BMW filter options

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Originally Posted By: route66mike
Originally Posted By: Dufus2
This is a good question because I buy MANN, HENGST, MAHLE from Amazon for a decent price with a Prime membership. The WIX brand is also made in Poland for most European vehicles. I am not stating one is better than the other, only that these are not made in US facilities and are OEM quality. The Purolator I have on the shelf is made in India, and I have no interest in the one in an Orange Box.

The above mentioned filters fit a Mercedes diesel, BMW would be similar.


I'd pick an oil filter based on how it performs, not on what hunch I have. I don't use divining rods to find water either. Lets keep it real. If it performs better, use it.

Peformance specs have been stated many times: Fram Ultra best, followed by Fram ToughGuards, Mobil 1 Extended, Purolator Synthetic, or Wix (napa gold same), and Carquest is really a Wix too.


Is this a comparison of AM brands only or are the OE BMW filters in this case even lower on the list? Thanks!
 
Originally Posted By: srbarnes4ever
Originally Posted By: route66mike
I'd pick an oil filter based on how it performs, not on what hunch I have. I don't use divining rods to find water either. Lets keep it real. If it performs better, use it.

Peformance specs have been stated many times: Fram Ultra best, followed by Fram ToughGuards, Mobil 1 Extended, Purolator Synthetic, or Wix (napa gold same), and Carquest is really a Wix too.


Is this a comparison of AM brands only or are the OE BMW filters in this case even lower on the list? Thanks!


The German-made group of oil filters for BMWs (Hengst, Mann, Mahle) don't tell their filtration performance. Like its been said on these forums, and I tried to find out their performance myself and could not find anything, those German oil filters keep it all a trade secret.

For the performance enthusiast who wants something better, the German oil filter group is likely not the best to use. Your engine won't explode by using them. I like smaller particles filtered out of my oil. Each person needs to decide if they want MORE or LESS particles running around inside their engine.

If you want LESS particles, don't choose the German made oil filters. Why? >>>>> They only use wood-based cellulose fiber filter material in those brands. ... Fram Ultra, ToughGuard, ExtraGuards all put some or all synthetic glass fibers in their media for greater performance. Wix and the clones from napa and carquest also have glass in their media. This is how they get their higher performance scores.
 
Stay with the BMW OEM, Mahle, or German Mann oil filters for your BMW.

Amazon is one of the best sources to score these filters at a reduced cost.

Don't fall for the song from the FRAM fanboy sirens.

A FRAM has no place filtering oil in a BMW.
 
Originally Posted By: srbarnes4ever

Is this a comparison of AM brands only or are the OE BMW filters in this case even lower on the list? Thanks!

Notice that SilverC6 doesn't have any facts or reasonable logic to support his Fram-hating stance. Actually, for BMWs, Wix/napagold are great choices, for better filtration efficiency, less particles in your oil. I'll back that up:
99998136_mnh_hu816x_pri_larg.jpg
 
^^^ Mann (German made oil filter above) is using all-paper filter media, no glass fibers, yet is reasonably average for a filter, will work OK. Notice the pleat spacing, not bad, but you can do better. See my next post below.
 
Compare the two, the typical cellulose wood-chip-only oil filter for BMW (Mann), and then the Wix one that has more media surface area with glass fibers in there.

I like better filtration, so I pick the Wix.
 
Fram Ultra is a little harder to compare on just visuals alone, since it uses more of a depth filtration approach to get the best performance of any out there. All synthetic media does this.
XG10075.jpg
 
The Mahle oil filter probably uses just paper cellulose, not sure, and they won't tell anybody their performance specs, but I'd use a Mahle over a Mann, choosing the best of the two bad choices anyway!

Mahle:
OX387D.jpg
 
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Hengst: Same comments as the Mahle. Here's a Hengst, at least it has plenty of surface area even if its probably on cellulose in there with unpublished performance specs:
451636.jpg
 
So you all are saying the Fram or Wix performs better. I'm still a bit unsure how you know this and what difference it will make in 200,000 miles.

Pretty pictures but???
 
Your comments and your picture - they are related to performance how?

Originally Posted By: boundarylayer
Fram ExtraGuard isn't bad at all. It uses at least some glass fibers to get a similar performance as what the wix does:

ch8081_012406.jpg
 
Originally Posted By: kschachn
So you all are saying the Fram or Wix performs better. I'm still a bit unsure how you know this and what difference it will make in 200,000 miles.

Pretty pictures but???


You have 2400 posts on BITOG. You must know about ZeeOSix digging up performance specs on the Fram and Wix oil filters. Yes, there are published filter performance specs available on the web for the Fram and Wix oil filters. ISO 4548-12 multi-pass performance specs say they are quite good.
 
Seriously? You have no idea what the specs are for the BMW/Hengst/Mann/Mahle (except that for the BMW ones they meet any performance specs the manufacturer requires), nor do you have a clear indication of the construction and what difference it makes, yet you pontificate on and on about the advantages to the Fram and Wix?

Please explain to me once again the part about how it matters. I know about ZeeOSix's obsession with filters and we've gone over it before. Tell me how the OEM filter is bad for my engine and what clear, convincing improvement I will get with that Fram filter.

Originally Posted By: boundarylayer
Originally Posted By: kschachn
So you all are saying the Fram or Wix performs better. I'm still a bit unsure how you know this and what difference it will make in 200,000 miles.

Pretty pictures but???


You have 2400 posts on BITOG. You must know about ZeeOSix digging up performance specs on the Fram and Wix oil filters. Yes, there are published filter performance specs available on the web for the Fram and Wix oil filters. ISO 4548-12 multi-pass performance specs say they are quite good.
 
Originally Posted By: dparm
Originally Posted By: srbarnes4ever
Coming from a long line of Nissan/Infiniti vehicles to an all Bimmer garage I am wondering if there are non OE options for filters that are superior to BMW or equivalent for cheaper price. Oil changes at my Indy still run just shy of $100 so considering doing my own going forward.

Thx!



There are plenty of good choices. Many BMW oil filters are Mahle. You can just buy the exact same part, sans BMW branding, from Amazon, NAPA, etc. It's what I have done for years. FYI, my OEM oil filter is about $12 more just to get the one in a BMW box versus the identical filter in a Mahle box (via Amazon).

You've also got Mann/Purolator and Hengst, two other big OEM filter suppliers. They're available at the same places too.


+1.

Mahle and Mann are the way to go, Hengst is fine too. I dont always trust Bosch when it comes to filters, but they may be good too.

Between the above brands, Id just shop on price.
 
Obsessed with proving a point beyond what the OP was asking in reference to.. Good Grief Charlie Brown (Shultz)
 
Originally Posted By: Dufus2
Obsessed with proving a point beyond what the OP was asking in reference to.. Good Grief Charlie Brown (Shultz)


Come back and post when you have actual information. Your guesses aren't good enough.
 
Originally Posted By: kschachn
Seriously? You have no idea what the specs are for the BMW/Hengst/Mann/Mahle (except that for the BMW ones they meet any performance specs the manufacturer requires), nor do you have a clear indication of the construction and what difference it makes, yet you pontificate on and on about the advantages to the Fram and Wix


Looks like you are still missing the point.
I'll clarify. The German oil filters don't disclose their performance specs. We do know they use 100% paper cellulose filter media. Now, compare their choice of media (cheaper), with the superior performing media found in Fram/Wix.
And we also know Fram and Wix publish excellent performance specs.

Conclusion: Use the oil filters that have better media with known great specs. (Also, the pictures show us that Mann filters in particular have low media surface area, not good.)

Thats all. Let logic reign.
 
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