Oil Filter Brands to Avoid: Top Brands To Stay Away From

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Oil filter brands to avoid are important to note if you want to keep your car in its best quality and prevent damage to your engine. Although filters are very simple devices for your car, some brands make use of cheap materials and use poor quality control in making them.

Oil Filter Brands to Avoid

On the other hand, there are some brands and manufacturers that will make use of the best quality materials in making the products. In this guide, we will look at the oil filter brands that you should definitely stay away from if you want good value for your money. 

A List Of 12 Oil Filter Brands to Avoid 

Before purchasing an oil filter, you should consider the price, the service charge, weight or build, the anti-drain back valve, and the brand. With that in mind, here are some brands that you should steer clear of when purchasing an oil filter for your car.

1. Fram 

Right Oil Filter for Car

Pros 
  • Highly affordable oil filters. 
  • Easy to buy anywhere. 
Cons 
  • They sell faulty oil filters.
  • There is no drain back valve on their filters. 
  • They are made with inferior materials.
  • The filters have a thin filtration system.
Where is it made  USA 
How Long It Will Last  A couple of days before causing engine failure.

 

Fram is one of the most well-known oil filter brands in the automotive industry, known for its easy availability at any local auto parts store and low prices. Despite the company’s aggressive market, it is known for being one of the manufacturer brands. Their filters have received negative reviews due to their poor structure, which makes them vulnerable to dirt.

There are many other reasons why you should avoid Fram. The brand sells faulty filters, which cause dirt to enter your engine. It will only take a few days for your engine to get damaged with this filter. Also, their oil filters did not have a drain back valve. They also have a thin filtration system, and the brand uses low-quality materials. 

2. Supertech Oil Filters 

Car Oil Engine

Pros 
  • It is affordable.
  • It is compatible with synthetic oil.
Cons 
  • The filter gets easily clogged. 
  • The bypass valves get damaged easily. 
  • The filters are made with weak materials. 
  • The filters get rusted easily. 
Where is it made   USA
How Long It Will Last  5,000 miles.

 

Another oil filter brand that you should avoid is Supertech, which uses parts that are similar to Fram, so that’s enough reason to avoid them. The company offers paper and steel cover filters, but many customers have complained that the oil level rises up in the filter. Also, the bypass valve gets damaged easily because of the type.

You should also avoid the Supertech filters because they are vulnerable to rust, and this leads to leakage that can damage your engine. The oil filters are made with poor-quality materials, and by the time you’ve used them for 5,000 miles, there might be oil splashes on your engine. 

3. Astro Filters 

Changing Oil Filter

Pros 
  • It is cheaper than most.
Cons 
  • The filters are too large.
  • Oil spills and leaks are a problem.
  • It needs constant maintenance.
  • It does not offer good value for the cost.
Where Is It Made  USA
How Long It Will Last  12,000 miles with regular maintenance 

 

You should also avoid Astrofilter, a brand that claims to stand out from other brands. Despite this, their filters have one major downside, which is their size. The filters are bulky and large, so they don’t fit right in any car, causing leakage and spilling. 

Also, it is harder to check the clogs and filtration due to the large size. Astrofilters also need regular maintenance after reaching a particular distance which is time-consuming and annoying. Astro Filters are as costly as some of the best filters, but the quality does not match the price.

4. Champ Labs Oil Filter 

Worst Oil Brands

Pros 
  • It is cheap to buy. 
  • Easy to buy online. 
  • 30-day return policy. 
Cons 
  • Lack of description of their products.
  • Lies about where their product is made. 
  • Filters are made with low-quality materials.
Where Is It Made  China
How Long It Will Last  20,000 miles 

 

The Champ Labs Filter is one the most popular oil filters that you can purchase, but it is also one of the worst-rated options, especially on Amazon. The oil filter brand states that the products are made in the US, but they are actually made in China. This is a sign of their low quality.

Their filters don’t let their buyers know anything about the materials or how to use them. The lifespan is also unclear, so there isn’t anything that can reassure the buyer to purchase it. The lack of information and the poor materials makes it one of the worst oil brands that you can purchase. 

5. Pentius

Best Oil Filters

Pros 
  • 30-day return policy. 
  • It can be used with synthetic oil. 
  • Cheap filter. 
Cons 
  • Only compatible with old model vehicles.
  • Parts like rubber gaskets and valves deteriorate easily. 
  • Coil springs are flimsy and will break easily. 
  • The bypass is weak and made of plastic. 
Where Is It Made  China
How Long It Will Last  10,000 miles. 

 

Next on our list of oil filters brands that you should avoid is Pentius. This is an automotive parts company that has its headquarters in California, and its main product is oil and air filters. Despite this being their specialty, the filter is not compatible with modern automobiles. Instead, it only works on old-model vehicles like GM and Ford. 

Aside from this, another downside is that the valve and rubber gasket of the Pentius oil filters deteriorates easily because of heat exposure. The coil springs are flimsy and will become broken easily. Pentius filters break down due to excessive engine oil flow because the bypass is made of plastic.

6. Frantz 

Car Engine Maintenance

Pros 
  • Improved oil cooling.
  • Easy to install.
  • 30-day return policy. 
Cons 
  • Weak construction with the chrome-plated container. 
  • Poor design and build quality.
  • Short lifespan. 
Where Is It Made  USA
How Long It Will Last  5,000 miles 

 

Frantz Filter Company is another top brand that is expected to provide top-quality, but unfortunately, they make one of the worst oil filters you can buy. The company was known for its good oil filters, but then it was sold in 2014 after 61 years of operation.

