Group 7 oil filter question????

[Bottom_Feeder]

Originally Posted By: peterdaniel
I honestly still do not understand the insanely cheap mentality people here on this board have with something so critical to your car and its longevity.

An excellent filter is what? 4-5 dollars more? If you are hurting that much then perhaps you shouldn't be driving...


While I am among the people who would have no problems using a Group 7 filter (and I have), I agree with your above statement completely. The amount of complaining and moaning about a few cents here and there, maybe a buck or two, by the users on this board has always amazed and confused me. I'm surprised at the folks who have this strange idea in their heads that a filter should not be any more than $3 and if it is, it's a rip-off.

I'm all for finding a bargain and hunting down the best bang for the buck, but I have no problem spending a little more money for peace of mind or just for convenience sake. I never understood those who wouldn't buy a $3 filter at an auto parts store while they're there already because they can drive to the other side of town and buy it at Wall-Mart for 25 cents cheaper. Senseless.

Look how much engineering goes into the typical oil filter and imagine what's necessary to manufacture it! I'm surprised that a 'cheap' filter isn't more like $10-$15 dollars and an expensive one $25 or higher.

Don't think I'm not happy that filters happen to be cheap, becaue I am. But put it into perspective- this one part on your car has one job in it's short and tough life and that's to filter the lifeblood of the engine in your car that you probably spent thousands of dollars on... and it cost about as much as a Happy Meal at McDonald's. Buying a more expensive (and assumingly better) filter only costs about as much as, well... two Happy Meals. Big deal! Get over it!

 

[Geonerd]

Originally Posted By: Bottom_Feeder
Originally Posted By: peterdaniel
I honestly still do not understand the insanely cheap mentality people here on this board have with something so critical to your car and its longevity.

An excellent filter is what? 4-5 dollars more? If you are hurting that much then perhaps you shouldn't be driving...


While I am among the people who would have no problems using a Group 7 filter (and I have), I agree with your above statement completely. The amount of complaining and moaning about a few cents here and there, maybe a buck or two, by the users on this board has always amazed and confused me. I'm surprised at the folks who have this strange idea in their heads that a filter should not be any more than $3 and if it is, it's a rip-off.

I'm all for finding a bargain and hunting down the best bang for the buck, but I have no problem spending a little more money for peace of mind or just for convenience sake. I never understood those who wouldn't buy a $3 filter at an auto parts store while they're there already because they can drive to the other side of town and buy it at Wall-Mart for 25 cents cheaper. Senseless.

Look how much engineering goes into the typical oil filter and imagine what's necessary to manufacture it! I'm surprised that a 'cheap' filter isn't more like $10-$15 dollars and an expensive one $25 or higher.

Don't think I'm not happy that filters happen to be cheap, becaue I am. But put it into perspective- this one part on your car has one job in it's short and tough life and that's to filter the lifeblood of the engine in your car that you probably spent thousands of dollars on... and it cost about as much as a Happy Meal at McDonald's. Buying a more expensive (and assumingly better) filter only costs about as much as, well... two Happy Meals. Big deal! Get over it!

 

[LumpyMeatLoaf]

Greetings Peterdaniel and Bottom Feeder,

I appreciate your opinions and castigating remarks! Every person has the right to their own opinion(s), especially since I paid for a piece of your freedom with 25 years of military service, which left me disabled!!!!! Therefore, some of us are retired and disabled; whereas money has to be stretched in all areas, but obviously you two wouldn’t know anything about that! Next time when we speak our minds we should try perhaps too consider others and their situations.

Also, I love your response; I was only referring to these filters since they are a Purolator product, which could have been over-looked, since I was only inquisitive, and never heard of them!!!! Wanting to educate myself, I do ask questions,I am not like some others that know everything.

Have a Blessed Day.

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

Take it easy, Lumpy. What I said was in reply to peterdaniel's post, not yours, because the opportunity presented itself. It just happened to be in a thread you started. Don't be so thin-skinned and ready for an argument like the one you just created. You must have breezed over the part where I said that I'd have no problem using Group 7 filters as I have in the past, and I look for bargains where possible. Purolator-made Group 7s and Pro-Lines certainly fall into that category. Heck, I have a Champ-made $1.99 Valucraft on my wife's car right now if that tells you anything.


