I just got some of the MANN cartridge oil filters from IPD. These are the ones used on 99 and later cars. I had been thinking that the Volvo branded filters were made by MANN but they are not the same. MANN filters are made in Germany and the Volvo branded filters are made in Austria.
The most noticeable difference is in the diameter of the hole in the center of the filter. The Volvo branded filter has a much smaller hole than the MANN. With the Volvo branded filter, you push it up onto the shaft, and that tears the paper or stretches something so that the filter is held in place while you put the plastic cover back on. The MANN filter looks like it will fall off the shaft while you are trying to put it back together. I'm sure it will work, but it just increases the work in doing the job.
AT US$5.95, they don't seem any cheaper than the real thing, so for my 2 cents, they aren't worth buying. Stick with the real thing.
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