Cut open a NAPA Proselect (# 21394) last night and was more than a bit surprised so see that the metal end caps had clearly printed on them "Made in India". The rest of the filter had standard Wix construction so it appears that only the media itself is imported from India and then the filter is assembled here--can anyone shed any light on this? Are all Proselects made with media imported from India? What's the point of this other than saving a few cents? Any quality difference? Pete C--care to check in on this?
WIX/NAPA--MADE IN INDIA!
- Thread starter MADMIKE
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Did you run the "tap" test on the metal end caps? If it's truly made in India, the sound will be identical to a plucked sitar string... Just make sure the center tube didn't say, "Made in Pakistan" - a virtual guarantee of future trouble...
If the shell is made in North Korea and anti-drainback valve in Shri-Lanka you got a Fram baby!
Whatever happened to Wix's made in the USA image (apple pie, motherhood etc)that supposedly justifies their higher price? They, too, have now apparently succumbed to the lure of cheap overseas labor but they're hiding it inside the filter where only BITOGERS dare to lurk! So much for made in the USA Wix quality!
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It's all managed, MADMIKE. All those people need a purpose. Since they can't figure that out on their own, our generous nation gives one to them.
Pete C. has said in the past, Wix has manufacturing facilities outside of the US. This should come as no suprise
http://theoildrop.server101.com/cgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=6;t=003708;p=2
http://theoildrop.server101.com/cgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=6;t=003708;p=2
There are an awful lot of BITOGers who need to take a trip outside their own country.
You sure got that right. I've been to India recently and it's incredible. People in general don't have a clue.
Wait the NAPA proselect is a cheaper filter. The great WIX filter is the napa gold. NAPA asked for a dirt cheap filter and that is what WIX came up with. Most of the WIX filters are still made in NC. Not all but most. The Proselect filter are mainly for the Quick Lube oil changers, the car that is going to die soon,or after you rebuild a motor run one on there for 20 miles or so then change it. They are not the best filter and they do not advertise as it.
Bryan
Bryan
What did those foreign countries do to you?
One things for sure...you don't work in the marketing department at Wix.
Great filter = Gold
Everything else Wix supplied is = not the best filter.
filter guy? while i have you here ,can you tell me if the motorcraft fl820s flows excellent?
Motocraft is happy with it..shouldn't you be?
It makes no difference how non-Motocraft filters perform..Motocraft is only worried about having a filter they feel is what they need.
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These type of "general" questions are all relative.
You never asked "flows excellent" compared to which brand.
And if you did, each lab would have their own testing to prove their filter is really peachy keen.
The question, and i've posed this before and consumers will never find out, is at what flow rate was the test conducted---what add rate of contaminant--and what was the termination point.
If filter company A flows their test at 3 gpm and filter company B flows at 5 gpm because that's what the OEM spec calls for..the one flowing at 3 gpm will probably have better efficiency and lower initial restiction. Hence "better flow".
If filter company B runs their test to 20 psid termination and filter company A runs theirs to 8 psid..which do you think would give "longer life"..
Unless you know the specifics of the SAE or ISO test procedures......you're just relying on the marketing department to explain it to you and make you feel happy with your purchase. Or BITOG posters can tell you which is their personal favorites.
There isn't a "bad" USA filter brand out there. But like beers..there are better tasting ones to some people. It's always been a personal choice.
Price, performance, quality..you choose..
FWIW..Wix sourced filters from Brazil for the NAPA Silver line back when..not sure if India is the new Brazil..
I can't speak for anyone else, but my lament, here, is purely over the loss of our industrial base in the USA, not the quality of foreign-made products.
Having said that, in some cases, perhaps many, the production of certain products that are price sensitive are "farmed out" to places where making them costs the least. Usually these are low-end products (and not the top-of-the-line versions where there's more profit margin), so these low-cost labor countries end up getting a reputation for producing cheaply made, lower-end products.
That's my theory, anyway.
Makes no difference where the filter is assembled...if Wix puts thier name on it.. it meets or exceeds Engine Manufacturers Specifications.
