Chevrolet Cruze Forums banner

Oil filter way overtightened at factory.

2269 Views 6 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  SilverCruzer
So i am doing my first oil change and even with a gripper, i can barely move the filter loose. Its moving mm by mm because i am watching the label portion.

Anyone else have theirs practically welded on? Its till not off.


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App
1 - 7 of 7 Posts
This is the point where one needs to consider if maybe it would be smarter to take the dealer up on that oil change offer. You can always do the next one.

Besides, from other posts, I think dealer oil may be full synthetic now.
I managed to get it off. I used a KN gold filter. I changed the oil at 2015 km and wow was it black. Good thing i didnt leave it for 6000 km or more.


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App
The factory filter that came with my Cruze was the plain jane PF64 filter, not the premium UPF64R that is specified in the Owners Manual. I bought 4 of the premium filters from Rock Auto at a very good price, even after paying shipping. And I saved an additional $3.50 in gas not buying them at my local dealer. That pays for the shipping cost.
If I recall ... my 2012 Eco didn't have a spin-on filter, it had a hard plastic case with a paper filter element that was replaced, along with the oil filter seal if/when needed. But many new cars I've owned with the spin-on filters were definitely too tight from the factory. I had to use a screwdriver to puncture the filter on my 2012 Avalanche in order to get it spun off! Same on my Escalade ... and I never really understood WHY they were always on so tight. After the initial oil changes, I've always been able to remove the filters by hand, or with slight help of a filter "wrench" with ease.
I had a filter wrench and still couldn't move the thing. Ended up hammering through it with a screwdriver. PITA.

Since doing my own oil changes, I definitely haven't had that problem.
This is the point where one needs to consider if maybe it would be smarter to take the dealer up on that oil change offer. You can always do the next one.

Besides, from other posts, I think dealer oil may be full synthetic now.
Exactly. Their problem, let them fix it. Glad it worked out, but if you were to have damaged something trying to loosen, the repair would have been on you.
1 - 7 of 7 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top