Why are these filters made differently from different stores?

[ToyotaDave]

I bought two from Walmart both have 3 dots on the inside seal and one from Advanced Auto did not.

Mobil 1 Extended Performance Oil Filter

Is this common? Should i be concerned.

 

[Jetronic]

Most likely different batches for the seals

 

[ToyotaDave]

Most likely different batches for the seals

That is what i was thinking. I normally buy from Amazon but the last few times they have been dented or had junk inside the filter or even had the wrong filter inside the correct box.

 

[Jetronic]

That is what i was thinking. I normally buy from Amazon but the last few times they have been dented or had junk inside the filter or even had the wrong filter inside the correct box.

I suppose it's more accurate to say "buying through Amazon". I don't think they actually have anything to do with this product, just provide a platform to sell and collect a fee. Which means you don't really know what you are getting, or how the seller got it.

 

[SC Maintenance]

What are the date codes for the two filters?

My guess is they were guilt at different times, so they simply had different supply of the gasket? We say this a lot during the pandemic from batch to batch.

 

[ToyotaDave]

I suppose it's more accurate to say "buying through Amazon". I don't think they actually have anything to do with this product, just provide a platform to sell and collect a fee. Which means you don't really know what you are getting, or how the seller got it.

I only buy from amazon and shipped buy. No sellers.

I never buy from sellers who knows where it came from and if it's legit product.

 

[SC Maintenance]

I only buy from amazon and shipped buy. No sellers.

I used to do so also. The issue is that the Amazon shelf is mixed inventory. So when you buy "shipped and sold by amazon" the warehouse worker pulls it from the same shelf as the 3rd parties. So you really don't know what you get, the one Amazon bought from there supplier, or the one from Bob's cheap imported parts.

I used to buy everything from Amazon. I buy almost nothing from them for this reason anymore.

 

[ToyotaDave]

I used to do so also. The issue is that the Amazon shelf is mixed inventory. So when you buy "shipped and sold by amazon" the warehouse worker pulls it from the same shelf as the 3rd parties. So you really don't know what you get, the one Amazon bought from there supplier, or the one from Bob's cheap imported parts.

I used to buy everything from Amazon. I buy almost nothing from them for this reason anymore.

How do you know there inventory is mixed? I've seen videos of how Amazon packs things and a robot brings the product to someone to pack not sure how product is pulled but i stopped buying things from them that can damage your car, like stuck card board in the oil filter.

 

[SC Maintenance]

How do you know there inventory is mixed? I've seen videos of how Amazon packs things and a robot brings the product to someone to pack not sure how product is pulled but i stopped buying things from them that can damage your car, like stuck card board in the oil filter.

There is no guarantee of anything. But every part has a sku and an inventory location, so once it arrives at the warehouse it goes to whatever inventory location in the warehouse needs it.

Its not actually on one shelf - Amazon spreads inventory all across their warehouse and mixes it. For example if there algorithm tells them your likely to buy notebooks and pencils together, they stock some of them near each other, and in multiple locations around the warehouse in case you buy Twinkies with your notebook and pencil.

So when they pull the filter you ordered, it depends on who's shipment was stocked near the twinkies you also ordered.

Only very high volume stuff is automated. That's why Amazon needs 700,000 warehouse workers, and a bunch of temporary extra ones around Christmas.

 

[Rand]

There is no guarantee of anything. But every part has a sku and an inventory location, so once it arrives at the warehouse it goes to whatever inventory location in the warehouse needs it.

Its not actually on one shelf - Amazon spreads inventory all across their warehouse and mixes it. For example if there algorithm tells them your likely to buy notebooks and pencils together, they stock some of them near each other, and in multiple locations around the warehouse in case you buy Twinkies with your notebook and pencil.

So when they pull the filter you ordered, it depends on who's shipment was stocked near the twinkies you also ordered.

Only very high volume stuff is automated. That's why Amazon needs 700,000 warehouse workers, and a bunch of temporary extra ones around Christmas.

That's not quite right. Source my wife who has worked at amazon warehouse for 3+ years now.
Mostly Stow, Water spider, Downstack, and problem solving etc.. Yes they have odd names for their jobs. also- Decant, pick, pack etc.

I will say I've gotten more fake products from amazon than Ebay... yes its that bad. But name brand stuff shipped and sold by Amazon is usually ok.

From what I understand the items are stowed on robot propelled racks. With barcodes etc.
They aren't held on traditional shelving units in groups.
With this method 3rd party and amazon stock doesn't need to mingle. Although I've heard the same as you stated in the past.

IF for some reason it was "mixed" stock it would just be lazyness on Amazon's part as their inventory system is fully capable of keeping everything inventoried separate.

