Spot the good/bad features of these filters – Cut Open Pictures

[kanling]

I'm thinking that the NAPA Gold only has advantages in the winter months. I don't believe that the nicer bypass and silicone ADBV add much value in the summer. At least not enough to make up for the smaller filter element.

I'm also thinking that the Toyota filter may be good for someone who wants extended drain intervals since it has so much media. (Still concerned about why the end caps block so much flow behind the inlet holes, though)

 

[Blue_Goose]

Nice report. I feel better about using the Toyota filter with my Pennz Plat in my Matrix

 

[PulMax]

I thought Purolator made the US Toyota filters?

In any case, I have a Denso 'First Time Fit' filter sitting here for my Camry. Its tiny, but feels like a tank in the palm of my hand. Maybe I'll cut it when I'm done with it

I have a Toyota 90915-YZZA2 on the car now, its been there for 8 months or so, in a car running M1. Maybe I'll chop that one if I feel like it

 

[labman]

I think the Toyota is a good example of a quality oil filter without metal end caps. It looks carefully assembled, and has a ton of media between them. In general, I am a fan of the OEM filters.

 

[LTVibe]

"I thought Purolator made the US Toyota filters?"

I thought so too, but I found out that a new Denso based company is making the OEM filters for Toyota, no mention of Purolator anymore:

http://www.tbdn.com/products.shtml

 

[H2GURU]

kanling,
Nice job and thanks for the effort! The re-inforced anti-drainback valve on the NAPA {WIX}has solved alot of START-UP ticking in vehicles with filters placed upside down.

 

[Jonny Z]

Kanling,
Thanks for the info. I am a Camry owner as well. There is a PureOne for the Camry now:
http://ecat.arvinmeritor.com/smartlink/?partnum=PL14477
It is new and I have not seen it in the stores yet. Have you?

 

[kanling]

No, I wasn't aware that Purolator now has a 14477 sized Pure One. I might consider using it, but I've never used any Pure One on any car before; I always thought the regular Premium Plus were good enough for my needs. (I never end up with extremely high miles on an old car, the rest of the car falls apart before the engine in my case.)

By the way, I don't know who makes the Toyota filter, but it is made in the USA.

 

[will1780]

kanling, based on your observations, do you think the AA filter is a good choice for 5k oci with a good dino (i.e. castrol gtx or mobil clean 5000)
I have 102k on the odometer and i mainly do 50/50 hwy and local.

 

[Blue_Goose]

quote:

---

Originally posted by kanling:

By the way, I don't know who makes the Toyota filter, but it is made in the USA.

---

I was at the dealer today and while waiting for my oil change I took a walk into the parts dept. They had a whole stack of OEM filters...all were made in Thailand fwiw.

In the waiting room display case the filter there was Made in Japan. Must have been there awhile

 

[JavaMan]

I see it beat leading brand A and B.

 

[Ken2]

That TBDN company in Tennessee was originally a joint venture between Purolator and Denso. It was named Purodenso. Purolator's interest was bought out a few years back.


Ken

 

[Jonny Z]

Did the Purolator use the wrong spring here? Shouldn't it have a slot in the middle like the AAP to allow oil to enter the BPV?

 

[kanling]

JohnnyZ: Good eye, but actually it is the photo. Both the AAP and Purolator springs are identical with the rectangular hole in the center. It's just hidden on the Purolator by the glare from the light. Not enough contrast with the can, I guess. Pretty weird.

Will1780: I think the AAP is a pretty nice filter for the price. If between that and the Purolator, I think I would choose the Purolator if I could find it on sale. But if I couldn't, I think I wouldn't worry about taking the AAP.

I do have concerns with the AAP and Purolator for winter use because of the high bypass pressure. Seems like a few knowledgable people on here don't think flow restriction and bypass pressures are that big a deal. Maybe so. I don't have an oil pressure gauge, so I don't know what typical pressures are. Seems like you'd have to have a pre and post-filter pressure gauge to really know what's going on.

 

[JohnBrowning]

LTVibe, Their is no such thing as a one manufacture Toyota Filter. The dealers get fitlers from all over the world. Toyota filter design and nomenclature is very very confuseing. It is a can of worms you really do not want to open unless you are truly comitted as it will confuse 98% of the board. To make matters worse each country that has a Denso filter company has some variation of the many Toyota filters.

Here in the USA it used to be Puro/Denso but denso bought out Purolators portion of the plant. The USA made Denso look nothing like the one cut open and detailed in this post. The USA made Denso's look like a Puraltor andhave the oval inlet holes and do not have the over torque protection. The 90915-YZZA1 pictured above is a Thailand knock off of the Japanesse filter 90915-YZZZ1. The Japanesse filter has even more of the exotic fiberglass like Toyota media(about 30% more), has a plastic center like a Chapion Ecore with long slits instead of holes but it is yellow in color and it does not have a bypass valve if my memory is correct. The Japanesse made ones are hard to come buy and cost a lot more.

Some of the Toyota filters available in the USA have a conventional media and design just like what you would expect to find in a Puralator but they have the Toyota end plate, over torque protection and shrink wraped and pre luped with silicone grease.

I am not trying to confuse you but last I checked their were at least 6 different versions of oil filters on the market sold by Toyota dealers as geniune oem Toyota/Denso oil filter for my application in a red and white box. It just depends if it was made in japan,Thailand,Brasil,China etc.... and wich version it is from that plant etc......

 

[nthach]

quote:

---

Originally posted by LTVibe:
"I thought Purolator made the US Toyota filters?"

