Yeah, I had a K&N in my last Olds; all it did was ruin an air sensor by getting oil all over it.

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"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970

Shows you how good my memory is! I looked at my records and paid $13 last time I bought one.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

The good quality filter you buy today might not be such a good quality the next time as they are starting to be made everywhere.
I recieved a pair of front shock absorber with the same part number; one made in the USA and the other one made in Mexico!
As far as saying "I used an oil filter and it never caused me any problems"; unless something catastrophic happens you would not know your if your filter is working or not; (without a lab test) and it would gradually shorten your engine life.
I drove a 1953 Chevy Pickup truck (with a 1955, 235 cubic inch inline 6) which had no oil filter at all for over 20 years without an oil filter (it had none when I bought it and the ones that had oil filters had bypass oil filtersonly). The truck without an oil filter ran with no problems. I tried to make sure I change my oil every 3 months.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

I hope you didn't use that "made in USA" shock, very scary!

I used them both but they were not for the Mercedes. Who knows maybe the Mexico one will hold up better. I would rather buy things made in Mexico than made in China.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

Pretty much just as it sounds:

OE parts are Genuine Mercedes, have the MB star logo, come in official MB packaging, and are only available through a Mercedes dealership. (Note that while YOU may have bought an OE part from somewhere other than the dealership, SOMEONE prior to you had to obtain it from a dealership before re-selling the part to you.)

OEM is original equipment manufacuturer... for example, Lemforder may be an OEM for the genuine Mercedes tie rods. But the part is not technically an OE part unless it has the star logo, comes in an MB box, and through an MB dealership. Lemforder may sell a similar, OR identical, part through the aftermarket, in their own packaging. They might even come from the same assembly line in the factory. These parts are OEM, not OE. Sometimes, the manufacturer may adjust the design or specifications of the part to save money, since the OEM part does not need to meet MB's specifications.

The OE part will always be to MB's specs. The OEM part will usually be to MB spec, or pretty close, but it's not guaranteed. A non-OEM part is a crapshoot, and if it's cheaper, it's probably not better.

I would probably rate them:

Mexico
China
US

Oh, no way, man!
Germany
US
Canada
Mexico
Japan
Australia
Malaysia
Brazil
Italy
Taiwan
Etc.....
Etc.....
Etc.....
Etc.....
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.................................................................................................... .................................................................................................... .................................................................................................... .................................................................................................... .................................................................................................... .................................................................................................... .................................................................................................... .................................................................................................... .................................................................................................... .................................................................................................... .................................................................................................... .................................China

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Save and enlarge for explanation of financial crisis!

http://www.mobile-phone-solutions.com Advice on cell phone signal antennas and amplifiers.

WHAT???


You think a MEXICAN built Buick is better than a JAPANESE built Honda???!!!

I don't believe this!!!!! <-------- (Neither do millions of Americans either...)

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

This morning (Monday 6-09-2008) I called Fram (800-890-2075). They had me call their plant in Ohio where a claims office is situated (419-661-6700). I spoke to "Lisa," who asked for details (kind of car, number of filter, etc.), took my name and address and promised to send a "claim form." I'll report again when the form arrives.

Jeremy

__________________

"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970

What do you plan to claim?
I should a least get another filter. On the box that is usually all the guarentee to replace.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

No, but we were talking about replacement parts. Replacement parts from Japan, if you can get them, have fallen in quality recently. Most of them now are made in Mexico have improved in quality!

__________________
Save and enlarge for explanation of financial crisis!

http://www.mobile-phone-solutions.com Advice on cell phone signal antennas and amplifiers.

We'll see what they offer. No harm was done, AFAIK. All I really want to do is get the old filter back to their QA people -- I doubt that they get very much customer feedback. Most people don't have time to bother with stuff like this.

__________________

"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970

I wouldn't even bother with a Fram! Why when you can go to ebay and order 4 for $40.00 including shipping? That's only $10 each!? And you can get either Mann or Mahle that are MADE IN GERMANY!

In all my experience, these are still high quality parts! They will arrive soon enough for your next oil change!

__________________
Save and enlarge for explanation of financial crisis!

http://www.mobile-phone-solutions.com Advice on cell phone signal antennas and amplifiers.

seems to me that this failure could allow unfiltered oil to bypass the filter media.

I am only putting my $.02 in because a few peeps had previously stated that it doesnt look like it would cause any issues. I believe otherwise.

but- to each his own. I did buy a few of those Frams, but have switched back to German(mann/mahle) filters or a wix if I dont have anything else on hand.

I just cant put any filter on any car that came out of an orange box like that. they even have my name on them, and I still wont use 'em...(Honeywell)


IMHO,the rubber grommets on the fram's dont seem to seal very well to the tube on the filter housing lid. I was not impressed w/ bosch the same way.

wix on the other hand- the O ring is slightly too big, making it a PITA to get on properly. and they dont include the drain pan washer- for those who still change oil that way. but I have not heard of a glue failure. and the mic rating is kinda high- 32 nominal.

back to the filter threads.....................

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1984 123.193 372,xxx miles, room for Seven.

1999 Dodge Durango Cummins 4BTAA 47RE 5k lb 4x4 getting 25+mpgs, room for Seven.