I am looking into buying 9 quarts of 5w30 and 5 of 10w30 and oil filters for a 99 RS and a 95 L, which I don't know if they are the same yet. I want to buy just dino and I am flexible on the brand. if someone has extra that wants to sell me let me know or we can buy it together somewhere. where do you guys buy oil and filters anyway?
Filters from subaru... No others... All 1.8,2.0,2.2 and 2.5's take the same filter 3.0 is a different filter
It has been several years since I checked. I thought it was Wix. But now that you mention Purolator... my memory might be faulty. I know that Subaru didn't used to manufacture their own filters. Has this changed? If anybody knows for sure who makes Subaru's filters, I'd be curious to know. As long as it's not a Fram! Sorry to Hijack the thread. But to answer the OP's question: I usually buy both Mobil1 and (Purolator) fllters from Fleet Farm (sometime oil from Walmart). But, not the PureOne filters. I've read reports of the filter material being packed too densely and restricting flow.
The NAPA (Wix) filters are huge now. They upsized them a little while back. NAPA gold baby. The Subaru filters look tiny in comparison.
I work for checker auto parts, WIX and Purolater are at the bottom of the cost list. Those are the filters that cheap commercial accounts tend to get because they are cheap in cost.
so which one do you suggest? just the subaru ones? I think it's ridiculous to spend $10 for a filter.
Subaru filter > others (there's a thread on Nasioc, I think, that shows the difference between the filters.)
So, what you're saying is: Purolator > * I might have found that thread. Some of the links are broken. They must be old. http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=499177 Subaru filters are indeed made by Purolator, it seems. I see no reason to spend dealer prices on a Purolator when you can get one for half the price elsewhere. I would guess that they aren't making special filters just for Subaru. (or other OEMs) I'd like to cut one of each open to see for myself.
This doesn't mean anything more than the fact that they aren't ripping the store off. Purolator and Wix both, from what I have read over the years, have always been rated as good filters. Which is more than I can say about some of the crap FRAM makes. Fram's higher end line, from what I've heard are acceptable. But, I'm not spending $12 on an oil filter. I am curious. How do the K&N filters sell?
IIRC Wix = Purolator = OEM. I just read that whole FAQ and some of the links and a LONG time ago I had a comprehensive oil filter cut-up study saved as a link. Basically it came out to say that there are 3 major oil filter manufacturers and the Wix/Puro/Napa/Subaru OEM ones are the best. Fram, at one time, was in that category but when Allied Signal (parent company of FRAM) outsourced all their factories to Asia the quality and components went to hell. The article also noted that about 90% of your store brand filters (read: Wal-Mart) are FRAM rebadges possibly with better or worse components. Napa is the glowing exception since they are a Puro/Wix rebadge. I'm trying to remember what the K&N filter was rated at. It was NOT the Wix/Puro can but there *were* a couple of independent filters that were not in the big 3. K&N may have been one of them. I'll check my other computers to see if I can find the link and if it is still active. It was an awesome and LONG read. edit: This is the updated version of the site. I don't have Excel on this machine but it looks like the K&N is good. Apparently the information I've been relying on since 2003 is dated. Surprise? No. http://www.ntpog.org/reviews/filters/filters.shtml
I remember a study I read a long time ago. Probably the same one. I distinctly remember the guy say that Fram = horse dung and there were a great many Fram rebadges. Must be the same study. It was really good. IIRC This was just after K&N came out with Oil filters. Purolator and Wix are separate manufacturers, but both quality. Only the Napa Gold are good. Not the silver. Do they have a silver line anymore?
Shows you how long it's been since I looked at the wall 'o filters in a NAPA... Seeing Nascar branded stuff there would make me want to not go in there at all. :roll: So, Nascar, gold, what's the third?
Dunno. Don't care. The old website found here is the one I remember reading. The three groups were Mobil/STP/Bosch; Fram; and Wix. I read other places that Wix is pretty much equivalent to Purolator. According to the update the K&N is actually a good filter to look at and the FRAM X2 (and only the X2) is also good. After reading all of that... I'm sticking with OEM. I'm running Mobil 1 15W-50 (during the summer. 5W-30 or 10W-30 in the cold months) but only because apparently my engine likes higher oil pressures. Something to do with my under-piston oil squirters working better with higher pressures. If I was running a WRX or STi engine I'd by trying out the Eneos Stuff. I don't trust AMSOIL. The only oil troubles I've ever had with any car came from running AMSOIL and I was nowhere near 'extended oil change interval' when it happened.
thanks for the link. We should actually make a sticky with a collection of links related to oil and oil filters. when you say that you use OEM do you mean subaru=purolator=wix. I really don't think that subaru makes oil filters. Does anybody have a subaru handy and take a look where it's made or who makes it? I called napa and they have 3 different qualities ****, alright and good. so I assume the gold would be the today's most expensive. the stp and bosch seem a good deal as well.
mobil 1 seem to be pretty good, but are expensive lil bitches. I wish that guide compared wix and purolator.
Xxxtra, I think you would be just fine with a Purolator or Wix filter. Regardless of what name it was branded under.
I buy my oil filters at Subaru. Tonka Subaru to be exact. I buy them from 3rik or Bielke. The filters are white and have Blue lettering on them. A few of the letters (written in blue) are arranged in the order of S-U-B-A-R-U. They come in a white box and if you buy them from 3rik or Bielke55 you will get crush washers to go with them.
I thought they got rid of those? Because all the Subaru filters I've been buying for the past 2 years have been the black ones with white lettering, though the box is white with blue lettering
I guess I haven't looked in the box. They might be black and white. Regardless they do have SUBARU written on them. And 3rik and Bielke55 sell them.
K&N filters sell quite a bit when it comes to tuners but everyone else likes the fram, just curious how come everyone seems to dislike the frams? One of my commercial account shop which likes to use quality stuff is against the Wix and the Purolater for reasons in which I do not know. I myself use fram just because its an easy grip, always used it in the past and haven't had any problems.
how much? do they sell oil as well? how is mobil 1 clean 5000? after this HUGE hijack, I guess nobody needs oil. I'll do it on my own. good thread though.
