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The only Fram filter I've ever used is the Honda A02 because of the free oil changes when I bought the car.

I now use either the Purolator Classic or PureOne filters.

I've never experienced a problem with the Honda A02 Fram filter, but then again I've never cut them open to see if they've fallen apart since they have a poorer design vs the Purolator filters.

I don't buy the Honda A02 or Fram branded filters because I can get better made Purolator filters for less.

Two links to filter comparisons: one, two

Comparison of Honda A01 vs Honda A02 vs NapaGold

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Oil Filters – the most commonly replaced mechanical item on your car. It’s job is to filter the oil in your car. There are lots of brands, colors, and prices for filters. You easily have about a dozen good filters to choose from for your Honda. Rumors, myths, and your buddies will tell you what filter they believe to be good, or what will ruin your car immediately if you should decide to use it! Others will tell you to only use Honda OEM filters as any other filter will void your warranty, not true; See Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. Who makes the Honda OEM filter? Is it the best filter for your car? What about synthetics, which filter is best for that? I will try and help you answer these questions.

I have been on retainer for both Jiffy Lube and Valvoline Quick Oil change for the last ten years. Currently still on retainer with Valvoline. I have been involved with many oil and oil filter disputes/litigation and have cut apart many a filter and sent close to 50 or 60 filters and oil samples to the laboratory for analysis. The research below comes from numerous manufactures, Boris the Oil Guy, and personal research.

Clearly, there are no BAD oil filters on the market today that will ruin your engine! But, people that have been around cars for a long time all have a buddy that will tell you don’t ever use a FRAM, Purolator, WIX, or add your favorite filter name here as it ruined an engine. With almost 100% certainty, the oil filter did not ruin his engine.

Before we delve into the oil filters, I did want to comment a moment about the oil drain plug. Everyone should be using a good magnetic oil drain plug. Even by their own advertising, no oil filter catches 100% of the particles in the engine. The smallest particles are metal particles and they can hurt your engine. Remember the oil gets picked up from the oil pan, goes through the oil pump and then the oil filter. This means that metal particles can get into the oil pump and a few other places. Using a magnetic drain plug will remove the last bits of metal particles in the engine. Even with the Honda 3.5 Aluminum engine, the moving parts are mostly ferrous metal such as piston rings, cylinder walls, crank, cam, etc. I have used magnetic drain plugs and it is amazing what the oil filter does not pick out. There are cheap magnetic drain plugs on eBay, but I prefer the Gold Plug that costs about $12. Just wipe it clean after every oil change.

Listed below are the numerous and most common oil filters available for the V6, 3.5L 3471cc engine. These filters also fit the Pilot, Odyssey, and the Crosstour. Always double check with the parts catalog or online to make sure these are the correct part numbers and that nothing has been superseded or changed.

I did not list the burst pressure, micron rating, GPH rating, and so forth. For the stock Honda 3.5L engine, it really doesn’t matter. If you have modified your engine with a high pressure oil pump or such, then you might be somewhat concerned about some of the other specifications. But, for the daily driver, any of the below filters will work adequately on your vehicle. The order of the filters listed below have no special significance.

K&N – HP1010 Probably the best filter out there for the Honda. It has a large 17 mm nut welded on the bottom of the filter for ease of correct torque installation and ease of removal. Compatible with all synthetics. Approximately $12 to $20 when priced checked on the Internet. ***** (5 Stars)

Mobil 1 – M1-110 Extended Performance Filter – This filter utilizes synthetic fibers and supposedly works best when used with Mobil 1 synthetic motor oil. $10 to $18 at most Advance Auto Parts Stores, WalMart and other stores. This filter appears to be exactly the same as the K&N above but without the 17mm nut. Normally the K&N is $1 or $2 more than the Mobil 1. Notice the part number similarity? Claims to filter 99.6% of contaminants. ***** (5 Stars)

Below are the two Honda OEM filters. One ends in A-02 and the other ends in A-01. Here is the difference:

The A-02 is a Honeywell/FRAM filter similar to the ToughGuard $5 filter.
The A-01 is the Filtech with the thermo bonded media ends and no end caps about a $6 filter.
The A-01 is the better choice. The Honeywell/FRAM plant in Stratford, Ontario is due to close down in 2012. They made the majority of the Honda A-02 and these filters can be found for about $5 on eBay and other places.

