AutoExtra 57002 from RA

[pbm]

Last week I ordered some brake pads from Rockauto and as usual I looked around for parts shipped from the same warehouse to save on shipping. One item I bought was an 'AutoExtra' oil filter 57002 for our Mazda 2.5 Skyactive engine.
The parts arrived yesterday and the 57002 is made in Mexico and has no ADBV like the Wix filter with the same part number. I really bought it out of curiosity because it was $1.40 on 'closeout' and didn't change the shipping cost. Do you guys think this filter is identical to it's Wix counterpart or would it use an inferior filter media? I'm debating whether to use it or not and wondered what others think. I have used aftermarket filters like ST, Fram, STP since buying the Mazda so I'm not concerned about the presence or lack of an ADBV. Thoughts?

 

[Sayjac]

Auto Extra filters are jobber tier filters made for AE to their specs, in this case made in Mexico. Do I think they are equivalent quality to a the standard Wix, normally made in the US? No, I wouldn't expect that to be true. Do I think they are likely ok for a standard oci, 3-5k mi max? Without seeing the internals, 'probably' yes.

As for no adbv, as the Mazda OEM I've seen have none, matching it by the aftermarket filter is fine. While it's true some aftermarkets add adbv, that's also fine but not a must. My.02

 

[pbm]

I'll probably run it for a 5K OCI as I don't believe in throwing away money even if it's only $1.40.
The one oil change that I didn't do on the Mazda was when my daughter was working in Charlotte NC and it needed an OC. She took it to Mieneke (or Midas) for a $79 synthetic OC and they used a $2 Premium Guard filter without issue. I'm sure many people who don't do their own OCs are running these 'jobber' filters with no problems so I'll do the same.

PS: I called that Meineke or Midas (I forget which it was) shop to ask what synthetic oil they use as I like to do 2 OCIs in a row with the same oil.....they told me they use Citgo brand synthetic so I just used PP that I had in the stash. Their $79 dollar OC comes out to over $100 with tax and "shop fees".

 

[fantastic]

Agreed, run it a couple thousand miles & chop. That price is hard to beat but I suppose we must understand what we're getting so this is a great question. Mexico is perfectly capable of making excellent filters but it won't be from this brand at that price.