First Brands (Fram) bankruptcy

[researcher]

I hope things get better especially for Fram. But I’m not betting on it. I will continue to buy products from companies which have been sold but maintain/improve standards and quality. Like Valvoline for instance. I didn’t like that an American icon was sold to ARAMCO. However since quality hasn’t completely gone in the crapper as a result I will continue to buy their products.

The phrase "brand agnostic" comes to mind from marketing. Simple put why rely on brand names anymore when they're just bought up for their nostalgia, brand recognition. sure the IP, intellectual property of the brand name is probably worth some $$ but who cares about a name?

Name it anything, the quality has to be there! Is it any mystery that O'reilly and even NAPA have dropped those other brands for PG made filters? People will say it's a buying decision, but I think it's more that when quality drops there are business, automotive parts retailers to be exact, notice and don't want to be the ones selling junk quality. I'm only talking the filters here, nothing else.

 

[ATex7239]

Just remember, no company or brand how great in the past is entitled to market share in the present or future, they have to earn it.

We are the arbitrator of that.

100%. Adapt or perish.

 

[SC Maintenance]

If tis a good product that you like why would financial difficulties at the company make you not want to buy it?

First Brands is not some startup of an entrepreneur with a dream. Fram and all those other brands were bought up using leverage (borrowed money) with the hopes of making them more profitable (cutting costs) and then reselling the brand / company to enrich themselves. In fact they rely on the formerly respected brand name to be able to pull this off.

So your actually playing in to their fraud by continuing to buy the brand as they cheapen and offer you less value.

 

[ATex7239]

Bring forth the wayward and downtrodden multi billion dollar conglomerates of the world so that I may take thee into my bosom and shelter thee.

 

[tmorris1]

I would not necessarily be against seeing a PGI made filter with FRAM branding on it.

Give it some time and PGI will be junk and everyone will be hating them as well. Buy them while you can I guess....

 

[Nessism1]

Fram will continue. First Brands could sell them off, but the brand value alone is enough to assure their survival.

Regarding "quality" of their oil filters, there is design quality, and manufacturing quality. Wavy leaf springs are poor manufacturing quality, and discontinuing the metal mesh backed media, or going to a plastic inner core, are design quality elements.

It seems that Fram has been hit from both sides. Too bad. Hopefully the future controlling entity will bring them back to where they belong.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Give it some time and PGI will be junk and everyone will be hating them as well. Buy them while you can I guess....

Yes this definitely is the cycle.

 

[Pablo]

First Brands is not some startup of an entrepreneur with a dream. Fram and all those other brands were bought up using leverage (borrowed money) with the hopes of making them more profitable (cutting costs) and then reselling the brand / company to enrich themselves. In fact they rely on the formerly respected brand name to be able to pull this off.

So your actually playing in to their fraud by continuing to buy the brand as they cheapen and offer you less value.

Not sure fraud is the correct word. Is it illegal? No. Is it crap? Yes.

And they probably won't defraud on their contracts.

 

[GW.]

Give it some time and PGI will be junk and everyone will be hating them as well. Buy them while you can I guess....

Here at BITOG we’re at the forefront of filter quality due to the amount and frequency of c&p’s. So we’ll be the first to know if and when this happens.

Also a reason not to get emotionally attached to a brand. Unfortunately we see a lot of it here with oil and filters.

 

[michaelluscher]

https://www.autonews.com/retail/service-and-parts/an-aftermarket-parts-firm-bankruptcy-0925/

Aftermarket parts supplier First Brands Group, whose brands range from Anco and Trico wiper blades to Fram filters, is preparing to file for bankruptcy as soon as next week and is looking to secure a loan of at least $1 billion to keep the business running while it reorganizes, people familiar with the negotiations told Bloomberg.

They own many brands of (lousy IMO) auto parts
Cardone/Airtex hasn't meant quality in decades

 

[Astro14]

duplicate thread. Merged.

 

[Pablo]

Here at BITOG we’re at the forefront of filter quality due to the amount and frequency of c&p’s. So we’ll be the first to know!

Yes. All joking aside this is true.

The average or mean Jane really can't know just standing in the oil filter aisle.

