Canadian WIX / NAPA Gold 1068 - what gives ?

[va3ux]

Picked up 2 NAPA Gold 1068's today and got a big surprise. All Gold 1068's that I had bought previously here in Ontario, Canada were white with blue lettering and were built a certain way. They were always shrinked wrapped (no box) and were Made in Canada. The ones I got today were totally different : came in a box, no shrink wrap, black can and made in Gastonia, NC (the WIX factory I presume).

But the differences go far beyond exterior cosmetics. The "old" white filter and the "new" black filter ain't the same filter at all, even though they were both labelled as NAPA Gold 1068. Interior construction is completely different.

Anyone know what gives ?

Canadian NAPA 1068 Pics - new versus old

The white one was bought at the end of March/06. The black one was bought today (May 5/06).

Thanks.....Phil

 

[Gary Allan]

Well ...it appears that although all Wix filters are NAPA Golds when sold at NAPA ...not all NAPA Golds are WIX.

 

[Filter guy]

Maybe..maybe not...

Wix has a plant in Canada. Therefore Canadian built filters for Napa are Wix.

My guess is that Wix has consolidated production and moved production of the part number in question to their plant in Carolina to free up production in Canada.

 

[va3ux]

Even if the original white 1068 was made by WIX, it still is radically different from the newer black one that apparently really is made by WIX.

8 inlet holes on white 1068
6 inlet holes on black 1068 (WIX)

Dome end bypass on white 1068
Threaded end bypass on black 1068

Pattern and number of holes in center tube completely different between the 2 filters.

Crimping pattern and shape completely different.

It's got me, but they definitely are not the same filter.

It's got me.

Phil

 

[va3ux]

Sorry about the double "it's got me" in the previous post. I'm starting to sound like Newton from the old Hercules cartoon.

Phil

 

[Pete C.]

Your older one is Wix Canada (Cambridge, Ont.) construction. The newer, black one is Gastonia construction. They both meet the Wix standards.

Thanx FG, You nailed it.

 

[va3ux]

Thanks Pete C and FG. "Mystery" solved.

Whether the white NAPA 1068 was WIX or wasn't didn't matter in the end because it was a very good filter compared to the Frams I had been using prior to finding this board last year. After switching from Fram to the white NAPA 1068 last year, the running time/mileage it took for oil to start looking dirty on the dipstick roughly doubled. Actually even a bit more than that. It was immediately obvious that this was a superior filter.

And the filtration plus silicone ADBV is what it's all about. The cosmetic stuff (crimps and # of holes and location of bypass) is all incidental as far as I'm concerned. I bought a filter - to filter. I really don't care what it looks like.

Thanks again...Phil