Doc's Diesel Air Filter

[staying_tuned]

I've been running Doc's oil & fuel filters steadily for roughly 35k of the 45k miles on the truck. Their air filters have been hard to come by though so my last was a OEM back-up I had purchased when I bought the truck. I just swapped out that OEM for another DD (back in stock as of a few weeks ago) and figured I'd post a side-by-side comparison shot.

Doc's on the left, OEM on the right. Price on these are $27.

OEM filter behind pre-filter fabric at 20k miles:

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[Hdog911]

Nice. I just ordered their kit, air, oil, Fuel filter and an extra oil filter. I plan on changing the other filters ever other oil change so it was convenient but I also saved o shipping that way. They looked like a solid outfit based on their website but glad someone else is taking the chance too. I'm sure the oem purists are scowling at us right now.

 

[staying_tuned]

Nice. I just ordered their kit, air, oil, Fuel filter and an extra oil filter. I plan on changing the other filters ever other oil change so it was convenient but I also saved o shipping that way. They looked like a solid outfit based on their website but glad someone else is taking the chance too. I'm sure the oem purists are scowling at us right now.

They haven't let me down yet and have an enormous following on nearly every major diesel platform. I change my filters & oil more frequently than the manual states so the cost savings helps when buying both filters and oil in bulk/on-sale.

 

[Hdog911]

They haven't let me down yet and have an enormous following on nearly every major diesel platform. I change my filters & oil more frequently than the manual states so the cost savings helps when buying both filters and oil in bulk/on-sale.

Kinda off topic but what oil do you use?

 

[staying_tuned]

Kinda off topic but what oil do you use?

I look for Pennzoil Platinum when available (especially if on sale) but to date I've put everything from Mopar Max Pro to Rotella T6 and Fram through it. All synthetic at 5w-40. I change it every 5 to 7k miles though while changing the fuel filter every other change. When we go cross-country I change it while traveling. I enjoy doing it and with the cost isn't a big hit. My logic being that I'd rather cycle mid-grade oil through it frequently verse stretch out a premium. If money and availability were never a factor though, I'd likely run Pennzoil Platinum the whole time while still maintaining the increased frequency.

 

[Hdog911]

I look for Pennzoil Platinum when available (especially if on sale) but to date I've put everything from Mopar Max Pro to Rotella T6 and Fram through it. All synthetic at 5w-40. I change it every 5 to 7k miles though while changing the fuel filter every other change. When we go cross-country I change it while traveling. I enjoy doing it and with the cost isn't a big hit. My logic being that I'd rather cycle mid-grade oil through it frequently verse stretch out a premium. If money and availability were never a factor though, I'd likely run Pennzoil Platinum the whole time while still maintaining the increased frequency.

Nice. Yeah I'm of the same mindset. If you do your own changes will warranty still be valid? I thought it had to be done by a shop.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Nice. Yeah I'm of the same mindset. If you do your own changes will warranty still be valid? I thought it had to be done by a shop.

No - warranty cannot be cancelled or voided if you do your own oil and filter changes. It's SMART to keep records and receipts for those ornery dealer shops - but there is no rule, in fact there are laws against dropping warranty because of owner maintained vehicles.

Just follow the book or BETTER (meaning do it sooner if you wish) and make notes of dates and miles. You'll be fine.


To Mike - have you compared "surface area" - ie number of pleats, depth of pleats, etc.?
I don't have a diesel, but am always curious about such things.
From here - looks good.

 

[staying_tuned]

To Mike - have you compared "surface area" - ie number of pleats, depth of pleats, etc.?
I don't have a diesel, but am always curious about such things.
From here - looks good.

I didn't even think to count but I had to know after you mentioned it hah. I pulled another Doc's out of the box to better compare. Turns out the pleat count is exactly the same. Pleat depth is the same but more of the pleat is exposed on the DD because the Mopar's foam surround is taller on the inset. The pleat material feels the same. The metal mesh on top of the DD is a finer grate than the mopar but the Mopar's mesh is more stout.

Something I learned though while counting is they seal up the pleat ends, both Mopar and Docs. Mopar uses a yellow type of glue while the DD is clear. Its hard to tell on the DD, I didn't want to destroy the pleat to expose the glue but I drew circles around them. I never knew pleat ends where sealed like this. I wonder if its to make assembly easier when curing in the foam surround or if its to force all air through the pre-filter. Any idea @ShadowsPapa?

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