Fram air filter for a Chevy traverse

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I bought an air filter at walmart yesterday for my wife's car and this is what I notice when I went to put it in...













I never thought that a guy with a sharpie could be considered quality control. I am guessing that fram is buying this filter from someone else.

I did pull the filter out of the box before I bought it but I didn't look at it that close. Good thing I noticed it before I put it in because the gasket was kinda crummy also and it is a pain to get to.

the factory flter had some fuzz sticking out also but not as bad and nothing that looks like it would leak. It was made in korea. These filters for this application has what looks like some fuzzy polyester or cotton on the inlet side with a not so fuzzy back side. The frame is a hard plastic and there is a rubber gasket around the outside that you could pull off.

Factory filter never been out in since new. 15k miles on it.



This was the only spot that the media showed through.



I didn't feel comfortable using the filter so I went to O'rileys to get a wix but wound up getting a microgaurd instead. It look good and was cheaper than the fram at walmart and made in Poland. I looked at the only fram for this app that they had and it wasn't as bad as the one from walmart but still had the sharpie covering the media. The gasket on the microguard looked much better than the fram or the factory filter.

Microguard and the oe:


Fram and the oe:


Aside from the sharpie and the gasket the fram wasn't to bad. I do like the microguard better. I have not looked at any others to have a comparison.

I think I will bring this to the attention to fram before I return it. It didn't look like it was going to affect filtration but I didn't like it.
 
My intent when I went to orileys today was to get a wix so it might have been a different country yet. I am guessing that this vehical is the only application for this filter.
 
Originally Posted By: jhellwig

Fram and the oe:


This is the dirty side of the OE filter after 15k miles ? If it is then you change the air filter too soon. Filters are better at filtering after some use, the filter is at the most efficient near the end of its life.
 
I'd rather use the OE filter with 60,000 miles on it, than use the one stamped 'Made in China'...
 
Hi,
I work for FRAM. While the filter is very likely ok to use, we would like to see it. Please contact our quality dept at 800-890-2075. Or you can message me at [email protected], we could swap some filters if you can mail that one to me.
Thanks in advance
 
I will contact you when I get some time.

I do agree with you that there is probably nothing wrong with it but it is kinda irritating to have the imperfections of the filter obviously atempted to be hidden. That to me says that that is not supposed to be and no one wants to fix it. It makes me question the overall quality of the filter.
 
The micro guard and the eom filter had media sticking through the plastic but no where near as bad. Plus they didn't attempt to hide it.

It is good to hear that you guys are concerned.
 
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As mentioned it's best to leave used cellulose air filters in service rather than change them for new since the filter efficiency increases as the media loads. 15k is surely too short for that filter. Consider a filter minder to monitor restriction to get the cleanest air possible into the engine

Don't buy into marketing about changing your air filter to save money, fuel injected gasoline engines won't lose mpg with a filter restriction but a diesel will.
 
If I open it up the filter is getting changed because it is a pain in the butt to pull the filter on this. Now that I know how fast the filter is loading I might go longer or I might not. A new filter isn't going to let dirt big enough to damage the motor through anyways. I don't like the dirty filter filters better argument. There is a point where it does more damage than good and unless you designed the engine you don't know where it is.

If it makes you feel better I looked at the filter in my truck and decided that it could run longer as it in easier to change and wasn't that dirty.

This thread is about using a sharpie to hide defects on a new filter. Not about me changing a filter out at 15k.
 
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Not trying to derail your thread about the sharpie issue, just offering advice. The "dirty" filter filtering better isn't an argument its proven with data but i don't have access to all the SAE papers and you can find some of the data by searching Google with threads by Jim Allen. I can post a couple of quick hits if your still interested, otherwise i will wait for more information about the sharpie issue.

I didn't thumb through every single page in here but pay attention to Jim Allen's posts.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/2549077/1

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2752841
 
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