 

[SC Maintenance]

That's not quite right. Source my wife who has worked at amazon warehouse for 3+ years now.
Mostly Stow, Water spider, Downstack, and problem solving etc.. Yes they have odd names for their jobs. also- Decant, pick, pack etc.

I will say I've gotten more fake products from amazon than Ebay... yes its that bad. But name brand stuff shipped and sold by Amazon is usually ok.

From what I understand the items are stowed on robot propelled racks. With barcodes etc.
They aren't held on traditional shelving units in groups.
With this method 3rd party and amazon stock doesn't need to mingle. Although I've heard the same as you stated in the past.

IF for some reason it was "mixed" stock it would just be lazyness on Amazon's part as their inventory system is fully capable of keeping everything inventoried separate.

There mixed on purpose. The point is to pick the part closest to you - whether a robot or human. If I have filters amazon bought on the other side of the warehouse, or the same sku provided by Bob's supply in the isle I am in, I grab the close one. Its 100% driven by closest pick location with that bar-code. Where the product originated is irrelevant once its in the warehosue. That is the entire purpose of their algorithm - to pick parts most efficiently.

Read this article. Its old but describes it well. In addition, what the article tells you is a lot of their storage is in bins, not a shelf. You will often find the system stocking many dis-similar products in the same bin based on convenience to pick. ie you might find dish soap, tea towels, and bottle brushes in the same bin(s) throughout the warehouse because there often ordered together. https://twistedsifter.com/2012/12/inside-amazons-chaotic-storage-warehouses/

Key points:

The product’s characteristics and attributes are irrelevant. What’s important is the unique barcode associated with every product that enters the warehouse.

Chaotic storage is like organized confusion. It’s an organic shelving system without permanent areas or sections.

Since there is a database that knows every product required for shipment and the location of each product inside the warehouse, an optimized route can be provided to employees responsible for fulfilment.

 

[ToyotaDave]

That's not quite right. Source my wife who has worked at amazon warehouse for 3+ years now.
Mostly Stow, Water spider, Downstack, and problem solving etc.. Yes they have odd names for their jobs. also- Decant, pick, pack etc.

I will say I've gotten more fake products from amazon than Ebay... yes its that bad. But name brand stuff shipped and sold by Amazon is usually ok.

From what I understand the items are stowed on robot propelled racks. With barcodes etc.
They aren't held on traditional shelving units in groups.
With this method 3rd party and amazon stock doesn't need to mingle. Although I've heard the same as you stated in the past.

IF for some reason it was "mixed" stock it would just be lazyness on Amazon's part as their inventory system is fully capable of keeping everything inventoried separate.

The fake products has gotten bad. I don't know if the filters i got where fake or not but they where damaged to the point where i did not want to risk using them.

I don't like buying parts at advanced auto because they are always over priced. It's the only reason i bought them on amazon now i am back to going into the walmart store to buy them.

Buying my toyota parts is easy as toyota lets you buy them online directly from a dealer.

 

[FowVay]

This is not related to the oil filters in question here but since we're speaking of sources for parts I thought I'd mention my latest. The air filters for my Nissan Frontier cost around $22 whether you buy from the dealer or the auto parts store. I was in need so I went to Rock Auto and found Purolator on closeout for $4 each. I ordered 5 of them to make it an even $20. Throw in $10 for shipping and my cost came to $6 per filter.

When the filters arrived they were obviously inventory that had been recovered from Sears and K-Mart closures. The date codes on the boxes dated back to 2006 and the boxes had three differing liveries depicting their age.

I found nothing wrong with the filters but the packaging was faded, torn, and taped together. I was disappointed with the appearance but was glad the filters were serviceable.

As for the OP's question... I can't see the 3 dots he's speaking of. Can someone crop the pic and circle them?

 

[ToyotaDave]

You can only see the one.

 

[Escape08]

I don't see any difference except a crimp on that silicon anti-drain valve

 

[Hall]

What’s important is the unique barcode associated with every product that enters the warehouse.

This is the key. The SKU is a unique identifier and why would any company put items with the same SKU in different locations unless space was the issue ? If someone is going to counterfeit an item, they are going to copy everything they can, including the SKU.

 

[Hall]

Mobil 1 Extended Performance Oil Filter

Mobil doesn't make oil filters. They likely have multiple suppliers that meet their specs. The exact design of a seal may have zero impact or the # of holes in the baseplate or the shape of the holes, for example.

 

[odie]

Purchased from WALMART last September (?) . It's now on the 2nd generation FIT .

 

[ZeeOSix]

Oil filter manufacturing wack-a-mole.