Normal oil filter
Lots of oil, coarse filter: 20 to 40 µm. According to the manufacturer, it only needs replacing every 100,000 km.
Home/Tech & Practice
How it works
TRABOLD filtering instead of oil changes
The filter runs alongside the normal oil filter. It removes the finest dirt and water from the oil and cools it through its housing. So the oil stays good, and the usual oil change is no longer needed.
In five steps
The oil’s path through the filter
To scale
Down to 0.1 micron
That is a ten-thousandth of a millimetre, up to 200 times finer than usual filters. The top line is a hair. You can barely see the last one.
- Hair, approx. 70 µm
- Standard filter, 20 to 40 µm
- Pollen, approx. 10 µm
- TRABOLD, mid-range, 1 µm
- TRABOLD, down to 0.1 µm
From the patent
The design in section
Three parts: the housing, the replaceable insert and the connections. Tap the dots in the image.
In detail
According to the manufacturer, it is the first fine oil filter that filters radially and axially, meaning from outside and from above. The insert is built for tension instead of compression, so it withstands high pressure. Hermann Trabold received two patents for this in 1991 and 1994.
The principle
Two filters, two jobs
The normal filter stays in and takes the large oil flow. The TRABOLD filter cleans only a little at a time, but very finely. Over time, all the oil passes through.
TRABOLD filter
Little oil, very fine filter: on the 10er, 1 to 5 litres per minute, dirt down to 0.1 µm.
The longer it is filtered, the better
Why engine oil still stays black
Hermann Trabold showed it in public: black transformer oil turns clean and golden yellow again after a few minutes in the filter. Engine oil, on the other hand, stays black. You can’t see that it is clean. You measure that in the lab.
In detail
According to the manufacturer, the black is ultra-fine carbon, a very good lubricant. The filter holds back the coarse particles that cause wear. It lets the very finest through. In the field test this oil lubricated better than fresh oil.
From the archive
The benefits at a glance
- Oil change
Gone. Instead, a new insert every 15,000 to 50,000 km.
- Fresh oil
Up to approx. 85 % lower costs through less new oil.
- Engine type
Not tied to one engine. On the 10er, not even half a litre of extra oil is added.
- Water
The insert soaks water out of the oil. Without water, oil does not turn acidic.
- Cooling
The fins protect the oil from overheating.
- Pressure
The housing withstands 20 bar continuously.
- Reuse
You can remove the filter and take it to your next vehicle.
- Disposal
The insert is mainly paper. But it does not belong in household waste. It goes to a collection point.
- Payback
In 2001 the manufacturer expected this at the 4th to 5th oil change for cars.
Manufacturer’s figures. If the oil gets too thick or too thin, overheats or something gets into it, it must still be changed. Originals: Benefits, 2001 · Filtering and oil care, 1998 · Home page, 2001