counterfeit fleetguard oil filters?

[Ross]

I recently purchased a 91 geo metro for my son to drive has his first car, I am currently runing ARX in the oil and transmission to clean things out.

I was searching ebay for some used parts and came across an auction for 12 fleetguard filters for my application.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...item=7911059374&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEAFB:IT

I won the auction and ended up paying $22 for 12 filters including shipping.

The filters came the other day. They are individually shrink wrapped and came in a box with all kind of fleetguard bar codes and markings. Each filter is date coded.

I took one out of the shrink wrap and notice that the paint was rather "tacky/sticky"!! There is also some mild surface rust on some of the filters in the area of the screw on threads.

I have not cut one open, but by looking inside, they look like fleetguard filters. Very well made.

I am thinking that these are not counterfeit, but the finally painting was bad and they did not pass inspection, thus they are "seconds"???

www.fleetguard.com does talk about counterfeit filters, but does not tell you how to identify them.

The seller has good feedback ratings and sells lots of fleetguard stuff.

The picture of the filter on e-bay is much better than what they actually look like.

What do you guys think?

 

[TallPaul]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ross:
The seller has good feedback ratings and sells lots of fleetguard stuff.

---

I am not an ebay user, but don't people normally just get rid of excess stuff there? This guy sounds like he is running a business through ebay. Call Fleetguard and see if they would inspect one of the filters to determine if it is bogus. If this guy is selling enought "Fleetguard" stuff, maybe they will want to go after him.

 

[Bill Kapaun]

You might scratch the paint on one and see if there's another color underneath.

 

[widman]

Some of the clearances can be "seconds" from paint defects to pressuree leaks, but often they would be repainted or something to eliminate the brand.
Also sometimes they are insurance losses. people buy up product from sunken ocean containers, warehouse fires, etc. They are supposed to eliminate all the original markings, but I once found McDonald's french fries in the Bahamas that had been paid off by the insurance company when the refrigeration failed on the container. The insurance company sold them off under the stipulation they would be re-branded, which of course they were not.

 

[Ross]

I am going to e-mail the company and offer to send them one.

 

[The_Jeff]

Let us know what you find out, I could use a dozen for my saturns. There's another auction going on right now.

If they were rejected from the assembly line as failing some QC test, I would not expect them to be shrink-wrapped.

 

[Ross]

This is what they sent me so far:

Thank you for contacting Fleetguard.

Your inquiry has been forwarded to the appropriate area and you
should contacted soon.

If we can be of further assistance to you, please feel free to
contact your Fleetguard Customer Assistance Center or send a
message to FleetMaster.

Please visit our homepage often at http://www.fleetguard.com

Sincerely,

Fleetguard FleetMaster

 

[Ross]

Well, I just got a response, and it's not what I expected. The numbers stamped on the box and filters is:

97239 112203 I thought that meant that they were made the novemember 22 2003 but here is there response:


Ross, we do not sell Fleetguard filters on E-bay, so we cannot verify
if
they are really Fleetguard products. The date code on the filters are
a
good representation of our date code. 97239, means (1997, 239 day).
Even if this filter is a good Fleetguard product, it is nearly 7 years
old, which is outside the shelf life for Fleetguard products. The shelf
life for our products is 5 years, and some rubber gaskets can tend to
dry
over time, especially if they are not stored properly. I cannot
explain
the tacky paint, and the rust on the threads is another indication of
an
older filter. We cannot guarantee these filters to function as
intended.
Bruce (Fleetguard Warranty)

 

[Hootbro]

Well that explains the cheap price. Must be moving old warehouse stock from somewhere?

 

[TallPaul]

Oh I'd call them on the phone. That way you can tell if the rep is genuinely interested (hang up and call back if they're not). I think the number is 1800 22filter (from memory having called yesterday). But I guess give them time to respond to the email first.

 

[jthorner]

Looking at this guys auctions it looks like he is buying up excess inventory from one or more sources and then selling it on eBay. He probably doesn't know the history of the stuff himself.

Personally I wouldn't buy oil filters that way for the very reasons Fleetguard gave you.

John

 

[dkcase]

I picked up some HardDriver oil filters on eBay.
I have used one so far and cut it open.

I was surprised to clearly see a date printed on the metal end cap of the filter element .. 6/30/97.

I thought that was pretty old myself; it worked Ok though. The anti-drainback valve did seem to me to be not as pliable as others. Maybe it has hardened some from time. H-m-m-m-m.

I have some more, but I have a Motorcraft on now. Ford 5.0 L.

 

[seotaji]

i purchased some old kmart Mobil 1 filters on ebay, they were def. old, but after mailing mobil and asking their opinion, i was satisfied.

i'm using them to this day.

 

[TNTech]

Fleetguard does not sell seconds. If a filter is out of spec it is discarded. The information you received from warrany is correct. Do not use a filter that is over five years old, it could cause you all sorts of problems.

 

[tenderloin]

I have bought over 50 filters on eBay. No problems at all.

 

[The_Jeff]

This thread is over five years old!

Probably an employee took the duds out to the "dumpster" and tossed them in his trunk.

I was at an amazing yard sale where a dude had all this LLBean stuff for 10% of the catalog price. Tag was sharpied out. Figure he was an employee who was given (or sticky-fingered) the 2nds...

One can still get a dozen filters at AA for $15 if price is paramount... and they'll be new stock.