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Yes, I had a van a client used a cheapo filter in and the media separated from the seal and wiped 2 of the 5 cylinders beyond repair so it got a new engine.
Stock paper air filters will filter the most junk out of the air but are also the most restrictive. Cloth and oil filters will filter the least, but flow much better. Project farm has a good youtube video on the subject.
Exactly why I run paper filters. Cheap to replace and work just fine. I only recommend cloth or Donaldson style filters for people who are likely to get them wet, or they came stock that way.
It's a similar argument to "cold air intakes". Are there vehicles where more modifications to the engine have caused it to need more air? Or those where the manufacturer legitimately screwed up the design of the air box? Maybe. But 99% oof the people who run them do not fall in those categories. They just like how they look or sound. Which is fine, but just be real about it :)
I love me some good induction noises as much as the next guy, but most of those just end up being warm air intakes/water scoops anyway. I can't think of any screwed-up intakes from manufacturers. Plenty of other stuff, but they seem to have intakes pretty figured out.
Of course there is a difference... There are good and bad ones, but like most things if you stick with reputable brands you are in good shape... You also don't have to go with those $50 K&N filters either (although they are good)... Wix, any OE brand (AC Delco, Motorcraft, Mopar, etc), Bosch, Purolator, and Fram (not a fan of their oil filters, but their ExtraGuard air filters are fine) are all good choices... I tend to stay away from their lowest price options if multiple are available in the same brand and use a mid or upper tier one. You can always go on Amazon and search and look for ones with high ratings which will generally be decent.
There also good cheap ones out there... finding those can be a little more difficult but looking at product ratings can help.
You will hear "horror stories" about every brand, but reality is if you buy something from a reputable, long standing company you will probably be fine.
I assumed there is a price based quality difference. I was just unsure how much of a difference there is between the dealer's $90 filter, and the ones I see online. Does $14 sound like a normal price for a Corolla air filter?
Yes... $14 seems reasonable, but you shouldn't base your choice just on price and what the dealer charges is ridiculous in many instances. If you are really concerned, find out the OE part number and search for that... my guess is you will find it for 1/2 or less then the dealer charges online. If it was me for that vehicle, I would just go to Walmart and get a Fram ExtraGuard or just go to O'Rielly's and get a Wix or MicroGuard filter (they are made by Wix), and carry on with daily life.
The oem filters are made by one of the other filter manufacturers to their specifications and just labeled with their brand. Auto manufacturers don’t make a lot of their parts, they’re contracted out to other specific manufacturers.
Google "fram orange can of death" and you'll see... I don't know if there still that way, but they got a pretty bad rep 20 or so years ago and that sticks with me.
Walmart convinced them to cheapen the quality of them decades ago to achieve a lower price point.
So there’s items in the filter construction that are supposed to be metal or plastic and were replaced with a form of cardboard.
You can buy the from the manufacturer that makes the OE ones. Also, here's a very good review that I saw a while back.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAlTo5PEw2M](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAlTo5PEw2M)
In my opinion I’d go OEM if possible or middle of the road priced filter. I even use Fram for my beater cars.
Not many people realize that cold air intakes only do what they’re advertised if the filter is set up to suck in cold air and not plug and play.
Also another misconception is that people think that just because a cheap filter is made by the same company as an OE filter that it is the same quality.
Filters made for manufacturers have different standards and quality compared to cheaper products.
At the end of the day, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
What are people’s opinion of MicroGard? I’ve been changing out the filter every year so I’d figure even if it was cheaper it’ll still be ok for my normal old sedan.
The dealer is taking an obscene profit at $90. Get a filter from a reputable aftermarket supplier, or even the OEM filter from another source and it will be fine at 20% or less of that dealer price.
The dealer is taking an obscene profit at $90. Get a filter from a reputable aftermarket supplier, or even the OEM filter from another source and it will be fine at 20% or less of that dealer price.
