Six-Star Oil Filter Kit - Standard

Don't Settle For Aftermarket Oil Filters

As you can see from the comparison picture, our Six Star oil filters have the same filtration capacity as the Genuine Subaru filters. Don’t settle for an aftermarket filter at an auto parts store, likely make by a company that makes them for thousands of different makes and models, as the fitment and quality tends to be poor. 

Six Star Filters Are More Stout

When we cut open the Six Star filter for this comparison, it was actually a lot more stout than the Subaru filter. The filter element just fell out once the casing was cut; the fitment was not very tight, where the Six Star filter took some serious plying and cutting to free the filter element from its metal frame.

We’ve been using these filters exclusively at our shop for over 15 years and have never had a failure or leak at the seal (common on aftermarket filters). Don’t overlook your engine’s lubrication system as it is easily plays the most important role in your engine’s life.

At Smart Service (and Smart Quality Parts), we have been carrying and using the Six Star brand in our repair facility for over 15 years. Since the majority of our in-house technicians are Subaru factory trained we understand the benefit and need for correctly fitting and functioning replacement parts. The benefit of being an independent facility is that we are not required to use the Genuine Subaru stamped parts but unlike other independents, we didn't want to use aftermarket parts just to cut costs and increase our margins.

We found Six Star in that search for the perfect balance between OEM quality and a more affordable price by cutting Subaru out as a middleman. We supplement with the Genuine Subaru parts where we feel that is needed or required if Six Star doesn't manufacture a certain part, but we mostly use Six Star because more often than not the part is identical to what you would buy at the dealer.

The description below outlines the color and sticker system on the parts you may receive. Please know that 90%+ of the Six Star parts we carry are the Gold Star OEM designation and the Red Star options are just as good in our opinion (see our replacement oil filter for example, you can see it cut open next to a Genuine Subaru filter there is no difference at all).

We offer our own private Six Star label parts that identifies OEM parts with a gold star:

and alternative source parts with a red star:

• Genuine = Exact part you would purchase at your Subaru dealer.


• OEM = Original Equipment Manufacturer. The part was made by the exact same manufacturer that made the original part for your car. For example if you open a genuine Subaru wheel bearing you will find that the bearing is an NSK bearing. If you buy that same bearing OEM you're getting the same part.


• Alternative Source = These are parts that are manufactured by an indepedent aftermarket parts facility. Our alternative source parts are put through the rigors at Smart Service before we offer them online.