Yay or Nay: buying oil filter from Amazon
- Thread starter jml4life
- Start date
It depends, on who from and what you're buying. Chances of fakes are higher esp if seller isn't specializing in auto parts and has no physical store. Research how to tell a fake from real filter, may be cut one new filter for further confirmation.
I've bought filters from Amazon before and don't think any was a fake, I did research how to tell and inspected then.
I get filters from RA now, still can get bad filters like when I got Bosch ones with closed louvers or another brand that had label and box listing one model but a stamp listing another and correct model.
I've bought filters from Amazon before and don't think any was a fake, I did research how to tell and inspected then.
I get filters from RA now, still can get bad filters like when I got Bosch ones with closed louvers or another brand that had label and box listing one model but a stamp listing another and correct model.
yes and sometimes, there is not enough leftover material to precisely replicate the OE product. at which point they have no compunction about sourcing inferior components to produce a counterfeit partA lot of the times these are actually just real filters, sold under a different brand. Common practice. China likes to make cheap clones, rather than expensive counterfeits. More profitable that way. Literally what Amazon is
I tried buying oil filters from Amazon during covid when I couldn't find them in any store. They shipped them in a plastic bag. The filter boxes where destroyed and the filters where all dented up.
I bought six Motorcraft oil filters from Amazon which were shipped in a box. All were well.
I wouldn't buy a single filter to be shipped, there just isn't enough margin. Leading to the cheapest possible way for its shipment.
Due to convenience, and speed, I've purchased three, all Mann cartridge filters that are easier to inspect for shenanigans.
No issues with any of them.
But, I would be wary of how Amazon ships the product, especially now. They're now attempting to avoid the use of any packaging altogether, and are slapping shipping labels on factory boxes. Tick the option for Amazon packaging, and hope that means a box, not apoly paper bag.
No issues with any of them.
But, I would be wary of how Amazon ships the product, especially now. They're now attempting to avoid the use of any packaging altogether, and are slapping shipping labels on factory boxes. Tick the option for Amazon packaging, and hope that means a box, not a
Look up Hyundai counterfeit filters on here. Yes it is a thing. Their engines are not good, but their filters are pretty good. I guess there is a market for faking them.
I try not to buy filters or any part from ebay or Amazon unless there is a HUGE number of legit positive RECENT reviews on the seller (not the product). Usually I will wait for some sort of sale from RA, local shops/chains or direct from dealer. For example, back in January I got a great deal on some Royal Purple synthetic filters (20-968) for 13 bucks from Royal Purple direct. I didn't think that was a slamming deal, but pretty good. I just went and looked and now not only are they 28 bucks but out of stock on that site for some reason, but still 19 bucks (cheapest I could find) from O'Reilly's. I seized the moment and bought 8 in January and wish I had gotten more.
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Global brand probably has plants around the world. Just a thought: if it were counterfeit, why wouldn’t they just put “made in USA” on the filter?
Not necessarily difficult but seems cost ineffective. A convincing counterfeit $8 item: where’s the profit from this scam?
Usually the reviews will give you a good idea if the seller is any good or not. No problems here with buying filters from Amazon. I just bought some spark plugs for my 5.0 Ford and I don't worry about them being counterfeit because the reviews were all good.
Need to go on Alibaba.com. In large enough bulk quantity like 10,000+ units , you can get knock offs for under 50 cents a unit. That is plenty of margins to push a counterfeit and be worthwhile for some.
Bulk generic filters or actual counterfeits? I think it's an important difference. Counterfeit (aka "knock off") would need to claim to be a certain brand and/or take steps to mask the products identity (mimic packaging, logos, etc.) I'm not familiar with Alibaba, but a quick search shows a lot of generic offerings in bulk from various factories.
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The point is that filters can be bought in bulk to the price point it makes it worth the squeeze. Just about any one of those Chinese oil filter companies would slap whatever label you want on them if you bought enough of them.
The math is there.
I had that thought, too, but I then wondered why that wasn't a huge issue across tons of product categories. I suspect that if anything, counterfeit or not, is inspected at the docks when it comes in, having "made in (this country it just got shipped to)" would get the whole shipment confiscated and investigated.
That being said, I have since read that Baldwin has a factory in Morocco. The quality difference between the two filters led me to believe the Morocco filter was a counterfeit.
I buy Mazda OEM filters from a dealership in Miami, FL. Bought from them twice now on their eBay store. I think they sell on Amazon also. If there is an issue with shipping damage, it goes back to them on their dime and they can ship me new ones.
