Here are two Napa filters, one a GM specd filter the other a Ford specd filter, same bypass psi and interchangeable. 2100255 Proformer is Vietnam made and has a silicon ADBV, 7502 Gold is China made and has a silicon ADBV. The proformer is the commercial line, is it safe to say the Proformer is the same quality as the Gold? The 7502 baseplate looks to be Premium Guard made.
Napa filters
- Thread starter mobilnissan1991
- Start date
Not too many years ago the Wix plant (Gastonia NC) was using the same filter for their Silver and Gold. Same production line. The line split and then the difference was paint and decal. I’m sure that’s changed…. Not even making them in the US any longer.
As mentioned, Proformer does look to be a PG made filter. I'd be interested in seeing the internals of both. Prefer the Napa Gold/(Wix) still made in the US, but M&H's call. I'm sure many/most applications still made here, but mostly with Purolator type construction now, again M&H call. Since local franchised Napa store dropped 40% off Gold sale, don't buy NG anymore. Rarely go in the store.
After runs, need to post c&ps.
After runs, need to post c&ps.
wait the proformer is Premium Guard? is that across the board or just for this fitment?
I think Napa dropped Mann-Hummel from many part numbers and is sourcing the filters on their own.
Pretty sure the Gold is also because PG also uses a china producer in addition to the Vietnam producer and you can see in the OP photo up top it also has "Leak Tested" on top which is usually tell tale PG afaik.
That sound correct.
So I've read, here mostly. As said, never buy Gold filters now so only see what's posted here. Possibly Napa Gold oil filters now use another manufacturer.
That said, and said before, when it comes to the term "leak tested" on the dome, does appear all PG made filters say that. Less sure the reverse is 'always' true though, ie. all filters saying leak tested on the dome are PG or PG made filters. The one thing they all have in common though, off shored coo.
Story I heard from a NAPA franchisee was Mann couldn't supply enough oil filters to keep them stocked. How switching to a $3-4 Premium Guard and selling them for $12.95 helps their situation is a mystery to me! Unless they think nobody knows any better?
I have an account with Napa and I was thinking the proformer was some china wix stuff. Ill gladly use PG-based stuff
Ordered a proformer today and recieved a proselect...smh
All filters are marked up like that. A WIX is $13 at O'Reilly now while the same one is $5 at RockAuto.
Auto part stores them in the store today for nearly all applications. For the oddball ones that they might not have... it will be there next day. For businesses... they deliver same day. Different business model and higher cost of business than Rock Auto or Amazon or a discount store like Walmart.
NAPA filters are in the roughly the same price range as an equivalent MicroGard from O'Reilly... and prices vary by store since it is a franchise. Some are less expensive... and commercial accounts get decent discounts.
Maybe they get the filters for less due to the country of origin... but the cost of running a retail store are up as well. Rent, insurance, property taxes, salaries, employee benefits... all that factors in to why stuff is so expensive now.
Take a look at the recent video from the shop that switched back to Wix Gold from Napa gold after cutting one open .
"Royalty Auto Service- We Had To Swap Out All The Oil Filters In Our Shop!"
"
"Royalty Auto Service- We Had To Swap Out All The Oil Filters In Our Shop!"
"
They didn't have to, they chose to. There was nothing wrong with the Napa Gold's but they were simply not expecting them to be "Different".
Last edited:
I enjoy their videos, but I think they would have been fine using the NAPA filters. I do get his frustration with a perceived bait and switch. FWIW when we have to buy out a filter for a competitive make vehicle and don't have time to wait for a OE filter, we usually default to the O'Reillys MicroGuard since they are closest and deliver somewhat fast.
As you well know WIX has had the service market forever & we like familiarity. I don't think there was any bait & switch on Napa's part other than him not being aware of the new product line had changed manufacturers. He stated that he assumed Napa was an M+H product. This video just appears to me as him not wanting to accept any change under the claim that they HAD to switch according to their bait title video. Seems like all of that could've been avoided had they had an open mind about a "Different" product that is obviously excellent. In the video I get that he's biased towards WIX since he's familiar with them. Seemed to me he was going to get excellent service from Napa so the whole story is odd. His shop/his decisions but the video again is still not correct. It should read they assumed it was the same & decided to go back to Wix not that they had to. The way he rolls it out is as if the Premium Guard Napa products aren't up to WIX standards "Doesn't have that Wix feel" or whatever he stated. The end.
Agreed.
His complaints that he pointed out on the Napa Gold seemed pretty nitpicky to me. Cut open a dozen filters of each type and you are going to see excess glue. To my knowledge, there is no evidence that one type of spring performs any better or worse than the other.
I will say, everything else being equal, I do like that the Wix is Made in the USA. I like to support US businesses and fellow workers. But again, I'd bet if you got a dozen different filter part numbers from each manufacturer, you would find some from each that have different COO (country of origin).
O I totally agree with you. Mechanics are creatures of habit and a lot of the ones I know don't like change that takes them out of their warm and fuzzy comfort zone.
For example, Ford discontinued the Orange Specialty Coolant I want to say in 2020 and replaced it with the Yellow coolant. I still have shops call not trusting it since the color changed. I keep the notice about the change from Ford and will either email it to them or staple it to the invoice when we are delivering it. For a while I actually kept some of the orange coolant that was pulled from inventory for a certain customer who would not understand at all.
Similar threads
