I have gone back to A/C Delco from the dealer. Actually Mopar and Motorcraft are also made by Champion labs in the USA. Why you ask? Well if you buy a $135k COPO Camaro it comes with a blue Delco filter. If you buy a 750 HP crate motor it comes with a blue Delco filter. Same is true for a ZR1,ZL1 and even the CTS-V. When they go to the dealer for there oil changes.......you guessed it the same blue Delco filter. Lets not forget they warranty those engines for 60K. Do you think they would put a filter on that could harm or cause an engine failure? Oh and I can buy the USA Delco cheaper than Wix. When I can't get a US made filter I will buy a K&P.
Champion Labs has factories all over the world, so there is no guarantee that it's made in the USA. Champion Labs.. AKA Fram. Now Fram makes a couple of different grades of filters, supposedly the "tough guard" filters are considerably better than the standard orange ones. I have no idea which filter design AC Delco is buying from Champion Labs. One would have to buy one of each and cut it open, and then compare it to a cut open AC delco filter to determine which design they are using. There is a pending lawsuit brought by a guy who bought a Delco trans filter here last year.. said "made in USA" on the box, but "made in China" was stamped on the filter. I personally quit buying AC delco parts a few year ago, when I noticed the "made in china" on the box of whatever it was I purchased.. I too was under the misconception that AC Delco replacement parts were still made in the USA. I had stopped using the AC PF24 oil filter some years earlier.. I was buying one at some point, and noticed that the filter was all the sudden considerably lighter than it should be. Looking at the box, I saw it was no longer made in the USA.. This was probably the early 2000's. That is the point where we went to the WIX filters. But, it looks like they have changed now too. I think the answer to the issue here is to use a reusable filter, there are several different brands available, and I am contemplating shipping all new engines with a re-usable oil filter installed, it seems to be the only way of insuring the origin (and possibly the performance) of a filter in the global manufacturing world we live in. JW
This has been a very interesting read what a shame it has come to all this can't trust anything. I have to ask, would you use a standard filter to break in an engine or a camshaft change or would you use the re-usable oil filter? Or can you do this?
Jim I have to agree but this is not what I have found. I did notice lots (Been a tech for 40 years) of Delco made off shore and some were pirated and sold through Delco dealers. I buy my filters from the GM Dealer and for 5 different part numbers they are all stamped in gold letters"product of USA. These are at least $1 cheaper than the Chinese Wix sold at my local Napa store. I hear you on the reusable stuff. I am considering the K&P but its a hard pill to swallow for daily drivers,I see Barton engines is using them exclusively. Appreciate your input. Here are some filters I stumbled on when looking at my options. All made in USA were my findings -A/C Delco -Amsoil -Fram -Carquest -Royal purple -STP -Walmart -Baldwin/Hastings (seems some confusion on these) -Moroso We dynoed a few filters a few years ago Wix Racing,Fram HP and a Moroso for out BBC Super stock car. The moroso had the least pressure drop by 5 pounds(hot oil) and this is what we ran forever. Just passing it on.
Is there any penalty for advertising "Made in USA" and selling the part that is made in China? It happens often when I purchase parts from Summit. A while ago, I purchased an Edelbrock fuel pump relay and harness kit that in the description states that it is made in USA, but the part says made in China. This was probably two years ago. I left a review on the product stating this. It still says made in USA and the relay is still made in China.
My personal outlook on K&N oil filters is biased to not so good. This is left over from my being in the motorcycle hobby. There was an issue with the K&N filters for motorcycles a few years back (and specifically the one my Hayabusa used), where they would leak where the external hex was. Some leaked enough to get oil all over the rear tire. Anyone who rides knows what a really bad situation this creates. K&N recalled the filters after the issue was pushed, but I never trusted those again. Their automotive filters may be different, though.
I have also seen a lot of companies reword their statement by saying “designed in the USA”. That’s not the same thing. As far as the Delco parts go,they have service grade and professional grade,but everything I have seen lately comes from overseas. Either way,not what it once was.
I would not judge the book by its cover. Not necessarily everything not being "Made in USA" or in my case not being "Made in Germany" is automatically crap. It may have been that way that everything out of China was of low quality, but that has changed since. Just look at your iPhone / iPad. It comes down to the specification for the goods ordered by US- or German-Companies, to be sold under the respective brand name. And here we are back to the beancounters who jeopardize the future of a business for making a fast dollar.
Here is another option. Very heavy case. Years ago a Mopar guy told me the Fram racing filters were the only ones that would not blow on his top sportsman drag car running 120psi. HP5 fits Buick. $11.70 at Amazon and Walmart. $20 to $27 elsewhere.
I have found Fram filters to be too restrictive in some applications and was one of the reasons I switched over to WIX about 15 years ago. They have their place or else every single vehicle with one would be dead. I just so happened to replace the air filter on my truck yesterday. I removed a WIX that I previously installed a few years ago. The new WIX still has Made In USA printed on the side of the filter,like the old one,BUT the filter itself is slightly different,so there have been some manufacturing changes for sure.
The HP5 racing filter is low restriction and actually only 94% efficiency due to the low restriction media. That's why I like K&N less restriction. I actually picked up idle oil pressure. Says Made in USA...wonder how long that will last......
The Fram HP and Wix racing filter are a finer media and have more pressure drop across the filter. If Moroso made a filter for my car it would be my choice.
Yes. There is truth to that too. There are better or superior products that are not made here,but in modern times,it comes down to how cheap can you make it. Quality is not the first priority,unfortunately. However,I have yet to see a China engine part(rod,crank,heads) that is better than something made here. If you were to ever slice through one and compare it,you will see it plain as day. On the other hand,I have found gearsets made in India and Italy to be very nice quality.
