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Oil Filters

The Mahle filter is the OEM filter, they are the manufacture. I buy them from Beemerbone Yard http://beemerboneyard.com/. Being an MOA member you'll receive a 10% discount see ad in BMW ON. I think they include the crush washer too. I wouldn't use a K&N filter that my opinion.

Jay
 
Interesting note on filters, the LC bikes call for a different filter than the earlier cam heads and 1600's
Which calls for a different filter wrench. When doing my 600 mile service I discovered my bike came with the older filter. Got me wondering, so after a discussion with service rep at my dealer and mechanics, the agreed more than half the new bikes arrive from factory with older number filter and it's fine to use either
The newer filter is a little longer and doesn't have the gripper groves on the end
Beemer boneyard and amazon both have Mahle and Mann filters, as others have said stay away from K&N
On the same note Dimple Magnetic Drain Plugs makes a kit to replace engine and final drive plugs with there powerful plugs, these are very strong
 
Got the oem part from Amazon.

As for the magnetic drain plug... Always thought about it, but I'd prefer to have a magnetic oil filter... Just in case anything broke off the drain plug at least it'd already be trapped.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
 
Oh and since the dealership did the first service inspection I have no idea which filter came on the bike.

My friend got a GS the same time as I got the GSA, I'll inspect his bike to find out what the factory did.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
 
Got the oem part from Amazon.

As for the magnetic drain plug... Always thought about it, but I'd prefer to have a magnetic oil filter... Just in case anything broke off the drain plug at least it'd already be trapped.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
Maybe just slap a magnet on the outside, bottom of your filter?
edit: Did some research and here is what I found, "Putting a magnet on an oil filter doesn't make sense because you won't be able to quickly inspect it for the presence of metal shavings".

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
 
Yes I read that.. But concerns me more is if you get metal on the plug and it breaks away then you can get worse issues. I'd think that trapping fragments and filaments in the filter would be preferred at the expense of not visually seeing a major problem during an oil chain. If I was really concerned an oil analysis should be done as well as cutting open the filter to visually inspect the guts for particles. Finally, not all the metal in the engine, clutch and transmission is magnetic which a drain plug wouldn't collect

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
 
Maybe just slap a magnet on the outside, bottom of your filter?
edit: Did some research and here is what I found, "Putting a magnet on an oil filter doesn't make sense because you won't be able to quickly inspect it for the presence of metal shavings".

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

You could do both a magnetic plug and a magnet on the filter. If that causes the filter to trap more (I doubt it will but it might) that is good. But you can still view the plug to observe any collected metal. Personally I would not be concerned about ferrous particles coming of a good magnetic plug. On the plugs I have it is hard to get off by hand. It won't wash off with a little oil flowing past.
 
I have a '14 GSA and have used the Mahle for 64K miles no problems.

I also get the oil in 6 packs from Amazon for a good price as well. It was $44.21 a six pack now $50 a six pack.

Get three filters and two 6 packs of oil and that covers 15K Miles for under $150 in oil changes.
 
Don't over-think this too much.

99.99% of modern engines (no exageration) have absolutely no need to put a magnet on the oil-filter and very little need for one on the drain plug.

Spend the money and put one on if you're more comfortable with it, but as has been stated you won't see anything unless you take the filter apart and what is a magnet on the filter going to catch that one on the drain plug wouldn't?

If you want a magnet in there, put in a drain-plug magnet and look at it on each oil-change. Take the sludge off the tip and run it between your thumb and index finger to get a familurarity with what the normal metal sludge feels like.

You're not looking for actual "pieces of metal" - that virtually never ever occurs in a modern engine that hasn't been raced. What you are looking for is more akin to very tiny metal shavngs (smaler than a hair), most commonly so fine it looks and feels like sludge. This is normal in all engines, some moreso than others. The idea of using the magnet on the drain-plug is so that is readily and easily identified if there is more than normal or if the pieces are larger than normal.

There is on-going wear on the timing chains, oil pump, piston rings, gears, etc. All normal.

If a "chunk" of metal breaks off inside the engine, it typically has a significant distance to travel before it gets to the sump or the oil filter and, often as not, does it's damage prior to coming to rest. At least that's been my experience with the several engine failures I've experienced over sevral decades.

We had to rebuild a race engine three times in one season and magnets would not have saved any of them. Now a drain-plug magnet will show if you are getting accelerated wear, but for most street engines today, that is really not an issue.
 
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