like said above, you need the ones that fit on a socket. These will get it free w/o slipping or destroying the filter. The shops put the filter on so tight so they dont leak and they get sued. I had to gorilla glue a socket to the filter to break it free it was so tight after my engine rebuild. Then i had to toss the filter with the socket

 

Be super careful with this method! I did exactly this to try and free a stuck filter (It was an STP filter....I'll never forget this) on my old Volvo....and the can literally twisted in half. It just didn't have the structural integrity to survive being punctured and twisted like that. Hell on earth getting the half a can left off of the car. I ended up using a chisel and hammer and tapping at the bottom of it *very* carefully. I wouldn't advocate this method, as you never know if the filter you have might do something similar.

Someone mentioned the type of filter remover that looks like a very large pair of pliers. I second that type of remover! Even the stickest of filters that I've had to play with come right off with that puppy. You have to have some hand-strength, though, as the harder the can is stuck, the tighter you have to squeeze the handles to keep it from just spinning around the can. Well worth the 10 bucks, especially if you have different cars in your stable.

-Red

 

Many of the oil filter wrenches sold in recent years are poorly made and may break if you get a stuck filter. You could always make your own wrench, if you can't find what you need at an auto store.

 

This is the type of wrench I use when the filter is stuck. It uses a ratchet and extension. This is only a picture - I got my wrench years ago. I think the one I got was origionally for trucks, but I needed something to remove the filter from the race car that would fit into an awkward place



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