Review on Purolator PBL38165 PurolatorBOSS Premium Filter by Frank Villanueva

Build quality to match the original Purflux design. See photos of Purolator Boss and OEM Purflux side by side. The area of filter media available on the Purolator is likely to be slightly smaller than the OEM design due to the square pleats in the OEM design; However, the filter material is noticeably denser, the folds are narrower, much stronger and fully synthetic. The frame and wrapping are also top notch. The only downside is that the oil return is a bit more restricted compared to the original design, but there is no chance of the filter failing. Given that the engines use this specification 0w40, fully synthetic; the flow has probably not decreased by an iota. Due to the use of an adhesive plate instead of the plastic media handle on the Purolator, there is a slight extra filter flow gap at the edges. This is made possible by the exceptional durability of the fiber reinforced plastic base that Purolator uses here. Ideal for MB M276 / M278 W166 ML series chassis. The Purolator BOSS is made in Germany, while the French-owned Purolator is most likely made in China at the moment. It's clearly made by the German company Mann + Hummel, who also make filters designed to OEM specifications for the MB. . Especially considering the long annual intervals given by MB. Considering the price, it's certainly more than the Purflux and Mann OEM, but almost ten dollars cheaper than the OEM parts counter filter and just as good or better. Availability and durability seem to be slightly better here than the OEM. Mann + Hummel Filter too, so Purolator gets my vote unreservedly.