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That time a retired mechanic told me to use cheap oil filters
He said all the big brands come from the same factory anyway, so I saved $8 a change for two years before my engine seized up. Has anyone else had bad luck trusting old shop advice like that?
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cooper.drew29d ago
That "same factory" line is the oldest trick in the book. I lost a motor on my old F-150 following that exact advice from a retired fleet guy.
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the_olivia29d ago
Cooper.drew I hear you but I gotta say the old mechanic at my local Napa told me the same thing and I ran 40k miles on a cheap filter before I sold that Honda and it was fine. The key is knowing which filters are actually garbage and which ones are just rebranded. Fram is notorious for cardboard end caps that collapse, but a Wix or Purolator base model is often made in the same plant as their premium line. I think the problem is when people hear "all filters are the same" and grab whatever's on the bottom shelf without checking the construction. You can save money if you know what to look for, but blindly trusting that line without doing your homework is where it bites you.
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susan_adams29d ago
Oh man, that's rough. Cooper.drew had the same thing happen with his old F-150, so you're definitely not alone in getting burned by that line.
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