I'm in Club Man's heretic camp...we're overthinking this.  A tiny spec of dirt is not going to cause "catastrophic internal failure" and will probably have been through the system a few times before the filter catches it anyway (think bypass).  Not really worth chasing around to find the "better" filter nor even worrying about since most of you should probably change the oil based on time rather than miles anyway.  My race car is the exception, but buy whatever you feel comfortable with.  Engines wear out, period.

Time flies like an arrow...fruit flies like a banana

All I can say is that a NAPA 7241 fits an MPI motor. I have used the UNIPART (both regular and premium, ordered from our host) and MANN W713/715, so I am pretty sure my motor is the same as other MPIs. It is identical in threading and dimensions to the others I've used. The NAPA 7241 cross-references with a MANN W713/715, and you likely can find a cross reference for a W713/715 to a UNIPART GFE280. (NAPA's web site has a cross reference function.)

DLY

Just installed the $6 1342 last night.

I cut open the Fram that I pulled off.

Couldn't believe how simple (or cheaply) these are put together.  Nothing too the Fram.

A FATHER CARRIES PICTURES WHERE HIS MONEY USED TO BE 

1130cc, 12g295, SW5 cam, LCB, HIF38, CA spec.

GREAT SPIRITS HAVE ALWAYS ENCOUNTERED VIOLENT OPPOSITION FROM MEDIOCRE MINDS-ALBERT EINSTEIN-

Never argue with an idiot, they will bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.

Surpip,

Where are you going to locate the remote filter head?

A NAPA FIL7241 is a cross-reference for an MPI 1275 oil filter. I use these. The drawback is that they are about the same price as a Unipart Std. filter (about $14.) So the only real advantage is ready availability. I thought they were repackaged Mann filters (W/713/715) because they have a black case, but the construction looks different than the Mann filter I had. There's no NAPA logo on it, and even the box is a plain brown cardboard box with a NAPA end sticker...

DLY

i have been using the unipart filters on my car(MPI) as i haven't been able to cross that filter with anything at the local napa, but it dose not appear to be of any higher quality than the napa filters, the anti drain back valve dose not appear to work at all

I used the 1374 filters on my old mini and they worked very well

I bought a filter relocation kit from Jegs so i can use easy to find filters on my car, being a daily driver, and with a 50+ mile commute every day, i really don't want to have to order my filters all the time, and relocating the filter will also make for much less messier oil changes in the future, i will find out if it works on Friday when i change my oil

GREAT SPIRITS HAVE ALWAYS ENCOUNTERED VIOLENT OPPOSITION FROM MEDIOCRE MINDS-ALBERT EINSTEIN-

Never argue with an idiot, they will bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.

It would be really enlightening to know what the construction was on the original Unipart filter that came with the Mini vis-a-vis Fram, and others...bet not a significant lick of difference.

I'm not defending FRAM or trying to change anyone's mind. But imho if we worried about the 1% chance of failure/danger everyday, we wouldn't leave the house, maybe even the bedroom... I believe sometimes we think too hard....

I've been using Bosch (apparently a Fram product) for a couple years and have no issues. I used Fram for years prior in personal vehicles and in repair businesses for LBC's back to the 60's, also without a single failure. I would think that 1% would've caught up to me by now...

Hell, these cars ran perfectly fine with the old canister felt filters....

Make it idiot proof, and someone will make a better idiot....

Clubman, you are probably right that we do put too much emphasis on things like filters and oil changes every 3000 miles.  It may not make a lick of difference which filter we use in our cars, but piece of mind is worth the cost of an engine IMHO. 

I used Fram for years and years in my old cars, but as Bluedragon stated, the company markets false technologies like the teflon supergard filters, and they are made much more cheaply than others like the Napa Gold.  They don't put any money into real product improvements, just marketing hype, and I've never heard about a failure attributed to one of the high quality filters listed in those studys.  Fram has a laundry list of unhappy customers with engine problems relating to drain back valves, paper filter material coming apart and clogging the oil return holes, etc.

I haven't used Fram in about 10 years in any of my cars, and I am more than happy to spend a little more for something that is made better. Reducing my chances of becoming a Fram statistic by 1% is worth it to me. 

"I drive a Mini. What are you compensating for?"

