

the filter material is crap doesnt stop sh*t
the filter end plates are cardboard which soak through
the anti drain back seal is hopeless and stiff and doesnt do anything
the base plate is too thin and flexes causing bypass
the bypass spring is a leaf spring and isnt strong at all
the seal is thin and $&#$% out over time ( dries and breaks apart)
the case is way too thin and bends and $&#$% up wen u try take them off
those are all the main points of a filter covered and they are $&#$%..

thats a really bold statement
where as alot of manufacures have re-labeled fram filters

so i would liek to see some info ( first hand ) for reasoning

i have been using fram filters for just on 10yrs in high end diesel engines/transmissons with not one failure ( they are re-branded fram filters with my manufacture/suppliers name on them )

and alot of times it comes down the the grade/brand of oil that you are using
hence why sometimes it pays to do a independent oil sample test, to find out EXACTLY what the cause of failure is/was.........as alot of the time its not the filters fault

Well I sold fram filters for over 2 years so I know a bit about them. Over that time we cut open quite a few of them and thats what I noticed.

What manafacturers have re labelled fram filters??

Like fuel said earlier, its only the sure guard ones which are a problem. I've noticed the ones made in SA/Netherlands are better quality and a lot of trade vehicles use those filters

I've lost count of the number customers returning them because they were faulty. Worst case was a customer who got a fram filter put on by a mechanic, the seal failed and the engine in his brand new 350z failed. Our head office had to cover the replacement engine

[Dell'Orto]

So in another words there is a 50/50 chance that aftermarket filter is good and to avoid the "guesswork" just buy genuine?

Or ask the place you buy it from what the warranty is. Ryco will replace a motor that has been damaged due to one of their filters failing, have seen this firsthand. (Only catastrophic failure in 5 years selling them btw)

[Bling]

Worst case was a customer who got a fram filter put on by a mechanic, the seal failed and the engine in his brand new 350z failed. Our head office had to cover the replacement engine

Why the f**k would you not go genuine on a brand new engine .

Madness, owner must have been a stinge

[Alex B]

Would have thought you would have gone genuine for the waranty if it was a brand new car.

[FLAWLES]

What manafacturers have re labelled fram filters??

at a guess nothing that you would have sold or delt with ( i am assuming here )

but S.A.M.E/Lamborghini and Duetz-fahr diesel engines ( some duetz engines take fram rest are made in house ) and S.A.M.E/lamborghini transmissions and some zf transmissons
there are other i deal with but cant think of there names right now

edit

merlo
class ( old models )
fendt ( old models )
some masseys

all do hard hard work, but with 90% of these machines all filters get changed at every 350hrs
which could be the difference

and we are talking about to opiste ends of a stick here too

your talking about light automotive
me heavy

[fuel]

But Jarred I think we can safely assume the Fram filters for agricultural and commercial use which you deal with are miles apart from the every day filters you find on a car. As I said earlier, there's multiple strains of Fram filters with a bunch of them being of good quality, but the American made 'Sure Grip' filters with the rubberised grip on the end are the questionable quality filters.

[fuel]

I use nothing but genuine oil filters in the starlet. Buy in bulk for a discount on the price, works for me.

VR4 however came with a fram filter and as Ionic has said the oil is filthy and engine is hell noisy 3000k later. I have heard mixed things about Fram filters, and from my old mans experience with valvoline filters I stare clear of them with a barge pole.

Genuine Mitsi filters are cheap enough at about $15 each, but they are more or less Ryco filters.

[stalker]

Yep it's the hydraulic lifters making the noise. Thing is, it was quiet and purring along straight after the oil change then a coupla thousand km's later the oil was filthy and it's ticking worse than ever..Gonna do an oil change this week with a filter that actually does some filtering and see how that goes

MBL8 ftw!!
that stuff is gold in mitzy engines for stopping the lifters....my lancer lived on that stuff!

[iOnic]

Yep we use MBL8 with each oil/filter change. Worth it's weight in gold. I'll cut up the Fram filter when I do an oil change on the VR4 next week. Be interesting to see what we find

[stalker]

ooo take a pic (for lazy ppl like me) please lol

[MR2BOY23]

If you go into any autostop branch, theres a dedicated display with a cut open fram filter being compared to a wix filter