defective NAPA Platinum oil filter

[builthatch]

In late September I went to the local NAPA to pick up some Napa Gold oil filters and noticed that there was a sale going where the Platinums were actually cheaper than the Golds, so I ordered two for pick up the next day. Incidentally my '99.5 Pathfinder and wife's '07 Civic Si use the same filter, 47356.

Anyway, I changed the oil in the Civic in the beginning of November. We estimate she has put on about a thousand or so miles since the change. I noticed the other day that there was a wet spot in our driveway where she normally parks - we have dark blue trap rock.

When she came back to the house I looked underneath and saw the paint on the filter was bubbled up around the seam and the oil was leaking from that area. The whole passenger side subframe rail was saturated. I removed the filter and everything looked perfect on the engine side as well as with the filter seal, etc. However, where the rolled lip is on the bottom of the filter, there was some sort of failure that, according to the filter paint damage, has been occurring for quite some time.

I only had a Pro Select or whatever they are called on hand so I used that but I called NAPA and they couldn't define a warranty based on their literature. They ordered a new filter for me and will exchange it.

I know these things happen: nothing is perfect, but I've never seen it. As a kid I worked at a Monro center and did a BUNCH of oil changes with cheap filters. I saw thread issues and other stuff but not this.

 

[NHGUY]

Wix does not admit any filter is "defective",it would open end any claims of engine damage afterwards.If NAPA calls it defective (by passing WIXs method of follow up),keep paperwork to prove it and note any lot numbers on the filter...in case the engine starts knocking the next day.

 

[BHopkins]

Wow. That's too bad. It is frustrating to end up with the oil and grime all over the underside of the car. It is good that you caught it early, before it resulted in a low oil level. (I'm assuming you did, as you didn't mention otherwise.)

I'm like you I have been performing oil changes for all of my life, and have never personally seen an oil filter failure. I remember my father teaching me the importance of properly tightening an oil filter so the gasket doesn't fail. But I have never even seen this failure. The only place I have seen or heard of filter failures is here and on youtube.

 

[Sayjac]

Originally Posted By: builthatch
...but I called NAPA and they couldn't define a warranty based on their literature. They ordered a new filter for me and will exchange it.

Guess they didn't bother to check the NAPA website.

Warranty
NAPA Filters are Covered by a Comprehensive Limited Product Warranty. NAPA Filters May Pay the Reasonable Cost for Parts & Labor to Repair any System Damaged by NAPA Filters Due to a Defect in Design or Material.

Or more specifically, http://s7d9.scene7.com/is/content/GenuinePartsCompany/1226719pdf?$PDF$

But, they are getting you a new filter. And you are correct, stuff can happen, even to top tier filters.

 

[builthatch]

yeah it was low but still above the low hole on the dip stick. it took about 3/4 of a quart, maybe a bit less. the grime part does stink a bit, esp. since it's wet out so i couldn't really clean it as thoroughly as i'd like. oh well, it's ok. at least it's not leaking any longer

about the warranty, he was speed reading something under his breath but ultimately came up with nothing definitive. ultimately he was super fair and barely hesitated to get me a replacement.

i too found that .pdf link on their site but couldn't get it to fully download. i wanted to see it just for kicks.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Originally Posted By: builthatch
i too found that .pdf link on their site but couldn't get it to fully download. i wanted to see it just for kicks.


Here's the meat of what it says (cut & paste).

"NAPA Filters warrants each NAPA filter to be free from defects in material and workmanship during the period of service life recommended by the engine or equipment manufacturer. This warranty does not apply if the filter has been improperly installed, abused, damaged, used in competitive racing or on modified high performance engines or if used in any aircraft or aviation application.

If your NAPA filter is found to be defective in material or workmanship during the period of service life recommended by the engine or equipment manufacturer, NAPA Filters will replace the defective filter with another NAPA filter. In addition, NAPA Filters will reimburse you for the reasonable costs of the parts and labor required to repair your engine or equipment to the extent the damage was solely attributable to a defect in your NAPA filter."

 

[yonyon]

Originally Posted By: ZeeOSix

If your NAPA filter is found to be defective in material or workmanship during the period of service life recommended by the engine or equipment manufacturer, NAPA Filters will replace the defective filter with another NAPA filter. In addition, NAPA Filters will reimburse you for the reasonable costs of the parts and labor required to repair your engine or equipment to the extent the damage was solely attributable to a defect in your NAPA filter."[/i]


So then NAPA should also be on the hook for the value of the proselect filter, top off oil, and your time, right? If I were in your position I'd just accept that these things happen and be happy that the problem was discovered before any real harm was done and also that the person you dealt with at least tried to do the right thing.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Originally Posted By: yonyon
Originally Posted By: ZeeOSix

If your NAPA filter is found to be defective in material or workmanship during the period of service life recommended by the engine or equipment manufacturer, NAPA Filters will replace the defective filter with another NAPA filter. In addition, NAPA Filters will reimburse you for the reasonable costs of the parts and labor required to repair your engine or equipment to the extent the damage was solely attributable to a defect in your NAPA filter."


So then NAPA should also be on the hook for the value of the proselect filter, top off oil, and your time, right? If I were in your position I'd just accept that these things happen and be happy that the problem was discovered before any real harm was done and also that the person you dealt with at least tried to do the right thing.


