How long will a Mega Filter element last?
Service life will vary depending on fuel quality, but I expect to see them run for 30,000 plus miles, or an annual servicing when installed as a secondary unit. The OE unit should be serviced at or BEFORE the GM recommended interval. I typically change my OE unit at every other oil change or 7-8k miles. I will soon have a filter restriction gauge kit available that attaches to the sampling port provided for the GM technicians to measure restriction for diagnosis of performance related issues. This will be a simple, compact unit and will be priced at about $100 which is about of what the GM gauge setup runs. The user will need to baseline his truck to determine what a new filter setup reads, and then occasional checking to monitor trends will allow the user to diagnose a potentially plugging filter. Care must be taken to eliminate variables such as fuel tank level, and angle of vehicle as the positioning of the fuel tank can have a profound effect on the gauge reading.
