WIX #51394 with new anti backflow check valve?

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Hello

I bought a 2010 yaris in April of this year and with the help of BITOG I chose an oil and filter combo that I thought I would keep for the life of the car before I ever even did my first oil change. That combo was Mobil1 A.F.E. 0w-30 and a WIX #51394. For the first two oil changes I did on the car, these worked fine.

Yesterday was my third oil change. I went through my routine, let the car cool off from a drive, drained the old stuff, took off the old filter, put the drain plug back in, screwed the new filter on as tight as it would go, then added new oil. Waited a couple minutes, and started the car. When I start it, I notice the oil light is staying on. The car ran for about 4-5 seconds and I shut it off. Climb under the car and almost all the oil I've just poured in is on the ground. Looking closer, I see it is spraying out from the filter mount.

I quickly took a long sheet of cardboard and laid it over the huge oil spill so I could get under the car, feel up the oil filter to where it meets the block, and there's about a 1/4" gap between the engine and the filter!

At first I think, what happened? I tightened it as tight as it would go. When I started threading it, it was tighter than I was used to, but not so much it made me question anything. It did thread on there, and I spun it until I couldn't anymore (with the help of a handful of sandpaper). So what happened?

I take it off and look at it. The threads look okay, as does the gasket. I then look at the base of the inside of the filter. There's some weird piece of metal I didn't think was there before. It's a circle about the size of a nickel with an elliptical hole cut into it, standing about 1/2" off the inside of the base of the filter.

I look in the garage for the older filter from a prior oil change and sure enough, it did not have this feature. I look at the filter I just took off the car, and neither did it. I take the boxes for all three and look at them, they are all identical except for the newest one with the valve, which has the filter number on the box in ever so slightly larger print.

I can take pictures if anyone is interested. But my big question is, what the [censored] happened? Did I just get a bum filter that, for whatever reason, didn't want to go all the way onto the block? Is this new valve feature preventing the filter from threading on all the way? Also, why was there no mention of a change in the design anywhere on the box? Even searching their site and google, I find no mention of this anywhere.

I ended up putting new oil in and the old filter back on temporarily. I bought a bosch 3311 in the meantime, was going to put that on today and leave it on until I can figure this out. Will also likely return the faulty WIX today, pending your input.

Thanks for reading all this, I appreciate any help.

-zkay
 
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I've always owned at least one Toyota since the early 1980s. Do all my own oil and filter changes. I've never had a problem with OEM Toyota filters. Can't say this for aftermarket oil filters for Toyota.

My local Toyota dealer sells OEM Toyota oil filters for cheaper than I can get a Wix filter for the three Toyota in my driveway right now. A couple dealers around here knock two bucks off the price of each if you buy two or more.

My advice stick to OEM Toyota parts because they work.
 
Originally Posted By: zkay
I quickly took a long sheet of cardboard and laid it over the huge oil spill so I could get under the car, feel up the oil filter to where it meets the block, and there's about a 1/4" gap between the engine and the filter!


Checking the Wix site, you've certainly got the right filter. Wix didn't change that one recently like they did many others. Now, let's check the obvious. You checked the boxes, and the filter numbers were right. Was the correct filter in the box? Did it have the right number stamped on the filter?

Pictures would certainly help, and I'm sure many of us are interested in this.
 
I'm sure WIX would want to know about it.They seem to want to keep an "upscale" public opinion,over the "lesser" brands out there.Afterall,everybody sells them,NAPA,Parts Plus,Auto Value,Carquest....a black eye would kill Affinia's most profitable business.
 
Originally Posted By: zkay
Hello

I bought a 2010 yaris in April of this year and with the help of BITOG I chose an oil and filter combo that I thought I would keep for the life of the car before I ever even did my first oil change. That combo was Mobil1 A.F.E. 0w-30 and a WIX #51394. For the first two oil changes I did on the car, these worked fine.
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I look in the garage for the older filter from a prior oil change and sure enough, it did not have this feature. I look at the filter I just took off the car, and neither did it. I take the boxes for all three and look at them, they are all identical except for the newest one with the valve, which has the filter number on the box in ever so slightly larger print.


WIX needs to be informed that this happened. Is the filter number on the label of the filter the right number? If so, then sounds like WIX has changed something in the design of this filter that is not compatible with your car. Either that, or the wrong label got slapped on that filter at the factory.
 
Hello all

Thank you for all the responses. I have posted some pictures of the offending filter, next to the old filter + old filter box for comparison.

http://imgur.com/a/Utkqb

The first image has both boxes next to each other. The newer, problem filter is on the right. Note the filter number and white text box surrounding it are slightly larger. This is the only difference between the two as far as packaging.

I accidentally switched sides for the subsequent images, in the second image the old good filter is on the right, the new one on the left. Note the stickers and stamps are the same on each.

The third image was taken trying to look down into each filter so you could see the difference between the two, though it was somewhat too dark to tell. You can however see that the stamping is the same on the top of the filters as well.

The fourth image has a clear view of the inside of each filter, as well as a clear view of the top of each filter. You can clearly see the piece of metal I am talking about in the problem filter on the left, and the lack of it in the good filter on the right.

I went to O'Reilly's today and told my story to the clerk there. He brought out three new in the box WIX #51394 filters and all three had the valve as well!

Now it's getting weird! What has happened? Is that filter no longer a good fit for my engine? Try as I might I could not get it on there all the way the first time.

