As a long time "lurker" here I am amazed of how fast Purulator oil filters fell out of favor here at BITOG. How can an established company go downhill so fast? I have a Classic that I still would like to use. Any company could have a bad batch of products. But this seems like a complete failure in the assembly of oil filters over a longer period of time which is scary.
How Did Purulator Quality Control Sink So Fast?
- Thread starter qwerty1234
- Start date
- Status
JHZR2
Staff member
Good question. I haven't been keeping much track, but wasn't purilator bought by Mann-Hummell? Mann is oe on many euro cars and high quality.
I will say I saw a lot of glue all over the media in a cartridge filter that is a P1.
Are they being carried at Walmart or someplace that pushes very hard for cost minimization? That would explain a lot.
I will say I saw a lot of glue all over the media in a cartridge filter that is a P1.
Are they being carried at Walmart or someplace that pushes very hard for cost minimization? That would explain a lot.
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2006
- Messages
- 2,330
I haven't put this issue under the microscope but I'm left wondering how many were torn during the process of cutting open and dissecting the filter. Has anyone had a canister style tear?
Purolator is simply another company that has faced industry consolidation. When that happens usually the product quality suffers. It really has nothing to do with Walmart. What it has to do with is the cost of the financing for acquisition of the company. The higher price paid by the new owner to entice the old owner to sell is paid for by cutting every possible cost and/or duplication of effort. This is usually done by people in the new parent organization who have little or no emotional attachment to the product but see it only as a part of their "offering".
Interesting that you would make a post about this, i just switched away from Purolator a few weeks ago. I too have noticed their quality isn't what it used to be.
Originally Posted By: Oil Changer
I haven't put this issue under the microscope but I'm left wondering how many were torn during the process of cutting open and dissecting the filter. Has anyone had a canister style tear?
A canister tear is impossible because the media is not glued to the canster.
I haven't put this issue under the microscope but I'm left wondering how many were torn during the process of cutting open and dissecting the filter. Has anyone had a canister style tear?
A canister tear is impossible because the media is not glued to the canster.
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Are they being carried at Walmart or someplace that pushes very hard for cost minimization? That would explain a lot.
Yes, they pushed Champ labs out the door as well as their own store brand.
I'm "happy", I guess, that they carry ecotec filters for $3.27 and I get to see the cartridge and eyeball its quality both on insertion and removal.
Are they being carried at Walmart or someplace that pushes very hard for cost minimization? That would explain a lot.
Yes, they pushed Champ labs out the door as well as their own store brand.
I'm "happy", I guess, that they carry ecotec filters for $3.27 and I get to see the cartridge and eyeball its quality both on insertion and removal.
Is the decline as bad as when Allied Signal bought Fram way back?
Quote:
....Yes, they pushed Champ labs out the door as well as their own store brand....
Ahh, not quite. When Rank purchased Fram after already owning Champ, then a decision was by someone at WM to use Classic as a replacement for the Champ made Super Tech filters, which was their store brand. I suspect that decision was made so that Fram/Rank wouldn't have more of a monopoly on shelf space than they already had/have.
But they really lost very little because the former Champ Super Tech filters got relabeled as Fram, added a brown/black texture to the can, and are used for Wally TLE oil/filter changes. So Champ/Rank are still used by WM just not as a retail item. And like the ST before it, the Classic is given minimal shelf space. Same for Motorcraft, Mopar and AC Delco. The Fram varieties still dominate WM shelf space.
And the P1 is not sold at WM, has a different media and efficiency has shown some tears, so the WM speculation can't be a factor in those. And the tears posted here have only been seen in the spin on type, not cartridges.
....Yes, they pushed Champ labs out the door as well as their own store brand....
Ahh, not quite. When Rank purchased Fram after already owning Champ, then a decision was by someone at WM to use Classic as a replacement for the Champ made Super Tech filters, which was their store brand. I suspect that decision was made so that Fram/Rank wouldn't have more of a monopoly on shelf space than they already had/have.
But they really lost very little because the former Champ Super Tech filters got relabeled as Fram, added a brown/black texture to the can, and are used for Wally TLE oil/filter changes. So Champ/Rank are still used by WM just not as a retail item. And like the ST before it, the Classic is given minimal shelf space. Same for Motorcraft, Mopar and AC Delco. The Fram varieties still dominate WM shelf space.
And the P1 is not sold at WM, has a different media and efficiency has shown some tears, so the WM speculation can't be a factor in those. And the tears posted here have only been seen in the spin on type, not cartridges.
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2006
- Messages
- 2,330
Nothing is impossible and I've seen pictures of tears in the middle of the pleats.
Originally Posted By: Doog
Originally Posted By: Oil Changer
I haven't put this issue under the microscope but I'm left wondering how many were torn during the process of cutting open and dissecting the filter. Has anyone had a canister style tear?
A canister tear is impossible because the media is not glued to the canster.
Originally Posted By: Doog
Originally Posted By: Oil Changer
I haven't put this issue under the microscope but I'm left wondering how many were torn during the process of cutting open and dissecting the filter. Has anyone had a canister style tear?
A canister tear is impossible because the media is not glued to the canster.
I wonder if in the past maybe the cut open filters were not inspected as closely as now
Was media tears really looked at?
All of this just now happening is strange
I have 2 pure ones and 1 classic in my garage to use on my wifes Galant
I will use them up because they are over a year old and I dont think this issue with tears goes back that far
If Purolator doesnt fix this I will use something else
I always used them with no worries but not now
Kinda sad for a made in USA product
I have never bothered with cutting open a used filter but I will after I do the next change
I am now using a Bosch that I got free
Free is good
Was media tears really looked at?
