Counterfit Oil Filters on Amazon

Ok there are differences between the two. Size of H logo, finish of that central valve spring housing, centering of the five holes, smoother surfaces but less shiny. Y instead of W. Most likely not genuine.

Let me get this straight. Is much better to put an aftermarket part from a known firm than a fake OEM part. Who knows what materials they use for filtering media, if the valve opens at the right pressure, the amount of bypass, etc.. And i bought the filter from that Amazon page 13 times!

Today i read on forums. No one wants to buy oil filters from Amazon even if they say OEM. And they are just a bit cheaper than in store. Yes, the convenience of having it delivered to your door.

But from what i saw lately, online commerce is getting out of control and Amazon and eBay are two big parts of it.

And guess what. First i weighed them on a food scale. The one from Amazon is 325 gr, the one from Autozone is 335. Just like they say on forums, the fake ones are usually lighter.

I put my regular removal tool on both. The one bought on Amazon has twice the play of the one bought at Autozone. Probably the reason it jumps flutes after a certain torque and i had to buy the "one use", irreversible damaging, jaws.

I would not care for any other item but filters are critical for an engine's life and i already put 13 of them on my cars. I think Amazon is liable if someone says OEM and is not, period. If Amazon cannot verify the source, how can i? It was only by chance i discovered it, when i put one from Autozone (first picture) next to it.

I did not have the smallest doubt especially with the package and MOBIS hologram until i saw that shiny part with indentations at the bottom of the hole (second picture) and thought it was a defect and bought one from Autozone to verify but it turned they were many differences...

7:50/14 Ok the nightmare never ends. Today i was decided to change oil (cause we're leaving tomorrow for an over 1000 miles trip) but the (good, Autozone sold) filter has been sitting in the open box with the hole up under my "desk" were i oftenly eat and stuff for a couple of days so i wanted to take a good look inside to see if i did not drop anything.

Cause oil flow is from outside in and through that hole into the engine and anything no matter how small can clog a passage with catastrophic results (destroying, seizing etc.).

I was asking Angela. If i look in there for 5 minutes, is that gonna be enough (to satisfy my paranoia)? However, after about 5 minutes of staring, what do i see. Through one of the holes i see a defect in the media with the potential of breaking (don't know at what pressure that bypass valve opens)?

BTW i looked at the filtering media at the Amazon and it looks irregular, with different folding rates in different areas, thinner media. Wondering if it filters anything or that valve is open all the time.