# Best oil filter?



## Barry Allen (Apr 18, 2018)

Does anyone have good information or experience with what is the best or better oil filter for the LH7 engine in the Cruze?


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## Ma v e n (Oct 8, 2018)

GM, or WIX WL10331 is all I've ever used or recommened, except for one time when a customer brought in a Meyle filter from Germany. It was a nice what seemed like synthetic media filter, but I wouldn't hunt them down for the $30 they said it cost them.


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## Cruz15 (Mar 17, 2016)

How about the Fram Ultra? It is rated for 20,000 miles and is the only synthetic filter I have found. I follow the DIC oil count down and the mileage that the manual shows.
I was looking for a synthetic Wix and could not find one.
XG10246


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## JLL (Sep 12, 2017)

Cruz15 said:


> How about the Fram Ultra? It is rated for 20,000 miles and is the only synthetic filter I have found. I follow the DIC oil count down and the mileage that the manual shows.


Fram  🤮


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## Ma v e n (Oct 8, 2018)

If there's an Ultra, I'd have no problem using that either. I wasn't aware Frame had an XG series filter for the 1.6, I thought they just made a generic fitsall cartridge?


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## Ma v e n (Oct 8, 2018)

JLL said:


> Fram  🤮


Frams top level filters are quality items. I would NEVER use their base model stuff (CH, PH series) but their XG series filters are well made, and comparable to everyone elses good stuff.


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## Diamond193 (Jul 28, 2019)

I just got an Amsoil filter ill try that out otherwise ive been using Wix for years


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## Barry Allen (Apr 18, 2018)

Ma v e n said:


> GM


If the GM filter is good and reliable, I’d be OK with that. For a while I’ve been using some K&N filters that my local Walmart had for like $5 each as a price match on their phone app. I’m really not wanting to do any more of the buying my own oil, filter, and then finding a place to get it changed. My Chevy dealership gives me the oil change for $39.99, so that’s probably what I’ll do going forward since it’s a deal that includes synthetic dexos2 oil and the filter that is their AC Delco brand.


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## Valpo Cruze (Feb 23, 2014)

Ma v e n said:


> GM, or WIX WL10331 is all I've ever used or recommened, except for one time when a customer brought in a Meyle filter from Germany. It was a nice what seemed like synthetic media filter, but I wouldn't hunt them down for the $30 they said it cost them.


MAHLE or MANN are good filters if you can locate them and they can certainly be sourced for less than $30/each. I use the Mann on my Audi and source it from Amazon for about $12-15. I do a 10,000 mile OCI with them.


I know a lot of people bash on the Fram orange filters but for me they work fine in my American cars. I have been using them for well over 20 years and have many cars over 100,000 miles with them and have had no oil related issues.


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## Ma v e n (Oct 8, 2018)

Valpo Cruze said:


> MAHLE or MANN are good filters if you can locate them and they can certainly be sourced for less than $30/each. I use the Mann on my Audi and source it from Amazon for about $12-15. I do a 10,000 mile OCI with them.


Yes Mann and Mahle both offer quality filters. But they are no better or more widely available than the ACDelco or Wix variants. And are typically more expensive.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Barry Allen said:


> My Chevy dealership gives me the oil change for $39.99, so that’s probably what I’ll do going forward since it’s a deal that includes synthetic dexos2 oil and the filter that is their AC Delco brand.


That's about what they used to charge us for a dexos2 oil change - made no sense for me to do it myself. The price steadily increased, finally up to something absurd like $90, so then I knew it was time I had to do it myself. But that means I could change to a different oil and potentially push change intervals out. I've been needing to change the oil for about half a month now, but given there is currently a few inches of snow on the ground...I've not really had the weather to do so. But its Pennzoil Euro L now and we're probably only a couple hundred miles since it went to 0% (which itself is about 7500 miles), so it'll be plenty fine. And I have a Blackstone Labs kit to get it tested when I do change it, as well.


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## TDCruze (Sep 26, 2014)

MP81 said:


> But its Pennzoil Euro L now and we're probably only a couple hundred miles since it went to 0% (which itself is about 7500 miles), so it'll be plenty fine. And I have a Blackstone Labs kit to get it tested when I do change it, as well.


This is the oil I have been using, usually don't run below 20%, but been curious how well it holds up?
Look forward to the results of your oil analysis.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

As am I. I didn't notice anything off when I did the last oil change and put in Euro L for the first time, other than it being _really_ full because as many have noticed, the listed oil fill amount is too high. The car ran completely different after the oil change, because it wasn't probably making an oil macchiato in the pan.


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## Barry Allen (Apr 18, 2018)

MP81 said:


> That's about what they used to charge us for a dexos2 oil change - made no sense for me to do it myself. The price steadily increased, finally up to something absurd like $90, so then I knew it was time I had to do it myself.


I got the two free oil changes from the dealership and then I was on the road in Seattle when I paid for the first oil change. $95 and the dealership FUBARed the skid plate by not attaching it properly, so it scraped and bunched up under the car. My home dealership warrantied the skid plate for me as a courtesy. Then, I switched to chasing down my own supplies of Pennzoil Euro L and K&N filters from Wal-mart, but paying another place to change the oil doesn't get it to be any cheaper when everything is factored in. For $40 I can get the Chevy oil change, and for $50 they will do a tire rotation where they actually reset the tire pressure monitors to read the wheels correctly.

Once I use the last of my supplies in the closet (one more oil change) I'm going back to having Chevy do it. I can't figure out how their price is so cheap, but it's the best bargain.


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## cruzin.usa (Jan 3, 2022)

I’m looking to run Baldwin filters on mine. Half the price of Wix and GM.


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## Johnny B (Jun 4, 2019)

From what I can tell Baldwin filters are just fine, but so are Wix and GM OEM filters. I also did a quick search, and they are not typically half the price. They are about 100% the price.


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## Barry Allen (Apr 18, 2018)

I no longer look for the best oil filter - instead I look for one that is "good enough" for a 5,000 mile oil change interval. If I can get a filter with synthetic filter media for about $10 or less, that's fine.


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## Barry Allen (Apr 18, 2018)

Just glanced at the filters available in the aisle at Wal-mart.

The basic FRAM filter says it's good for 10,000 miles, so if you do a 5,000 mile change interval it is probably OK. The next two tiers of FRAM are more expensive and the top one says "synthetic blend media" and advertises 20,000 miles. I'd never do that to a Diesel engine.

Mobil 1 is $10 for a filter and the K&N option is something different than what is shown on the website for the same $10.


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