Caution: Two Different Oil Filters on Buick Encore -- Not Interchangeable

[oregon_rider]

This is from the 2019 Owner's Manual (see highlighted note):

They have updated the 2019 manual.

They should send notification via mail to all owners of other model years.

Jeff

 

[g_328135]

sTp #12246 also has the valve @ $5.50 AutoZone

 

[Steveyo]

Actually, there are two possible filters for the Encore with the LUV engine :
PF2257G / GM# 55594651 (Hengst Housing)
PF2263G / GM# 25195785 (UFI Housing)
Again, you can simply read the GM Tech Note from the original post to verify this.
If I followed your instructions for the (LUV) I would have the wrong filter because mine has the UFI housing.

Hi, Just wanted to say thanks for the important info posted on this thread, and also to ask for a little help concerning the 2019 Encore Preferred I purchased about a month ago. It has the LUV engine and the UFI oil filter housing, but stamped on the housing cap it says "use UFI filter # 25195775, which differs from the two numbers above as well as the numbers listed in my owner's manual, and is a bit of a head scratcher. I assume I can use any of the UFI filters mentioned in this thread, but thought someone here could explain this different number. I will check further and see if GM or Buick has info for # 25195775. Thanks.

EDIT: Oops-- Just saw on the GM Tech Note linked above that # 25195775 is stamped on the picture of the UFI housing, and so I'm good to go with the corresponding filter shown.

 

[ken-clifton]

stamped on the housing cap it says "use UFI filter # 25195775, which differs from the two numbers above as well as the numbers listed in my owner's manual, and is a bit of a head scratcher.

The correct GM oil filter number for your UFI housing is 25195785 or AC# PF2263G.
My UFI housing cap is marked exactly as you say, but that part number has been superseded by the 25195785. It is a real shame that GM makes getting the correct filter such a screwed up challenge / mess.

 

[Steveyo]

The correct GM oil filter number for your UFI housing is 25195785 or AC# PF2263G.
My UFI housing cap is marked exactly as you say, but that part number has been superseded by the 25195785. It is a real shame that GM makes getting the correct filter such a screwed up challenge / mess.

Thanks for the quick response. Yes, one needs to be sure about such things, and GM should have learned that lesson by now.

 

[Steveyo]

sTp #12246 also has the valve @ $5.50 AutoZone

Thanks for mentioning the STP/AutoZone filters. I ordered 8 at (now) $5 each, and hope I'll live long enough to use all of them. I'm assuming the quality of STP filters is acceptable, and, if so, at $5 it's a nice deal. I wonder if AutoZone purchased a big lot of the UFI filters thinking that they would be the most sought after by Encore and other GM owners?

 

[Sconnors]

Good information here! Especially the NAPA site link. I took a picture of mine yesterday and I have the HENGST filter.

 

[Riz]

Took delivery of a 2017 Encore a couple weeks ago and the oil looked dirty. Dealer forcefully said the oil was changed. Drove it for a couple of weeks and couldn't stand it. I drained the oil which was brown and filthy and old as heck. The oil filter that was in the car was also the wrong one. I have a UFI housing and someone put in the Heinst filter. It was also caked with crud and it's a miracle the engine didn't starve for oil. Here it is side by side with the correct filter. I'm so ticked off at my dealer!

 

[Zeroboostbuick]

Took delivery of a 2017 Encore a couple weeks ago and the oil looked dirty. Dealer forcefully said the oil was changed. Drove it for a couple of weeks and couldn't stand it. I drained the oil which was brown and filthy and old as heck. The oil filter that was in the car was also the wrong one. I have a UFI housing and someone put in the Heinst filter. It was also caked with crud and it's a miracle the engine didn't starve for oil. Here it is side by side with the correct filter. I'm so ticked off at my dealer!

I don't trust anyone, especially dealers with my cars. I had to have the dealer do the first 4 oil changes on my Regal for warranty purposes. So the first oil change I had them do at 800 miles and the remaining 3 every 3,000 to 4,000 miles.
Every time I went there one of the fellas kept telling me I'm wasting oil life and their oil is high quality blah blah blah. But by the time the oil life monitor showed 60% life left, the oil was darker than the devil's soul at midnight in a tunnel.

 

[KevinJ]

Ditto in not trusting dealerships and quick change oil/lube shops.
Have seen and heard of too many instances where the shops really screwed up.

I personally have always done my own maintenance, but I'm "old school" and grew up working on the family cars with Dad.

As to oil life... I don't agree with or trust the "remaining life" display. I used to be a 3,000 miles changer, but now do 5,000 miles as today's oil is better, and in general today's tight clearance engines are also "easier" on the oil. However, I also think the Direct Injection engines contaminate and break down the oil faster than other modern non-DI engines. But that's just my opinion...

 

[X E Ryder]

Awesome thread, good stuff.

Thanks Ken & Company!

