Oil Filter Quality - Hengst reply - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

H-townbenzoboy · #1 11-16-2007, 04:24 PM

Do ANY of you have any evidence that filter content has "degraded" in the years since these cars were new? Did anyone cut up an OM617 filter in 1976, 1985, 1992, and 2005? If so, was there any noticable difference in them? I found some NOS oil filters on eBay for MB diesels from the 60's, I posted a thread but nobody got them. Right then and there, an interested party would've been able to buy a pack of vintage filters, open em up, and compare contents to today's filters. Nobody bid, were they afraid the results would reveal that there is no problem? I don't know. You don't even know how long the media in the filter has been that way. For all you know, you've been using a filter filled with "crap" for over 30 years and hundreds of thousands of miles, and only now is it a problem. Choose whatever you want, but I'm just sayin'...

pawoSD · #2 11-16-2007, 04:36 PM

I agree, but I HAVE noticed that in the more recent Hengst filters there is crap falling out of the little "slits" in the upper section of the canister that did not used to occur. 4 years ago I used primarily bosch and sometimes hengst, and they never had junk falling off them. Now there's flakes of debris falling off of them when taken out of the package. (only off the hengst ones) Perhaps the quality has gone down to save $$ (wouldn't be suprised)

Frams are heavier (quite a bit heavier metal) and the canister has circular holes rather than "slits" so there's likely better flow, and the material is spotless and debris free. They even come in a sealed plastic bag inside the box! (as do bosch ones) The only thing they lack is the copper drain plug washer for some reason, but those are 10 cents online....so I just bought a bunch. Thats the main reason I use them. I've never had junk fall off a bosch or OEM/dealer MB filter. Those would be my alternative should the Frams not be produced anymore. Hengst/Mann/Purolator seem to have the most issues. And, the bosch filters are only $8, the dealer ones are now $17!!!! Yeah right! Hengst, are $9...and of inferior quality.

Best choices:

1. Fram
2. Bosch
3. OEM/MB filters

The rest have too much junk in them/falling out of them.

Imagine if a pine needle or twig chunk made its way into a piston cooling oil jet/sprayer in the bottom end...that'd completely block the spray, and the piston would be starved of the necessary oil. Or into the turbo bearings....or the valvetrain lube jets.....

BIGRED · #3 11-16-2007, 05:32 PM

I am sure any filter manufacture would be liable to replace engines if they were the cause of engine failure. Cause is the keyword. A pine needle preventing oil flow would in my humble opinion qualify as a cause.

Maybe there are counterfit filters running around? I have never seen anything come close to coming out of the filter holes.

pawoSD · #4 11-16-2007, 05:56 PM

My last order of 4 Hengst filters that I bought had junk falling out of the upper section slots in multiple places. I cleaned them off and used them anyways, but still, that should not be happening. It was small pieces of some sort of organic debris. Using Fram's and Bosch's now, so it won't be an issue anymore....

#5 11-16-2007, 08:07 PM

suppose your engine is clean, could one go without a filter perhaps? seems like that's less risk of ruining your engine... and if the engine, your oil, your funnel and your hands are clean, then all you have to worry about is soot. soot won't score your cylinders would it?
I'm taking my fram (bought a dozen when it was 1/2 price) out right now!

pawoSD · #6 11-16-2007, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by henrydupont

suppose your engine is clean, could one go without a filter perhaps? seems like that's less risk of ruining your engine... and if the engine, your oil, your funnel and your hands are clean, then all you have to worry about is soot. soot won't score your cylinders would it?
I'm taking my fram (bought a dozen when it was 1/2 price) out right now!

Unless you change the oil every few hundred miles I'd highly recommend not doing that. It will kill the engine very quickly. Not to mention the MB oil circulation system relies on a filter being in the canister, to properly distribute the oil.

Always use a filter! Preferably a fram!

Hatterasguy · #7 11-16-2007, 09:32 PM

Well my engine has been running on these filters for the last 267k miles, at this point I have better things to worry about.

Since zero data exists that these filters harm the engine in any way, shape, or form.

A pine needle would be ground up in the oil pump and forced though the oil passages. Nothing inside these filters could do any harm.

argus445 · #8 03-04-2009, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pawoSD

I agree, but I HAVE noticed that in the more recent Hengst filters there is crap falling out of the little "slits" in the upper section of the canister that did not used to occur. 4 years ago I used primarily bosch and sometimes hengst, and they never had junk falling off them. Now there's flakes of debris falling off of them when taken out of the package. (only off the hengst ones) Perhaps the quality has gone down to save $$ (wouldn't be suprised)

Frams are heavier (quite a bit heavier metal) and the canister has circular holes rather than "slits" so there's likely better flow, and the material is spotless and debris free. They even come in a sealed plastic bag inside the box! (as do bosch ones) The only thing they lack is the copper drain plug washer for some reason, but those are 10 cents online....so I just bought a bunch. Thats the main reason I use them. I've never had junk fall off a bosch or OEM/dealer MB filter. Those would be my alternative should the Frams not be produced anymore. Hengst/Mann/Purolator seem to have the most issues. And, the bosch filters are only $8, the dealer ones are now $17!!!! Yeah right! Hengst, are $9...and of inferior quality.

Best choices:

1. Fram
2. Bosch
3. OEM/MB filters

The rest have too much junk in them/falling out of them.
..

http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/oilfilters/german.html

greasybenz · #9 11-17-2007, 04:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by H-townbenzoboy

Do ANY of you have any evidence that filter content has "degraded" in the years since these cars were new? Did anyone cut up an OM617 filter in 1976, 1985, 1992, and 2005? If so, was there any noticable difference in them? I found some NOS oil filters on eBay for MB diesels from the 60's, I posted a thread but nobody got them. Right then and there, an interested party would've been able to buy a pack of vintage filters, open em up, and compare contents to today's filters. Nobody bid, were they afraid the results would reveal that there is no problem? I don't know. You don't even know how long the media in the filter has been that way. For all you know, you've been using a filter filled with "crap" for over 30 years and hundreds of thousands of miles, and only now is it a problem. Choose whatever you want, but I'm just sayin'...

I didnt have the cash to buy them at the time

If they popped up again i have the cash to get them and buy them up in a hurry. What would be the big deal of opening up 60's oem filters and finding the same crap we have in our filters today? Id just shut my mouth about the fram filter and buy up a bunch of hengst, mahle, and bosch filters like it was nuthin.

If they ever pop up again PM me and ill buy them.

But im still against buying the MANN filter because of the pine needles finding their way out of the filter and into the oil filter housing. That was a big no no on buying another mann filter.