Honda OE Air Filter Panel @ 7,100 miles... OOPS

[tropic]

I was really bored waiting for my GF to hop into her house and get her gym clothes, so I decided to have a look at my air filter. 8:00 PM, barely any light... the filter looked filthy. So I switched it out for a cheapo Purolator from the trunk stash. After the gym I looked at the original filter in better light. Oops.





Looks like changed it out about 10,000 miles too early. Kind of a shame. The Filtech feels a heck of a lot better built than the Purolator--completely straight, hard plastic vanes to keep it from deforming, nice soft rubber gaskets, sturdy filter material, etc.

Anyway, what filter manufacturer are Honda Civic owners using in their cars? I have a few Fram CA10165 filters in my stash... wondering if anyone likes a different filter better?

 

[JTK]

I'd shop-vac the dirty side of that filter off and toss it back in. Save the the other for later.

Joel

 

[FZ1]

Got an Accord and think the filtec is the best. I was in the AZ browsing and picked up a $12 stp. It didn't look too bad for $12 vs. $28,the price my dealer charges for the oem's.

 

[harry j]

AFE Pro Dry, excellent fit, good throttle response and most importantly, low silicon according to UOA's.

 

[tropic]

I ended up putting the Filtech back in the car this morning. My dealer charges $32 a pop, but H & A Accesories sells them for $14 (+ $7 s&h).

Air filters clog up pretty quickly here in the desert. Is there any reason not to go with a cheap paper filter and switch it out every 10,000 miles? AFE's site doesn't list any regular panel air filters for my Honda, just CAI's. Amsoil doesn't make an EaA for me. I've no desire to try a K&N with the amount of sand and dust we have here.

Locally, here's what I got:
o Filtech OE $32 (dealership) or $21 (H & A)
o Wix 49065 $20 (NAPA) or $11 + s&h (Fleetfilters)
o STP SA10165 $19 (AutoZone... looks like a rebranded Fram)
o Purolator A25653 $14 (Pep Boys)
o Fram CA10165 $10 (Checker)

There's ONE Checker store that stocks the Fram orange box (one unit at a time). $10 every 10,000 miles looks like a winner to me if the thing can actually filter. Otherwise, the Filtech at $21 every 15,000 miles looks good, too.

Will the Fram provide less protection on that schedule than the OE filter? I'll be getting my first UOA in a few months, but I'm not sure whether a UOA at 10,000 miles will show much more than the engine wearing in and perhaps a fuel dilution issue.

 

[Firehawk409]

i think i have a lil less then 20k on my filter. Mine is evenly coated with the dark color shown in your pic. It's not all grimey and clogged up, just darkened up a bit. I think it's still good for a little while longer. I wipe it and then pat out the dirt every fill up. My fuel mileage has not changed so its good to go IMO.

Not sure what filter I will go with next. I do remember when comparing prices on filters from AZ to the dealer it was the same. I get around 15% off on parts at dealers when i tell them I work at Enterprise. I think the filter came out to be 21bucks with tax.

 

[Mr Nice]

I really like Fram panel air filters better than Purolator.

We got the same car and I change the air filter every 30K miles with a Fram.

 

[ThirdeYe]

For Hondas I prefer Toyo Roki/Filtech and Wix/Napa Gold. Those seem to be the best from my experience. The Wix/Napa Gold in my Integra right now always shows low silicon even when driving through dirt/dust so thick I can't see more than a few feet in front of me.

 

[exranger06]

Nippon (Ultra-8) filters are great filters at a really good price. Get them at Napa. They're sold by Altrom, a big distributor of OEM import parts. So if you want one, ask for the "Altrom" filter.

 

[HondaMan]

The Filtech is awesome and 'loaded', at least in the newest Odyssey versions. They come sealed in a bag and smell heavy of 'something'.

They also have dual layers of media.

I myself feel I changed the AF too often and I am not doing that anymore.

 

[Mr Nice]

I would have use that OEM Honda filter for another 20K miles.

 

[webfors]

Go with the Fram or Wix and change it more often.. or the same interval and save your money. Just make sure you have a good seal with whatever filter you go with.

 

[Firehawk409]

save what money? Are you comparing the honda OEM to wix or fram? When I compared them in price they were all pretty much the same. So far I got around 30k on my filter. Still looks decently clean and my fuel mileage has not changed. I guess i'll know for sure how good it handled once I get a UOA done.