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Last time I changed the oil on my wife’s vehicle, I bought the wrong oil filter…

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November 19, 2025, 04:19 PM
trapper189
Last time I changed the oil on my wife’s vehicle, I bought the wrong oil filter…
I just grabbed the one I thought it was. I was going to take it back, but forgot about it. That was about six months ago.

Today, I was going to go buy an oil filter for my daughter’s car, so I looked it up online to make sure I had the right number before I went to the auto parts store. On a whim, I checked the wrong filter for my wife’s vehicle and it was the right one for my daughter’s!
November 19, 2025, 05:02 PM
P250UA5
Win/win.

Looking like my FiST & Expedition are going to be due about the same time. First time on the FiST, need to order a Fumoto for it.




The Enemy's gate is down.
November 19, 2025, 05:26 PM
.38supersig
The good news is that after you change them several times, You'll be able to grab the right one without even looking them up.

Mine are two 16s and a 3800 Fram.




November 19, 2025, 05:34 PM
sourdough44
I was changing oil a few months ago, just drained it. I got a call I had to go on, added oil & left the old filter on.

I ended up changing it again fairly early in the cycle.
November 19, 2025, 05:44 PM
trapper189
It’s probably a bad idea, but I used 20,000 mile filters this time. These aren’t can filters and don’t hold oil when the engine isn’t running. Next oil change, I’m just changing the oil.
November 19, 2025, 05:45 PM
P250UA5
Other than being slightly messier, the top mount cartridge filters that I had on the Mercedes, Mini & Malibu were nice to not have oil dripping down on you.




The Enemy's gate is down.
November 19, 2025, 08:41 PM
trapper189
The can filters are worse for me. Oil splashes all over the frame and suspension parts. And that’s if I don’t drop it. It also means I have to use a drain pan and then dump the drain pan without spilling.

I did the Explorer with one paper towel. My fluid extractor is a dispenser as well. Suck the old oil out, replace the filter, dump new oil in, then dispense the old oil from the extractor into the now empty new oil jug.

The truck will be tomorrow. Crawling around underneath with a 5 gallon bucket, punching a hole in the giant can filter to let it drain the half quart of oil it holds before I remove it, dumping the new oil in, the emptying the three gallons of oil from the bucket into the three now empty new oil jugs. That’ll be a lot of paper towels. At least the truck has enough clearance I don’t need to jack it up or put it on ramps.
November 19, 2025, 08:50 PM
P250UA5
The only mess I had with cartridge filters was my hands from removing them from the housing, luckily.
Reading online, sounds like the FiST filter is a very tight fit.




The Enemy's gate is down.
November 19, 2025, 09:51 PM
cee_Kamp
PRO TIP
I tear the box lid off all the oil filter boxes.
They have the filter number printed there.
Then I write what vehicle it fits on that box lid.
Using a cell phone camera, I take a photo of each box lid.
And finally,all the box lids go in the glove box.
Just a few thin layers of cardboard several inches square.
Even I can't screw it up with that double reminder!



NRA Benefactor Life Member
NRA Instructor
USPSA Chief Range Officer
November 23, 2025, 07:26 AM
400m
I use a paint marker and write down the: oil type and quantity, filter size, and drain plug wrench size, somewhere on plastic, under the hood of each car I own. I believe Auto Zone and other store websites allow you to store vehicle info also which makes looking up parts very handy. I also have major information and VIN’s (that’s for you BigSwede Big Grin ) recorded on the notes app of my iPhone. I also try to buy oil and air filters 3-4 at a time so I don’t have to run out every time I need one. They’re cheap enough that having them sit on the shelf for 6 months to a year isn’t going to break the bank.
November 28, 2025, 08:19 PM
trapper189
quote:
Originally posted by P250UA5:
The only mess I had with cartridge filters was my hands from removing them from the housing, luckily.
Reading online, sounds like the FiST filter is a very tight fit.

I have a cheap 36mm 6-sided impact socket and short breaker bar for the fuel filter on my truck that also works on the oil filter housing o both of our VWs. The Explorer uses a 27mm for the oil filter housing.

Did the GLI and my truck today. Parking the GLI in the ditch such that the dipstick was lower than the rest of the engine enabled me to get 6 quarts out with the extractor. Just the slightest bit of oil on my thumb and pointer finger pulling the old filter out. Poured a 5 quart jug in, ran it, checked and the oil was at the bottom of the hash marks, poured another quart in from another 5 quart jug and the oil was at the top of the hash marks. Pumped the oil out of the extractor into the empty new oil jug, with the remainder into another jug. Easy, 20 minutes, no mess, half a paper towel.

The truck went the opposite even with the fumoto valve.
November 28, 2025, 08:33 PM
P250UA5
Did my Exped today. Should have been a breeze, but the filter wouldn't budge. Fair bit of straining & swearing before it finally broke loose.
On top of that, the hood struts are failing, so the hood kept coming down...

Waiting on a new Fumoto to come in before I do the FiST.




The Enemy's gate is down.
November 28, 2025, 08:54 PM
smlsig
^^^^^

Fumoto for the win! I have them on all our vehicles except my Porsche and Tesla!!


------------------
Eddie

Our Founding Fathers were men who understood that the right thing is not necessarily the written thing. -kkina
November 29, 2025, 07:59 AM
V-Tail
quote:
Originally posted by smlsig:

Fumoto for the win!!
Moot point now, because I dumped the problematic ICE vehicle and got an EV, but ... last oil change on the Escape, I asked the guy who runs the local service shop to order and install a Fumoto. He strongly advised against it, telling me that he had seen failures that dumped all the oil.



הרחפת שלי מלאה בצלופחים
December 08, 2025, 10:56 PM
joel9507
quote:
Originally posted by trapper189:
it was the right one for my daughter’s!

You weren't wrong, you were right, early! Smile