Just change my oil and oil filter and noticed the factory installed Motorcraft oil filter was gray. It factory filter had “FL-820-S” on the can but it also had “Long Life Filter” printed under the FL-820-A designation as well. The FL-820-S I purchased from the local auto parts store was the standard white one with no mention of long life on the package or can. The holes in the top of the white filter were a different design than the factory one and the gasket was not an exact match.

I called a local dealership and all the FL-820-S filters they had in stock were the standard white ones.

Does anyone know if the gray filter is a newer version of the Fl-820-S and something that will find their ways to store shelves eventually or is it a factory only part?

Screwdriver

 

The gray painted ones come on a new vehicle and are NOT available anywhere else. I'm believe they are even made by a different company. Over on the Mach 1 website sombody got ahold of a couple to save for down the road when the cars are collectable. As a dealer they are kind of nice as it lets you know if the oil has been changed yet. They do simmilar things with other parts. Often the spark plugs have a different number than the replacement. Also spark plugs have a dot of paint on the end so you know if they are original.

 

Although the factory filters are grey, I noticed that the filters in Ford'd promotional photos are white. I suspect either filter is manufactured to the same specs (i.e. long life, etc.) regardless of source.

Incidentally, Motorcraft filters fare well against competitors in technical industry tests/reports. Recently, I visually compared the 'P' brand replacement for the FL820S (S=silicone) with the Motorcraft...the "P" was about 1/2 inch shorter (less filtering media and different pressure valving internals), etc.