Cheap Generic Oil Filters

caleb.b, Feb 5, 9:43pm
Hey Guys, I have a question regarding these Ryco-Repco brand oil filters. I'm due again for oil and filter on my 2004 3.0R Legacy. I normally run Castrol Edge 5w30 in it and its been great, I also normally just grab a generic oil filter off the shelf at SCA. I have read a few stories online (they might be just that, stories) about the fact the quality of these might be lacking and potentially catastrophic. What are your opinions? Should I just be popping in to Archibalds and getting genuine Subaru filters?

intrade, Feb 5, 9:48pm
get geniuen or wix filter wix are a good brand from my research and i got volkswagen wix filter elements on elements you can see if something is built good or poor . on spinon filters you cant really know what you get fram for example make a few models and they rate mostly poor unless you get whats called the tuffguard . its quite difficult to know if you got quality or not as you cant open it up and then put it back togather to use on closed filters.

kazbanz, Feb 5, 9:49pm
I see it like this.--How much is the difference in price between genuine and cheap? How much for a motor rebuild?

gunhand, Feb 5, 9:51pm
Several billion Ryco filters have been sold throughout the world.
If they they were as bad as some will make out why are still in business?
I sold truck loads of them and did see a couple with issues. But hey, anything you buy anywhere can have an issue, it's just a fact of mass production, just like the way you brand name will be done.
Ive always used them with no issue.
And many dealer brought and put them in customers cars during services.

franc123, Feb 5, 9:54pm
The silly thing is the genuine article is often a similar price or sometimes cheaper. Buy the Subaru filters and keep getting the oil you are using, get several filters and oil packs at once if they happen to be on promo or the dealer isn't that easy to get to.

caleb.b, Feb 5, 9:58pm
That is all the convincing I need, Kaz. I get your point Gunhand but just because a dealer buys them doesn't convince me. I have used them for the last 8 years of owning vehicles and have never had issues myself either but the fact you never get to see the insides of the things and how well they have held up after 10k means you have to have blind faith in them. If the price is negligible and it helps me sleep at night, I think I will put OEM filters in all my vehicles at the next oil change. Cheers guys, great responses.

msigg, Feb 5, 10:00pm
Yes as above to gunhand, All of the filters sold should do the job, if the oil changes are only 10k then they are all good, if the changes are 20-30k then might be prudent to get a genuine from dealer, Engines crap out due to corrosion of the aluminium parts, changing the coolant system is as important as the oil servicing. Modern engines do not wear much like many years ago(i'm talking 30-40). All my cars achieve anything up to 300,000 km and more, they are sold due to age and body condition,and for change sake, none has ever worn out, these include mitsi, nissan ,toyota, honda. There ya go.

saxman99, Feb 5, 10:02pm
Have used heaps of those filters without issue.

afer_daily, Feb 5, 10:07pm
just change the oil and filter more often !

clark20, Feb 5, 10:08pm

quickbuck, Feb 5, 10:38pm
So, it is mostly marketing.

kazbanz, Feb 5, 10:41pm
incidently caleb b-- I HAVE to use ryco filters. Its utterly idiotic I know but I got 'caught out" twice Once by by a mechanic and once by a vehicle inspector.
BOTH stated to my customers with apsolute certainty that I had not replaced the oil filter because------ yep there was a jap oil filter fitted.
My cars get an oil/filter change during the compliance/grooming process.
So on trips to Japan I'd buy box loads of filters for the most common engines on the yard.bulk buy in Japan was same price as the ryco filters
The trouble for me is that the mechanic had more credibility than me with the customer.-even though I showed the customer the new jap filters sitting on the shelf.
So now I use what I know to be an inferior product and stick the ryco sticker on the windscreen.

intrade, Feb 5, 10:42pm
http://www.minimopar.net/oilfilters/opinions.html i found similar answers on other sites and tests you can see wix on the recommended list i dont have seen mutch about sacura filters but i run a sacura on my mb140 van here i video i had found when i done my research shows 3 different toyota oem filters of different quality https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfLJVZbdKL8

franc123, Feb 5, 11:02pm
How ridiculous, unless the oil filter is clearly visible in the engine bay and whoever does your grooming has gone to the trouble of shining up the filter casing with a rag it should be obvious to a trained eye that a filter has been on an engine for several years or not, even if its had a general underbody clean. They get coated in dirt and general road film like everything else.

kazbanz, Jul 8, 3:12am
Franc--you know that and I know that. But you forget what I do for a living. My word as a dealer has no value compared to the AA inspector and the customers 18 year old mechanic.