Oil filter always comes out crushed?

[tankowner]

Originally Posted by BMW BOB

Has anyone looked to see if a piece of an old filter is in there. I've seen that happen with aftermarket filters. That would explain your problem. V-8 filters snap into the top cover the 6 cylinders don't.

Anything within the filter cover should be pretty obvious, at least I would think. When you look down into the cover there should be nothing surrounding the little cage that the filter slides on to.

I had installed one of the Mahle filters with the hard plastic ends and had a terrible time getting it out. Ended up ripping out all the filter media then drilling holes into the hard end cap that was stuck inside the cover until it was weak enough to break out. Of course, because of all of that, I ended up having to wash out the cover and thoroughly drying it out with a heat gun. Way too involved for an oil/filter change.

Then I installed a Mann filter (without the hard plastic ends) and when I pressed on it, it did actually snap in. I never noticed the filters being twisted like the OPs, but will watch for that now.

I love my X5, but this filter and filter cover design leaves a lot to be desired. I had a couple Mercedes prior to this and much prefer the canister design of those filters. And the filter housings and covers aren't plastic like these.

[BMW BOB]

Hey guys read this post and see what I was talking about then check yours. Post 10. I've seen this before.

What is wrong with this oil filter? - E46Fanatics

[kevinkay]

Originally Posted by BMW BOB

Hey guys read this post and see what I was talking about then check yours. Post 10. I've seen this before.

What is wrong with this oil filter? - E46Fanatics

OH MY GOD.
first of all, thank you - a photo speaks a thousand words.
I ran out and checked, and yes I have a metal donut sized ring at the top of the cover PLUS another one at the bottom of the filter housing.

MY DEFENSE - I have never had new filters that had metal ends, the Mann nor the "official BMW" filter I bought from FCP euro do not have metal ends and thus I thought the "plates" at the bottom and top were purposely there. Check my photos - no metal ends.

THANK YOU!!!!!

[cn90]

I have done tons of oil changes on BMWs using either Mann or Mahle oil filters.
Synthetic oil every 5K-6K.
Never had any of these issues mentioned in this thread.

[Helihover]

When I started reading this thread I had both my filters on my amazon wish list. After reading a bit, I drove to the dealer and purchased them there. Why take a chance over 10-15 bucks.

[Junkycosmos]

Was changing oil my N62 (v8) and had a BMW and Mann filter to compare. The BMW is labeled Hengst E203H, Mann HU715 / 5x

Overall observations:
BMW: solid plastic top end, main length exact match, top has extra soft donut ring that not present on the Mann, bottom plastic edge is shorter than the Mann. BMW o-rings come in a sealed bag while the Mann bag has pinholes in it.

[PropellerHead]

This is all terribly interesting to me given an experience I had this Spring. I changed the oil in my 2004 3.0 for ~99,000 miles across 7 years. I started at every 3k miles and eventually to 5k. That's probably better than 25 times.

I never saw this.

I've also changed the oil on my wife's '02 330 (same M54- filter anyway) for about the same 92k miles across 12 years.

I never saw it there, either.

And then, there's the M62 in my E39. 14 years and (only) 57k miles. Once again, never saw it.

So imagine my surprise (and genuine wonder) almost 4 years ago when I discovered that the N62 in my '04 4.8is requires me to crawl under the silly car for the filter change. I never have liked that and I still don't understand it.

I've changed it about every 5k miles. It's just shy of a big 6-0k miles. Before I went on my big, 6k mile trip, I was at the Indy for a pre-trip checkup, and I had some oil for my next at home change. They asked if I wanted to change it, they'd use my oil and charge me for the filter I had yet to buy. Can't beat that, so I let 'em do it.

Hey, look at this, the kid said.

It was not only crushed, it was nearly ripped in half! Now, I do *not* know if that was from the removal or what, but I had never, not ever seen THAT. I had used the Fram oil filter I had gotten 'free' when I purchased Castrol Syntec at the auto parts store.

I decided right then that I would not use any more of the 3 or 4 FRAM filters I had. But now I wonder....

Was something stuck up in there? Hrmmmmm...

My last oil change was this Summer in Boise, Idaho after running my X5 along some really dusty Colorado mountain 'roads'. I've since driven home across country and am just right at 60k miles.

This thread makes me want to go out, check the filter, and do an oil change as the first step in my big 60k miles preventative maintenance-a-palooza.

[kevinkay]

I am the one that finally found the left over "donut" in the cover and bottom of the housing and have been crushing my filters for the past 6 years. I have an M54 and use Mann HU 925/4 x which does not have a top or bottom rim nor does the official "BMW" filter I got from FCP.
SO - at some point the dealer used a filter that had a metal bottom and top (yet the "real BMW" M54 filter I bought did not have the metal rims??) and because I never used a filter with a metal or plastic top or bottom rim - I never looked for them left behind.
my "2 cents"
1. thanks for the input that solved this for me
2. Everyone should check the bottom and top of the filter housing to see if there is a left over rim even if your new filter does not have one.

attached photo of the "BMW" filter from FCP. and end cap left over (not my photos).

[StephenVA]

Love the "Extra Parts" everyone is finding. Thanks guys for sharing the solution to a problem that should have never happend in the first place. Really sad to see us owners "fixing" past issues. REALLY GLAD to see that no failures happend to anyone.

Heads up to everyone. Check everything when doing an oil change. Everyone who has worked on others cars see weird stuff all the time. Like wrenches still hanging on suspension parts, Shop rags inside of intakes, and my best memory, a factory sand casting part left inside an alum intake manifold completely blocking one intake port. Car was in the shop for "poor performance". Yea, like one dead cylinder....

[bcredliner]

Junkycosmos,

Great post! BMW filter construction looks like the better filter to me.

And, there is more there than meets the eye that is also very important. I have purchased many aftermarket parts that have been better than OE but in this case I think the wiser decision is to use OE filter. I think BMW is the source that has the greatest vested interest in offering what works best and the most knowledge about what the engine needs. The following is one of the short stories: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwliuNGflV4