I forgot a couple of things... at one point is filtering down to a very small micron level too much filtering which reduces oil flow back to the engine and early transition to by-pass mode? What about filtering surface as designated by the number of pleets and folds in the filter material? And the combination of these two, and many other factors to get the right level of oil filtration for the recommended maintainance cycle? Remember these are alll things the GM, Ford, Toyota, BMW engineers have spent time and money figuring out for you. The benefit of selling OEM filters via parts stores or Wal-Mart is economy of scale. The volume reduces overall cost. Makes no sense to have different specs and different production runs, material, etc. for a Wal-Mart filter vs. the one you buy at a dealership. They are the same. Just food for thought, not trying to start an argument, just trying to share what I have learned. At the end of the day it is your car, your engine, your money, and your call! Like the Fram guy said during the TV ads in the old days... "you can pay me now or you can pay me later"... how true those words are!
Valvoline Engine Guarantee Valvoline Syn-Power guarantees 300,000 miles when using their oil. you don't even have to use it from the beginning. you have up to the 75,000 mile mark to switch and register for their warranty. i am no engineer, and i don't normally respond to posts like yours, but saying that "OEM" is the end all / be all of things like this is ignorant. people use one thing and it works for them so they continue to use it. as i posted above i use Valvoline in my car for as long as i can remember along with a wix/napa filter (i prefer to use the wix branded when possible) or a ford Motorcraft filter if i don't get a wix. why? because it works for me and i have heard very good things about Valvoline from people in the auto industry. there is more to the auto industry than the OEM and there are many cases that the OEM is inferior to an aftermarket part. and oil is not manufactured by Ford or GM or Mopar...or even Toyota, its made by the lowest bidder that meets the minimum requirements that Ford or GM or Mopar require. as long as the OEM branded oil makes the car run long enough to get out of the warranty period they are ok with that. im not saying they make bad stuff at all, i am just sayin' that there is more than just the oem for everything.