As this NAPA Proselect filter had an element made in India..and then assembled in the USA---apparently....this is what some may want to find out:
What one may question is the performance of the media itself.
Historically, filters made outside the USA typically have medias that are less efficient than those made in the USA.
They can look great. Flawless in the way the pleats are spaced, in some instances.
But there has been a "race" between US filter suppliers to have better and better and better efficiencies of medias. More efficient medias..cost more than less efficient ones.
Europe, Asia, Southeast Asia, and South of the USA border ( Mexico, Brazil, Venezuala, etc) are not in an efficiency performance media race.
So if there is a question about this filter in comparison to other available choices in the USA it would be how does the media perform compared to other filters in the same price range?
My guess would be it has less efficiency. So if you want to remove smaller particles more effectively, this may not be the filter of choice.
Here's the proposition..
The element...end caps, center tube, and media is assembled in India. Then shipped via container to Wix ( in this instance, could be any filter company ). How much cost differential is there between this element and one built in the USA?
As there must be some cost differential, labor being but one piece of the pie...compare and contrast the total cost of production with shipping and warehousing costs versus one built in the factory as the filter is assembled.. ( unless Wix builds complete elements and warehouses them until needed. Anyone who has toured a Wix facility can answer this question. Champ builds theirs on the production line).
So you have a filter built on the production line with no warehousing costs v one purpose built--shipped--and warehoused.
Would the shipping and warehousing offset the cost of the labor differences.
There are other factors...besides how good the element does or does not look.
As this NAPA Proselect filter had an element made in India..and then assembled in the USA---apparently....this is what some may want to find out:
What one may question is the performance of the media itself.
Historically, filters made outside the USA typically have medias that are less efficient than those made in the USA.
They can look great. Flawless in the way the pleats are spaced, in some instances.
But there has been a "race" between US filter suppliers to have better and better and better efficiencies of medias. More efficient medias..cost more than less efficient ones.
Europe, Asia, Southeast Asia, and South of the USA border ( Mexico, Brazil, Venezuala, etc) are not in an efficiency performance media race.
So if there is a question about this filter in comparison to other available choices in the USA it would be how does the media perform compared to other filters in the same price range?
My guess would be it has less efficiency. So if you want to remove smaller particles more effectively, this may not be the filter of choice.
Here's the proposition..
The element...end caps, center tube, and media is assembled in India. Then shipped via container to Wix ( in this instance, could be any filter company ). How much cost differential is there between this element and one built in the USA?
As there must be some cost differential, labor being but one piece of the pie...compare and contrast the total cost of production with shipping and warehousing costs versus one built in the factory as the filter is assembled.. ( unless Wix builds complete elements and warehouses them until needed. Anyone who has toured a Wix facility can answer this question. Champ builds theirs on the production line).
So you have a filter built on the production line with no warehousing costs v one purpose built--shipped--and warehoused.
Would the shipping and warehousing offset the cost of the labor differences.
There are other factors...besides how good the element does or does not look.
There are some things still made in India that you can't get elswhere; such as Royal Enfield motorcycles and Lister stationary diesel engines. I would like to own one of each. Oh, and try purchasing a brand new, made in America four-wheel-drive tractor under 50 horsepower. They haven't been built here for about 30 years.
Joe
Joe
Royal Enfield is a leaking iron horse, poor example of British and now Indian design, badly manufactured, it will give you nothing but trouble with a capital T, so will the Lister stationary diesel engines used here primarily as gensets, those things don't last, would be a true waste of money, had a Royal Enfield in 9th grade, killed it in matter of 8 months, father saw it wise to buy me a Yamaha RD350B, till today even after owning various superbikes including my Honda RC45, that one stays in my heart forever as my first true love.
As for filters, ironically Bosch India filters for my MB engine are made from imported German media, only the end caps are manufactured here, so is Purolator, but they use far east media. They both work pretty well but my preference is for Bosch.
As for filters, ironically Bosch India filters for my MB engine are made from imported German media, only the end caps are manufactured here, so is Purolator, but they use far east media. They both work pretty well but my preference is for Bosch.
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