After it was sold, the quality and value of the filters were reduced, and the reputation of Frantz filters was destroyed. Many of their buyers call the filters a toilet paper roll. This is because they are designed with two oil lines and a canister, making them insufficient for oil filtration. Also, the oil filter has a poor build and design and a short lifespan.

7. Motorcraft Oil Filters

Oil Capacity of Engine

Pros 
  • Designed to handle pressure. 
  • Anti-rust feature of the metal frame. 
Cons 
  • Poor quality control.
  • Products are sold with defects.
  • An oil change will be more often than normal.
Where Is It Made  USA
How Long It Will Last  5,000 miles 

 

You should also stay away from Motorcraft filters, which were launched by Ford Motor Company in collaboration with Purolator Filters LLC in the 1950s. Motorcraft is known for its poor quality control, so the filters that they sell are usually damaged.

Many of their customers have complained of defects like broken parts, so they can’t even use the filter when they buy. Also, they have to change their oil too often when using this filter, unlike the recommended oil capacity. This will increase your cost or frequency of oil purchases. 

8. Purolator 

Oil Filter Manufacturers

Pros 
  • It is very cheap.
  • Lasts longer than some other filters on this list.
Cons 
  • It can cause damage to your engine or parts of your system.
  • The filter media has holes.
  • It easily gets polluted with dirt.
Where Is It Made  USA
How Long It Will Last  15,000 miles

 

Purolator is a manufacturing company that makes oil and air filters. The company was purchased by Mann+Hummel as a division of the German filter manufacturing company in 2013, but the company dates back to the 1920s.

The Purolator Pureone oil filters will last for up to 15,000 miles before might damage your engine or parts of it. Also, the filter gets easily polluted with the dirt that passes through it. Some buyers also end up with a filter that has holes, which will deteriorate your engine. 

9. Premium Engine Protection Cartridge Oil Filter 

Cartridge Oil Filter

Pros 
  • Lasts longer than most options on the list.
  • Meets the factory requirement for cars. 
Cons 
  • It needs an oil change every 5000 miles.
  • They are an expensive option.
Where Is It Made  India, USA
How Long It Will Last  5,000 miles 

 

The main problem with the Premium oil filter is their durability. Most oil filter manufacturers allow you to use the oil filter for up to 10,000 miles before you have to change the oil. But this is not the case with this filter.

You will have to change the oil with the Premium filters very often, every 5,000 miles. They are also not durable with their short service life, so you might have to purchase more than usual. This, coupled with their high prices, makes them a costly option. 

10. Baldwin Oil Filter 

Baldwin Oil Filter Brand

Pros 
  • Filters are of good quality.
  • The filters last long. 
Cons 
  • No information on the oil filters. 
  • It is hard to figure out which car it is for.
Where Is It Made  USA, China 
How Long It Will Last  10,000 miles

 

The next option on our list of the bad oil filters brands is the Baldwin Filter. While this filter is not inherently a bad option, the main problem is that you don’t have a lot of information on it. The only thing that the brand lets its users know is that it’s a full-flow filter. Also, it is a spin-on oil filter and its dimensions are known.

It would be hard for its users to know if it will fit their car until they purchase it and try it. You can put it in your Chevy or even in your tractor. If you’re unsure about whether the filter will fit your car, you should avoid buying it. 

11. PG Extended Life Oil Filter

Gasoline Engine of Car

Pros 
  • Long filter life.
  • Built for a strong construction. 
  • Saves money and time.
Cons 
  • Not ideal for all vehicles.
  • It is not compatible with gasoline engines.
Where Is It Made  USA
How Long It Will Last  10,000 miles 

 

You should also avoid using PG Oil Filter because they are one of the worst brands. The company was founded in 1996 and has been supplying filters for cars and trucks. The main problem with these filters is that they are unsuitable for some vehicles.

If you are using a sports car, a Range Rover, or a Land Rover, the extended performance oil filter might not work for you. Also, some user reviews complain that the filter will not work with a gasoline engine.

12. Borg & Beck Oil Filter

Quality Oil Filter

Pros 
  • Return policy. 
  • Quality oil filter. 
Cons 
  • Does not fit the cars in its description. 
  • It is not affordable. 
Where Is It Made  England
How Long It Will Last  7,500 miles

 

Rounding up our list is the Borg & Beck Filter, an oil filter manufacturer that promises to meet the OE criteria. It is also easy to install, but the main downside is that it does not fit the cars even if it states that it will. 

Many of the downsides of the filter include incompatible threads, diameter, and filter dimensions. The filter is also not affordable, which is a downside. Even if the description says that it will fit your car, you can’t depend on that.

Conclusion 

With our list of the oil filter brands to avoid, you know which of the filters you shouldn’t install in your car to protect the engine. Here’s a rundown of our review:

  • Fram oil filters are the worst because they are defective and do not have drain-back filters.
  • Supertech oil filters can easily get rusted and will get damaged easily due to their low quality.
  • Astro Filters are too big and don’t offer good value for their money.

You should make use of high-quality oil filters that will fit your car properly so that there is no fault to your engine or other parts of your car like Wix oil.

References

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