Disappointed with Quaker State

[BigAl]

I bought several Purolator-made Quaker State Quaker State3387A filters for my Suzuki Forenza last week when Menards had their $1.75 sale. Initially I was a little concerned about shavings on the threads, but it gets worse.

I cut one open. I found that the ends of the media don't overlap and that the crimped metal strip they use to close the two cut ends isn't as long as the media is wide. This left a noticeable open gap on one end. Also it had only 46 pleats.

In contrast, the Champion STP E-Core I got from Autozone has about 70 pleats and the ends of the media were overlapped and glued.

I hope this is not typical of the Purolator filters I had been using. The Quaker State filters are going back to the store, and I'm going out to buy some E-Cores.

 

[dwcopple]

wow! that's news to me...i've been using those for months. I hope the QS16's are better than that...they don't have thread shavings and fell nice and hefty...maybe i'll cut the one i've got on there right now and give an update when i change the oil in about 900 more miles(3 weeks)!!!

 

[BigAl]

Here are a couple of images of the Quaker State filter. The Purolator engineer I have been in communication with said that the clip should be 1/32" shorter than the media, which would put the ends of it well into the glue. This one is 1/4" shorter. The paper had splayed and the gap was held open by the glue on the end cap. Also note the relatively few, widely spaced pleats.

The materials and workmanship did seem quite good, other than the gap in the media and shavings on the threads. With a little better quality control, it would be quite satisfactory for shorter OCIs. But . . . no, the Quaker State filter is NOT simply a re-badged PremiumPlus.

Photo1

Photo2

[ September 28, 2005, 11:18 AM: Message edited by: BigAl ]

 

[BigAl]

quote:

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Originally posted by lubeowner:
That filter looks like their installer line filter also sold under the Group 7 or ProMotive names. Definitely not a Premium Plus, I have cut several open. As for switching to E-core instead of these, good luck.

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I know you have had issues with the Champion Labs filters in the past. Were these specifically E-Cores? Could you please reiterate the exact type of failure you experienced?

BTW Purolator is sending me replacement filters and wants mine back for QC evaluation. They have been very responsive on this issue and do seem concerned about keeping up their quality.

 

[kingrob]

quote:

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That filter looks like their installer line filter also sold under the Group 7 or ProMotive names. Definitely not a Premium Plus, I have cut several open. As for switching to E-core instead of these, good luck.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I know you have had issues with the Champion Labs filters in the past. Were these specifically E-Cores? Could you please reiterate the exact type of failure you experienced?

BTW Purolator is sending me replacement filters and wants mine back for QC evaluation. They have been very responsive on this issue and do seem concerned about keeping up their quality

---

Those are identical to the group7 filters I used for years at the shop I used to work at. Every once in a while I'd cut one open but I never saw any problems like the ones on your filters.

The cool thing about Purolator is any time you have issues with their products they honestly try their best to satisfy you. One time we got a case of group7's that weren't painted, just plain white. No big issue, just making sure these were legit Purolator filters. They requested the case back and sent us two cases free, to make up for the "trouble".

 

[lubeowner]

That filter looks like their installer line filter also sold under the Group 7 or ProMotive names. Definitely not a Premium Plus, I have cut several open. As for switching to E-core instead of these, good luck.

 

[dwcopple]

i cut my filter open tonite...i'll try and get pics up soon as possible. looks better than the one above.

 

[labman]

Reduces my respect for both QS and Menards. Still, my Pennzoil friends sell Fram.

 

[BigAl]

quote:

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Originally posted by labman:
Reduces my respect for both QS and Menards.

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Menards isn't known for quality. Much of what they sell is second tier, even in the name-brand stuff. You can get a good deal though, if you know what you're looking for. Apparently I didn't.

 

[BigAl]

Well, Arvin Meritor sent me the replacement filters for the ones with the short clip. One of them was smashed in shipment, so I cut it open. Guess what? It had the same problem. I was looking at the LesabreT oil filter page, where another board member cut open an equivalent Purolator PremiumPlus filter. Here's a picture I lifted off his site:

If you look where I circled, it also has a too-short clip.

I had a different Quaker state filter in my stash for my Malibu: QS14006. It had the exact same can size, and appeared to be identical except for the threads. I wasn't about to use that one either. I cut it open last night and whadayaknow? It was perfect, clean, neat, and built with obvious care. The filter element had the same overall dimensions, but with 50% more pleats and a larger, longer, more substantial clip holding the media closed . . . all the way to the ends.

So why would Arvin Meritor make two virtually identical filters, both for similar GM applications, with such different internals? Puzzling.

I give up. I bought a stash of OEM filters for my cars and figured from now on, I'll let the factory engineers agonize over what's best.

[ October 06, 2005, 08:56 AM: Message edited by: BigAl ]

 

[sjlee]

I think that filter was just something out of the norm... maybe the it was from a batch assembled on a Friday afternoon?

 

[SSQ]

hummm... should I be worried about other Purolator filters having the same issues?

 

[BigAl]

Why just Purolator? Who knows what's out there?

 

[kanling]

I have cut open a purolator and some house-branded purolators. In no case were the ends of the metal clips buried in the epoxy. But I didn't find the length of the gap between clip and epoxy to be objectionable in my samples.

 

[BigAl]

I still have a few QS14006 filters left. The clip probably didn't actually enter the glue on those either, but it was very close. I'll be using them without worry. Of the QS3387A ones I cut apart, only one had any visible separation in the media where the clip ended. Still, how hard would it be for them to provide an extra $.001 worth of metal clip to get it near the ends on all of them?

 

[SSQ]

Well, Pureone is my go-to filter, now this really got me worried.

My guess with the metal clips is probably they decided to merge parts with another model, which from an industrial engineering point of view, is a good thing when it comes to cost.

It is the gap that's weird.... how did they manage to "put" a gap there anyways.

 

[rocketman]

I decided to switch to Quaker State filters after finding out they are now made by Purolator. They are $6.99 here in Canada at CT, while the Powerflo (Purolator-right?) at a local auto parts store has always been $10+. What is the difference between the Powerflo (Purolator) and the Quaker State; and if I am starting to buy Quaker State, should I have anything to worry about?

 

[BigAl]

Less media = less capacity = shorter life.

 

[Filter guy]

BigAl...have you asked Purolator whether or not that metal clip is a manufactured item or is it a purchased item from a supplier?

As with any metal piece there is a +/- tolerance. I can't imagine that tolerance allowing the gap from the endcap you've experienced.


As for Champ..all their oil filters have a glued seam the entire length of the pleat for the reason you noticed. To prevent oil from getting "by" media.

 

[BigAl]

The only thing they told me was that, according to print, the clip should be 1/32 shorter than the media . . . so it should end in or near the adhesive. It seems odd that the QS3387A filters had so few pleats and a short clip, while the (more expensive)QS14006 filters had lots of pleats and a full length clip with the same overall element size. They are both for similar GM applications, and from the outside, the only apparent difference is the thread size. i wonder how the manufacturer determines the amount of media to put in a particular model?