So with that said, and with all due respect to your service and current situation, there's no need to bring it up during an online disagreement over something as trivial as the price of an oil filter. It does you and your sacrifice a huge disservice. Please take your own advice and 'consider others and their situations' because I can assure you that things are tough all over and I'm feeling the squeeze just like you.

With my job on the rocks, living check to check and having my increasingly despondent wife not be able to find work in almost a year and a half, things are not all rainbows and puppies and lolipops for me either and I'm sure the same goes for lots of people here. You sound awfully sure of yourself that it's 'obvious that I wouldn't know anything about that'. Are you still? You may 'appreciate' my opinions and castigating remarks, but I certainly don't appreciate your ignorant and patronizing ones.

So now that I've shared my sad story with the group, am I allowed to have my own personal opinion on something or do I need to check with you first?

P.S., that was a rhetorical question. Just to be clear, no reply is necessary, solicited or even wanted. Save it for the next guy because I'm not interested.

 

[LumpyMeatLoaf]

Bottom Feeder,

You have a Blessed Day…..

 

[FastFred]

Let me just start off here introducing myself as I am new to this forum. My first name is Fred and I am a Automotive Parts Wholesaler in the business now 32 years. I started out in 1978 opening one of the first Carquest Auto Part stores to my area of N.J..

Friday while Googling Group 7 Purolator looking for an update on what oil filter numbers will become obsolete I happened to come across this forum. I have to admit my unbelief at some of the posts I read here about Purolator Group 7 Filters. Some of the posts I feel are unwarranted. As mentioned above being I have been in the Auto Parts business in my 32nd year now I pretty much know what is going on out there when it comes to Auto Parts. Over the years I probably sold in the hundreds of thousands of both Purolator and Purolater Group 7 old filters. Never once did I ever witness a Purolator or Purolator Group 7 filter ever do damage to any engine. I have seen many cars over the years go well over 200k miles or more that have used these filters exclusively. I am a Group 7 Filter user myself. I use them on all my vehicles from my families everyday cars to my work Vans to my collector cars. My restored 1967 Corvette Stingray Coupe and my 1934 Ford StreetRod that I built have Purolator Group 7 oil filters on them I have so much trust in them.

A few important facts to know.

Purolator invented the oil filter for automobiles. Purolator started out in Rayway, N.J.. They eventually moved out to Oklahoma in the late 80's if I remember correctly probably to cut some costs of doing business. When Purolator originally came out with the Group 7 old filter lineup it's intent was to sell these filters directly to the repair garages and gas stations only. You would never find this filter in a K-Mart or Walmart or other similar type big box store. They called the filter Group 7 because when the filter was first introduced to the market during the 60's Purolator had 7 of their top moving oil filter numbers being sold under the Group 7 label. Eventually over the years more part numbers were added to make it a 80% covered line. For many years all Purolator Oil Filters were made in the USA only. I would say at least 90% or more still are. With all the foreign cars in this country today Purolator started to rebox some foreign car filter numbers made out of the country and included them in both their Group7 and Purolator lineup. Most were Foreign OEM filters reboxed as Purolator.

Recently I would say maybe 3 or 4 years ago Purolator facing stiff competition from China-Imports as many Chinese made oil filters have come into this country made a decision to bring out another line of filter they called there XSV brand of filter. These were XSV boxed Chinese made oil filters covering the most popular numbers. Being there was a market for Chinese oil filters Purolator didn't want to lose out on it.

Just one other fact.
Years ago I took both Purolator brand and Purolator Group 7 Oil Filter brand filters apart because I wanted to know exactly what I was selling to my customers being in the Auto Parts Business. After cutting the tops off simliar part numbers to see if there was a difference I can truly tell everyone here that I could never spot any difference. Every thing including the pleated filter paper looked the same and number of pleats. My guess is that they run the same filter down the line and each brand gets a different paint job. I could never see Purolator slowing down the line to put something cheaper in one filter over the other. I don't thing it would be cost effective to do so.

Hope I cleared the air some on the subject at hand.

 

[JustinH]

Originally Posted By: Bottom_Feeder
Originally Posted By: peterdaniel
I honestly still do not understand the insanely cheap mentality people here on this board have with something so critical to your car and its longevity.

