I was changing the oil in my car on Tuesday and as I was putting on the filter I noticed it had been damaged. It was a Purolator. It had obviously been dropped. The non-thread end of the can was dented in about 1/2" - stupid me for not checking it before leaving the store. I have since returned it for a new one. The damage to the filter wasn't necessarily the fault of Purolator, so I hold no ill will towards them and their quality control.
Anyway, seeing the damage, I thought no problem, I'll just use the Supertech I've got setting on the shelf in the garage. I'm glad I inspected it before I installed it as I ended up using my wife's car to go buy a Wix from the closest parts store.
Inside through the plastic cage I could see one section of filter media that was almost completely flattened out against the cage. As I turned the filter I saw where the media was joined together, the pleats were also flattened (not to the extent of the other spot I found) and that the seam where the media joins appeared to not have been glued properly. There looks to be a gap at the top where the paper doesn't even actually meet.
I've had it with any ecore filter at this point. I've used them in the past with no concern and always remembered to inspect them in the store (except for this one). A lot of the times I'd find one with uneven or "strectehd" pleats and would just find another one in which the media was properly "installed". After reading through some of the ecore threads here and then coming across one with such shoddy construction I will avoid them at all cost at this point. I'm sticking to Purolators from now on. Heck, I'd rather use a Fram at this point since both the ecores and Frams have carboard endcaps and at least with all the pics we've seen here of Frams, the media has been in reasonably good shape.
I'll post pics later this week of the filter cut open if I can get it open with my Dremel.
Anyway, seeing the damage, I thought no problem, I'll just use the Supertech I've got setting on the shelf in the garage. I'm glad I inspected it before I installed it as I ended up using my wife's car to go buy a Wix from the closest parts store.
Inside through the plastic cage I could see one section of filter media that was almost completely flattened out against the cage. As I turned the filter I saw where the media was joined together, the pleats were also flattened (not to the extent of the other spot I found) and that the seam where the media joins appeared to not have been glued properly. There looks to be a gap at the top where the paper doesn't even actually meet.
I've had it with any ecore filter at this point. I've used them in the past with no concern and always remembered to inspect them in the store (except for this one). A lot of the times I'd find one with uneven or "strectehd" pleats and would just find another one in which the media was properly "installed". After reading through some of the ecore threads here and then coming across one with such shoddy construction I will avoid them at all cost at this point. I'm sticking to Purolators from now on. Heck, I'd rather use a Fram at this point since both the ecores and Frams have carboard endcaps and at least with all the pics we've seen here of Frams, the media has been in reasonably good shape.
I'll post pics later this week of the filter cut open if I can get it open with my Dremel.