 

[Riz]

Took delivery of a 2017 Encore a couple weeks ago and the oil looked dirty. Dealer forcefully said the oil was changed. Drove it for a couple of weeks and couldn't stand it. I drained the oil which was brown and filthy and old as heck. The oil filter that was in the car was also the wrong one. I have a UFI housing and someone put in the Heinst filter. It was also caked with crud and it's a miracle the engine didn't starve for oil. Here it is side by side with the correct filter. I'm so ticked off at my dealer!

Update:
I wrote a hand written letter to the dealer General Manager and he has ignored me completely. Not even a courtesy call. I then reported this to Buick and wow what a total lack of concern. Buick told me I needed to take my car back to the dealer to have the oil changed. I tried several times to explain I already changed the oil and this is when I found the wrong filter installed. Buick ignored what I was trying to say and just gave me lip service there is nothing they can do. Not even an oh were so sorry your dealer screwed you, nothing. I'm sick of dealers. Crooks to their core!

 

[uk fan]

I bought my wife a 2019 encore the middle grade one, I usually do all my maintenance work so I can use mobil1 however I bought window visors from my dealer and they are low profile and really look great so I let them do the visor installation and I bought a filter for it from them so i'd get the right one 2263 luv engine, it was only $8.95 so I bought 4

 

[uk fan]

I bought my wife a 2019 encore the middle grade one, I usually do all my maintenance work so I can use mobil1 however I bought window visors from my dealer and they are low profile and really look great so I let them do the visor installation and I bought a filter for it from them so i'd get the right one 2263 luv engine, it was only $8.95 so I bought 4 + my dealer neil Huffman is a very user friendly and I tried getting a wix or gold from napa and they don't have it, my first oil change occurred at 1000 miles and the mobil one increased my mileage almost instantly. at 1600 miles its running good and strong we like it! we traded out of a corrrolla that was harder to service and chg oil...

 

[uk fan]

Took delivery of a 2017 Encore a couple weeks ago and the oil looked dirty. Dealer forcefully said the oil was changed. Drove it for a couple of weeks and couldn't stand it. I drained the oil which was brown and filthy and old as heck. The oil filter that was in the car was also the wrong one. I have a UFI housing and someone put in the Heinst filter. It was also caked with crud and it's a miracle the engine didn't starve for oil. Here it is side by side with the correct filter. I'm so ticked off at my dealer!

 

[uk fan]

I noticed the factory installed oil was already kinda dirty and crappy at only 1000 miles, these vehicles are assembled in south korea so who knows what new fill oil goes in? also my car was covered in a wrapping and received a few very light scratches , it had 3 miles on it when I took delivery and off the truck it said south korea in the window, I almost didn't take delivery after I discovered that little secret, my 2013 corolla was assembled in Tennessee, I also own a 2018 Silverado and it arrived in perfect condition, im not sure where it came from. but my son bought a brand new f250 and first service was free, well us both being mechanics ourselves took a marker and descretely marked the oil filter, guess what the ford dealer left the filter on it, my son will never let dealer service anything again!

 

[DocBrown]

it said south korea in the window, I almost didn't take delivery after I discovered that little secret

No secret. A few minutes doing a Google search prior to buying it would have told you that. Rock Auto has a fair number of brands of filters in both styles. You're a mechanic and you buy Mobil 1? I find that stuff to be very over priced. I use a store branded full synthetic that's Dexos approved. About $2.70 a quart on sale.

 

[KevinJ]

Doesn't even take 30 seconds to determine where a vehicle is assembled.
Buick Encore Wikipedia page clearly state South Korea in the Right Side Panel Overview.

Like Doc, I also have switched to "store brand" oil as long as it meets the vehicle manufacturers requirements.
Nothing against Mobile 1. In fact it is the oil I use in my Gen 4 Corvette, but that only gets changed once a year... or when I remember to do it... It only gets driven around 2,500 miles year.

In my daily driver, a 2003 Toyota Tacoma with 114,000 miles, I switched from using Mobile 1 to Wal-Mart SuperTech at around 60,000 miles. No differences found in operation of the vehicle. In fact at 5,000 mile changes, the vehicle still uses a little less than a quart of oil. The same amount it was using when I switched from Mobil 1 at 60,000 miles. I wouldn't hesitate in using SuperTech in my Corvette if I had to.

Personally, I think timely oil changes and the oil filter are much more important components of an oil change than the actual oil.

 

[zrexrich]

New owner of a 2019 preferred awd here. Just wanted to say thank you to Ken for starting this thread and to Oregon_rider for the Napa link. In all my years of working on vehicles (my own and family members) I have never run into more confusion on what oil/filters to use than I have with this Buick! We just bought our Encore this past weekend for my wife and I am trying to be pro active and have the usual consumables on hand before they're needed. I just had a look under the hood and ours has the UFI filter housing. It is a VIN code "B" engine.

 

[zrexrich]

Additional filter options for the UFI housing:

Champion Labs P1051 (RockAuto parts has them listed for $5.65ea)

Pronto PG2263U

Wix WL10283

Ecogard S10592

Napa FIL100283

Carquest 95109