All of this just now happening is strange
I have 2 pure ones and 1 classic in my garage to use on my wifes Galant
I will use them up because they are over a year old and I dont think this issue with tears goes back that far
If Purolator doesnt fix this I will use something else
I always used them with no worries but not now
Kinda sad for a made in USA product
I have never bothered with cutting open a used filter but I will after I do the next change
I am now using a Bosch that I got free
Free is good
I first had a tear in a P1 around a yr ago & I made a thread on here about it. I emailed Purolator and they overnighted me a filter return kit with a prepaid shipping label. A few weeks later I got a package from them containing a letter with their analysis.
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2006
- Messages
- 2,330
So what was their analysis?
Originally Posted By: trx250x92
I first had a tear in a P1 around a yr ago & I made a thread on here about it. I emailed Purolator and they overnighted me a filter return kit with a prepaid shipping label. A few weeks later I got a package from them containing a letter with their analysis.
Originally Posted By: trx250x92
I first had a tear in a P1 around a yr ago & I made a thread on here about it. I emailed Purolator and they overnighted me a filter return kit with a prepaid shipping label. A few weeks later I got a package from them containing a letter with their analysis.
How it happened is anyone's guess. For me all it took was some pictures and stories of the torn media. An explanation from the company might help, but I won't hold my breath waiting for it. When I think there are no longer issues I will certainly consider them again, for now I'll pass.
So, which filters are the ones to get now?
Its funny.. Without this board, i would have never known about the decline of the PI filters.. I have been recommending them for years but stopped as of last week
Originally Posted By: Samuraidog
So, which filters are the ones to get now?
Have decided to pay double the price for a higher quality product (like Fram Ultra) as it's not worth the risk associated with defects in an $3.27 oil filter protecting a much larger investment.
So, which filters are the ones to get now?
Have decided to pay double the price for a higher quality product (like Fram Ultra) as it's not worth the risk associated with defects in an $3.27 oil filter protecting a much larger investment.
Wow. This board has taught me over the years to stay far away from Fram. Now I'm supposed to go back to Fram?
Originally Posted By: 147_Grain
Originally Posted By: Samuraidog
So, which filters are the ones to get now?
Have decided to pay double the price for a higher quality product (like Fram Ultra) as it's not worth the risk associated with defects in an $3.27 oil filter protecting a much larger investment.
Originally Posted By: 147_Grain
Originally Posted By: Samuraidog
So, which filters are the ones to get now?
Have decided to pay double the price for a higher quality product (like Fram Ultra) as it's not worth the risk associated with defects in an $3.27 oil filter protecting a much larger investment.
Originally Posted By: Oil Changer
I haven't put this issue under the microscope but I'm left wondering how many were torn during the process of cutting open and dissecting the filter. Has anyone had a canister style tear?
Less likely this is the case. If so, it is an unfortunate coincidence the tears occurred at approximately the same location throughout a wide range of filter dissections.
There is also a thread on here where there were tears at both ends of the same pleat on a PC.
I haven't put this issue under the microscope but I'm left wondering how many were torn during the process of cutting open and dissecting the filter. Has anyone had a canister style tear?
Less likely this is the case. If so, it is an unfortunate coincidence the tears occurred at approximately the same location throughout a wide range of filter dissections.
There is also a thread on here where there were tears at both ends of the same pleat on a PC.
I wouldn't assume this is entirely a recent issue. I have P1 filters going back to 2005 that I cut open and not yet thrown away. I have more on the shelf from last 2 years that I have not yet cut open. Mine have been run up to 10k miles and through some cold winters where start-ups likely stressed the media.
I have 5 PL10241 filters, one being from an older manufacturing process which has a string surrounding the pleats. The non-string ones have the large spacing at the media crimp and also have the wavy pleats that appears to be from end-cap compression during manufacturing. All four appear to have media deterioration near the glue point of crimp adjacent pleats. Not a tear but clearly media fiber breakdown. Looking at my OC records, these filters came off from the years 2005 to 2011, with 8400 to 10k OCI's.
I also have PL-14610's from 2007 to 2011 (Civic)that have a somewhat smaller gap and straight pleats. These were run nearly as long OCI's during the same years.
Based on the poor PL10241 performance in my application, I exchanged my stock of these to PL-14610's. Unfortunately I now have a large stock (7) of 14610's that I can no longer return. These cover a wide date code spread. I likely will shorten the MM OCI's with my new Civic and watch for any media deterioration of those PL14610's. I have WIX, Napa Gold and PSL's in my stock to use after the P1's are gone.
The clean tears being found on the 14610's may be the result of a media change in the P1's that tipped them closer to the Classic in terms of durability, or as some have suggested, may be due to a larger number of filters being inspected from a wider range of application's.
I have 5 PL10241 filters, one being from an older manufacturing process which has a string surrounding the pleats. The non-string ones have the large spacing at the media crimp and also have the wavy pleats that appears to be from end-cap compression during manufacturing. All four appear to have media deterioration near the glue point of crimp adjacent pleats. Not a tear but clearly media fiber breakdown. Looking at my OC records, these filters came off from the years 2005 to 2011, with 8400 to 10k OCI's.
I also have PL-14610's from 2007 to 2011 (Civic)that have a somewhat smaller gap and straight pleats. These were run nearly as long OCI's during the same years.
Based on the poor PL10241 performance in my application, I exchanged my stock of these to PL-14610's. Unfortunately I now have a large stock (7) of 14610's that I can no longer return. These cover a wide date code spread. I likely will shorten the MM OCI's with my new Civic and watch for any media deterioration of those PL14610's. I have WIX, Napa Gold and PSL's in my stock to use after the P1's are gone.
The clean tears being found on the 14610's may be the result of a media change in the P1's that tipped them closer to the Classic in terms of durability, or as some have suggested, may be due to a larger number of filters being inspected from a wider range of application's.
- Status
Similar threads