Honda 15400-PLM-A02 – The original Honda oil filter. Your best bet is eBay. 10 filters with crush washers are buy it now for $45. When you add in the $12 shipping, you are paying $5.70 for a filter & crush washer (with S&H) each. Smaller and larger quantities are available on eBay. These are OEM Honda filters. *** (3 stars)

Honda 15400-PLM-A01 – The newer Honda oil filter. A bit better filter than the A02. **** (4 stars)

Royal Purple CHF-10-2867 – Some people are big believers and swear by ‘Royal Purple’ and therefore want the Royal Purple oil filter too. These filters run about $15 to $20 each. Pep Boys carries these filters. It appears they are manufactured by Champ labs (same company which makes K&N and Mobil 1 filters). They are an excellent filter. ***** (5 Stars)

AMSOIL Ea Oil Filter – EA15K13-EA – Features synthetic nanofiber technology, guaranteed for up to 15,000 miles or 25,000 when used with AMSOIL synthetic motor oil. These filters run about $16 each. ***** (5 Stars)

WIX 57356 – A good brand that many local auto parts stores have in stock. Price can range from $7 to $10. **** (4 Stars)

FRAM – There are numerous FRAM filters listed for the Honda:
Xtendedguard – XG7317 (3 Stars) – Claims a 97% dirt catching ability. Designed for long life.
Toughguard – TG7317 (3 Stars) – Claims a 99% dirt catching ability. A reasonable mid line filter.
HighMileage – HM7317 (1 Star) – Claims a 95% dirt catching ability. Includes in the filter a gel additive for your oil. You really don’t want this additive in your Honda.
Doubleguard – DG7317 (2 Stars) – Claims a 95% dirt catching ability.
Extraguard – PH7317 (2 Stars) – Claims only 95% dirt catching ability. The cheap orange filter we all know.

Most of these FRAM filters can be purchased at WalMart or some other local auto parts store. Cost will run you between $5 and $10 depending on which filter you choose. The FRAM HighMileage has a gel additive which is PTFE or rather Slick 50 (Teflon) which is a solid. I would stay away from the HighMileage filter. The PTFE tends to bond with areas of low flow instead of areas of high friction. FRAM has recently discontinued the use of PTFE in their DoubleGuard filters and probably will for the HighMileage soon too.

Purolator – L14610 – This is a name brand filter that has been around for a long time. These can be found at various auto parts stores with a cost of around $8. There are two qualities of this filter, one is called the Purolator Classic and the other is the Purolator Pure One. **** (4 Stars for the Purolator Pure One) *** (3 Stars for the Purolator Classic).

Beck Arnley – 041-0812 – Beck Arnley uses a lot of the same manufactures that the OEM’s use and it tends to change all the time. It's sometimes difficult to know who they are using to make their filters from one day to the next. Quality is always reasonable. Price will be around $8. *** (3 Stars)

Bosch – 3323 - Another main brand of oil filter. This filter will cost you about $8. Robert Bosch has been around a long time. Their top of the line filter is called the Bosch Distance Plus. ***** (4 Stars).

NAPA – FIL 7356 Gold Oil Filter. WIX makes the NAPA filters. NAPA lists various filters that end in 356. The standard filter is a paper element and the NAPA Gold is a cellulose. These filters will sell for between $6 and $9, but occasionally NAPA will run a sale and bring the price down a dollar or two.
NAPA Gold *** (3 Stars)
NAPA Silver *** (3 Stars)
NAPA Platinum **** (4 Stars)

Car Quest – 84356 Another WIX product, I’m told that on the box of every Car Quest filter it will say WIX Filtration. They have two lines of filters being Blue and Red. The Blue is their premium line. Their premium line will run about $8. **** (4 stars)

Motorcraft FL822 – Another name brand oil filter. These can sometimes be found at WalMart and other mass merchandisers. Alternative part number is F32Z6731A. Certainly a good filter. Somehow just doesn’t look right to have a Motorcraft oil filter on a Honda. Either way, a good solid filter. **** (4 stars)

AC Delco PF2057 – The filter choice of Mr. Goodwrench. They claim a 98 percent single pass filtering with a cellulose media. Again, like the Motorcraft filter, it just seems odd having an AC filter on a Honda. *** (3 Stars)

MANN ML1008 – Another filter manufacturer that makes a respectable filter. Not as popular as some of the others, but still a good filter. **** (3 stars).

