Was dreading checking the filter after all the water/mud that was on the Filterwear and the pre-filter...
Nothing at all got through
, was expecting to have to change the filter.
WHY??? That is the whole point with a pre-filter.
You can completely plug the pre-filter up until the engine dies and almost nothing will pass to the stock filter. I'm not sure why you are so surprised, a pre-filter just simply works!
Even the crappiest e-Bay $20 filter stops 95%+ of the dirt passing through it and will get even more efficient the dirtier it gets. Any pre-filter will be stopping all but the finest dirt and the stock filter will take care of that no problem.
If you clean your pre-filter regularly and use 5% crappy filter dirt pass through and do the math, your stock filter will last 20 times what it normally would for you.
A good pre-filter like what highpocket provides probably stops 98%+ so using a 2% passthrough, your stock filter will last
FIFTY times as long.
And STOP removing your stock filter, you are just asking for trouble. Those gaskets are finicky and every time you remove the cover and filter, you chance f***ing up one of the seals. This is another reason for the pre-filter. Just leave it be and if you must see the filter, just remove the water drain on the housing and stuff an inspection camera up there and take a look. If you don't have a camera, you can get one that hooks to a phone or laptop for $25.
I haven't removed my filter in over 4,000 miles, I just use a camera every oil change and it still looks brand new. I have removed the housing to adjust the valves but I left the cover and filter alone.