OEM vs ?

My truck's service is just getting too expensive at my local dealer. As much as I don't want to be crawling around on the floor in the garage, I can't see spending $1,000 for a basic routine servicing. Truck uses 10.5 quarts of synthetic. That and oil, air, and fuel filters would cost me just under $200. That doesn't include taking it somewhere to have the tires rotated, which is just too much of a pain for me to do.

Question: I can pay $40 for an OEM Mopar oil filter, or I can pay $10 for a Wix or K&N filter. Is there really that much of a difference?

I've been using aftermarket filters for 35 years with no issues. So have 100's of million other people.

Even when I had a new truck, I never took it to the dealer for general service. Ran 'after market' filters with no issues.

Had that truck for 18 years until some moron coming the other way decided to make a left turn crossing in front of me on slick roads...even my anti-lock brakes didn't help...needless to say, my old dependable truck was totaled by the insurance co.

10.5 quarts? :shock: What kind of truck is it?

And I agree, with the other's comments.

On a long trip in 2003, I took my Diesel Dodge into a dealer in South Carolina for an oil change. When I went back in to pick it up, the service manager followed me out to the truck and quietly told me that Chrysler had issued a directive to dealers to disallow warranty engine work on trucks found to have Fram oil filters on them.

I was amazed. I've used Fram filters now and again for many years and no problems, but I never used another one.....JIC.

Apparently the much higher rate of flow of the Cummins diesels did something - collapsed it ?? - to the filtering material/media inside the filter, causing them to restrict flow and starve the engine of oil.

Do a little homework, not all oil filters are created equal, I, like others, have changed my own oil and used aftermarket filters for many years without a problem. I have been driving Toyotas for a while now and have been using factory filters, they aren't that expensive and cost less than a lot of the aftermarket filters.

My truck is a 2018 RAM 1500- EcoDiesel (6 cylinder). Unlike the larger diesels, it is not made by Cummins. It is made in Italy by the Fiat-Chrysler folks. It uses 10.5 quarts of Shell Rotella T-6.

Thanks for the feedback. I was surprised to read the comment about Fram oil filters. That brand has been around for a long time.

The dealers around here are going overboard on routine service. They are tacking on all kinds of stuff that isn't even on the maintenance schedule. One tried to sell me a $2,500 30K service -- I'm not joking. Needless to say, I don't go anywhere near that dealer.

LDUBS said:

The dealers around here are going overboard on routine service. They are tacking on all kinds of stuff that isn't even on the maintenance schedule. One tried to sell me a $2,500 30K service -- I'm not joking. Needless to say, I don't go anywhere near that dealer.

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Wow, are you joking with that price? What do you get for $2500?

Those "maintenance cost numbers" should be right next to the window sticker when vehicle shopping in my opinion. :lol:

LDUBS said:

My truck is a 2018 RAM 1500- EcoDiesel (6 cylinder). Unlike the larger diesels, it is not made by Cummins. It is made in Italy by the Fiat-Chrysler folks. It uses 10.5 quarts of Shell Rotella T-6.

Thanks for the feedback. I was surprised to read the comment about Fram oil filters. That brand has been around for a long time.

The dealers around here are going overboard on routine service. They are tacking on all kinds of stuff that isn't even on the maintenance schedule. One tried to sell me a $2,500 30K service -- I'm not joking. Needless to say, I don't go anywhere near that dealer.

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I was surprised to hear that about the Fram, too. They have been very well known for many years. I counted it as a favor tho' and listened to him.

Yah, you really need to wear your chastity belt when talking to some dealers. While living in Santa Fe, NM back in 2006 - 2009, I took my Diesel Dodge into the local dealer for...something...and while waiting, I was listening. The service manager was "very strongly" promoting rear differential lube service for any vehicle with more than 12,500 miles on it. C'mon....IIRC, the book calls for service at 50,000 or 75,000 or whatever. Again, IIRC, I believe they were charging $750 for the privilege. Total, absolute rip-off.

People were going for it, tho' - there were a whole row of them up on the hoists with oil catchers under the rear ends.

Go to the Bobistheoilguy website and read up on oil filters, he does a lot of research and testing. Fram has had problems for a while, I think they started using cardboard inside that allowed them to collapse. Wix are good filters and I think the NAPA gold are made by Wix. I'll buy the AC Delco filters for my Silverado if the price isn't crazy, otherwise I've been using the NAPA filters for a while now. I've never had an engine failure and I've used Fram, Purolator, AC Delco, K&N, NAPA, OEM Toyota, Mobil 1. Diesel trucks seem to be expensive to own/maintain regardless of who does the work.

