[cyclocross]

FWIW... I've used new washers only if they were supplied with the filter. Most of the time I've reused the washers. However, I paint a thin layer of fingernail polish (the wife's old stuff) on the drain plug's threads as a sealent. Just tighten the plug to the proper torque - no drips, no weeps. It is not that I am cheap; it is just convenient.