07 sonata. 4 cyl. 4th oil change. i had to buy a new socket style oil filter wrench. i have 3 now. too small, too big and the latest, a multi-size style. i could not get the filter off today. the socket just spins on the filter. its about .010 too loose. so i took off the belly pan. that is really annoying. having changed oil on 4 cars for the last 5yrs, it is really a pain to take off the pan so i can use a strap style filter wrench. yes, i know all about over tightening. maybe the filter gasket is swelling slightly and making it too hard to turn? i had a heck of a time with the strap style wrench too.

 

I assume you are having trouble with the spin-on canister style filters. Do you liberally oil the gasket on the new filter before installing? On really stubborn filters in the past, I have punched a large screw driver clear through the filter and then used the added leverage to loosen them. Very messy, but far less of a hassle than removing the pan, installing a new pan gasket and torqueing it back up properly.

 

pan gasket? huh? i am talking about the large plastic undercar pan. i think it is for directing airflow or maybe it makes the car quieter? i used a napa filter before. it had a flat gasket. the new one is a walmart special. the gasket is narrower but the same OD basically. i do oil them first. i compared every filter on the shelf for size, gasket shape and so on. frams, even an ac-delco that had a similar body size but the gasket was about 1/4" larger OD. i did notice the sealing flange on the oil filter mounting pad is quite large. i bet it could accomodate gaskets that are slightly larger.

 

Ahhh! My mistake, I misunderstood the posting. I didn't realize you were talking about the valence panel extending back on the front of the car. Yes, I thought it was odd at the time but didn't think further what you were saying.

Probably a marketing gimmick, but I think Purolator filters use a special coating on the gasket that is suppose to reduce the friction between the rubber and filter sump flange to improve sealing with hand-only pressure. The coating also is suppose to keep the rubber from glueing itself to the flange over time. I've been told by my service manager that the variation in gasket size you observe is part of the reason why Hyundai insists on only using Hyundai Genuine filters under warranty coverage.

 

What I've always used when I work on Sonatas is an adjustable filter wrench that fits on a 3/8 in. drive ratchet. It only grabs the filter when you're loosening and it makes things MUCH easier. Plus you don't have to take the skid plate off.

This is a Snap-On version, I'm sure you can find a cheaper one out there. This is just the one I use.
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item....mp;dir=catalog

Also as Ken99 said, using Hyundai Genuine filters always makes things go smoother since the vehicle was designed and engineered to operate with them. And try to stay away from Fram filters. They are the cheapest thing out there.

 

You are underrstating the truth. Frams are crap.