Knock-off oil filters

[MParr]

Bet the "original" is made in China too.

Show us the lab reports that tells us this is true.

Lab reports?

 

[lbrac]

I took auto mechanics out of high school over 55 years ago. We had an Autolite rep come in for a day or two to discuss their products, and mechanics in general. He had worked in the industry for many years and had a lot of stories to tell. He also told us they contracted for their products from whoever gave them the best price, and changed suppliers if the quote from a different supplier was less. This is standard practice in the parts industry. You never know who made the parts you get, as they are produced, painted and marked the way the seller specs in the contract. Reputation is about the only thing you can go by, and the wrong bean counter can ruin a reputation in no time flat.

 

[LawnWizard]

I ordered a Amazon oil filter to replace my Kawasaki 49065-7010 oil filter which goes on my Scag Wildcat (Kawasaki engine FD731V).
Now I am a little concerned if it is as good as the original Kawasaki brand? It says "made in China". Any comments?

I would make two observations, #1 the intervals at which you change is as important, if not more that the brand of filter. Don't buy a "great quality" filter and think you can go 500 hours between changes. And #2 ONLY use oil specifically labeled for air cooled engines. Too often I hear people say "I just put Rotella in all my equipment". Bad idea, very bad.

 

[MParr]

FRAM filters and Autolite were once part of Honeywell Automotive. FRAM has always made their own filters.
As far as the OPE and engine manufacturers, they DO NOT make their own filters. Like you said, they contract that out to the lowest bidder.

 

[LawnWizard]

FWIW, Amazon has had a bunch of counterfeit parts on sale recently. Motorcraft spark plugs and filters are a couple I have read about. ebay may also have the same thing.
I think I would be careful and inspect closely any auto parts etc from both sites.
I have ordered Stens and other parts vendors, and have used O'Reilly house brand with no problems. For the service of small engines, I think the house brand from larger auto parts stores should do the job without problem. Just do a cross reference, and look at the visual quality of their product, buy if you like, decline if not.
tom

Also be careful of "FOR Champion" or "For XYZ" when looking at search results. I searched "Champion RC12YC" and ended up getting some crap that said "similar to RC12YC".

 

[kbowley]

I ordered a Amazon oil filter to replace my Kawasaki 49065-7010 oil filter which goes on my Scag Wildcat (Kawasaki engine FD731V).
Now I am a little concerned if it is as good as the original Kawasaki brand? It says "made in China". Any comments?

I use Super-Tech oil filters in my shop, part number SUPERTECH ST4967; for all other engines, use ST3614. They are manufactured by Champion Laboratories, a company that also makes filters for other brands like AC Delco, Champ Filters, Luber-finer, and Mobil-One. Super Tech is a private label brand sold exclusively by Walmart. No, I would not use an unknown-quality Chinese filter on my customers' machines or mine, and NAPA did not change manufacturers due to quality concerns; instead, the change was motivated by the lower price for the Chinese-made ProFormer series, part number FIL-21394. Wix manufactures Napa Gold fil-1394 and Platinum 51394, but they are pricey. Use Napa Part FIL-1394. There are many YouTube videos that demonstrate testing and cutting open oil filters. However, you will need to use a different part number for the Kawasaki engines, SUPERTECH ST4967. Use a cross-reference chart to determine. But I believe they also use a Napa 1394 as well, according to the cross-reference.

 

[Skippydiesel]

The only bad oil filter is one that overly restricts/stops the oil flow. Even an empty canister will not heart your engine for the duration of a service period.

Will my oil filter;
Remove contaminants - The only way to know this for sure, is by third party empirical testing. When did you see an oil filter with this sort of technical information on the box???
Non return valve (if required) work. Take apart the old filter of the same brand/part number - does it have a functional non return mechanism.

 

[MParr]

Mann+Hummel (WIX/Purolator) no longer makes NAPA filters. They are made by Premium Guard. Those filters will be sourced from Vietnam or China.

 

[kbowley]

I apologize; you are correct. However, Mann+Hummel are excellent filters. When I owned two Class 8 tractor trailers, hauling produce coast to coast and everywhere in-between, with Cat 3406C "four-and-a-quarter" mechanical injection engines in Peterbilt 379s, I mainly used Donaldson or Mann filters for fuel, antifreeze, and oil.
Here is the info from Napa's website:
"NAPA Gold oil filters are currently supplied by both Mann+Hummel and Premium Guard. Previously, NAPA Gold filters were made by Wix. However, due to supply chain issues and quality control problems, NAPA transitioned to using Mann+Hummel and Premium Guard, with the eastern US being supplied by Premium Guard and the western US by Mann+Hummel manufactured in the USA. The NAPA Platinum Oil Filter is rated as one of the very best quality oil filters out there, which is manufactured by Wix for NAPA, especially for its use with synthetic engine oil".
However, Champion Labs' Super-Tech filters have earned my full trust. The main issue with the Super-Tech filters is that they often have low stock when I use a dozen per week during the spring and summer months. The company sells the filters as a "shop" pack containing 12 filters, but they must be ordered. Check YouTube videos for in-depth reviews and scientific tests, as well as cutting them apart to look at the quality. I discontinued the use of the "Napa Proformer" series and the inexpensive Federated/Saniel filters due to their Chinese origin. I hate China for its human rights issues, slave and forced labor, aggressiveness, dumping plastics into the open oceans, unfettered environmental issues, and dumping junk into our markets at a loss to undercut US manufacturers.

 

[kbowley]

Mann+Hummel (WIX/Purolator) no longer makes NAPA filters. They are made by Premium Guard. Those filters will be sourced from Vietnam or China.

"Premium Guard oil filters are manufactured by Premium Guard Inc.. PGI is a global automotive aftermarket manufacturer with a North American manufacturing hub that builds upon Interfil's 40-year heritage in filter production. They offer a wide range of filters, including oil, air, cabin, fuel, and transmission filters for both automobiles and trucks" "NAPA ProFormer oil filters are primarily manufactured by Baldwin, although other suppliers like Man+Hummel and Premium Guard also supply NAPA with filters. The eastern US is supplied by Premium Guard, while the western US is supplied by Man+Hummel. Prior to this, Wix was the primary supplier for NAPA filters.