New Fram Ultra Media?

Joined
Aug 6, 2012
Messages
312
So, on cyber Monday I seen Fram Ultra filters on sale on Amazon from the Fram Store. They arrived and the media looks different, has a different texture and sloppy glue. Anyone else seen this? Seems poorly made
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Looks a lot fuzzier than the old Ultra-wonder if any of that could come off & cause issues?
Same thought I had. I didn't use it. I had an Amsoil filter in my stash. Glad I checked it before drove to my buddies house to change the oil. If this is what to expect from them then it may be time to find another brand.
 
I have more pictures. It says made in Brazil. I didn't see the fuzz bunny the other night when i took the pictures.
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This looks to be the Ultra cartridge application used on the Pentastar 3.6L engine. These have been sourced with a S.Korean coo. Also, they have used a polymer type mesh backing similar to the Puro Boss. Most/all of the comments on this subforum from users of that cartridge have been positive ones.

Imo, this cartridge (especially the media) does not look as well made as the S.Korean sourced Fram cartridge. Also, that's assuming it is an authentic Fram cartridge.
 
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This is the first Fram XG11665 before it went in my Jeep - (+the factory filter) …
Currently running Mobil 1 M1C-456A … No pics - but it also looked perfect …

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This is why I don't generally buy any auto parts from Amazon anymore. There are tons and tons of fakes/counterfeits/etc. Same applies with tools and appliances. It is incredibly easy to counterfeit many items.

The majority of reviews are fake as well. Bots are made and people are paid to write thousands upon thousands of reviews.

That filter may be fine to run, but I doubt it is what you ordered. I also found a review for another Fram Filter on Amazon shown below in like 10 seconds stating they had the same issue as you are pointing out. You can also see the pictures people post on Amazon and half the filters look normal and half look like yours. It is possible there is a "Wal Mart Effect" in play here where companies are forced to cut corners during production/quality in order to sell at Amazon's price.

XG9972
"Worst filter ever.
The synthetic material in not good at all .
Hair like fibers easily come of from the outer layer when you tough the the filter media by hand. You can see it with naked eyes.
It may filter the contamination but what is the point when it release the fibers during the filtration process .
I strongly advise to check it before installation."
 
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The Fram part number is printed in yellow, although distorted. I doubt it is fake.

Hard to tell definitively, but the inner media appears to be typical celllose blend, and the fuzzy media is top layer.
 
Humm ...

I don't like the looks of that.

Shame what first brands has done to Fram - race to the bottom... Id say ask them but based on past experience the reply won't be worth the effort.
 
The fuzz is on the outside, it would have a hard time doing anything other than overfiltering the area it eventually rested. The abundance of glue at the end caps is looking good to me because it has so much contact area to the filter media. Looks good to me. And BTW, they don't just play soccer in Brazil, I knew many Automotive exectutives from Brazil, all highly educated ~ granted I was only seeing the top levels.
 
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