I did put the Bosch on today, but I kept the problem filter instead of returning it for now.

I appreciate all the help!

Thanks,
-zkay
 
Originally Posted By: zkay

I went to O'Reilly's today and told my story to the clerk there. He brought out three new in the box WIX #51394 filters and all three had the valve as well!

Now it's getting weird! What has happened? Is that filter no longer a good fit for my engine? Try as I might I could not get it on there all the way the first time.


Obviously, WIX has changed the design of the base plate (can see it in photo #2 in your link, I posted it below) - the threaded part obviously sticks out farther towards the gasket surface.

wuz6L.jpg


That more protruding area is bottoming out on your engine's mounting stud before the filter's gasket surface makes proper contact to seal.

WIX may be specifying this filter for your car erroneously now since the base plate design has changed. WIX needs to be contacted and made aware of this, and so you can also get a direct answer/response from WIX on what they think the issue is.
 
Originally Posted By: ZeeOSix
Originally Posted By: zkay

I went to O'Reilly's today and told my story to the clerk there. He brought out three new in the box WIX #51394 filters and all three had the valve as well!

Now it's getting weird! What has happened? Is that filter no longer a good fit for my engine? Try as I might I could not get it on there all the way the first time.


Obviously, WIX has changed the design of the base plate (can see it in photo #2 in your link, I posted it below) - the threaded part obviously sticks out farther towards the gasket surface.

wuz6L.jpg


That more protruding area is bottoming out on your engine's mounting stud before the filter's gasket surface makes proper contact to seal.

WIX may be specifying this filter for your car erroneously now since the base plate design has changed. WIX needs to be contacted and made aware of this, and so you can also get a direct answer/response from WIX on what they think the issue is.


Great, thank you for the explanation! I have emailed WIX, I will keep this forum posted.

Thanks everyone for the quick and concise replies.

-zkay
 
I agree with Zee, contact Wix. It does look like the base plate is higher than the old style but it would be hard to say without measurements. Did you happen to notice if the ones you looked at in the store had the different base plate as well? I wonder if they might have produced a batch with the wrong base plate.

The piece you are seeing inside is the bypass valve. Wix traditionally use a base end bypass which is why you see a spring just inside the center tube. Others have posted about this, seems Wix is switching more and more filters over to a dome end bypass.
 
Hello all

Tim Daly, the district sales manager from Wix, emailed me today and we are currently trying to resolve the issue. I will keep everyone posted.

Thanks,
-zkay
 
I have emailed Tim twice and tried texting him once. So far I have been ignored. I am not very happy with the situation. He is going to force me to call him, when I work all day and generally don't get home until late at night.

When I call, I will update the thread. Thank you.
 
Boy if this were a situation with Fram, this thread would be 10 pages long and filled with faux outrage.

Wix gets a pass... though probably not from zkay at this moment.

Not really good customer service, is it. Wonder what would have happened if we were talking about a destroyed engine?

Good luck zkay... hope it gets worked out to your satisfaction... albeit late.
 
Originally Posted By: Jim Allen
Boy if this were a situation with Fram, this thread would be 10 pages long and filled with faux outrage.

Wix gets a pass... though probably not from zkay at this moment.

Not really good customer service, is it. Wonder what would have happened if we were talking about a destroyed engine?

Good luck zkay... hope it gets worked out to your satisfaction... albeit late.


Indeed.

I called and spoke to Tim yesterday, and he apologized and said that after the first email he'd contacted my local O'Reilly's store manager and asked him to just give me credit for the filter, the oil, and my time, and for him to contact me to make me aware of it. On the second email he called him again, and then again after my text. Every time the store manager said he'd contacted me.

I then call the store manager, and tell him that the Wix District Manager said he'd worked out an agreement with him and that I should be getting some type of credit. He said he was never given the details, but that he knew the general story and would be willing to give me credit. His words were, "What do you want?". After this he seemed more amiable, and I told him the story in full.

I did record both of these phone calls using an app on my android phone if anyone is interested.

Overall, I would say the situation ended as well as it could have, but both WIX and O'Reilly's really dropped the ball on customer service. I would have never heard back at all if I hadn't kept on it, and even then, it took more than two weeks. No excuses, that is just poor performance.

I would also tell everyone: BEWARE THE STEALTH REDESIGNS OF WIX'S OIL FILTERS. DON'T LET WHAT HAPPENED TO ME HAPPEN TO YOU, IT MIGHT BE YOUR ENGINE NEXT TIME.
 
So what was WIX's District manager have to say about the base plate difference on the same part number filter, and the fact that it no longer works on an engine that WIX says it will work on? Seems to me that WIX has a problem now.
 
Originally Posted By: ZeeOSix
So what was WIX's District manager have to say about the base plate difference on the same part number filter, and the fact that it no longer works on an engine that WIX says it will work on? Seems to me that WIX has a problem now.


That's just it, all he would give me was, "We consider this problem fixed on our end."

I wish I had more for you.
 
skay, glad you finally got taken care of at least. It would have been nice if the Wix fella had said that he was issuing some sort of alert to alter the application specs for that fitler. It's likely they will anyway... they'd be stupid not to... but an assurance that "This won't happen again!" is always nice.

My personal reaction to things like this is that mistakes can happen at any time when humans are involved. No need to be extraordinarily outraged over them for the most part. It's how the mistakes are dealt with that counts and there's where outrage is more justified when the ball is dropped or dropped repeatedly.
 
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