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My uncle the mechanic said cheap oil filters are fine and I almost lost an engine
I was visiting my uncle in Phoenix last weekend and he saw me grab a generic oil filter for like $6 at the auto parts store. He literally grabbed it out of my hand and said 'you want that to ruin your whole engine?' He told me a story about a customer who used a cheap filter and it collapsed internally after 2000 miles, starving the oil pump. I always thought brand loyalty on filters was just marketing hype but he showed me the difference in the internal construction side by side. The cheap one had cardboard end caps while the OEM style had metal plates glued in place. Now I get why some people swear by Wix or Mobil 1 filters even if they cost triple the price. Has anyone else had a close call with a budget part that made them switch brands for good?
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kim_west15d ago
Man, @jones.anna that cardboard thing is no joke. I had a cheap filter basically implode on my old truck after about 3,500 miles. Oil pressure light came on, engine started knocking. Lucky I caught it in time. Switched to a Wix filter after that and never looked back. The internal bypass valve on the cheap ones is just a spring and a plastic piece that can warp under heat. Spend the extra ten bucks, seriously. It's not worth gambling your whole engine over a few dollars.
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