Like motor oil, which we looked at last time, oil filters are a fast-moving category. Nearly 90 percent of shops that responded to Counterman’s annual P.A.R.T.S. survey said they keep oil filters in stock. That’s due to the fact that on average, these same shops do about 26 jobs a month requiring this part. When it’s time to reorder, the shops surveyed by Counterman said they have an average of 2.1 sources they use.

In the survey, jobbers took the lead as the shops’ primary source for oil filters (46%), followed by WD direct (23%) and retailers (12%) as the second and third most popular choices, respectively. Availability (43%) was the leading reason shops surveyed rely on their “first call.” Best sales reps (28%) and fast delivery (22%) were also important to survey respondents.

As illustrated in the chart below, brand holds a commanding lead over other factors technicians use to determine which oil filter they install.

These and other statistics can be found in P.A.R.T.S., produced annually by Counterman magazine. Nine years ago, Counterman began surveying repair shops annually to determine when, how and why they source specific automotive parts and products. The resulting data, published every fall, offers perspective on how sourcing and brand-loyalty trends have changed.