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Interesting. Do you remember if the oil holes were round or oblong ? I " think " the oblong holes are restrictions for flow/pressure and that is a concern .
Didn't look.. just put them back and went to Oreillys for the WIX version.. I did grab some 1068 ( track filter) at Napa as those haven't changed yet also
Ordered some Mahle OC999 from Autoplicity and they’re made in China. My GF was in a rush so she didn’t take pics of the top but I’ll probably be returning these.
Ordered some Mahle OC999 from Autoplicity and they’re made in China. My GF was in a rush so she didn’t take pics of the top but I’ll probably be returning these.
Obviously the NAPA is now different, but I think it's still interesting.
Wow, I can't believe that is already almost five years ago. Maybe it's time to do another side by side comparison with some different alternatives. This time I would also cut them open so as to compare the filter media too.
When I bought the recent six NAPA Gold filters, I didn't realize I still had two in stock. That's an eight year supply for me so I guess no rush on finding the next best thing.
I just received an email from them, the filters are now being made in China and they have made some design changes. No recommendation on what to use as a substitute. I still have 1 USA made filter, but what’s the new preferred filter?
We have had approved alternate filters listed on our website for the Napa Gold for years as we've had supply issues ever since Covid.
As stated, we still do have and can still get Napa Gold filters made by Mann-Hummel. It is just the Chinese made Napa Golds that are manufactured by Premium Guard we are not recommending.
I will add that my email did prompt someone from Napa to reach out to us and we were informed that Napa is sourcing filters from both Mann-Hummel and Premium Guard, so depending on where you source them, you may or may not get the preferred filter.
We are inspected 100% of incoming filters to make sure they are good before shipping them out and returning any of the Premium Guard manufactured filters back to our supplier.
Ordered some Mahle OC999 from Autoplicity and they’re made in China. My GF was in a rush so she didn’t take pics of the top but I’ll probably be returning these.
We have had to use these from time to time. Unfortunately Mahle has switched pretty much all their filter production to China.
Just like Bosch moved all their injectors and Beru their coil packs to China. They are all just repackaged in Germany now.
Didn't look.. just put them back and went to Oreillys for the WIX version.. I did grab some 1068 ( track filter) at Napa as those haven't changed yet also
If sourcing the equivalent Wix, do not use the Wix XP filters. The media is too restrictive, just like the Napa Platinum, M1, K&N Gold, and Royal Purple filters.
I went to three napa's and all the 1348 were made in china.. one was the Napa distribution center and I looked through 200 filters. It was easy as all the sealed boxes said made in china on the outside.
All the 1348s we just received from our supplier are made in the USA.
I got the E-mail also, I didn't panic or get excited. I thought it was a very responsible notice to NOT use the NAPA 1042 that are now made in China , (with restricted/smaller passage holes that could cause damage if you are running high RPM or tracking the car)...I assumed that was the the main purpose of the E-mail, period...
I didn't feel like it should have been an "all inclusive, everything you need to know about oil filters", but just a quick notice of a potential problem ...and glad to receive it ...>>>
Thank you Skip. You summed up the exact reason for my sending the email in the first place. It was not to cause a panic :-) The proper filters are still available.
Sure. I guess.
It was a terribly constructed email from LN. And they've been radio-silent on the forums, which doesn't help anything.
I'm just a little surprised about people running around like chickens with heads cut off, and very few actually just looked into the situation.
LN has listed alternatives on their website for years. This includes the WIX that was mentioned by sasilverbullet (post #7) and hbdunn (#8), and the B31 that you independently rediscovered.
Woodman71 (post #22), and ZuffenZeus (#23) finally just posted the list from LN!
It didn't help that LN's email made the ridiculous statement, "We still do have a decent supply of Mexican 1042s and we are actively seeking suitable alternatives for this filter for the future.". Making it sound like there weren't easy substitutions, when they already knew alternatives!!!
My thinking is that LN had a supplier relationship with NAPA to get filters at wholesale to resell. So now they have to "actively seek alternatives" for a new supplier relationship before they can sell alternative filters.
However, for the retail customer, there are alternatives, and always have been. LN just isn't selling any alternatives yet, likely because they would have to buy at retail prices, and couldn't afford to resell them.
But us, and retail consumers, just need to calm down and buy one of the many very fine options, provided by LN:
Mann ML1013, Mahle OC999, Baldwin B31, or the original, Wix 51042
I have alerts set up, but this thread did not get emailed to me, so I apologize. Until someone tags me in it or let's me know, I likely will not see it as I do not actively search through the forums.
When I swap to the adapter eventually on my 987, I'll be running a Fram Endurance. They're rated for 99% efficiency at 20 microns, and testing(from bobistheoilguy forums) of their media has shown they match that claim. Better than almost all filters on the market. The 1042 equivalent is the FE3506.
No FRAM filter should be used on any vehicle you care anything about. :-)
UFI is what the Ferrari dealers sold and were good quality, though there was a bad run of them with a bad seal (I think a design change that didn't work) that was corrected pretty quickly. I think Baldwin is considered better quality than UFI, but both are fine. Baldwin is better known for commercial applications, but their passenger car filters are built to the same commercial standards. I don't know about now (I did see the bobistheoilguy threads praising Fram filter flow that @jmanbball was talking about), but Fram filters back in the 2010ish era were crap -- it wasn't unusual for the internal filter element to collapse. These threads provide some insight on Baldwin vs Fram, with a bit of UFI thrown in:
@Charles Navarro@jdbornem@Justin76 et al. I think the full story is not out yet. I went to O'Reilly's this morning and bought a 'made in USA' WIX 50142. I compared it to the one I took off my car (also made in USA), surprisingly or maybe not they also have made a design change. They have reduced the size and shape of the holes and bumped the number up to 7. I made some measurements, and according to my math the total open area is reduced by 37% ! Measurements made with digital caliper so there may be small discrepancy to actual, but I don’t think it’s significant enough to make up the 37%,
Based on this, I'm crossing WIX USA off my list.
Here are pics of the new and old filter as well as my calculations. New WIX is on the left