So, there you have it, the oil filter run down. But now let’s go back and answer some of the tough questions. These answers are just my opinion.

What filter should I be using? If you are going to be using Dino (regular oil) and follow your MM (Maintenance Minder) in your Honda then any of the above filters 3 stars or better should be your choice.

What if I want to run Mobil 1, or some other synthetic? Keep in mind, that your MM (Maintenance Minder) has no idea what quality oil you are running. It does not sample your oil to decide how much life is remaining. It uses mileage, RPM, WOT, idle time, temperature and other factors to determine how much oil life you have left. I would use any of the above filters 4 stars or better.

What if I want the BEST filter for my Honda? I would use any of the 5 star filters above. The K&N with its 17mm welded on nut seems like it would help installation with correct torque, and uninstallation. The K&N brand is the street racers favorite right now.

Won’t a $5 FRAM (Orange Filter) work? Sure it will work! It's also likely what you have on your vehicle right now disguised as a blue Honda filter. If I was leasing or didn’t plan on keeping my Honda very long, I would probably use the cheap FRAM filter. I do intend to keep my car for 300K or 400K miles and want to give it that extra protection, especially since the MM (Maintenance Minder) could have my oil changes extended to well over 10K.

How many defective oil filters have you seen ruin an engine? Zero

How often do people claim an oil filter ruined their engine? Very often

Any special tips about the oil filter? Don’t over tighten. Check for leaks before you drive away. Clean the mounting boss with a clean rag before installing the a new filter. Always stick with the oil filter manufacturers part number. Some people try and find the biggest filter that has the same gasket diameter and mounting threads on the logic that it will have more filtering capability. This trick can void your warranty.

How tight should I make my oil filter? There is a torque specification for this, but when I was attending various training by the OEM manufacturers, they recommended that you install spin on oil filters as tight as you can with your bare hands. Unless you are Gorilla Jim, it’s virtually impossible to over tighten an oil filter using just your bare hands.

Do I need to prime my oil filter to prevent dry starts? Not really. Most vehicles have their oil changes when the oil is hot or the vehicle was just driven into the shop, therefore the engine parts are covered with a fresh layer of engine oil. The one to two seconds it takes for oil pressure to move through the filter is insignificant. I’m not aware of any engine ever being damaged by not priming the oil filter.

How do I know if Jiffy Lube or some other quick oil change shop really changes the filter as opposed to just wiping it clean? This is a big problem and many shops have been caught doing this. My suggestion is to take a good marker and sign your initials on the filter. You can then easily tell if the shop changed the filter or not. I worked with a TV station to test this out on some of the quick oil change shops and it was about 20% of shops who just wiped down the filter instead of changing it.

Can I change my own oil and filter and still be covered by the Honda or other extended warranty? Absolutely Yes. Just make sure to keep some sort of record when you changed the oil in case there is an oil or filter issue.

How long should I leave the oil drain plug out to drain the oil? Normally when there is one drip every 10 to 15 seconds. Too often shops in a hurry put the drain plug back before all the old oil has drained out.

Should I use magnetic drain plugs on the transfer case and differentials too? Yes.

Where are the best deals to be had for filters? Check Amazon, eBay, WalMart, and your local parts stores and the sponsors of this board. Sometimes buying in quantity can get you a better price or at least reduce the shipping and handling cost.
 
Motorcraft - yes its a little odd using it for the first time on a honda or toyota. But after you use it for the first time you won't think twice about using it again. Great price and performance. Sure beats a generic no name brand all white filter that most quicky lube places use imo.

Crashmaster,

Any info on the toyota oem oil filters?
 
Can someone share their experience with the Purolator Classic oil filter? How is this compared to FRAM? Thanks.
Before we turn this thread into a oil change interval thread, I'll say this.

They are the same. You will not notice any difference. Think abou this, it's only going to be on your car for 3,000 -4,000 miles, so what's the difference?

You are asking this because......You are buying oil + filter at Autozone and they are offering a choice... right?

