oil filter and vehicle warranty

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anylettuce

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I have always used non fram oil filters for my vehicles. Amsoil,wix,acdelco. I recently came across a youtube video that states that you must use the oem filter or they will void your warranty.

any truth to this?
I have herd of fram filters failing but using a better quality filter should be no different then oem.
 
Originally Posted By: anylettuce
I have always used non fram oil filters for my vehicles. Amsoil,wix,acdelco. I recently came across a youtube video that states that you must use the oem filter or they will void your warranty.

any truth to this?
I have herd of fram filters failing but using a better quality filter should be no different then oem.


Can you post this YouTube video?

As per the Magnuson Moss Act, if a manufacturer states you MUST use their OEM filters to maintain the warranty, the filters must be provided to you at no cost.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnuson%E2%80%93Moss_Warranty_Act
 
They can't void your warranty in the U.S., not with the law:
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0138-auto-warranties-routine-maintenance

In Canada, I don't know if they have a similar law.

Of course, Toyota, Honda, Subaru, Mazda, BMW, etc. never made their own oil filters, they have always contracted it out to any of a number of oil filter makers already marketing oil filters.
Still, I could see a car maker saying "well, the Fram oil filter you put on your car failed, plugged the oil feed, and you continued to drive your vehicle at zero oil pressure, and we are not going to warranty that".
 
If you're going with Amsoil SS, an excellent choice, use a MicroGreen oil filter or Fram Ultra for better filtering and longevity. At least the Ultra can go for 10,000 miles easily, and the MicroGreen is made to be changed at around 6,000 miles while NOT changing the oil.
 
Subaru and Honda OEM service filters are made by "FRAM" for US Dealerships. They do seem to be made to a somewhat higher standard - starting with the P-gasket on the base. Filter media, area, Beta and AD BV and paint colour are brand specific. I like the Honda PCX-004 racing Filtech better, but may go with a Denso aftermarket for the Rogue a a less $$$ alternative to a 15 dollar filter.
 
2013 f150 5l.
mostly highway miles, I also use it in winter at -40. Not always having a power source for the block heater.

With the amount of km I put on I figure min 70,000km a year
 
Originally Posted By: anylettuce
I have always used non fram oil filters for my vehicles. Amsoil,wix,acdelco. I recently came across a youtube video that states that you must use the oem filter or they will void your warranty.

any truth to this?
I have herd of fram filters failing but using a better quality filter should be no different then oem.


I don't know about the specifics legally in Canada. Here in the US that would not true at all. All we have to do here is use the correct filter by application. Don't oversize or anything like that. Just use the one the filter mfg lists for the specific application.

Now, with that said, if the filter itself fails and causes engine damage the car mfg can and will refuse to repair it under warranty. We have to go after the oil filter mfg.

Just using an aftermarket filter however, in the US anyway, can not lead to warranty denial/voiding.

You posted above that you have a 2013 f150 5l. If I were you I would be using the OEM Motorcraft(MTC) filter anyway unless you want to use a high end synthetic media filter like RP, Purolator Synthetic, etc... For a regular filter the MTC filters are hard to beat for the price. You should be able to get that filter for about $3.
 
Last edited:
I understand if the filter fails, failure to keep up with oil changes can void warranty but just plan using a different filter than the oem.
 
Originally Posted By: anylettuce
but just plan using a different filter than the oem.

No. The only way they can force you to use the OEM product is if they provide it to you for free. At least that's how it works in the US. Maybe Canada is different.
 
Ford dealers in the past have told fleets that bought new F150s that they HAD to use Motorcraft filters or void the warranty.They had the service managers so worried they ignored local stores reassurance of the Magnusson Moss Act and went all MC on the new trucks until the warranty runs out.Dealers will keep doing this until they all get fined and spanked by the Feds as long as they know some will fall for it and come back to at least buy overpriced filters.
 
Originally Posted By: anylettuce
I have always used non fram oil filters for my vehicles. Amsoil,wix,acdelco. I recently came across a youtube video that states that you must use the oem filter or they will void your warranty.

Youtube is not a good source. Who made this video? Liability concerns in the States and Canada aren't terribly different, nor are warranties. If a filter is approved, then the filter marker warranties that. An entire warranty cannot be magically voided because someone put a specified aftermarket filter on an engine. Lots of Canadian dealers try to strong arm customers into getting them do all the service, claiming that warranties are void otherwise.
 
Originally Posted By: NHGUY
Ford dealers in the past have told fleets that bought new F150s that they HAD to use Motorcraft filters or void the warranty.They had the service managers so worried they ignored local stores reassurance of the Magnusson Moss Act and went all MC on the new trucks until the warranty runs out.Dealers will keep doing this until they all get fined and spanked by the Feds as long as they know some will fall for it and come back to at least buy overpriced filters.


This is such an odd generalization to make. There are five or ten thousand Ford dealers in the world. With the possible exception of dealer groups, they all say different things and they certainly all say whatever they want. Dealers are not a monolith and they can't be painted with such broad strokes.

Related: A lot of people are quick to conflate "what 'the dealer' told me" with "the manufacturer's technical or legal position". I used to work with a dealership service manager who confided in me that he had never changed a car's oil. There was a service writer fresh out of high school who was making little old ladies get synthetic oil changes every three months or 3k miles, which is way more aggressive than the owner's manual.

If you still think you'll ever get coherent information out of dealerships, try this - call five dealers and ask for your car's OCI. Then call those same five dealers after a week and see what answers you get. Then call a year later after the whole service department has turned over two or three times!

So let's not fall into thinking that "dealers say [x]", like, ever.
 
Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
Non Fram filters? The Amsoil is made under the Fram umbrella.


Don't use them, but I always thought they were made by Wix. Amsoil also sells Wix filters for other than auto and light pickup applications, so I figured that is who they were using to make their proprietary labeled filters.
 
Originally Posted By: NHGUY
Ford dealers in the past have told fleets that bought new F150s that they HAD to use Motorcraft filters or void the warranty.They had the service managers so worried they ignored local stores reassurance of the Magnusson Moss Act and went all MC on the new trucks until the warranty runs out.Dealers will keep doing this until they all get fined and spanked by the Feds as long as they know some will fall for it and come back to at least buy overpriced filters.


Does the MM act cover business use?
 
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