I have never changed my oil filters
- Thread starter r6dallas
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JBecker
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BlackWorksInc
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Well I will tell you right now that I have regularly seen Mercedes, BMW, and VW filter elements in their canister filter style cars disintegrate in just one oil change interval (some of them come out in many pieces.) There are many small oil galleys in an engine, it'd only take one smaller than a dime chunk of saturated paper/fiber to clog that port enough to cause issues. We're lucky with Toyota in that they aren't extremely strict about the oil to use, on other brands they have strict oil requirements for a reason and even a small oil pressure/supply issue can snowball big time.
So while I have never seen a sealed oil filter unit outright fail (mainly because I do not regularly cut open the old units) I have seen times where a new oil filter actually ends up fixing oil flow issues (typically cheaper filters that have poor bypass valves and/or are of lower quality.) I also would not want to risk my vehicle building up sludge in places it shouldn't nor would I want a bunch of debris where it doesn't belong (the purpose of the oil filter is to filter these larger debris out.)
For an additional $10, its worth it in my opinion. On the 1GR-FE on the 4th gen 4Runners is ridiculously easy to change the oil filter and there's no justifiable excuse in not doing so. On the V8's its a bit more involved, but they are still far easier and cleaner to change than any other vehicle; besides if you're that concerned about it being messy have a shop do it?
So while I have never seen a sealed oil filter unit outright fail (mainly because I do not regularly cut open the old units) I have seen times where a new oil filter actually ends up fixing oil flow issues (typically cheaper filters that have poor bypass valves and/or are of lower quality.) I also would not want to risk my vehicle building up sludge in places it shouldn't nor would I want a bunch of debris where it doesn't belong (the purpose of the oil filter is to filter these larger debris out.)
For an additional $10, its worth it in my opinion. On the 1GR-FE on the 4th gen 4Runners is ridiculously easy to change the oil filter and there's no justifiable excuse in not doing so. On the V8's its a bit more involved, but they are still far easier and cleaner to change than any other vehicle; besides if you're that concerned about it being messy have a shop do it?
AZ4runner08
New member
By far the most retarded thead ever. But the whale sperm comment spiced it up, and I can almost visualize it..lol. Sure this guy doesn't change his air filter because its a pretty messy job as well. You know, all that dust and such can really cause a huge mess...
earthrealm
Senior Member
218k miles on a single filterfind tht haard to believe.@ OP u put all the 218k miles on the caar?.or u bought it used with xxxk miles?
toyo
Member
These are the types of owners that will be blasting Toyota when the engine fails prematurely. If he has not changed the $5.00, very easy to replace oil filter, imagine how the rest of the vehicle is maintained?
Hey OP, when you go to sell these items are you going to put in your listing about this? Oh BTW, "the oil filter has never been changed, don't like getting dirty."
Me oh my!
Hey OP, when you go to sell these items are you going to put in your listing about this? Oh BTW, "the oil filter has never been changed, don't like getting dirty."
Me oh my!
I know several automotive engineers....and every single one will tell you that oil filters are very very helpful.
As for ONE vehicle that has had oil filter change....that statistically means NOTHING.
Show me THOUSANDS of vehicles in a controlled study that never had an oil filter change with no ill-effect. You can make any conclusions from ONE vehicle.
olsen_karl
New member
Old air cooled VWs didn't have oil filters. How long do those motors last before needing a rebuild?
All other vehicles have replaceable oil filters. They're there for a reason.
All other vehicles have replaceable oil filters. They're there for a reason.
WacoCharlie
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Cummins ISX
have seen failures on the ISX due to plugged oil filters...never heard of anyone not changing oil filters. Seriously do a engine oil sample for 12 bucks at a CAT dealer. That is the only way to know if you need an oil change, you might be surprised how far apart your oil changes would be if done this way. Oil and filter changes can be streached way out with knowledge.
have seen failures on the ISX due to plugged oil filters...never heard of anyone not changing oil filters. Seriously do a engine oil sample for 12 bucks at a CAT dealer. That is the only way to know if you need an oil change, you might be surprised how far apart your oil changes would be if done this way. Oil and filter changes can be streached way out with knowledge.
JBecker
New member
They used a strainer that collected large particles of metal and needed frequent oil changes. There are several aftermarket companies who make oil filter kits to add on to the engine to help with longevity.
Dylan
Member
Let's think about this from a convenience point of view, without looking at the costs.
It takes maybe an extra 2 minutes to swap out the filter when you change your oil. Most people wouldn't care about that small amount of time. But how much time are we talking about if the engine fails from not changing the filter? I'll tell you this, it probably wont be fixed very quickly.
Ok, now for the cost. If you change your filter 2 times per year and get a filter that costs $5, that's $10 per year. Say you have the car for 10 years....that's $100 over the life. Compare that to the cost of a new engine and it's a no brainer.
What you're weighing is cost/benefit. Ultimately this is a gamble, and a very risky gamble especially considering how easy it is to change a filter. Sure, the engine may never have an issue, but for 4 minutes per year and $10 is it worth it?