 

[dogememe]

The phrase "brand agnostic" comes to mind from marketing. Simple put why rely on brand names anymore when they're just bought up for their nostalgia, brand recognition. sure the IP, intellectual property of the brand name is probably worth some $$ but who cares about a name?

Name it anything, the quality has to be there! Is it any mystery that O'reilly and even NAPA have dropped those other brands for PG made filters? People will say it's a buying decision, but I think it's more that when quality drops there are business, automotive parts retailers to be exact, notice and don't want to be the ones selling junk quality. I'm only talking the filters here, nothing else.

I don’t know, if parts stores cared about quality, Dorman would not be half the stores inventory. Keep in mind… not only is the Dorman branded stuff Dorman but lots of other stuff in private label boxes is Dorman too.

And now even OEM could be Dorman. I haven’t heard of GM doing it yet but I’ve seen people post both Motorcraft and Mopar stuff that’s Dorman.

 

[Fair enough]

Not sure fraud is the correct word. Is it illegal? No. Is it crap? Yes.

And they probably won't defraud on their contracts.

No, it’s not illegal to declare bankruptcy, using other people’s money as a loan, then losing it and walking away. It’s not really fraud either unless devised that way. Bad business practices and too much competition where costs are lower. Tough situation.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Not sure fraud is the correct word. Is it illegal? No. Is it crap? Yes.

And they probably won't defraud on their contracts.

Webster says Fraud is "perversion of truth in order to induce another to part with something of value", or " an act of deceiving or misrepresenting" This describes perfectly when you take a well known product like an EG7317, leave the can and part number completely the same but replace the contents with what used to be a one dollar luber finer.

Same as shrinkflation or junk fees on a car purchase. Not illegal, but still a fraud.

Caveat Emptor - which is why I appreciate those who C&P filters here, who took a significant amount of heat from the FRAM fanboi crowd a year ago who have since been proven correct.

 

[Pablo]

Webster says Fraud is "perversion of truth in order to induce another to part with something of value", or " an act of deceiving or misrepresenting" This describes perfectly when you take a well known product like an EG7317, leave the can and part number completely the same but replace the contents with what used to be a one dollar luber finer.

Same as shrinkflation or junk fees on a car purchase. Not illegal, but still a fraud.

Caveat Emptor - which is why I appreciate those who C&P filters here, who took a significant amount of heat from the FRAM fanboi crowd a year ago who have since been proven correct.

I guess in some worlds true enough.

"Fraud involves deceit with the intention to illegally or unethically gain at the expense of another."

Illegal? No
Unethical? No.

Ugly, nasty and the rest? Yes.

Yes - BUYER BEWARE

 

[Alien]

The big buyers (OEMs, oil changers, etc.) as well as suppliers will worry about getting caught up in a bankruptcy litigation and interruptions in deliveries and will shift to alternate sources and customers as quickly as they can. That is not likely to end well for Fram. But there may be good clearance sales for you and me.

 

[SC Maintenance]

I guess in some worlds true enough.

"Fraud involves deceit with the intention to illegally or unethically gain at the expense of another."

Illegal? No
Unethical? No.

Ugly, nasty and the rest? Yes.

Yes - BUYER BEWARE

If you care to opine and offer me a better word to add to my vocabulary instead, I am all ears.

 

[Pablo]

If you care to opine and offer me a better word to add to my vocabulary instead, I am all ears.

Must make a list of words not allowed on BITOG!

 

[Ronsant]

Here at BITOG we’re at the forefront of filter quality due to the amount and frequency of c&p’s. So we’ll be the first to know if and when this happens.

Also a reason not to get emotionally attached to a brand. Unfortunately we see a lot of it here with oil and filters.

100%. When I was in my teens and twenties, I established brand loyalty based on what I perceived to be quality. I bought the tee shirts and hats. Wouldn’t stray. Now I’m in my late fifties, and I’ve learned through my working career and experiences that brands are not a guarantee of quality. Country of origin is also not a reliable indicator of quality.
Unfortunately, I now have to research any large purchase and many small ones ( oil filters????) to make sure I’m not getting junk.
Very, very sad that companies buy brands and water them down to squeeze the last penny of profit.