All,

Sorry if this is old news, but I thought it was worthwhile.

http://members.nbci.com/minimopar/oilfilterstudy.html

Looks like I'm pulling my Fram off.

Peter

I've been running Fram filters (air, oil 'n fuel) on an '84 245 for years. The car has almost 300,000 miles on it and the engine has never been opened up. Still has decent compression (140) and burns about 1qt every 5000 miles. Maybe I'm just lucky, but I've never had a Fram filter (or any filter) explode or self-destruct.

If it makes you feel better to spend more money on the Volvo OEM/Mann filter, be my guest, but IMHO there is really no point. You have to keep in mind that *all* of the filters on the market have to meet the same SAE standards, whether the filter costs $6.00 or is the $0.99 special. There are also really only a handful of manufacturers on the market who make various brands of filters.

If you don't want to use Fram, I think that Haynes recommends Wix....

Just my $0.02. I'm sure the other guys will have fun telling me how wrong I am, and how all of their solder joints melted and their engine seized up and their dog died all because of Fram oil filters...

Are we gonna start this again?

Fram filters are the prettiest POS on the market. They cost $3 to $3.50 at K-mart. Mann filters cost $3 to $3.50 plus a few cents for shipping when you buy a tray of ten.

Where's the tough decision in all that?

Fram/Deutsch/whatever filter is on sale at K-Mart can sometimes be found on sale for $2.99.

I buy Manns for $3.49.

Maybe they're 50 cents better, maybe not.

Even being the cheapass that I am, I go for the Manns.

But that's just me.