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If the Subaru filter is like the one in my wife's 2013 Subaru it is the size of a kids sippy cup if that big I think it is a joke of a filter.
I dont know what is on the wife's as I only go under the hood when she tells me some light is on and she takes it to someone to change oil.
Oil changes on it are something stupid like 10k between them. I hate the car but she likes it so she is happy.
Dave ----
subaru pretty much all have the same oil filter other than the three people who bought the H6. Some are short and some are tall but I've seen them all on the same vehicles. Subaru is the king of parts interchangeability. Their filter placement is always bad. Either on top where you drip oil everywhere....OR before that they tucked it up into the exhaust manifold where it would be 400 degrees unless you let it sit for 4 hours. Lol
For years the oem subaru filters sold here were in fact fram. Yet people pooed on Fram and said only run oem. Lol
Funny that Ford is well known for using different parts on the same years. I hear it all the time in my shop and have heard it for 40 years. How ford can have two identical trucks, same motor and all amd not a part fits. Lol. In my experience Ford is no worse for that than anyone else but the stigma exists and its still going strong. Idk why. Ford is plenty bad for that... but I've not seen that they are worse than GM or Mopar or anyone.
Subaru on the other hand makes 5 or 6 models all with the same engine and trans usually. And the same parts for years. If you had a subaru in the past 40 years you had an EJ or Fa/FB or an H6. Meanwhile in 2021 when I bought my F150, ford had at least 6 different engine in a single model. Lol
Subaru and Toyota are both 10k intervals on 0-20 oil. And both are well known for 200k+ mile Reliability. Makes you wonder about all the 3k mile folks. When my wife bought a highlander years ago I said whatever. Let them change it free every 10k miles. Won't last.
Its at 230k miles now. Never an issue. issue.i put a water pump and spark plugs on it at 150k miles. Rotors and set of all wheel bearings. Maybe 1k dollars maintenance in 230k miles. Lol
Most Toyota used a dumb cartridge filter for years. They seem to be going back to spin on now. They did at least use a metal housing unlike ford or Hyundai who use plastic and it cracks.
Originally Posted by BigBlue2
I used one of those spiffy lube joints once. They're more than happy to strip your oil drain plug and lube your knuckles till the seals burst. Uh huh... first and last time I do that. Old enough to know better.
I see it all the time at the shop. I had a 2016 5.0 come In the other day that i had to use a 2 ft ratchet to turn the drain plug and the filter was crazy tight. Was an stp filter so I know without a doubt it wasnt me who did it last. I see round plugs. Stripped and siliconed plugs. Etc all the time.
I don't recall the filer leaking all that much, if any. I'll have to pay more attention next time. I do recall wiping out that catch tray it sits in. I guess having a rag in your other hand, to put under the filter, would stop it from dipping all over the engine.
I don't recall the filer leaking all that much, if any. I'll have to pay more attention next time. I do recall wiping out that catch tray it sits in. I guess having a rag in your other hand, to put under the filter, would stop it from dipping all over the engine.
Probably drains out when you open the drain plug? If not that is one of the worst oil filter placements I've seen.
I also have this. Nice for and necessary for some vehicles like my Audi A5 which has a huge pan bolted under the engine and transmission. R&R on that would be two hours. The Audi, the Infiniti and the old KIA all have filters like the Subaru, accessable from a standing position. I don't know why, but I keep the extractor clean.
Last edited by diggerrigger; Nov 22, 2025 at 02:11 PM.
I use the Dave filter removal method. No mess... Unless I drop the filter into the receptacle.
I just use cardboard, it's not like I don't have a lifetime supply of it. Seems lots of items come in cardboard box's. Think patio table, generac generator, etc. I was moving stuff around in the big shed the other day, there are big pieces there from over 12 years ago.
Most of our cardboard boxes come from Chewy with 2 large dogs, 4 cats and right now 5 foster kittens.
The larger boxes make great drip pans to lay down on the garage floor before pulling the truck in, I just cant stop the little drips
Dave ----
Update on Baldwin filters, they have expanded their Nebraska plant but have also gone global with manufacturing in many countries including china....of course. Not sure if the filters you need will be made in the USA. I recently ordered some for my truck and they are due for delivery any day now. They might indicate where mine are built. I'll edit this post when I get them if there's more to report.
I received my Baldwin B134 oil filters for the 6.9l , Stamped made in USA.
I too noticed the FL-1A definitely seems like it ain't what it used to be, last year I had a new one and an embossed one from the 80s or 90s next to each other and the new one is chintzy by comparison. I also keep an eye out for NOS FL-1A and Baldwin B2 oil filters and buy them up when a deal comes around. New Mobil 1 filters still are built like a tank.
At least one naysayer on Bob the Oil Guy doesn't like filters that look like this.
FWIW, I just received a Motorcraft filter I had ordered last week. It looks similar to the picture above. Note the text is printed in 3 languages, unlike the earlier example of the “good” version in post #3. I also noticed the label is a separate adhesive-backed piece, not silk-screened directly on the body.
The flutes at the top are bigger, though. Not like the “bad” example.
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and she takes it to someone to change oil.
