It's a camry where I went to walmart and they had Fram, Mobile 1, K&E, Super Tech, Bosch, and others.
I know enough to realize price is never an indicator of quality but what is?
What spec can we look for on the package that will help us determine which oil filter is better than another when both are in our hands?
None. You will need to read the specs, reviews, and opinions on the web. Especially the reviews from people that cut the filters open and compared the innards on youtube. example:
There are none. Even going by the brand may not help when they might not source every filter from the same manufacturer. I opt for Original Equipment filters, if OEM isn't available I go with Wix/NAPA Gold.
I've read that NAPA Gold are in fact rebranded Wix -- but there are NAPA Platinum as well, for more money.
Fram has several different qualities of filter, and maybe other brands do too.
Perce
Cut one open and see. You will find the construction differences are pretty dramatic.
There aren't any specs on the package, and the name on the box has nothing to do with the manufacturer much of the time. The Bosch filters for my E28 are made by one contractor in Germany, while the Bosch filters for my E30 are made by a different contractor in Poland. Interestingly enough, that contractor in Poland appears to be making them for everybody selling that model filter, but they make better quality ones for some resellers and poorer quality ones for others.
Cut one open and look at the quality of the seals and the filter material.
--scott
Thanks for that pointer, where I was hoping there would be a spec on the box like there is for motor oil (like API SH or SN or SM) that I could use to compare filter to filter.
The first video I watched was this cutout test of
The second video I watch was this cutout test of
The third video looked at each part in series (1) base plate & gasket material (2) antidrainback valve (silicone is better than buna) (3) bypass spring (coil is better than leaf spring) (4) filter material (20 microns) & metal spine & number of pleats (5) can
It seems that price makes almost no difference in quality. Fram & STP are universally disliked, at any price for example. Bosch & Wix and a few others come out on top.
Since I don't have time to explore every filter on earth, I think I'll pick one (like the K&E) that is universally good, and then just spend my time trying to source it at the best price in bulk.
delvon daily wrote on 11/25/2019 7:30 PM:
The purpose of a filter is to remove dirt particles from the oil If it removes a lot of dirt the flow of oil will be restricted. If you get to the point where the by-pass valve kicks in then you are abusing your engine. The solution is not a better filter but to change oil and filter more often. The cheapest filter on a clean engine will perform better than an expensive filter in a dirty engine with sludge accumulation,
My Camry does not have a cartridge - it has a replaceable filter element. If the old filter element feels heavy that would be a sign it should have been changed sooner
Correct, NAPA Gold are WIX filters. The Platinums are as well but they use a higher level media, that really isn't needed.
Frams biggest issue is that they make them cheap across the board.
SNIP
Price doesn't mean much in many cases when it comes to auto parts. Especially these days because they source the parts from so many makers. You can buy 20 of the same part number and discover they were made by 5 different companies and are just stamped with the name and number as requested.
I generally buy the filters for the home fleet off of Rock Auto. Normally in lots of 10 or so per vehicle. If you call them you can ask what the case lot amount is and they just tag the box and ship it. Plus they may have the OEM filter as well as after market.
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