The factory put in whatever filter they happened to get the best price for quantity on. The replacement filters shown on our website (they aren't orange- it's just the lighting when I took the photo) are the only OEM replacement filter available from Subaru- there is not a 4x more expensive genuine OEM replacement filter available, besides the STi airfilter, which is also not orange
. The dealer is not clueless.
Brian
http://www.subaruwrxparts.com
http://www.wrxstiparts.com
http://www.subarubajaparts.com