Genuine Buddy 125/150/170 and Piaggio/Vespa 125-200 cc oil filter Comparison

It's about time to change the oil on both the 2007 and 2009 Buddy 125. The supply of filters I bought from scooterworks a few years back is now almost exhausted. The price difference between the Sentec and Hiflo filters is substantial, nearly a $10 difference, so I decided to order a three pack of the cheaper Hiflos to see if they were worth it.

Shortly after I wrote this, I found that there is a Hiflo HF197 filter that is 5mm taller and has a hex end, and replaces the HF183 as the filter Hiflo lists for the Buddy.


Before installation, because I doubt many have these things together, I decided to do a side-by-side comparison of the Hiflo and Sentec Piaggio filters.

Hiflo filtero HF183 on the left and Sentec/Piaggio 483727 on the right.

Both filters come with instructions printed on the side in every language you don't speak.

The HiFlo has the dreaded mystery tool notch, while the Sentec has a standard hex that can be removed with a wrench (17mm, if I'm not mistaken). The Hiflo has a range of specially tools:the oopsclankthud Snowflake, or scooterwest slotted wrench, the hoseclamp welded onto a hexdriver, or perhaps just a big pair of pliers, quadess help you...

The plastic removed. The Hiflo uses a flat gasket while the sentec uses a round gasket. The hiflo has a larger sealing surface, but will have trouble displacing debris. The sentec will be more succeptible to leaking if the gasket gets a crack. The Hiflo also requires twice as much torque (15 Nm) vs the sentec (8 Nm).

Both gaskets protrude by the same amount. The end of the Hiflo is generously coated in light machine oil. You have to oil the sentec yourself, since you're right by an engine getting an oil change, that won't  be any problem at all. The painting step looks to be late in the Hiflo production, given by the paint line at the crimp. The Sentec looks to have had the shell attached to the baseplate after it was painted. Unless you store your scooter upside down or plan to forgo oil changes for the next 20 years, and therefore worry about rust, this is also a non-issue.

The mounting plates appear to be the same thickness, the oil entrance holes (the smaller ones on the outside) are also about the same size and identical number. The finish on the sentec is better (slightly chamfered), but, at least to the degree I could measure with a ruler, there was no difference between the two.

Peering into the filter with a flashlight, the Sentec has slighly larger and more holes in the metal support matrix behind the filter material. than the Hiflo. Differences between number and depth of pleats was not obvious from non invasive inspection. The guts of the pressure bypass mechanism at the top of the two filters also appears to be different, but I am not about to cut open 30$ worth of filters to find out.

Both filters come with membranes to prevent dust and gasket damage. The Hiflo was thicker and very hard to remove. The Sentec's came off when I sneezed.

In the final caparison, I don't think the Hiflo is inferior and with normal use it should be fine. It really should come with a 17mm box end, and frankly, the scooters should use a more common oil filter size to begin with. In the American market, scooters are far outnumbered by 500cc bikes with filters that are just a hair larger, which are commonly available at the corner automotive shop.

The Hiflo comes in a box that lists other compatible filters.This is great for comparison shopping, but it ends up being a downer when you find that there are other filters that claim to fit that are not on the list. +1 for trying -1 for not being comprehensive.

From what I gather from google and this box, the Buddy 125/150/175 can accepts:


Easy to find in US:
Sentec 483727 (ScooterWorks)
Piaggio 483727 (ScooterWorks)
HiFlo HF197 (Looks to be 5mm taller and has a wrench flat)
Hiflo HF183 (also listed as HiFlo Filtero 14-0183)  (needs tool)

Malossi M 0313382Q (Red Chilli) (needs tool)

K&N KN-183 (Wrench Flat)



Harder to find/Less common or harder to verify
Piaggio 82365R (Is in cross-references, but I can't find this new)

Peugeot 756162 (Is in cross-references, but I can't find this new)
Italjet 210483727 (Is in cross-reference, but I can't find this new)
Malaguti 46400200 (Is in cross-references, but I can't find this new)
Mirai P002 (Needs tool, looks like it's sold in UK)
Meiwa P5001 (Needs tool. Can't find it for sale in US)
Mahle 70516715 (No tool flat on end at all! -I'd avoid this)
Knecht 70516714 (Needs tool, Mahle made)
ISON 183 (For sale in EU, Needs tool)
Champion COF083 (Old number: Champion C320) (Ebay in US, Needs tool)


This fitment guide leads me to believe that HiFlo and Sentec are the only OEMs and the others are just rebrands.