Satisfied customers remain loyal to their service or distributor. The specialist know this, and this is why they will rely on quality when replacing the oil filter. The typical replacement interval for an oil filter is once every 30.000 km, or once a year. There are, however, many quality standards and various executions of the compact oil filters, with metal casing and screw-mounting. These “black boxes” are quite similar if you look at them from the outside.
“Only a high quality oil filter has the ability to protect engine wear in an optimal manner. However, from the outside, even the specialists can’t tell the difference between the boxes. The quality is on the inside. You can rely on MANN-FILTER.”, says Jörg Schömmel, product manager for MANN-FILTER oil filters. A careful look is necessary to observe the secrets inside, to tell more about the structure, materials and functionality of a quality filter. The retention valves ensure the lubricant feed. The oil filters that have a simple structure are usually made up only out of the following components:
- the fillet cap
- the filter casing
- the filter element assembled inside it
- and a guidance system for the filter element, that keeps it in the correct position
- as well as small parts, such as gaskets.
However, inside many high quality oil filters, there are other important components for protecting the engine. For example, MANN-FILTER equips their oil filters with special molded, highly elastic retention valves. These ensure that the lubricant is kept inside the filter, when the engine is stopped, so that it is readily available to lubricate the engine components when restarting the engine. This protects the aggregates from wear. The retention valves are important, first of all when the vehicle rests for a longer time, for example overnight. Because as soon as the engine starts, and the oil flux stops flowing, the lubricant is affected by gravity. In the absence of the retention valve, it spills out of the filter through the oil channels, back to the oil bath. The derivative valves lubricate the engines even at below zero temperatures.
MANN-FILTER quality filters also use the so called derivate valves. Their purpose is to fill the lubrication points in the engine with enough oil even in extreme situations. One such typical situation is cold-starting the engine, on below freezing point temperatures. In this situation, the engine oil is extremely dense and a greater force is needed to go through the filtering circuit. In such exceptional situations, it is necessary for the derivative valve to open at the right time, so that the lubricant may bypass the filtering element, in order to maintain the oil feed. The high extremity of the MANN-FILTER filter is made of steel, up to 5 mm thick. Due to the massive execution, this fillet cap ensures the high stability of the entire filter. Its perfectly fit fillet makes the assembly and disassembly procedures simpler. High endurance due to the right gasket. Just as important is the role of the gasket that oil-tightens the joint between the filter and the flange on which it is screwed.
This stops even the smallest oil leakage, and the filter keeps tight all throughout the trip. The security and durability is also ensured by the hole of the gasket, which has a special shape. The materials used for gaskets by MANN-FILTER are high quality and durability elastomers, even in extreme cold conditions. MANN-FILTER delivers various gaskets for various applications. The gasket appropriate for each case comes as a bundle with each filter, such that the workshop will always have the right material.
The casing of the filter itself is made of pressure-resistant and corrosion-protected materials. These undergo consistent tests, during which the brand filters are subjected to various levels of high pressure. The number of pressure shocks a MANN-FILTER filter needs to withstand without damage depends on the vehicle producer’s specifications. Through such impulse-based tests, the developers of the filter specialist MANN+HUMMEL checks the stability and tightness of their products. What’s more, MANN-FILTER integrates in the filter casing a special device that enables opening it. It allows the quick and easy assembly of the filter, even in tight engine compartments, reducing the risk of the hand slipping during the maintenance.
The main part of an oil filter is its filtering element. It is responsible with the cleaning process, the main task of a filter. In order for it to be efficient, the element is equipped with a high quality filtering environment. It distinguishes, among others, through a greater filtering surface, obtained by MANN-FILTER through an optimal crease geometry. Compared to brand products, some low quality filtering mediums have an almost three times smaller filtering surface.
However, the high mechanical durability of the filter element is also important. At MANN-FILTER, this is assured by the stable terminal discs and a tubular support in the middle. This gives the element itself the necessary durability, even at high pressure differences, such as the ones during the cold start of the engine during winter.
The special grooves also ensure that the distance between the creases stays the same. They prevent the so called “baling” of the paper creases, which results in the formation of a block which affects the filtering capability. Furthermore, it is essential that the filtering element remains fixed in its position when it is subjected to oscillations. Which is why, in order to fix it, MANN-FILTER assemblies an extra flat spring which supports the element not just on its axis, but also on the radius, enabling a reliable sealing on the interface with the fillet cap and behind the filtering medium. Thus, the unfiltered oil – which results, for example, in the case of a deviation – cannot leak around the filtering element.
Invest in quality, for satisfied customers
With a 99% market reach in Europe, MANN-FILTER has in its range of products, the right oil filter for almost any car or transport vehicle. The current product portfolio contains over 650 oil filters for various purposes. MANN-FILTER offers a complete range of filters at the same quality level as the original equipment, meant for the free market of spare parts. The inferior quality filters are only a little cheaper.