His engine wasn't damaged, so they would not pay for the ProSelect filter he used and the top off oil and his time. They did do the right thing and replaced the defective filter with the same for no cost - just like the warranty states, even though the NAPA employee didn't know what the warranty was.

 

[builthatch]

thanks for quoting that warranty info, interesting info indeed.

but yeah, nothing major happened, just a little inconvenience, really. glad to at least get the filter replaced for my next change. luckily the little NAPA outlet i use is about two miles away so it's an easy deal.

 

[Lubener]

Had a Purolator Classic leak at the seam last year. It happens sometimes.Quality has gone out the door in favor of cheap production.The best ones were made yesteryear.Sometimes over torqueing(?)will cause this.

 

[Jim Allen]

Yep, stuff happens. When you consider how many millions of filters roll off the lines (everybody's), it's a wonder we don't see more trouble. I would like to see each individual company's failure stats.... but that's not likely to happen. I have asked some of my contacts what is an "acceptable" industry standard failure rate but can't get that nailed down either. Touchy subject legally.

Interestingly, about three years ago, something similar happened to me on a Napa Gold filter (Wix). A leak at the crimp on the PSD style filter. I had just finished overhauling the 6.9L diesel engine in one of my trucks and was crawling around under looking for leaks as it warmed up. I was worried about the oil cooler, which is tricky to reseal and deadly if the reseal job fails. The housing on one end of the cooler has the oil filter mount so I was watching that area closely. Lo and behold, I actually watched the filter go from dry, to a drip, to a stream, all coming from that crimp in real time. Bizarre!

I did NOT get a cure in the is case (a new filter) because, a) the part number was not the one appropriate to my truck (on old 6.9L we often use the later PSD filter because it has about twice the media and better efficiency), b) the filter had been sitting around for three years in my stash, and c) I bought it mail order and shipping a filter back was onerous. To me, the time and effort of pitching a fit wasn't worth just getting a new filter. Had the freshly overhauled engine failed as a result, I would have fought like a Dervish for a cure regardless.

It didn't change my opinion of Wix, because fecal matter does occur occasionally, but it gave me pause to reflect on some things:

...when you stray from the specified part number for your engine, you are on your own warrantywise

...when you keep filters in a stash for long periods, you also may be own as it gives the filter mfr. a possible "out"

...buying mail order makes the exchange process onerous and seldom do the companies pick up the shipping tab for exchanging the filter (at least the place I bought the filter from didn't at the time)

 

[Sayjac]

Originally Posted By: builthatch
.... about the warranty, he was speed reading something under his breath but ultimately came up with nothing definitive. ultimately he was super fair and barely hesitated to get me a replacement.

Not to belabor the point, but considering the Napa/(Wix) very 'comprehensive' filter warranty, barely hesistating to give you a new filter was/is the very least they can do imo. As to whether he was being completely candid when he said he 'couldn't define a warranty based their literature' I can't say. As has been mentioned, any damage up to and including the engine would be covered under the filter warranty. Even without reading the specific linked pdf, the two sentence website summary I posted of said 47356 warranty makes that fairly obvious imo. I suspect that even after a cursory reading of the warranty in any form, 'if' not known before it quickly became obvious to him too that offering a replacement filter was the least they could and should do under the circumstances.

That said, not picking on Napa/Wix filters here, I have several of the Gold filters in my stash acquired at local Napa store filter sale. Just finished a 5k mile run and dissected an NG 1348, it looks excellent. And unlike some I've read here that use an anecdote to declare that a trend of a filter brand and condemn all future purchases, I will continue to use Napa Gold/(wix) filters with complete confidence. As said above by JA, millions rolling off the lines of all brands, errors can and will happen.

 

[dnewton3]

CAUTION: ranting editorial satire to follow ...

Know what I find ironic? Most guys here will change filters WAY more often than necessary, and use the premium expensive filters too. And they'll claim that the practice is not waste but "cheap insurance". In short, they'll spend way more money than necessary and throw away perfectly good products long before they are reasonbly used.

But by gosh, have a filter fail, and suddenly the world crashes down, and the filter maker should reimburse the person for his failed filter, the temporary filter, the top-off oil, the 15 minutes of personal shop time he spent re-doing an FCI, the lost opportunity of overtime he had to turn down at work to do the FCI, wear depreciation on tools, the shop towels consumed, the soap and water to wash up, the laundry bill for laying on the ground, and probably they would ask for compensation of emtional strife, pain and suffering if they could quantify it.

I believe it's reasonable to ask for a new replacement fitler; I would expect that. I might ask for a quart of oil, too, but I would not expect it and if they said no to the oil I would not waste my time arguing about it. The rest is just silly.

Is it me or is there just a bit of irony and hypocracy here? I'm not saying the OP or any one particular person is guilty of this, but the general mentality here is "more is better and I'll pay out the nose to get it". But then when something fails, they will complain about having the inconveniences of all costs inclusive. Or to put it in BITOG speak: "It's OK for me to waste my money 'til the cows come home, but if someone else causes my waste I want full compensation."

If you're willing to waste huge money under-utilizing premium products, why complain about the waste if one happens to fail?????? This did not result in a engine seizure; it was a simple R&R on a filter. Most of you are already wasting money; just consider that really short FCI as a greater margin of "cheap insurance".