Rob Kuhlman Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 Newbie question here: I'm going to do my first oil change soon and intending to put in Mobil 1. In the Volvo world, Mann filters (who also make the Volvo 'brand' filters) are far better than anything else out there. Is there an equivalent in the Subaru world? I've seen the following brands listed on online parts dealers: Subaru 'brand', Denso, Bosch, NPN. Anything to recommend? Anything to stay away from? Thanks in advance! Rob Kuhlman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smpol19 Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 The Subaru filters are made by Pureolator, if you compare side my side the Subaru filter look exactly the same as the regular Pureolator filter. The Pure one filter or whatever its called is also considered to be good, I switch between the subaru and the 2 Purelator filters, and run Mobil 1 5w30 or 10w30 depending on the weatehr and have had good results with all combinations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry DeMoss Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 I have used fram for a long time and have been very pleased.I have also use mobil 1 oil with all my oil changes.I have found the mobil filter to be a good one also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unverviking Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 Newbie question here: I'm going to do my first oil change soon and intending to put in Mobil 1. In the Volvo world, Mann filters (who also make the Volvo 'brand' filters) are far better than anything else out there. Is there an equivalent in the Subaru world? I've seen the following brands listed on online parts dealers: Subaru 'brand', Denso, Bosch, NPN. Anything to recommend? Anything to stay away from? Thanks in advance! Rob Kuhlman I've used NAPA Gold or WIX filters. The NAPA Gold is a WIX made filter. I'd stay away from FRAM. Just holding it in your hand when holding a WIX in the other, you can feel the difference. I've not had it happen to me, but have heard of FRAM Filters fialing while in use... That's the only filter I've heard that about from more than 1 source... I've heard a lot of good about the Purolator filter as well. I would probably use it too if I could find them. The local NAPA is around the corner, so there's a convenience factor too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctoth Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 I've seen napa filters fail too. Just like anything else, if you get a bad one then it sucks. I always let my car run about 10 min before I drive after an oil change and check the levels again. I got one a month ago from Fram and I put it on. A quart of synthetic all over the floor. Came from the filter. Upon further inspection, the old gasket was stuck on the block when I put the new filter on. The gaskets doubled up and didn't seal properly. Over the course of 8 years (since I was 16) I've been doing my oil changes and never had that happen before. It's already happened twice with this car. Now I always inspect the threads before I put the new filter on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delli50 Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 i just bought my first subaru, a 96 legacy. i haven't done an oil change yet, but plan to do so soon. my experience is with audis and vw's and like our volvo colleague that replied earlier, mann, and bosch are the gold standard. anything i have ever heard about oil filters is to stay away from fram. and btw, you will find that fram manufactures for and under other brand names. please check out the attached link for some hands on comparison of filters.... http://www.frankhunt.com/FRANK/corvette/articles/oilfilterstudy/oilfilterstudy.html regards, mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Kuhlman Posted February 21, 2006 Author Share Posted February 21, 2006 I have used fram for a long time and have been very pleased.I have also use mobil 1 oil with all my oil changes.I have found the mobil filter to be a good one also. Jerry -- thanks for your input. However, I won't use a Fram. I had one fail on my VW Rabbit about 15 years ago. The rubber gasket split -- oh, maybe 1000 miles after it was installed -- and I dropped all the oil on the highway. I was stranded and had to walk to a local garage where I was able to pick up a new filter and some oil. Perhaps a rare and anomalous event, but I learned two lessons -- carry extra oil and a spare filter, and stay away from Fram. Rob Kuhlman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blitz Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 OEM or Purolator Premium Plus #L14460. **** ******! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Handtool Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 Oem or Wix/Napa gold Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setright Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 Genunine filters are very good. Some of the specialist filters may be slightly better, but you won't go wrong with a Subaru filter - and they don't cost too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a97obw Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 I got one a month ago from Fram and I put it on. A quart of synthetic all over the floor. Came from the filter. Upon further inspection, the old gasket was stuck on the block when I put the new filter on. The gaskets doubled up and didn't seal properly. Man O Man! If there is only one thing you learn about your Subaru from this message board, that is IT! I like the standard 14460 Purolator filters for my Legacies, and they will do the same thing with the gasket if you aren't careful. So check and double check that gasket! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swi66 Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 I use nothing but NAPA filters on ALL my cars. Seeing as I am a good customer at NAPA he gives me a case cost that can't be beat. A NAPA filter, made by WIX, even feels like a substantial filter compared to a Fram which seems to me as thin as a beer can. swi66 13 cars on the road, do a lot of oil changes................ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottbaru Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 The dealer double-gasketted my Landcruiser on it's first oil change, and ended up replacing the engine (I'm the second owner). Changing the oil filter should include a quick wipe of the sealing surface on the block, and wiping oil onto the filter seal. I like to pre-fill the filter with oil, so the engine doesn't run dry while it's filling. I'll be picking up a Napa Gold oil filter today, and some Mobil 1. I would throw the Fram in the trash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blatant Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 stick with oem...the pressure is where you'll need it to be. Even though purolators are "the same" the drain back/pressure points are a bit different. Having the wrong pressure, over extended periods of time, can cause seals etc to leak. my .02cents. Sub filters are best but a bit more. Sub airfilters tend to be the same cost or less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dxrflyboy Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 