It takes maybe an extra 2 minutes to swap out the filter when you change your oil. Most people wouldn't care about that small amount of time. But how much time are we talking about if the engine fails from not changing the filter? I'll tell you this, it probably wont be fixed very quickly.
Ok, now for the cost. If you change your filter 2 times per year and get a filter that costs $5, that's $10 per year. Say you have the car for 10 years....that's $100 over the life. Compare that to the cost of a new engine and it's a no brainer.
What you're weighing is cost/benefit. Ultimately this is a gamble, and a very risky gamble especially considering how easy it is to change a filter. Sure, the engine may never have an issue, but for 4 minutes per year and $10 is it worth it?
I have heard of people never changing their filter, usually its the whole "lets stick it to the oil man" crap. Ant it may be true, it may be we change our oil like we do just because it has been brain washed into us like the value of diamonds. But I pay "the man" way too much in fuel, registration fees, sales tax and state inspection on my vehicle to risk a new engine on top of it all.
FYI, Mobil 1 has a campaign (or perhaps did, i'm not sure if they still push it) that we use to sell to city maintenance shops. It was a big deal in police cars because of the mileage they see driving all day. They never changed the oil in the cars or trucks...... Instead, every 4000 miles they would get a quart of oil and a new filter.
It was back in 2008 we were selling this to the city of Colleyville TX when I had an O'Reilly auto parts store. Not sure if they still do this or not, in any event i was never brave enough to try it in my own vehicles.
FYI, Mobil 1 has a campaign (or perhaps did, i'm not sure if they still push it) that we use to sell to city maintenance shops. It was a big deal in police cars because of the mileage they see driving all day. They never changed the oil in the cars or trucks...... Instead, every 4000 miles they would get a quart of oil and a new filter.
It was back in 2008 we were selling this to the city of Colleyville TX when I had an O'Reilly auto parts store. Not sure if they still do this or not, in any event i was never brave enough to try it in my own vehicles.
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It’s interesting most of the posts are hearsay, conjecture and speculation. No one has any first hand evidence that changing oil filters would provide and noticeable or substantial benefit. I wonder if MythBusters would take this on. I remember when they did the tailgate up VS the tailgate down and which gets better MPG.
Dylan
Member
Honestly, I equate this to checkups with your doctor. Sure, while you may feel fine, it's a GOOD IDEA to go visit. It's preventive maintenance for your body.
If people want to speculate how long they can go without changing their filter that's fine, it's their choice. But as to whether or not that is a good idea to not change it, I would have to disagree.
I understood this thread to be about whether the filter change is necessary. Ultimately, you wont know until the engine fails from not changing it, or until you decide to get rid of the vehicle, before you can make that determination (after the fact) as to whether it actually was necessary. Either way the engine may or may not survive, but this is a case by case scenario. I say that because while most engines should have it changed, you could have the one engine that goes its whole life without a problem. That doesn't mean that 'IN GENERAL' you should not change it, what it means is that according to probability and statistics, you got lucky.
Then again, most people don't run their engines the whole life without changing the filter. Otherwise we would have a larger sample size of success cases where this was done and proven to not be the issue that most agree exists.
If people want to speculate how long they can go without changing their filter that's fine, it's their choice. But as to whether or not that is a good idea to not change it, I would have to disagree.
I understood this thread to be about whether the filter change is necessary. Ultimately, you wont know until the engine fails from not changing it, or until you decide to get rid of the vehicle, before you can make that determination (after the fact) as to whether it actually was necessary. Either way the engine may or may not survive, but this is a case by case scenario. I say that because while most engines should have it changed, you could have the one engine that goes its whole life without a problem. That doesn't mean that 'IN GENERAL' you should not change it, what it means is that according to probability and statistics, you got lucky.
Then again, most people don't run their engines the whole life without changing the filter. Otherwise we would have a larger sample size of success cases where this was done and proven to not be the issue that most agree exists.
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Dylan
Member
Yeah, tailgate up had better MPG IIRC. But I don't know any manufacturer that says "drive with your tailgate down to increase MPG", rather it was people just making uneducated guesses that having it down lowered wind resistance....when it actually did not.
JBecker
New member
If you don't think your filters paper element breaks down over time and clogs the filter causing the bypass to kick in, well then you should do some more research on how engines oiling works.
If you really want to provide data, remove your filter, and cut it in half and report your findings.
And yes, we do have first hand knowledge of what happens to oil soaked paper and cardboard when it is left for too long.
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JBecker
New member
Serious question OP, do you feel fuel filters are a scam? How about air filters?
When a fuel filter is left for too long, it clogs and blocks passage of fuel to the engine. It also leads to premature pump failure as the pump has to work harder to maintain fuel pressure.
Air filters clog and hurt performance and fuel mileage.
Are you aware of what kind of contaminants find their way into your engine oil from the combustion process?
When a fuel filter is left for too long, it clogs and blocks passage of fuel to the engine. It also leads to premature pump failure as the pump has to work harder to maintain fuel pressure.
Air filters clog and hurt performance and fuel mileage.
Are you aware of what kind of contaminants find their way into your engine oil from the combustion process?
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