Junk, a couple of years ago I had a wix come apart, funky square edge o-ring was sticking out of the center hole when I removed it for an oil change.
Just for shifts and giggles, I ordered a case of 51258s from RockAuto. They shipped from United Auto Supply in Syracuse, NY according to the return address. They’re US made. Patrick
I think Wix is just like all other company's now. They probably just buy from the lowest bidder or wherever they can get the part made. I bought two Moog wheel bearings a few years ago. One looked like a GM bearing. It had the green wheel studs. It was packed in styrofoam with holes for the studs. It had the plastic harness protector. The second one was black and just in a plastic bag. They all do it now.
United Auto Supply is 5 minutes from my shop and we use their parts a lot. We typically get 5-10 deliveries per day from them. They are indeed selling on Rock Auto and I believe they have a 3rd shift just for that. When Napa and Mann-Hummell had their divorce, UAS picked up M-H/WIX. We have had zero issues with these filters. Again, I've seen made in USA, Mexico and S Korea. Unlike NAPA, the oil filters are packaged as you would expect, the same color, same size, etc. Many times, Napa has too many suppliers for any given part number of "Gold" engine oil filters. If we have any problems with the UAS-supplied "WIX" filters or they turn into Chinese-made PGI filters possibly as mentioned, then the rest of our stock will continue to migrate towards OEM. This is totally different from what most folks are looking for in this thread for our old Buicks.
The drainback issue I had was with a USA one....as others have said.....run for a while and do the drain test with center blocked off. I didn't even need to do that the flapper was obviously pushed out of place and not doing anything.
Thanks for the tip Jim. Definitely will be switching over I only have 2 K&N filters left. I found them for $121.99 free shipping and no tax at esctuners.com
WOW..... that's WAY-WAY less than I pay for them as a dealer..... WTF?? Must buy super large volumes or something. I'm going to call K&P next week to check it out...........
The idea that because something is "Made in USA" it's better is wrong. Companies can and do make garbage here.
Right on. Product quality is worldwide completion. All you have to do is look at the automotive industry. America is far from first. Vet
Drawing off of a lifelong experience from being in the trenches in the auto service industry and especially since global-sourcing, if we get parts from OE dealers that are made in China, they are absolutely fine in terms of quality. Chinese-made parts in the aftermarket are always a quality control "moving target". As something as critical as the lowly oil filter, it's best to stack the deck in your favor as much as possible when you sell them by the thousand. The other issue I have, specifically with Napa's new Gold oil filter supplier (PGI) to replace WIX/M&H, is not only are they made in China, but you know darn well their cost just went down considerably. There is no change on my end. So they are making more $ on a Chinese-made filter that costs more to me than what I can continue to buy WIX/M&H for from another supplier. Indeed there can and will be problems from time to time with anything made by man, no matter the country. Trying to identify and minimize those problems is a real challenge.
Well said. It the accountable party (the one with their name on the box), whether this is an OE or an aftermarket brand, that needs to implement and maintain quality controls. This won't make it perfect, but can make it much better.
The frustrating thing about a product like an oil filter is how much a supplier can cut corners without it hurting them. WE want a good antidrainback valve, a good media for filtering, a consistent standard of bypass pressure and the like. That matters to US. BUT 99.843% of filter users have no need or concern for those things. Shops expect a much lower standard, i. e. ‘no comebacks’. As long as a filter doesn’t burst, leak or clog, they don’t care. I’ve seen shops browbeat suppliers for bulk filters to be $1.99 and as long as that filter doesn’t implode, they’re happy. We used to count on state, city and county municipal shops to use top quality parts (when the mechanics were in charge) but they’ve chosen to allow accountants and cheap bastards make the purchase decisions and then complain that no one makes a two dollar oil filter for a quarter million dollar truck. As for China parts, their factories build to a price and standard chosen by the buyer. If the buyer wants **** in a box with the only requirement a xx% or lower failure rate (so they can put a guarantee on the box), they’ll deliver. If the buyer wants better and will pay, they’ll deliver that, too (intellectual property, working conditions and the environment be damned). Patrick
I suggest that anyone that is considering purchasing a K&P filter to do so NOW from esctuners.com. They are selling them way below my cost and right at their cost, "IF" they are buying them in great volume! This will not/can not continue at those prices for long. When you consider the free shipping, it's actually below their cost! K&P knows about this and has spoken to them in the past but their price has not changed as of yet. It has to be a "mistake" by their marketing people or someone within the organization. If I'm wrong on this and they continue to sell at those prices, I'll be buying mine from them myself! LOL!
Jim, It looks like we can only order those S16 oil filters through a dealer and since you mentioned buying 5 recently I assume we can order through you? Is that correct? Cliff