For myself, I don't give FRAM a pass because of their ubiquity. If they were failing because of twisted cases, gasket failures (excessive tightening), etc. sure. But the low quality internal construction, and the failures unrelated to ham-fisted installation, plus ridiculous psuedo-features like their Teflon additive filter line, always make me reject FRAM. Better a FRAM than nothing, and I will admit that probably out of 100 users 98 of them will have no problems, but in this case, I won't support a company whose product line almost invariably is inferior to its competition.

Of course, better to use a new FRAM than not change your oil and filter at all...

DLY

Just got back from NAPA.

Got a different price on the 1374....$17 now

Checked on the 1342 while up there...$6 ! And it's the Gold like the 1374  ????
So I ordered a couple of them anyway.

Some pricing is strange to say the least.

oh...and OT...3 minutes ago I drove up to campus and there was a Red Bull BINI with 2 nice looking gals in it parked outside.  They flagged me down and had me pull up so they could take pics...lol
(of course they also gave me a couple cans of red bull...not sure I want to try it though)

A FATHER CARRIES PICTURES WHERE HIS MONEY USED TO BE 

1130cc, 12g295, SW5 cam, LCB, HIF38, CA spec.

Do you know why you hear all the horror stories about Frams? Because of their low cost and ready availability they are used by "home mechanics" by a large margin (something close to equal to all other brands combined)... and everyone knows that any failure resulting from any home maintenance or repair _must_ be product related.

I think Fram is well beyond "good enough"... likely far better than what the cars were designed for. In some specific cases there are issues (lack of drainback valves because of covering wide applications, faulty seal design on a batch of Corvair filters, etc) but the same is true of other brands as well.

I don't hesitate to use Fram... but admit I will spend a couple bucks extra for a Wix, etc if it is readily available...

Bill

agreed

and, agreed

Make it idiot proof, and someone will make a better idiot....

I see your point Clubman

Even so, I may as well use every effort in preventative maintenance....reg oil changes with quality filters and oil...and spend a couple dollars more. It MAY not make a stitch of difference using a Wix over a Fram on our motors, but I'd rather use the better of the two.  It could be that one tiny spec of dirt the other filter would have stopped, that causes that catastophic internal failure, or the cause of a slow degredation of a bearing etc.

Being that I SoloII occassionaly...I want the cleanest possible oil pumping through my motor at high rpm.

I'm still not going to pay $23 for a filter though

A FATHER CARRIES PICTURES WHERE HIS MONEY USED TO BE 

1130cc, 12g295, SW5 cam, LCB, HIF38, CA spec.

JSG....

Is there some info you could post or direct me.....I'd like to be able to back up there and ask whats going on with the price.

Thanks

A FATHER CARRIES PICTURES WHERE HIS MONEY USED TO BE 

1130cc, 12g295, SW5 cam, LCB, HIF38, CA spec.

Oh yes, anyway, It is the 1374 I have in stock. I checked the Napa web site and the list price is like $33 Canadian. I hope that is an error.

Here is the description:

1374 Description Oil Filter (Gold) Attribute Features & Benefits:T-03 Glass Enhanced Media - Best Efficiency + Capacity In Industry; Steel Coil Spring; Spiral Wound Center Tube for Industry Leading Strength,Features & Benefits - 2:Silicon Anti-Drain Back Valve - Industry Leading Life,Features & Benefits - 3:Holds 45% More Dirt, Last 30% Longer Than Other Leading Brands,Style:Spin-On Lube Filter,Media Type:Cellulose,Flow Rate:7 to 9 GPM,Height (Inches):3.529,Height (mm):89.64mm,O.D. (Inches):2.966,O.D. (mm):75.34mm,Thread Size (inches):3/4-16

Narf!

A heretical point of view...(hehe)  

Do we over-analyze some of the technical aspects of such items? After all, by the time we get our 30 year old Minis they've had every filter imaginable (and judging from some UK cars I've received, relatively few oil changes). And guess what? They're still running reasonably well...Then we religiously change the oil & filter every 3,000 miles. Hardly time enough to get the filter/oil really dirty.

Unless a particular brand of filter has caused catastrophic engine failures and is proven clearly defective, does this really matter that much? Maybe for a high performance, high dollar motor it does. But for the run-of-the-mill std 998 Mini decades of neglect doesn't seem to seriously impact it. They are afterall, pretty primitive motors not highly refined, close tolerance machinery. Are we putting a silver saddle on a jackass, sometimes?

Just a another point of view....

Make it idiot proof, and someone will make a better idiot....