I'm sure this has been addressed, but I can't seem to find it in my searches. What is the best aftermarket oil filter to buy for a 2002 996? I bought a Porsche and an STP to compare. The STP seems to have more sturdy end pieces, but the surface area may be a bit less. The inner cages are plastic, but identical. The difference in price is $35 as compared to $12. Any thoughts?

 

Welcome to the forum. Now--post pics of your car, or it doesn't exist!

I've successfully used Hengst, Mahle and Mann filters--all OEM manufacturers IIRC. They can all be found for around $11-$12 online. I've also seen very positive recommendations about Wix filters ($13, give or take) in on-line forums, posted by respected independent Porsche mechanics. FWIW I will be giving Wix a try after my current supply of Mann filters is used up.

I would not personally use a "genuine Porsche" filter when the same item direct from an OEM manufacturer is 1/3 the price.

 

Stay with stock OEM cartridge.

OR

Go with an LNE full flow spin on adapter. You get 100% full flow filtration plus the ease of a standard spin on oil filter.



http://www.lnengineering.com/spinonfilteradapter.html

"The LN Engineering Spin-On Oil filter adapter also helps improve the longevity of your engine by providing full flow filtration, which means 100% of the oil gets filtered without having oil bypass the filter (as the factory filter housing allows for). Our design eliminates the factory bypass for the filter (engine still has a pressure relief in the oil pump to prevent over pressurization)."

 

LN filter is great. But, I don't think you can easily cut open and examine for any bits and pieces that would indicate potential/current problems.

 

Sawzall.

 

Plus, you can use the magnetic drain plug to inspect for oil fragments.

 

I have been using Mahle oil filters for all my oil changes and it works fine. I pair it up with my magnetic oil drain plug and do also cut up the oil filter to check.

I try to do oil changes between 3k km to 4.5k km intervals.

Cheers

 

I have a brand new(never used) LN magnetic drain plug I'll sell for $12.50 + $5 Shipping. I didn't use it because I got the IMS Guardian that came with a magnetic drain plug.

 

I'm a newbie to Porsches, but I have owned and rebuilt a couple of aircraft engines, which are also air cooled boxers. Here are my two cents. The only way I could make sure that I had clean oil in those engines was to send it out for analysis once a year during the annual. Magnetic drain plugs will work for metallic shavings. Stainless steel and aluminum will not be attracted. I should say that I am not that familiar with the 996 engine, so I don't know if there are any shavings that might be SS or aluminum. I also like the spinner over the cartridge, but I'm not sure I would be able to saw the canister without introducing shavings from that step, giving an erroneous indication of metal in the oil.

Does the spin-off setup cause any clearance issues?