Is this normal? Cartidge filter 2012 Buick Regal

[ruxCYtable]

This is the original AC Delco filter from my buddy's 2012 Regal, first change at 3800 miles. Is this a normal amount of wear and tear on that type of filter? He said it looked like a lot of the pleats had been crushed. (sorry can't figure out how to embed picture in my post here is a link).

Filter Pic Filter Pic

 

[volk06]

Looks like it was torqued down to tight and started to crush the filter.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Not sure if it's normal, but I have seen similar pictures before, so I guess it's not unusual.

FYI, the cartridge filters in my cars never look like this, even after 10K miles.

 

[dparm]

Factory over-tightened it. That's pretty disappointing to see on a brand new car.

 

[ABerns]

I'll second the "not normal, but not unusual". A lot of people end up with filters like this, either from over-torquing or (some have speculated) filters that are a just a little long. I suspect the vast majority of the time its overtightening.

 

[cp3]

Seems pretty much the norm for the Ecotec. Although most seem not to have the problem with the ACDelco PF457G but they usually don't have the cup style end caps. As others have said it seems to be from overtightening. As long as the media isn't breached I don't think it's a big problem, mostly cosmetic.

Here is the Wix that just came out of mine;
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2760335#Post2760335

I have just ordered the proper socket and am going to try torquing to spec to see what happens. Currently I have a Baldwin installed and the cap is sitting up from the housing about a 1/4", just in enough for the o-ring to seal. I stopped there as it started to feel tight enough and I didn't want to crush the new filter.

 

[cbear]

How can it be overtightened? Are there people who don't put the cap all the way back on?

Mine usually have some distortion. The very first filters I started using in 2003 had a zig zag fold to the media. I wonder if that was to compensate for the filter getting compressed. Now all the filters I see are just normal pleats.

 

[cp3]

There is a torque spec for it, so I would assume it can be over tightened. I'm not sure that's the problem as much as the filters being slightly too long.

As I posted above, I didn't tighten the cap all the way down last time.

 

[vssjim]

I see this all the time on Eco-Tech engines and it does not cause problems at all as the filter housing stops at the block casting. So thighten to much makes it hard to get off but the difference is a couple a degrees on the cap not down on the filter. I have seen this on many different brand and am not concerned about it as is doesn't cause flow or pressure drop problems and we know it is not bypassing as it is fully sealed in the filter cavity.