I thought so too, but I found out that a new Denso based company is making the OEM filters for Toyota, no mention of Purolator anymore:

http://www.tbdn.com/products.shtml

---

TBDN used to be a Denso and Purolator JV. It was known as Purodenso.

 

[Filter guy]

JohnBrowning

Good post.

You sum it up clearly that there are different manufactured filters under the same brand name.

Part of that is that it costs so much to ship filters across the ocean that engine companies and OEM's look for local sourcing.

That's not to say, based on volume, that certain part numbers will always be built locally.

For instance, Toyota has a design change ( as they seem to do every two years). The OEM filter will be of one type. Yet "locals" will find a filter that "works", rather than pay OEM pricing.

Generally the Japanese either change the height of the can or move the gasket inboard or back to an outboard design. Aftermarket filter companies play catch up to manufacture a filter that is of the same dimensions, etc as the OEM one. ( Well that's what happened in the past. Now companies will fudge if they have something that is "close enough" rather than tool up for one that is within mm of the OEM one. But i've digressed).

The other factor in filter manufacturing that you touched on is the media itself.

Globally there are 100's of medias to choose from. Performance wise you can find medias that perform simillarly but look much different, if you ever cut the filters open.

So the newest whiz bang media touted by someone is nothing more than something every filter manufacturer knows about but have chosen a different route ( cost being one key factor) as to what they use.

Suppose there is a decent media in Europe. Any guesses how much it would cost to ship a container load over versus the same amount of rolls of media made in the USA? Yet, one can find a media which performs equally or better here.

There is not, as of now, the same --how do I put this--- level of sofistication in media's in certain parts of the world. This is due to the manufacturing equipment and costs. Let's just say in Thailand the average consumer doesn't want to pay the equivalent of $2 for a filter...nevermind $10.

Which means there are foreign alternatives that "work" but may not be of the same quality media wise as one might expect.

( Not that one might think that "exceptions" to OEM specs are allowed by the OEM's themselves in local markets.. ..nah that would never happen.

)

 

[kanling]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Filter guy:

Let's just say in Thailand the average consumer doesn't want to pay the equivalent of $2 for a filter...nevermind $10.

---

Let me tell you something about that. I was in Thailand in May. I stopped by my neighborhood Toyota dealer to find out how much a filter would be. I was hoping it would be cheaper than at a dealer in the U.S., using just your logic. They wanted something like $8 or $9 dollars for it! I don't even remember the exact price because it was so far over the line.

The thing is that cars are so expensive in Thailand (taxes and fees) that people take good care of them until they get very old. Most people with newer cars go to the dealer for oil changes which run about $30, similar to the U.S.

 

[kanling]

I didn't check where the Thailand Toyota filters were manufactured. I didn't even look at one for that price. But I assume that as a Toyota OEM part it should be good quality.

And I am not talking exclusively about Mercedes drivers. I'm talking Honda, Ford, Mits, Isuzu... I don't know what your seminars in Asia were concerning, but I don't think it was "filter buying habits of non-Mercedes customers". I think it is true, like in any country, that there are customers who want quality and there are customers who want the cheapest *** they can find.

But I can tell you that most owners of newer cars in Thailand have them serviced at the dealer. Since the cost of a car is a much higher percentage of income than in the U.S., generally owners take care of them very well. People who can't afford that don't buy new cars. Once the cars get too old, they are sold as junkers to the people who only use cheap filters... same as every other country.

As far as Indonesian and Indian filters are concerned, there will always be manufacturers willing to provide product to each market segment. The country of origin alone has no bearing on the quality of the product; only the design specs and quality control do. Just as China makes some of the cheapest and junkiest products sold in the U.S., they also make top quality stuff.

I think you are in the filter industry. I suspect those in your industry think it is fun to find the crappiest filters in the world and tell stories about them ad nauseum. I know I would! But you have to remember that there are plenty of good filters out there too... maybe just not as fun to talk about.

 

[Filter guy]

My seminars, whatever country I went to were on oil filtration, fuel filtration, air filtration, coolant filtration and some hydraulics.

I've had everyone from taxi cab fleet owners to government ministers there. From truck drivers to distributors. From mechanics to engine rebuilders.

I visited various local locations, from ports to distributors to garages.

I touched on why the "high" price of US made filters versus the local types. About construction, quality control, testing, etc.

I've seen companies who have a joint venture with an Asian manufacturer only to see "counterfit" product that looks like the brand they build. ( Example..Fleetguard. They, if you've seen their logo have their name an a square box next to it in Red. I've seen "Friendship" filters, same Red, but instead of a box, a circle ( like the sun). They were made by a licensee of Fleetguards in Asia.) The theory was, as told to me, that most Asian can't read English and therefore the Friendship brand passed off for Fleetguard. They were near 1/4 the price locally v the genuine Fleetguard).

Some US companies have factories or joint ventures going, especially in China. Good luck to them. They better see what goes out the back door. Better yet have a permanent employee there to see what is produced. ( China ALWAYS owns more than 50% of the factory, for instance. So US companies do not have control).

There's a number of things I could expound on but what effect it has on what you buy here in the USA at your local parts store is virtually irrelivent.

The deal with Toyota is they have various avenues of production or private branding. Dealers will always charge top dollar. Especially in Asia. So what the dealer in Thailand charges would be top dollar. The question is..what are the actually putting on the car? And how much profit do they make if they use a Toyota branded product made locally versus and imported Toyota filter from Japan, USA, Brazil or whatever..


And i'll give you a tip for those outside the USA....if the garage is out of your part number..they will wash the filter out with gasoline and reinstall it with your fresh oil. From Toyota's to Mercedes. Fact.