Time for oil change

Good selection in products ..

oh man. It irks me to see that bottle on the car paint. dont mind me, its just my ocd.

Motorcraft eh? Just curious how it may be better than Mobil 1 or Honda?

I heard that Mobil1 filters are also made by FRAM

Oil changes, oils and filters..... my favorite topic.

Oil filter is not a very critical part. Basically any filter that fits is OK. The only potential problem is with manufacturing defects, but today it looks like all filters are made by competent companies.

I would have absolutely no problem with using a Walmart Supertech $3 filter in my civic. I won't right now, only because the oil filter price difference is irrelevant to me. Of course, in absolute terms, the price difference between a Supertech filter and a Mobil1 filter ($10) is huge. ( Like between my civic and a Porsche.) But they look exactly the same and are designed and manufactured using the same technology. They are either made by the same manufacturer, or exactly copied on purpose. Supertech claims 99% filtering efficiency, while Mobil 1 claims 99%+. Such efficiencies generally require better than the basic "paper" (cellulose) media. Supertech claims 10,000 miles, Mobil 1 20,000 miles. I strongly suspect the real difference is less than that.

The sizes of the filters are quite arbitrary. For example, Supertech has a long filter for Toyo Camry, very short one for Honda Civic. Mobil 1 the other way around - longer for Honda, a little shorter for Toyota.

Picture shows Camry filters in the back row, Civic in front. Camry has a slightly different thread (3/4" vs. 20 mm) so they are not interchangeable, but if the thread was the same I would use either of these 6 filters on either car. In fact the short Supertech filter fits Honda Civic type R, the Ridgeline truck, and many other cars such as the old 2000 Mazda Protege (which uses 10W30 oil - not so tight clearances, some people would say ). It's all the same - just basic filtration under trivial pressure. .

All these filters are Made or Assembled in the USA, except the OEM Toyota, which is Made in Thailand. Actually, this is the one that looks the nicest from the outside.

I don't think super tech and mobil 1 are alike. Mobil 1 filters use synthetic media and silicone anti drain valve. if Supertech uses the same they can't sell it for just $3

saiko21 said:

I don't think super tech and mobil 1 are alike. Mobil 1 filters use synthetic media and silicone anti drain valve. if Supertech uses the same they can't sell it for just $3

Click to expand...

Oh yes, they can. The cost of manufacturing is similar, the price is mostly profit.

The materials such as the silicone vs. some other rubber, the rubber on the seal, and the filtering media is what makes them different. They are not identical, but the Supertech is certainly not just crude paper. But the shape and construction such as crimping the bottom plate are extremely alike and the bypass valve looks exactly the same with a pale blue polymer visible. Printed data on top also looks exactly the same in color, type, and wording.

Gruber said:

Oh yes, they can. The cost of manufacturing is similar, the price is mostly profit.

The materials such as the silicone vs. some other rubber, the rubber on the seal, and the filtering media is what makes them different. They are not identical, but the Supertech is certainly not just crude paper. But the shape and construction such as crimping the bottom plate are extremely alike and the bypass valve looks exactly the same with a pale blue polymer visible. Printed data on top also looks exactly the same in color, type, and wording.

Click to expand...

So should I just buy the supertech one and avoid the dealership one? I heard those are inferior

The current Honda filter definitely looks the cheapest made if you look inside. Although it looks so basic, somehow it's OK for at least 10,000 miles. The MM may require filter change with every other oil change, and intervals may be 10,000 miles or more. Some basic filters sold in stores claim much less than 10,000 miles life. It's probably just marketing.

I'm sure the OEM filter is just fine and the price (online) is quite low at $5-6. At least it won't harm the warranty, won't make you look cheap to the mechanics, and it will be the same thing over the years (until they change the part number).

Current Supertech looks very solid to me. By the look of it inside it's better than Honda, but they can change the supplier at any time. For a car that I don't intend to keep for more than 10 years, I would never even consider buying any filter more expensive than the Honda OEM.