Sad to report (as has been done in the long thread on the subject of "what crap did they put in oil filters") Baldwin filters for the OM603 are made in India. The one I bought for a rip-off price
was out of round and clearly marked "made in India"
I wrote an Email to Baldwin's QC but I never received any reply. To heck with that! Back to Mann or Hengst for me.
Oh yes, dmon, what is wrong with your SDL's acceleration? If it isn't just a nice little race car in drag, there is something wrong with it. I hope it doesn't still have the trap oxidizer in place! Search the subject 603 or OM603 and you'll find plenty off words on what to look for that might need attention, but when it's all OK your SDL should run just fine, and you will learn to love the littel chortling noise it makes at idle.
As for noise at running speed, they do make a little noise in my book, maybe wrappipng the exhaust line would reduce that a little also maybe your hood pad needs replacement? I hope that the under body covers are still there they help reduce noise too.