nik danger Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 Hello Subaru enthusisasts! Recently got me a 2003 legacy auto with phase II 2.5 L L4 Boxer motor. Would like to know what brand oil filter to use. OEM vs aftermarket? I can tell you that in my german car , OEM filters are far superior to any US aftermarket filters. I saw two cut in half-the OEM had much more filter media. The same company that makes VW branded filters makes the same filters under a different name-cheaper. If OEM is best for my Subaru,do would I have to get a Subaru branded filter? Thanks for any help given. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jp98 Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 The amount of filter media does not mean that one filter is better than one that doesn't it is what size in microns that the media will filter that counts. You can have filter A that will filter down to 100 microns and have a lot of media packed into the canister and filter B that will filter down to 10 microns and have half as much media in the canister. Most on here will stick with OEM for their Subaru's or Puralator which is suppose to be the manufacture for factory filters. But then again that is open to argument since the factory will let out a contract with specifications and if you meet them and have the cheapest price then you get the contract. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 Filter media isn't really a big deal but overall filter build quality can be a problem with some aftermarket filters. Napa Gold series filters are good, made by the same company that makes WIX. I run plain Purolator filters on all of mine. If you want to run Subaru OE filters, you can usually order them in bulk from online dealers and pay less than a local dealer will charge. But it doesn't hurt to see if you local dealer will match online pricing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 Filter media isn't really a big deal but overall filter build quality can be a problem with some aftermarket filters. Napa Gold series filters are good, made by the same company that makes WIX. I run plain Purolator filters on all of mine. If you want to run Subaru OE filters, you can usually order them in bulk from online dealers and pay less than a local dealer will charge. But it doesn't hurt to see if you local dealer will match online pricing. +1 on above, the filters that I avoid are the ones from Fram. IMHO, they are not made well, with not much internal media. There are also stories of Fram canisters bursting, dropping all your engine oil on the pavement. Not something I ever want to address Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jp98 Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 I personally believe that the stories about Fram filters are just that stories. I ran them for well over 500,000 miles on multipul vehicles without a single oil filter issue on vehicles other than my Subaru. I just happen on my Subaru to be able to purchase the factory filter in bulk so I run them on it. Wouldn't it be interesting if people found out that Subaru of America was contracting with Fram to manufacture their filters? I'm not saying that they are but it would open some eyes. The construction of the filter tells very little on if it will do it's job for 3,000-5,000 mile between changes. The best way to determine if a filter is doing it's job is to send a oil sample to have it analyzed and then look at what is suspended int the oil. If the filter is doing its job you will see it in the print out that the lab that does the oil analyses done at it isn't you will see that also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 (edited) It doesn't matter. No one is making 300,000 miles or not based on oil filter choices, that's a huge misconception. If you like oil topics join bobistheoilguy forums and all the technical oil banter over there. Removing weight from your car will improve stopping times. One could keep all the trash out, remove items/papers not needed, run with half filled washer fluid instead of full, vacuum all the dirt out daily, not keep change, sunglasses and things in the car...all to reduce weight and improve safety and reduce the chance of death which is way more important than engine death. Terribly impractical, stupid, and hilarious illustration of course...but it's also "true". So yes the OEM filters are better. The practical difference is negligible. Edited May 6, 2015 by grossgary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 I use WIX or Mobil One filters and change them every 5000 K (math is hard multiples of 5 easy). I don't like Fram filters. Ask yourself do you want to drive the car till the doors fall off, then it pays to go to a better filter, if not, factory is fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccrinc Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 We require Subaru oil filters on our engines to maintain the warranty, but will allow NAPA Gold. It's not just about the filter material, the seal that meets the block also has to fit right. Most aftermarket ones don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 It's not just about the filter material, the seal that meets the block also has to fit right the favorite thing for forum folks to obsess about is the antidrainback valve pressure rating thingy which causes engine failure after engine failure. i've never bought one Subaru oil filter and my engines routinely fail before 150k. (lol) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccrinc Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 Gary, while that valve is added protection, it's only for help on cold start up. What causes those annoying failures is (methinks) lack of oil changes! We've seen more than one engine fail rather spectacularly because an aftermarket filter sealer ring let all the oil drain out. Sometimes, it was a fairly slow leak, a few times it was "Spoot!" ...there went all the oil! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 Gary, while that valve is added protection, it's only for help on cold start up. What causes those annoying failures is (methinks) lack of oil changes! Indeed, I was totally joking! i've never had a daily driver engine failure. I was joking in regards to the hundreds/thousands of people/threads obsessing about that bypass valve. it's like every oil thread on subaruoutback.org. crazy how intense people get about that valve, they might even faint that you allow NAPA golds. lol 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt167 Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 I work in WalMart tire and lube express. Many fram filters I have taken out of the box have filter media broke free and rattling. Some come off cars that way. purolators are cheaper and better than the Fram. But I use OEM or wix... if you really want the fram tho, 3593A for the larger filter and the small filter is a 7317 or 6607 interchangeable, 6607 is shorter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 personally believe that the stories about Fram filters are just that stories. I ran them for well over 500,000 miles on multipul vehicles without a single oil filter issue on vehicles other than my Subaru. I just happen on my Subaru to be able to purchase the factory filter in bulk so I run them on it.In my experiences with using Fram filters I had two major failures where the can of the filter actually split at the base started to spew oil out of the filter. The second of these is what steered me away from the brand. I also had several with failed anti-drainback valves. I haven't personally used Fram in almost ten years, but I have plenty of customers at work who do. The biggest problem I frequently see now is leaking from the o-ring seal at the base. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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