I used a K&N oil filter before when they had them on sale. Looked exactly like OEM, made in Germany and the part numbers/printing on it was like it came from the same factory as my Mann filter. 99.9999% positive that K&N just re-badged Mann filters as their own.
Ok, I see. Gonna assume this is the K&N filter you got
http://www.amazon.com/K-N-PS-7014-Oi...1&s=automotive
which is probably the same as this aFe
http://www.amazon.com/aFe-44-LF022-P...1&s=automotive
If I opened up the box and those were the filters I saw, I would have sent it back to Amazon for a refund. No way I'd put that crap in there. Looks like K&N changed suppliers for the worse, much worse. Bosch filters look exactly like those too. No doubt they come out of the same factory in China.
This was the K&N filter I used
http://www.amazon.com/HP-7014-Cartri...1&s=automotive
STP oil filters for E90's are also re-badged Mann filters, at least they were last year.