Anyone else seen this?

Bought a Napa Gold/Wix (PN 1393) for our Jetta TDI - @%#@%@#%^ thing didn't have any threads!!

Napa Dealer was really good about it - gave me 2 filters for the price of one for my inconvience. (Nearest Napa is about 20 miles from where we live) Luckily I had a 2cnd vehicle to drive since the wife was @ work. Figure it was just a fluke (like a machining step got missed + QC didn't see it either) I did have the parts guy check the rest of the box he had to save someone else the headache. He found 3 more in that box - rest were fine.

Never seen anything like this before. Been using Napa/Wix for a Lonnnnng time.

DG

 

Never had that happen to me. I bought a set of rockwell brake shoes, regular Q-shoes, those that work on semi's know what I'm talking about. Went to install them, and one was a Q-plus shoe, and one was a fruehauf brake shoe. I was on the side of the road, 10:00pm, luckly there was a dealer close buy that was open till midnight. I've learned it's a good thing to check what's inside the box when buying parts. Who knows where these parts are coming from any more. Quality control ain't what it used to be, in my opinion.

 

That is odd. Looks like they're QC broke down. For a 40 mile round trip at $4/gallon they should have given you more than 2 filters!

 

I've heard of a couple people who bought Motorcraft filters without threads already. I always check the threads before I buy. The factory should have optical verification on the threads to make shure but I suppose some bad filters may slip by. Every see how they make oil filters on TV? Doesn't even look like a person touches them through the entire process.

 

I saw the show on Filters are made - looks to be 100% automated.

Guess 4 got by.....what can we expect for just a few bucks a filter....

Napa guy commented he'd seen more of these lately but most customers caught it prior to leaving the store. I was in a hurry that night - guess I should have looked at more than the P/N. That's another story - one time I got a box that had one part # and the filter inside was a different P/N.

DG

 

Since that was for a VW application, are you sure it is a WIX. I went to NAPA for a BMW filter, opened the box and saw the same exact "Made in India" filter that is sold at PepBoys as Proline, same as Purolator. $4 extra for the NAPA box.

Jim

 

Thats a good point.

I've noticed that Napa is more friendly to the big 3 US manufacturers. Thats good for me, all my vehicles are Fords.

 

Whoa, what a odd occurance, and of course things like that will happen when you're in a hurry. Although I'm sure nobody thinks: "I better check this oil filter to make sure the threads are there?"

I always have had a habit of opening up the box when buying an oil filter. For one thing, I want to make sure the oil filter I think I'm buying is in the box. Two, I want to make sure the oil filter is not dented or creased (a pet peeve) the gasket is attached (Many years ago I bought a STP Double Oil Filter (very popular at the time) went to install it, and saw there was no gasket on the filter! Not good! I could imagine some sap installing it that way, metal on engine base block metal, starting the car and having oil dripping in buckets!

I see the wrong oil filters in boxes all the time. For example, I recently saw a STP filter at AutoZone inside a Mobil 1 oil filter box. It does not take a brain surgeon to figure out what happened there! I know whan I buy a oil filter at AutoZone, the clerk never checks to see what's in the box. People could clearly scan AutoZone, purchase a Mobil 1 oil filter legitimately. Then buy a cheap Value Craft filter the next. Then go back a day later, with a recepit and say: "I just went to change my oil, and this oil filter is wrong, I want a Mobil 1 oil filter what I paid for". Seems AutoZone would have to give the correct Mobil 1 filter, even though it was a fraud to begin with!

Ed

 

Thats too much effort , just do what i see people at walmart do. They take a mobil one filter and put it in a fram box and then pay the lower price and go home. They also do it with K&N air filters all the time.

 

Exactly!

I'm too much of a coward at Wal-Mart. Why? I fear all the security cameras and never want to be caught. Well, I'm not a theif to begin with, if I can't afford a Mobil 1 filter, I either wait until I can, Or purchase something cheaper.

Plus, I always feel Motorcraft's oil filters are just as good, Wal-Mart's price is dirt cheap!

I always think if I tried to switch that oil filter (as you described) I'd get caught, then I would have a sickening feeling of; 'was that worth it, to save a few bucks? Answer: NO!'

That is why I readily admit I'm a WM coward, my reputation and dignity don't stoop that low. Although I do realize as you say, people do it all the time and walk out.

Ed

 

Interesting, In all my driving years, I've never found a filter without threads, but I've rejected some for poor quality threads, or loose debris in the threads.

I too, ALWAYS remove the filter from the box to make sure the right filter is in there, then inspect it's rolled base metal seal, threads, gasket seaing surface & gasket retaining crimp, the case for damge & the innards for any untoward/misplaced looking parts, then I shake that puppy & if it rattles, it's rejected!!!!

So far over the past 50+ years of doing all that, the only problem I've had is the gasket sticking to the base & coming loose upon removal, ONE time.
As I had a habit of checking for that when cleaning the base, it was caught before installing the new filter!!!!

After that incident is when I added an inspection of the gasket crimp when buying.

More filter inspection thoughts for consideration.

BTW it's now called Quality Assurance (QA) instead of Quality Control (QC).

The International Standards Organization (ISO) idea being that we can't inspect quality into a product, but need to BUILD quality into it.
So now the idea is to make each business person, including managment, responsable for his/her part of the overall process & thus call it Quality Assursnce!!!!

The way the operator is now made responsable on the line, is to scan their ID number in when they come on the assy line. This way it's known who was doing a particular step & on which machine & shift, of a particular day/week/month/year!!!!

So any product problems can be traced back to that particular equiptment & operator. It does help make the operators & their supervisors be more aware of the quality of their work, as it can now be traced back to them, the equiptment used & even the vendors for the parts & the maintenance history of the machinery used in the process.

 

Maybe so, but NAPA is the ONLY place I can find dino gear oil that meets the specs for my old VW.

Jim

 

I've never gotten a filter with no threads but did get a motorcraft from wally world once that was dented. Probably during the shipping process.

 

What hell is the world coming to? I always try to double check anything I buy anymore, cause you never know.