My recommendation is also ABF (Anything But Fram). I've used Fram filters and never had a problem, but after cutting a few open and seeing the limited amount of filter material glued to cardboard end caps inside the Fram filters, I've decided they don't deserve my business. Pennzoil and a handful of other companies also sell rebadged Fram filters, but Purolator and Champion Labs make filters for most American oil filter vendors. A few others, such as NAPA and CarQuest, use Wix. Champion Labs switched to a plastic core on most of their filters, which I'm not too impressed with. Subaru was using Purolator filters but switched to a Japanese company earlier this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 I kep switching them up, last one I used was a Fram Tough-guard, which are considered much better than the other fram filters. It is hard to find anything but fram around here. Quaker State, one of the only other choices at major stores, is aparently made by fram. I don't want to go to the dealer just for a filter. But, I noticed recently here that the Valvoline Max filters are available nw -and made by purolator. I am switching to 5w30 synthetic soon and plan to use one of these filters. BTW, I have used fram numerous times in the past and never had a problem, although the quality is more the issue I believe. Seems that virtually everyone agrees fram are of poor quality in general. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamal Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 I got one a month ago from Fram and I put it on. A quart of synthetic all over the floor. Came from the filter. Upon further inspection, the old gasket was stuck on the block when I put the new filter on. The gaskets doubled up and didn't seal properly. Man O Man! If there is only one thing you learn about your Subaru from this message board, that is IT! I like the standard 14460 Purolator filters for my Legacies, and they will do the same thing with the gasket if you aren't careful. So check and double check that gasket! That happened to me once. boy was my face red as I cleaned oil up from all over the driveway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 Blitz, setright and others here have given you good advice. So, I'll just add that there are on-line dealerships that discount OEM parts. You can get a 6 pack of filters and new drain plug crush washers very reasobaly from Jamie at http://www.subarugenuineparts.com .(Chaplins Subaru) Probably find one or two other things while you're there as well. POSSIBLY even take a screen print down to your local dealer and challenge them to match the price. (keeping shipping vs sales tax in mind) fyi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 Newbie question here: I'm going to do my first oil change soon and intending to put in Mobil 1. In the Volvo world, Mann filters (who also make the Volvo 'brand' filters) are far better than anything else out there. Is there an equivalent in the Subaru world? I've seen the following brands listed on online parts dealers: Subaru 'brand', Denso, Bosch, NPN. Anything to recommend? Anything to stay away from? Thanks in advance! Rob Kuhlman Its far safer to talk religon and politics here then oil and oil filters my vote is for wixx or subaru/purolater brand. ive always used purolator on everything i ever owned. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swi66 Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 I It is hard to find anything but fram around here. Quaker State, one of the only other choices at major stores, is aparently made by fram. I don't want to go to the dealer just for a filter.. The reason most everyone can only find fram is that is the filter Wal Mart, K-Mart, Auto Bone, and other "discount" stores carry. The reason they carry them is the company is willing to compromise on quality to sell cheaply. NAPA is just about everywhere, but the filters cost a bit more, to me it is worth it. swi66 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dxrflyboy Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 The reason most everyone can only find fram is that is the filter Wal Mart, K-Mart, Auto Bone, and other "discount" stores carry.The reason they carry them is the company is willing to compromise on quality to sell cheaply. NAPA is just about everywhere, but the filters cost a bit more, to me it is worth it. swi66 The Wal-Mart Super Tech brand filters are made by Champion Labs. Unfortunately, that line is limited and they may not carry one for Subes. The STP filters that Autozone carries are also Champ. The Quaker State filters sold here in the US are currently made by Purolator, but that can change. IIRC, Kmart used to carry Lee filters, which are also Champs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dxrflyboy Posted February 25, 2006 Share Posted February 25, 2006 This is the most informative site I've found on oil filters so far. It's also the site that convinced me to cut open a few filters and see for myself: http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/oilfilterstudy.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Posted February 25, 2006 Share Posted February 25, 2006 The reason most everyone can only find fram is that is the filter Wal Mart, K-Mart, Auto Bone, and other "discount" stores carry.The reason they carry them is the company is willing to compromise on quality to sell cheaply NAPA is just about everywhere, but the filters cost a bit more, to me it is worth it. swi66 Problem is there is no NAPA near to me here - the nearest is about 20 km away, not worth the drive. This is the most informative site I've found on oil filters so far. It's also the site that convinced me to cut open a few filters and see for myself:http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/oilfilterstudy.html I agree - after reading it over, I definitely rethunk my previous fram position, although the fram tough-guard is considered not bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted February 25, 2006 Share Posted February 25, 2006 Until recently I used Fram filters for the last 30 years on a number of makes of cars and never had a failure. On the other hand I change my oil every 2000 miles! I've used NAPA Gold or WIX filters. The NAPA Gold is a WIX made filter. I'd stay away from FRAM. Just holding it in your hand when holding a WIX in the other, you can feel the difference. I've not had it happen to me, but have heard of FRAM Filters fialing while in use... That's the only filter I've heard that about from more than 1 source... I've heard a lot of good about the Purolator filter as well. I would probably use it too if I could find them. The local NAPA is around the corner, so there's a convenience factor too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blitz Posted February 25, 2006 Share Posted February 25, 2006 Until recently I used Fram filters for the last 30 years on a number of makes of cars and never had a failure. On the other hand I change my oil every 2000 miles!You me and a good majority of people. At one time Fram WAS a quality product, but they couldn't resist cheaping-out I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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