I've been a mechanical engineer for 28 years, still at it, and I've been a shade tree mechanic since I was a kid. I feel like I know a bit about how things mechanical should or should not be. I just changed my oil for the second time on my '05 330i. I got lazy and had the dealer do the free changes at standard interval under warranty. First time I changed oil myself at the 15K interval after warranty expiration (I've never been comfortable with that long interval) I usedd BMW oil and filter from the dealer. This time around, just yesterday, I dumped that oil at 10,400 miles. I did a close inspection of the used filter, (it's just how I do things). I was looking betweeen the fan folded pleats to see what I could see. The filter looked good til I got to the seam where the ends of the fan folded filter sheet are just butted up and glued together. The glue had failed completely. The filter was wide open along this seam. I'm dissapointed my car doesn't deserve a better filter design than this. Pretty sure this was a Mann Filter, it came from the BMW dealer. I'll look at my records. I used Amsoil 5W40 synthetic this go around. Had to use another Mann Filter HU925/4X with the cheap glued seam, made in Mexico by the way. Other than the lousy butt end seam the filter seems OK. A simple solution might be to interlace then glue the folds at the very ends so that a glue failure would not be a catastrophy. Is there a real flter out there for these cars? Am I forced to use these lousy filters on my rather expensive German Ultimate Driving machine? Talk of quality is cheap talk in this case.
Perhaps you just got a defective filter? It's possible that the filters are fine, just that you got a dud.
Try a Mahle filter, or at least look at one before buying. They are a bit better finished than the Mann, at least for E28 application. The filter has an additional paper "belt" with perforations. I just looked at my E46 filters in stock, and the BMW filter is identical to the Mann HU925, except for the BMW part number stamped on the top on the one directly from BMW. Mahle/Knecht, Mann and Hengst make filters - maybe BMW uses different vendors from time to time
mahle oil filter for e46 330i Anyone know the part number for a Mahle oil filter for 2005 330i. I've searched an no luck. Any filter that depends on a glued butt seam is a dud. Are they all like that?
I'm going to say they are. Otherwise, the filter would have to be made from a huge ring of paper that got folded down into a filter-sized diameter somehow. You're the engineer; you figure out another way they could be made.
And you lion? lion shudders and faints... . you ought to be ashamed of yourself frightening him like that when he came to you for help. . BRING ME HER BROOMSTICK! but what if she kills us first I SAID GO!
Autohausaz.com carries the 330i oil filter for $5.64. The BMW part number is 11-42-7-512-300, Check with them to see if they can actually put an eyeball on the various makes, as they also carry filters by Mann and Hengst. A search of the database of a local imports parts provider shows the Mann HU925/4X for $6.66 or the Bosch 72202 for $11.48.
One of my favorite films! Seriously, though, I can think of no other way to make these. I am not an engineer because of second-year calculus, but my dad was a P.E. I suspect that every oil filter is basically made the same way and there is a joint on it somewhere. I would expect that it is situated in a fold so that the normal pressure would hold the ends closed even if they weren't glued. I also suspect (without proof) that the joint would not ever be secure in a constant oil bath and that every one you disassemble will turn out to be 'failed' under your analysis.
Surely there is going to be a joint on any filter. On the MANN filter it is not situated in a fold. Imagine something like this but in a circular fashion: WWWWWWW WWWWWW The joint will be made at the gap in the middle. Now apply a bead of what looks like hot melt glue to one flap of the joint and butt the ends up so the left and right sides are joined in a butt joint, no overlap. Apply heat to make the joint. That's my guess on how they are made in an automated way. The glue in the joint of my filter looked like flattened and oddly shaped globules very loosely situated in the seam. Maybe an 1/8 inch wide, roughly 3/8 long, odd shapes and various sizes. I would be very surprised if my oil system has not ingested a few of these globles. If you saw it you'd know what I'm saying. I've ordered a few other filters to inspect. K&N, Mahle. Your suggestion of making the seam in a fold is one I had thought would at least be a big improvement. I'll keep working this and come up with an alternate filter or home grown fix for my own peace of mind.
While this could turn out to be a fairly expensive exercise, it might not be so bad if you simply change brands with every change of filter. Tear it apart and see what's inside. I'd love to help, but the E28 uses a cartridge (and I have no idea if yours does) and I'm not sure the information would be useful. FWIW, I also use Purolators.
The filter is not a tin can filter so it's easy to see how the seam is made on different filters or to monitor the them at 1,000 mile intervals to determine when the glued seam has had enough already. Once I get the safe life expectancy down I may find I can do a filter change at some interval between oil changes. I'm running AMSOIL 10-40 this go around. I'm hoping to be running it to 12,000 mile intervals, for example, maybe I need a filter only change at 6,000 miles. Just some ideas, I'll figure it out.
You got a dud. What do you want for 6 bucks. How long was the filter really in there soaking in oil? I ask because I found my dealer doesn't even replace them. I think mine was in there for 42,000 miles! Recently I decided to check the filter to find out it came with a date on it older then the vehicle. Then I replaced it with a Purolater to have it come back after the last FREE oil change still in the vehicle! So for 12 bucks from Advanced auto parts for my x5, I replace the filter (not the oil) ever 5k-6k. Heck, for 6 dollar oil filters I would change them every 3k-4k but, that's me. I think you just got to the bad .01% unit that escaped the QC audits.
A better Filter is the Hengst version In the shop we use the Hengst version of this filter. It is higher quality with plastic ends and a felt seal. We have installed hundreds and never had a failure of any sort. I personally have always felt that the BMW OE filter is garbage judging by what we have seen with longevity. Of course we don't recommend extended change intervals but regardless the Hengst Filter stands up to time and miles better than the OE.
This is why I change oil and filter at 5k miles... I know it is wasteful to change out synthetic oil at only 5k miles, but if anything goes wrong, the oil wasn't in the engine long enough to hurt anything. Shame on BMW for spec'ing a 15k oil change interval and then using a mediocre filter. Crazy.
