Originally Posted By: littleant
You guys have been here way way longer then me and I value your opinions. I really want the discussion to continue about the filter and your take on the photos. I do not want it locked. Please. So on photo #3 and #4 why would the dents on the bottom of the cup be dented in if dropped on the cup end. The dents look deep ???
Good on you for getting the thread back on track.
That said, it's really a waste of bandwidth to discuss the source of the dents on those original rattlers because all that can be done is to speculate. It could have happened during manufacturing or during shipping. No way to prove either possibility, certainly not unless you have the filters and packaging in hand to make a more scientific evaluation. You can either take Fram's assessment at face value or not but the "not" argument is pretty weak for lack of evidence. What I learned is that I will be shaking all filters I buy for the foreseeable future, FU included.
As to the dents in the freebees you got, that's a little more clear (to me). The boxes looked pretty beat up, so I'd suspect shipping/handling issues with them. Unless the boxes got munged during the time they were shipped to you, the only other possibility is that you got "seconds" which I think is somewhat counterproductive in Fram's case and a tactical error in light of the discussion here.
All manufacturers go thru this stuff and the point I tried to make earlier: When was the last time you saw this much transparency from any filter manufacturer? It's a good sign, even if the problems can all be attributed to issues in manufacturing. If they had no intent to rectify the problem, they'd have clammed up.
Back in '09, I had a defective Wix filter that could have cost me a freshly overhauled engine. Had just come back from the first test drive and was crawling around under the truck looking for leaks and such. Not seeing any at first I was about to crawl out and, literally as I watched, the Wix filter started spewing from the crimp where the base plate meets the canister. No harm done other than a waste of oil a a little mess. I emailed Wix and got no reply. Didn't press it but I made them pay for it with a little Wix bashing. Couldn't return it either because I had bought the filter 18 months before. A reply would have been courteous at least but the incident did not stop me from buying Wix filters for my farm equipment. I was, perhaps, a bit more vigilant in watching for leaks after that. FYI, that truck is running an Ultra now, which has about four years of service on it ( : < )
Full disclosure, I use FUs on everything for in my fleet for which there is a part number. Generally speaking,I can get the best deal on a FU. I am a filtering efficiency guy, so always buy the highest rated filters that are readily available on store shelves. That usually turns out to be Fram but I buy 'em when I need 'em so it's whatever I can get on sale at the time. Most of the synthetic HiEff filters pass muster so if it were a Wix or a Bosch on sale the next time, that's fine, but generally FUs are most readily available at the lowest cost.
You guys have been here way way longer then me and I value your opinions. I really want the discussion to continue about the filter and your take on the photos. I do not want it locked. Please. So on photo #3 and #4 why would the dents on the bottom of the cup be dented in if dropped on the cup end. The dents look deep ???
Good on you for getting the thread back on track.
That said, it's really a waste of bandwidth to discuss the source of the dents on those original rattlers because all that can be done is to speculate. It could have happened during manufacturing or during shipping. No way to prove either possibility, certainly not unless you have the filters and packaging in hand to make a more scientific evaluation. You can either take Fram's assessment at face value or not but the "not" argument is pretty weak for lack of evidence. What I learned is that I will be shaking all filters I buy for the foreseeable future, FU included.
As to the dents in the freebees you got, that's a little more clear (to me). The boxes looked pretty beat up, so I'd suspect shipping/handling issues with them. Unless the boxes got munged during the time they were shipped to you, the only other possibility is that you got "seconds" which I think is somewhat counterproductive in Fram's case and a tactical error in light of the discussion here.
All manufacturers go thru this stuff and the point I tried to make earlier: When was the last time you saw this much transparency from any filter manufacturer? It's a good sign, even if the problems can all be attributed to issues in manufacturing. If they had no intent to rectify the problem, they'd have clammed up.
Back in '09, I had a defective Wix filter that could have cost me a freshly overhauled engine. Had just come back from the first test drive and was crawling around under the truck looking for leaks and such. Not seeing any at first I was about to crawl out and, literally as I watched, the Wix filter started spewing from the crimp where the base plate meets the canister. No harm done other than a waste of oil a a little mess. I emailed Wix and got no reply. Didn't press it but I made them pay for it with a little Wix bashing. Couldn't return it either because I had bought the filter 18 months before. A reply would have been courteous at least but the incident did not stop me from buying Wix filters for my farm equipment. I was, perhaps, a bit more vigilant in watching for leaks after that. FYI, that truck is running an Ultra now, which has about four years of service on it ( : < )
Full disclosure, I use FUs on everything for in my fleet for which there is a part number. Generally speaking,I can get the best deal on a FU. I am a filtering efficiency guy, so always buy the highest rated filters that are readily available on store shelves. That usually turns out to be Fram but I buy 'em when I need 'em so it's whatever I can get on sale at the time. Most of the synthetic HiEff filters pass muster so if it were a Wix or a Bosch on sale the next time, that's fine, but generally FUs are most readily available at the lowest cost.