Choose whatever they have in stock. It's an oil filter. You can not go wrong.

Get the savings, change your oil, and move on with life.
 
They are the same. You will not notice any difference. Think abou this, it's only going to be on your car for 3,000 -4,000 miles, so what's the difference?
If OP follows the MM (which a lot of Honda owners will), then it's probably more like 5,00-7,000 miles. Since my MM consistently tells me to change the oil and filter at around 5,500 miles, I'd rather have the better made Purolator filter over an orange Fram filter.... it's just peace of mind.
 
Discussion starter · #9 ·
Thanks for the inputs, everyone.

I've been jumping around in terms of oil filters used on my car. I just wanted to see which would be a good and affordable filter to stick to. Thanks again.
 
Can someone share their experience with the Purolator Classic oil filter? How is this compared to FRAM? Thanks.
I got my oilchange when it was due last just two weeks ago and the independent shop I went to used Purolator Classic as their house brand. I brought my 5 quart jug of MC 5w-20+crush washer and poured in+spinned on and let me tell you DA, this oil+filter combo is running like a BEAST!!

I would give this Purolator classic version 5 star seat of the pants performance and it's definitely a "high-flow" filter if that marketing means anything. Who needs the bigger and costlier Pure One version!! I have ~110k and have used Napa Gold, Wix(4 star), Honda A02, Mobil1(5 star) with same oil before and this Purolator classic is outperforming them all, again by seat of the pants. Initially I had some doubt because it is the smaller then the Pure One but once I ran with it, size didn't mean crap and infact, helped with flow and since I'm only going ~5k, I can just spin a new one on on my next ~5k-ish OCI and not miss a beat!

Best news is this filter is also the new house brand at Walmart whereas the Super Tech used to be the house brand in the past. This means super low price but stellar parts and still great performance!

I think I found my stellar low-cost oil filter because let me tell you, Purolator uses quality parts per above and I'm confirming seat of the pants which is important when you're talking high-flow and the price is the absolute lowest so what more do you need! Use this filter, you won't be disappointed and no need to spend the extra cash on the "bigger" Pure One's or any of the so-called 5 star ones listed above either!!

Believe me folks, there is something about being around for along-time(see below)...again, size being the only difference..if you are doing ~5k OCI, you're getting the same quality filter and saving money and judging by seat of pants, in-effect, they beat the above 5 stars for ~5k OCIs, imo!

Purolator – L14610 – This is a name brand filter that has been around for a long time. These can be found at various auto parts stores with a cost of around $8. There are two qualities of this filter, one is called the Purolator Classic and the other is the Purolator Pure One. **** (4 Stars for the Purolator Pure One) *** (3 Stars for the Purolator Classic).
 
I got my oilchange when it was due last just two weeks ago and the independent shop I went to used Purolator Classic as their house brand. I brought my 5 quart jug of MC 5w-20+crush washer and poured in+spinned on and let me tell you DA, this oil+filter combo is running like a BEAST!!
I went to the Ford dealer for my last oil change after confirming they use MC oil plus the MC oil filter. Normal price there is $25 with coupon $20 and no appointment needed.
 
+1 crashmasters comments. A filter is a filter, per se.

You biggest concern is the dolt changing your oil at the quicklube. I have heard enough stories of people loosing engines due to a loose oil plug or something not done right.
 
Before we delve into the oil filters, I did want to comment a moment about the oil drain plug. Everyone should be using a good magnetic oil drain plug.
So I did a quick serach on ebay. Let me ask this. Are all Honda oil drain bolt and AT drain bolts the same? I don't see a difference between V6, I4, etc.

Example.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SKUNK2-MAGN.../260896692226?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3cbea79802&vxp=mtr

I know the AT is already magnetic, but I don't mind having a back up one.
 
I checked out the drain plug with the link you supplied to eBay. If you really need a cross drilled and safety wired drain plug, I guess $30 is an OK price. The Gold Plug is $14.99 each. They have an application guide on their website www.magneticdrainplug.com

eBay does have color coordinated drain plugs, so if you want a blue magnetic drain plug to match your car, you can do that.