Jim said:

LDUBS said:

The dealers around here are going overboard on routine service. They are tacking on all kinds of stuff that isn't even on the maintenance schedule. One tried to sell me a $2,500 30K service -- I'm not joking. Needless to say, I don't go anywhere near that dealer.

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Wow, are you joking with that price? What do you get for $2500?

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I can't answer beyond it was a bunch of "checks". I guess I should have been more patient. I pretty much didn't care what she was saying after I heard $2500 and hung up the phone.

I can tell you that at another dealer it was $900 for oil, oil filter, fuel & air filter, diff and axle fluid checks, tire rotation which of course includes a brake check, and a bunch of other "multi-point" checks. That was negotiated from their original ask of $1299. A similar service at this same dealer was about $480 prior to COVID. The dealer's charge for parts was about double what I would pay over the counter at the local auto parts store.

As much as I don't want to, that is why I plan on doing it myself going forward.

JL8Jeff said:

Go to the Bobistheoilguy website and read up on oil filters, he does a lot of research and testing. Fram has had problems for a while, I think they started using cardboard inside that allowed them to collapse. Wix are good filters and I think the NAPA gold are made by Wix. I'll buy the AC Delco filters for my Silverado if the price isn't crazy, otherwise I've been using the NAPA filters for a while now. I've never had an engine failure and I've used Fram, Purolator, AC Delco, K&N, NAPA, OEM Toyota, Mobil 1. Diesel trucks seem to be expensive to own/maintain regardless of who does the work.

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THanks -- I'll check that out. It looks like a pretty comprehensive site.


PS: GO NINERS!!

LDUBS said:

PS: GO NINERS!!

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Awwwwrrrggghhhhh!!!!

Call your local HS and see if they have an AUTO shop class. You buy the parts, they make the swaps. Make sure you get to be in attendance so that nothing runs afoul.

If there is no local auto shop class, stop at the MAVIS or other tire center, talk to the guys, offer one $100 for swapping things out. It can't take 2 hours to make the swaps and he can dispose to the oil at his shop.

A floor jack and a stand and he can rotate those tires easy.

You're all done for $300

If your changing oil and filters every 3,000 miles, I personally do not see a reason going "top shelf".
On my 7.3 - Shell Rotella w/Motorcraft filters. Rotella has been my go to for all my tractors, and diesel trucks. Wix and Napa for everything else. Do all my service work on my equipment, except my 94 Silverado ....... you need to be double jointed in several places to change the filter in this rascal.

Crazyboat said:

Call your local HS and see if they have an AUTO shop class. You buy the parts, they make the swaps. Make sure you get to be in attendance so that nothing runs afoul.

If there is no local auto shop class, stop at the MAVIS or other tire center, talk to the guys, offer one $100 for swapping things out. It can't take 2 hours to make the swaps and he can dispose to the oil at his shop.

A floor jack and a stand and he can rotate those tires easy.

You're all done for $300

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Good stuff. Thanks. I wonder if any high schools around here have auto shop like we did in the old days. I kind of doubt it.

BAY BEAGLE said:

If your changing oil and filters every 3,000 miles, I personally do not see a reason going "top shelf".
On my 7.3 - Shell Rotella w/Motorcraft filters. Rotella has been my go to for all my tractors, and diesel trucks. Wix and Napa for everything else. Do all my service work on my equipment, except my 94 Silverado ....... you need to be double jointed in several places to change the filter in this rascal.

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Kind of funny. With the outboard, I'm adamant about using only OEM, and not likely to change. For the truck I change the oil when it says I have 15% to 20% oil life left. For the next one, I think I'll stray from OEM for the oil, fuel, and air filters, but will try to stick only to well known or proven brands.

The main thing with a car/truck engine is to try and stick with the same brand oil. Most engine oil works fine, but when you start mixing up brands, you can wipe out a lobe on a camshaft or lose a bearing. I don't know if it has something to do with additives or detergents but I've seen it happen. Adding some oil of a different brand is not a big deal since you still have most of the original brand in the engine, but when you do a full oil change, using a different brand can lead to issues sometimes.