Napa Oil Filters?

[farmguy]

Anybody use them? Are they as good as the OEM filters?

 

[BobRip]

Anybody use them? Are they as good as the OEM filters?

I have used them. I usually get the Gold version. I have never had a failure. I have never run a test to see if they are better than others. I do keep cars a long time (160,000 Plus), but do not exclusivley use NAPA. I have never had an engine failure or oil related problem. I like the Fram with the textured grip for easy installation better.

 

[DmansPadge]

I know the Napa Gold filters are WIX filters with Napa labels.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I know the Napa Gold filters are WIX filters with Napa labels.

Yep! I've used NAPA oil, air, and fuel filters for 30 years. Not the cheapest. Not the most expensive. But IMHO, they're as good as a filter gets.

 

[Z-Michigan]

As noted, NAPA are made by WIX.

I am personally using NAPA Gold filters in both my vehicles and have recommended them to my B-I-L. I wouldn't hesitate to use them in my tractor either, but I had bought JD branded filters instead. The WIX filters are in the high middle range of filters out there, I would say. The best filter you can get, IMHO, is the Amsoil Ea, with close runners up being the Mobil 1 filter and the Purolater PureONE (not "Premium Plus" which despite the name is a midrange filter). I would be running PureONE if it were available for my vehicles; production is somewhat limited on those. I would be running Amsoil Ea filters if I was going to do extended change intervals (25k) using Amsoil motor oil; I'm not using them now because their price is too high relative to the benefit if you're running ordinary oil change intervals (whether 3k or even up to 10k).

IMHO, and based on reading several oil filter tests, Fram is rock bottom quality, and the one brand I would avoid like the plague. Fram makes several different lines and the toughguard is probably not as bad as the regular ones, but I still won't buy or use one. There are not big differences among WIX, Motorcraft, ACDelco, Purolator Premium Plus, or a few others, but Fram I would avoid.

For anyone interested, if you do a google search on "oil filter comparison test" for Chrysler and for Honda you will come up with two separate, but similar, disassembly reviews by hobbyists. I have not found anything from an authoritative scientific laboratory testing car/truck oil filters.

 

[RWEST]

We've used WIX/NAPA's on our J-D equipment, motorcycles, and sometimes autos, for years, with no issues. I like 'em because the NAPA guy's 3 miles away, and he stocks everything we need, while the J-D and Suzuki guys are much farther away, in different directions.

All those NASCAR's, with $80-100K (maybe more?) engines, and WIX decals on the front fender speaks to their quality. Either that or they have a great contingency program!!

All the Fram-bashing makes me wonder if they're really that bad, or what. Prior to finding out on the 'net how 'bad' they are, we'd used them pretty much exclusively on a variety of vehicles for many, many years, with no problems. We still use them on a number of our fleet vehicles, in fact.

The only filter failure I actually witnessed was a Purolator on a '70 (!!) Pinto (!!!!!) with maybe 500 miles on the filter that split lengthwise. We drug it into the shop and changed the filter (Fram this time) and oil, and away it went with no more problems.

I have not found anything from an authoritative scientific laboratory testing car/truck oil filters.

According to the guys at BITOG, one of the problems is coming up with the proper test criteria.

 

[orezok]

Take it from a former racer, the stickers are only a contingency program. The more you have, the more you get paid. You are not required to run the product although many do.

 

[frank_miller]

I used to Love Napa and Supertech oil filter. Then I kept have startup noises. I had some old Amsoil SDF oil filter, gone..Works for me.

 

[DieselPower]

In my opinion the Wix filter quality has gone down in the past few years. Used them for years without fail and within the last 2 years or so I know a couple of shops that are starting to have filter problems. Seals leaking, bypass valve problems and the can's don't seem to be as heavy as they were at one time. Personally I have been using either FleetGuard, Donaldson or Caterpillar filters. In my opinion the Caterpillar filters are the most heavily constructed. When you crush a old Cat oil filter or fuel filter it remains about 2 times taller than any other filter. They are like the tank of filters.

 

[wafwot]

<<IMHO, and based on reading several oil filter tests, Fram is rock bottom quality, and the one brand I would avoid like the plague.>>

My '99 F-250 7.3 just turned over 350,000 (mostly towing) miles and I use Fram almost exclusively....maybe I should rethink my brand of filters!