You are right, I also do not see a difference between the 4 and 6 cylinder engines. One of the first things I did when I got my 2012 Crosstour was to change out all the plugs with magnetic plugs. I felt that with all the new parts working together, that small metal particles are going to happen and I wanted those small metal parts out. If you are fast with a drain plug, I was able to switch the oil drain plug without losing more than about a teaspoon.
 
I checked out the drain plug with the link you supplied to eBay. If you really need a cross drilled and safety wired drain plug, I guess $30 is an OK price. The Gold Plug is $14.99 each. They have an application guide on their website www.magneticdrainplug.com

eBay does have color coordinated drain plugs, so if you want a blue magnetic drain plug to match your car, you can do that.

You are right, I also do not see a difference between the 4 and 6 cylinder engines. One of the first things I did when I got my 2012 Crosstour was to change out all the plugs with magnetic plugs. I felt that with all the new parts working together, that small metal particles are going to happen and I wanted those small metal parts out. If you are fast with a drain plug, I was able to switch the oil drain plug without losing more than about a teaspoon.
 
Sorry Fram is cheaply made for their prices. Sorry paper endcaps? Dont want that going around in my oil. I will pay the same price for a wix or equal to it and get metal endcaps and know there will be no chance of it failing.
 
^ Funny you mention the paper end caps. In the video, Jay Buckley says

The end cap itself is not a structural element of the filter. It only serves to hold the glue that seals the ends of the media cartridge.
If that's the case, then why does Fram chose to use steel end caps in their top-of-the-line filter (Xtended Guard)? Probably because it holds up better than cardboard....?

Another thing to note from the video is Jay's statement that

All oil filters have a finite capacity to trap and hold dirt. When the filter reaches full capacity, it loses the ability to flow oil through the media. Bypass valve opens and allows sufficient unfiltered (i.e. dirty) oil to reach the engine bearings.
If that's the case, then wouldn't you want a filter that has more filtering media? More filtering media = more capacity to trap and hold dirt = less likely for "unfiltered oil" to reach the engine.

If you look at Fram's filters, you'll see that Fram's Extra Guard filter has 193 square inches of filter surface area. Compare that to the similarly priced Purolator Classic's 316 square inch. That's over 60% more filtering area.

What about Fram's Tough Guard? It's got 248 square inches of filtering media. The equivalently priced Purolator PureOne has 400 square inches. That's also over 60% more.

Then there's each filters filtering efficiency. Fram's Extra Guard has a "95% Dirt Trapping Efficiency" while the same-priced Purolator Classic has "an efficiency rating of 97.5%." Fram's Tough Guard has a better "99% efficiency" while the same-priced Purolator PureOne is "99.9% efficient."

There is absolutely no reason why I'd choose a Fram over an equally priced Purolator, more so when Purolator runs their rebates ($1.50 off a Classic or $3.00 off a PureOne).... not that anything bad will happen with a Fram. But why take the chance.

It should also be noted that motorking (a.k.a. Jay Buckley) is just a shill for Fram.
 
Autozone does not sell purolater. Freaking ****s.

This filter is EXTREMELY popular and in high demand.

You are much better off ordering them online then trying walmart or auto parts stores.
 
More filtering media = more capacity to trap and hold dirt = less likely for "unfiltered oil" to reach the engine.

If you look at Fram's filters, you'll see that Fram's Extra Guard filter has 193 square inches of filter surface area. Compare that to the similarly priced Purolator Classic's 316 square inch. That's over 60% more filtering area.

What about Fram's Tough Guard? It's got 248 square inches of filtering media. The equivalently priced Purolator PureOne has 400 square inches. That's also over 60% more.

Then there's each filters filtering efficiency. Fram's Extra Guard has a "95% Dirt Trapping Efficiency" while the same-priced Purolator Classic has "an efficiency rating of 97.5%." Fram's Tough Guard has a better "99% efficiency" while the same-priced Purolator PureOne is "99.9% efficient."
This is all you ever need to know about oil filters folks. I used the Purolator classic by accident because the shop I got my last oil change from stocked it and I did not have the above ammunition "on hand" but it would behoove you not to use a Purolator classic just based on low price alone let alone surface area and filter efficiency or Pure one(more $ and not worth it, imo) not only for the above reasons but also the classic can be had for 3 bones and loose change at Walmart! 5 star post!
 
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