First off, let me make it clear that I love Rock Auto. I personally think that their combination of prices/selection/service are pretty tough to beat and I get LOTS of parts from them.
But...last week I ordered a bunch of oil filters for 4 different applications (I maintain 12 vehicles). They were all smoking deals like Hastings filters for under $2, and Fram Extended Guards (the only Frams I'll use) for $3 and change. All were what Rock Auto referred to as "Manufacturer Closeouts" with only a few pieces of each remaining in the particular sizes I needed.
Well, I received them yesterday and went through them and am noticing that most of the packaging/filter boxes don't look like the current filter packaging of the respective brands. So after doing my best to interpret the date codes on the filters themselves, I believe the Frams to be 7 years old (2003 mfg date), and the Hastings to be even older....like late 1990's mfg. dates.
So, I guess I got what I paid for. Its really not worth sending them back and winding up paying for shipping both ways when they were so cheap to begin with. They all actually look fine, and I've been one to use some pretty old filters in the past to no ill effect, but I am a little annoyed that they'd be selling filters this old as regular "new" ones, albeit as "manufacturer closeouts".
Is my annoyance justified?
But...last week I ordered a bunch of oil filters for 4 different applications (I maintain 12 vehicles). They were all smoking deals like Hastings filters for under $2, and Fram Extended Guards (the only Frams I'll use) for $3 and change. All were what Rock Auto referred to as "Manufacturer Closeouts" with only a few pieces of each remaining in the particular sizes I needed.
Well, I received them yesterday and went through them and am noticing that most of the packaging/filter boxes don't look like the current filter packaging of the respective brands. So after doing my best to interpret the date codes on the filters themselves, I believe the Frams to be 7 years old (2003 mfg date), and the Hastings to be even older....like late 1990's mfg. dates.
So, I guess I got what I paid for. Its really not worth sending them back and winding up paying for shipping both ways when they were so cheap to begin with. They all actually look fine, and I've been one to use some pretty old filters in the past to no ill effect, but I am a little annoyed that they'd be selling filters this old as regular "new" ones, albeit as "manufacturer closeouts".
Is my annoyance justified?
