Oil Filter Failure in W124 with photos

[Guyton Buzz]

Filter cartridge has multiple holes in the material and some of the folds were cracked. Filter is perhaps 3 months old, about 500 miles a week. Brand I don't recall, but being a skinflint I bet it was a a house brand or on sale. Note the origin. The new filter is a WIX 51145. Car is a 93 300CE Cabriolet, 165K.

I'll be checking the labels on filters more carefully. The WIX included a new O-ring, which I knew where to replace, but also a copper washer. Any idea where that might go?

Old PSI readings were 2.25 bar dipping a lot into the 1.5 bar area. This was at idle. Jumped around a bit. Above 3 bar at travel speed. Now it seems to stay at 2.25 bar, moving to above 3 at speed. My 92 300TE (at 303K) dipped down to 0.7 bar at warm idle, and up to 3 at speed. So I'm thinking I need a new oil sender, and the old torn filter was making the oil PSI fluctuate at idle.

Follow up - went back to chain store, the filter was a pure o later. They make their own good filters, and also box some MANN units, but their bean counterz are trying to squeeze every nickle until the Buffalo jumps. Once the most populous nation on Earth gets their quality control under control, look out.