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Posted on 05/03/2009 5:56:39 AM PDT by Shannon
I'm posting this because a lot of people may not be aware of this when you go to get an oil change for your car.
I didn't even notice that my car started leaking oil. It wasn't until six days later when a friend was over that she noticed it. I thought the spots in my driveway were from someone else's car. Problem was they were leading into my garage! Okay, guilty of not paying attention. Anyway, we were going out to visit another friend. I pulled my car out of the garage and the puddle of oil that came from my car was so big I had to get out the cat litter! I was unglued. Car was put back in the garage.
Long story short, the next morning after the mechanic inspected it, fixed it etc. he told me what happened. The filter was made in China!
Mine was the second problem he'd had in one week. He said the rubber gasket on the filters from China are made of a stiffer material than the ones in the US. Evidently this stiffer gasket on the China filters is causing one of two things to happen: you don't get a good seal and/or the heat from the engine is causing the gasket to crack.
He told me that just a few days ago they'd done an oil change on another car, let it idle for 5 - 6 minutes then pulled it out onto the lot and SPLAT. Oil poured out. That Chinese filter had cracked. Then in I come a few days later with a serious leak.
My new filter: Made in the USA.
Brand of the bad filter?
Yeah, the name of the manufacturer would be nice. It’s a big part of the story.
ping
You still go 3,000 miles between oil changes? My new car goes 15,000 between changes, per dealer.
I have no idea who manufactured it. Hearing China was enough for me. But I will phone the mechanic tomorrow to find out the name of the manufacturer.
Incurable blond
You get what you pay for.
I had noticed that the back flow valve in the filters were not working. The filter in my crown vic screws on sideways and the oil would leak back into the crankcase when it was parked for any length of time. This bugs me as it takes longer for oil pressure to come up when you start.
The problem was cheap, no name oil filters. Now a keep a few Motocraft filters in my trunk ($3 at walmart).. Well worth it.
The mechanic is still using the cheap filters? He’s asking for trouble.
the time between oil changes is more related to the quality of the oil being used not the car. i use synthetic so i run about 8,000 to 10,000. if i were using regular oil i would not go more then about 4,000.
I think a lot of people are finally becoming aware that there's a serious quality issue with anything coming out of China. I simply don't trust them. But never would I have thought to think "China" when going in for an oil change.
I also know someone who’s oil filter blew apart. One of the cheap ones from China, too. I change my own oil. Motorcraft or Fram for me.
After proper break in, use the synthetic (never too much slick), and always change the oil hot, as the particulate matter is in suspension, not settled.
Oh yeah, check filter one way flapper valve, sometimes it is missing, even in brand name filters, or put on the wrong side of the bottom of the can (had one like that one time, really).
It lengthens the life of the motor appreciably.
I won't tell you about the time when I started pouring oil in while I still had the drain plug removed...
How do you know the Fram filter isn’t made in China? (I know nothing at all about Motorcraft).
My car uses synthetic oil, so I guess it’s longer between oil changes.
18 years ago, we bought a brand new car, and took it to Jiffy Lube for an oil change (the change after the initial 1500 mile change, which we had done at the dealer). Afterwards, we stopped by my in-laws house to visit, and my father in law told me I had an oil leak. I took it to the dealer, and the problem was that the guy at Jiffy Lube tightened the filter so tight, that it twisted, and began leaking through the holes produced by the twisting. Maybe that’s what happened, and they didn’t want you to know about it?
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