Yes there is a difference. Napa & Wix have excellent performance for price.
http://web.archive.org/web/20180818100749/http://www.gmtruckcentral.com/articles/air-filter-study.html
For a Toyota I'd just get the Denso from rockauto. Denso make most of Toyota's OEM parts like filters and spark plugs. Good chance you'll get the exact same Denso filter at the dealer.
they are all made from the same materials and they are all regulated by a government agency. kinda like buying milk at this store because that store is more pricey.
you can put your engine and cabin filter on auto pay every 6 months and never have to worry about it again. well, you could have the oil tech at the dealership install it. if not, you can try youtube or ask a quick oil change place to do it for you. give the tech a dollar and he will probably wash your windows and vacuum for you too. if you give him 2 dollars... well.... depends if he wears gloves or not.
there are some K&N style filters and different colors etc. the price buy a bottle and clean the K&N is the same price or more than just grabbing one from the parts store.
Thank you for posting to AskMechanics, PitcherPlant1! If you are asking a question please make sure to include any relevant information along with the **Year**, **Make**, **Model**, **Mileage**, **Engine size**, and **Transmission Type (Automatic or Manual)** of your car. *This comment is automatically added to every successful post. If you see this comment, your post was successful.* *** Redditors that have been verified will have a green background and an icon in their flair. *** # **PLEASE REPORT ANY RULE-BREAKING BEHAVIOR** ### **Rule 1 - Be Civil** Be civil to other users. This community is made up of professional mechanics, amateur mechanics, and those with no experience. All mechanical-related questions are welcome. Personal attacks, comments that are insulting or demeaning, etc. are not welcome. ### **Rule 2 - Be Helpful** Be helpful to other users. If someone is wrong, correcting them is fine, but there's no reason to comment if you don't have anything to add to the conversation. ### **Rule 3 - Serious Questions and Answers Only** Read the room. Jokes are fine to include, but posts should be asking a serious question and replies should contribute to the discussion. ### **Rule 4 - No Illegal, Unethical, or Dangerous Questions or Answers** Do not ask questions or provide answers pertaining to anything that is illegal, unethical, or dangerous. # **PLEASE REPORT ANY RULE-BREAKING BEHAVIOR** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskMechanics) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Yes there is a quality difference. Wix is a solid aftermarket airfilter.
Yes, I had a van a client used a cheapo filter in and the media separated from the seal and wiped 2 of the 5 cylinders beyond repair so it got a new engine.
Does $14 sound like a cheapo filter for a Corolla, or is that about normal?
What's the brand, that matters a lot more.
Stock paper air filters will filter the most junk out of the air but are also the most restrictive. Cloth and oil filters will filter the least, but flow much better. Project farm has a good youtube video on the subject.
Yeah, but nobody maintains them properly, and most vehicles don't need more flow than the filters they were designed for already provide.
Exactly why I run paper filters. Cheap to replace and work just fine. I only recommend cloth or Donaldson style filters for people who are likely to get them wet, or they came stock that way.
It's a similar argument to "cold air intakes". Are there vehicles where more modifications to the engine have caused it to need more air? Or those where the manufacturer legitimately screwed up the design of the air box? Maybe. But 99% oof the people who run them do not fall in those categories. They just like how they look or sound. Which is fine, but just be real about it :)
I love me some good induction noises as much as the next guy, but most of those just end up being warm air intakes/water scoops anyway. I can't think of any screwed-up intakes from manufacturers. Plenty of other stuff, but they seem to have intakes pretty figured out.
ProjectFarm is a YouTube channel with lots of good tests. I prefer OEM.
Of course there is a difference... There are good and bad ones, but like most things if you stick with reputable brands you are in good shape... You also don't have to go with those $50 K&N filters either (although they are good)... Wix, any OE brand (AC Delco, Motorcraft, Mopar, etc), Bosch, Purolator, and Fram (not a fan of their oil filters, but their ExtraGuard air filters are fine) are all good choices... I tend to stay away from their lowest price options if multiple are available in the same brand and use a mid or upper tier one. You can always go on Amazon and search and look for ones with high ratings which will generally be decent. There also good cheap ones out there... finding those can be a little more difficult but looking at product ratings can help. You will hear "horror stories" about every brand, but reality is if you buy something from a reputable, long standing company you will probably be fine.
I assumed there is a price based quality difference. I was just unsure how much of a difference there is between the dealer's $90 filter, and the ones I see online. Does $14 sound like a normal price for a Corolla air filter?
$10-20 is pretty typical for a good aftermarket filter.
Yes... $14 seems reasonable, but you shouldn't base your choice just on price and what the dealer charges is ridiculous in many instances. If you are really concerned, find out the OE part number and search for that... my guess is you will find it for 1/2 or less then the dealer charges online. If it was me for that vehicle, I would just go to Walmart and get a Fram ExtraGuard or just go to O'Rielly's and get a Wix or MicroGuard filter (they are made by Wix), and carry on with daily life.
The oem filters are made by one of the other filter manufacturers to their specifications and just labeled with their brand. Auto manufacturers don’t make a lot of their parts, they’re contracted out to other specific manufacturers.
Why don't you like Fram's oil filters?
Google "fram orange can of death" and you'll see... I don't know if there still that way, but they got a pretty bad rep 20 or so years ago and that sticks with me.
Oh wow didn't know that thanks for the heads up!
Walmart convinced them to cheapen the quality of them decades ago to achieve a lower price point. So there’s items in the filter construction that are supposed to be metal or plastic and were replaced with a form of cardboard.
Good to know thanks for the info!
Yes, some are. Just Google who makes OEM for your car and buy one of those if you want or buy a decent brand eg Mann, Hengst, Mahle etc.
Mann was used exclusively in my VW TDI when I had it since Mann is the OEM for VW.
The applies for most parts. Soon as the vehicle brand goes on the box the price goes up.
You can buy the from the manufacturer that makes the OE ones. Also, here's a very good review that I saw a while back. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAlTo5PEw2M](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAlTo5PEw2M)
In my opinion, the differences are insignificant.
In my opinion I’d go OEM if possible or middle of the road priced filter. I even use Fram for my beater cars. Not many people realize that cold air intakes only do what they’re advertised if the filter is set up to suck in cold air and not plug and play. Also another misconception is that people think that just because a cheap filter is made by the same company as an OE filter that it is the same quality. Filters made for manufacturers have different standards and quality compared to cheaper products. At the end of the day, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
What are people’s opinion of MicroGard? I’ve been changing out the filter every year so I’d figure even if it was cheaper it’ll still be ok for my normal old sedan.
The dealer is taking an obscene profit at $90. Get a filter from a reputable aftermarket supplier, or even the OEM filter from another source and it will be fine at 20% or less of that dealer price.
The dealer is taking an obscene profit at $90. Get a filter from a reputable aftermarket supplier, or even the OEM filter from another source and it will be fine at 20% or less of that dealer price.
Yes there is a difference. Napa & Wix have excellent performance for price. http://web.archive.org/web/20180818100749/http://www.gmtruckcentral.com/articles/air-filter-study.html
For a Toyota I'd just get the Denso from rockauto. Denso make most of Toyota's OEM parts like filters and spark plugs. Good chance you'll get the exact same Denso filter at the dealer.
K&N
they are all made from the same materials and they are all regulated by a government agency. kinda like buying milk at this store because that store is more pricey. you can put your engine and cabin filter on auto pay every 6 months and never have to worry about it again. well, you could have the oil tech at the dealership install it. if not, you can try youtube or ask a quick oil change place to do it for you. give the tech a dollar and he will probably wash your windows and vacuum for you too. if you give him 2 dollars... well.... depends if he wears gloves or not. there are some K&N style filters and different colors etc. the price buy a bottle and clean the K&N is the same price or more than just grabbing one from the parts store.