Gulf Coast Filter

Have been using the Gulf Coast filter for around 3 years on my previous truck and tried using the OPS-1 system on my new truck. Wanted to see if it would do as good of a job without having the mess and the weight of the Gulf Coast Filter.

Tried it for 60,000 miles and switched back to the Gulf Coast Filter. If you do this, don't make the mistake of telling Jerry Sims (Owner of Gulf Coast Filter) that you did this. I contacted him via e-mail after having the GCF on for about 70,000 miles because I felt it was not filtering as good on the new truck as it had on the old one. At first he brushed me off and told me to call OPS-1 and ask their experts. When I didn't do away he followed up by giving me a page long verbal lashing for trying a different product and not just believing all the hype that GCF puts out. This was after I told him I had switched back to his filter because I thought it worked better.

I will not be buying anymore filter elements from Gulf Coast Filters. You can do your own research, but here is what I've found.

When GCF 1st starting producing their filters, it had a paper towel element. I guess they soon figured out that it was a one time sale and needed a way to keep customers buying from them and they started selling the "Filter Element" # a cost of $15 to $17 a piece with shipping costs. Tear this element apart and you will find a roll of paper towel. It is wrapped in a terry clothe material to conceil the roll of towel and has a fancy plastic end to it (Just started adding that a year or two ago), but it is a roll of Bounty paper towel. I compared the GCF with a roll of Bounty I had in my truck and it is Identical! right down to the patern of the bumps on the paper. At a cost savings of around $30 dollars every 10,000 miles this filter could turn out to save a truck owner close to the 70% that they claim on GFC's web site.

Not sure how GFC figures it saves 70% on an oil change, you do the math. Can get oil change with no grease job at Speedco for $199. If you change your oil # 20,000 miles (within spec's for most engines) you will have changed four GFC elements # a cost of $66 and added 6 gallons of oil # $8 per, there's another $48 dollars. You still have to change the fuel filters and on my cummins that's another $30. The main oil filter still needs to be changed every 40,000 miles that adds another $10 per 10,000. You are now up to $166 dollars for 20,000 miles. Oh and don't forget the $19.95 oil sample every 10,000 miles. You are now at $205.90 for 20,000 miles using the Gulf Coast Filter system buying their elements and using their oil analysis program. (The free service that they provide to read your oil analysis actually costs you about $5 per. You can use the oil testing program that CAT or Cummins provides for $15 per sample. I would think that if the engine Manufacturer trusts the results, you can too.)

 

I don't know what's so hard about the math. I wonder how you clean your fuel filters with changing the Gulf Coast Filter. You still have to change the fuel filters and the full flow oil filter on a regular basis. And for $199 dollars at speedco, you get the fuel and oil filter changed, just no grease job, and that is why I used that number. I don't think you get a grease job or fuel and oil filter with the $173 GCF package.

As far as the Cheese Cloth material surrounding the paper towel, could be there to keep everyone from seeing the roll of paper towel underneath. Kind of hard to charge someone $15 dollars for a roll of paper towel if they know that's what there're getting, but wait, if we cover it up and tell everyone it's a filter element, now it's a better product and we can keep everyone buying from us.

I am not saying this filter does not work, I went back to using it after trying an OPS-1 system, but yes I am on a mission to inform as many people as possible to the alternatives to buying any more filter elements from GCF. If this were truly a superior filter and not just Bounty paper towel, I could see spending the extra money. Tear one apart for yourself, the quilting of the paper towel is the same as on a roll of Bounty.

 

Forgot too, your math on the oil change price at Speedco assumes that you would be changing your oil at 10,000 miles, not 20,000. Your number would be cut in half which would be $2,985 and you still need to purchase 10 fuel filters. Even if the GCF is working great will have to change the full flow oil filter at least every 50,000 miles so you have 6 of those.

Fuel filters (2) for my Cummins runs me $30 X 10= 300
Oil filter $40 X 6 = 240

Oil changes at speedco $199 X 15 = $2,985

GCF 30 X $86.41 = $2,592.3
Plus oil and fuel filters $ 540.00

Total of $3,132.30 for a net loss of $147.30

I believe this filter system works, just don't believe that you need to buy their $16 filter elements or subscribe to the $20 oil sample program to get the same results. Their free reading of the oil sample actually costs you about $5. I quit using it, not because the results were bad, just that it would take almost two weeks to get the results and I sometimes would run almost 8,000 miles. What's the point of sampling every 10,000 miles if you run almost that before you know if you have a problem??