(09-17-2014, 09:26 AM)Houtman_imp Wrote: There is an oil filter "test" on the net where they cut open new filters from different brands and the Honda OEM came out very good.
Why would Honda sell bad filters , they have them made for them and are in the warranty business for their products
I always buy the Honda filters and also their oils.
I agree with your advice above.
Despite the hype and snake oil advertised by the many aftermarket suppliers I will only use genuine parts and filters. Honda like all the Japanese car and bike companies only use the best quality items That's why so many are still around and reliable, even after 20 years.
I have spent over 30 years on the OEM side of the business and have actually had university tests done on OEM vs non genuine air and oil filters, incl some of the big brand non genuine names. This was so we could prove our advertising claims and also eduacte dealers and customers.
The Japanese OEM filters outperformed all comers and are over engineered compared to the non genuine. Surprisingly some of the popular after market brands were not so good.
Cutting filters up is only a simple comparison. Bench tests with oil and crud to filter out shows that the OE filters can actually last even longer than their recommended service intervals. Other internal filter components like anti drain back valves, gaskets etc are also better matched to the machines specification.
Like other OEM's Honda has a durability and performance specification for each component as well as a price to procure. They have very long term supply contracts with component manufacturers who are regularly audited and checked for quality. Many are actually subsidiaries of the big OEM's even in the many overseas countries where they may have plants to make certain models. Eg. if it's not made in Japan you could say "made in Honda" .
The Honda OE filters I recently bought are marked assembled in USA and are branded ROKI. Tokyo Roki is one of the largest Japanese filter manufacturers and supplies Toyota. Mazda, Suzuki, Honda, Hino, Volvo and many others.
http://www.roki.co.jp/english/majorcus.html
As can be seen by the advertised price of the OE filter vs non genuine online there is generally only a few cents to a dollar difference per filter. Therefore why risk warranty or any adverse damage on a machine worth $10,000.
I buy my filters from Pro Caliber in the US and ship them out to Australia as they seem to have a good price and service. ( In Australia they are $21.) The last batch cost me only $8.75 each and I ordered other parts as well.
I am sure other dealers have similar or even better prices in the US and many advertise free or very low cost mainland shipping to your door so it's easy to bypass a local dealer you may not like.