An excellent filter is what? 4-5 dollars more? If you are hurting that much then perhaps you shouldn't be driving...


While I am among the people who would have no problems using a Group 7 filter (and I have), I agree with your above statement completely. The amount of complaining and moaning about a few cents here and there, maybe a buck or two, by the users on this board has always amazed and confused me. I'm surprised at the folks who have this strange idea in their heads that a filter should not be any more than $3 and if it is, it's a rip-off.

I'm all for finding a bargain and hunting down the best bang for the buck, but I have no problem spending a little more money for peace of mind or just for convenience sake. I never understood those who wouldn't buy a $3 filter at an auto parts store while they're there already because they can drive to the other side of town and buy it at Wall-Mart for 25 cents cheaper. Senseless.

Look how much engineering goes into the typical oil filter and imagine what's necessary to manufacture it! I'm surprised that a 'cheap' filter isn't more like $10-$15 dollars and an expensive one $25 or higher.

Don't think I'm not happy that filters happen to be cheap, becaue I am. But put it into perspective- this one part on your car has one job in it's short and tough life and that's to filter the lifeblood of the engine in your car that you probably spent thousands of dollars on... and it cost about as much as a Happy Meal at McDonald's. Buying a more expensive (and assumingly better) filter only costs about as much as, well... two Happy Meals. Big deal! Get over it!


Right, but think from the prospective of a fleet owner, shop owner, or oil change shop.

You are performing a service on a vehicle, and you need to keep the costs as low as possible. Saving a dollar per service is absolutely huge in an oil change shop. Think about the last time you seen a non-dealer installed oil filter on a car. I'd bet it was not a name brand.

 

[FastFred]

Originally Posted By: FastFred
Let me just start off here introducing myself as I am new to this forum. My first name is Fred and I am a Automotive Parts Wholesaler in the business now 32 years. I started out in 1978 opening one of the first Carquest Auto Part stores to my area of N.J..

Friday while Googling Group 7 Purolator looking for an update on what oil filter numbers will become obsolete I happened to come across this forum. I have to admit my unbelief at some of the posts I read here about Purolator Group 7 Filters. Some of the posts I feel are unwarranted. As mentioned above being I have been in the Auto Parts business in my 32nd year now I pretty much know what is going on out there when it comes to Auto Parts. Over the years I probably sold in the hundreds of thousands of both Purolator and Purolater Group 7 old filters. Never once did I ever witness a Purolator or Purolator Group 7 filter ever do damage to any engine. I have seen many cars over the years go well over 200k miles or more that have used these filters exclusively. I am a Group 7 Filter user myself. I use them on all my vehicles from my families everyday cars to my work Vans to my collector cars. My restored 1967 Corvette Stingray Coupe and my 1934 Ford StreetRod that I built have Purolator Group 7 oil filters on them I have so much trust in them.

A few important facts to know.

Purolator invented the oil filter for automobiles. Purolator started out in Rayway, N.J.. They eventually moved out to Oklahoma in the late 80's if I remember correctly probably to cut some costs of doing business. When Purolator originally came out with the Group 7 old filter lineup it's intent was to sell these filters directly to the repair garages and gas stations only. You would never find this filter in a K-Mart or Walmart or other similar type big box store. They called the filter Group 7 because when the filter was first introduced to the market during the 60's Purolator had 7 of their top moving oil filter numbers being sold under the Group 7 label. Eventually over the years more part numbers were added to make it a 80% covered line. For many years all Purolator Oil Filters were made in the USA only. I would say at least 90% or more still are. With all the foreign cars in this country today Purolator started to rebox some foreign car filter numbers made out of the country and included them in both their Group7 and Purolator lineup. Most were Foreign OEM filters reboxed as Purolator.

Recently I would say maybe 3 or 4 years ago Purolator facing stiff competition from China-Imports as many Chinese made oil filters have come into this country made a decision to bring out another line of filter they called there XSV brand of filter. These were XSV boxed Chinese made oil filters covering the most popular numbers. Being there was a market for Chinese oil filters Purolator didn't want to lose out on it.

Just one other fact.
Years ago I took both Purolator brand and Purolator Group 7 Oil Filter brand filters apart because I wanted to know exactly what I was selling to my customers being in the Auto Parts Business. After cutting the tops off simliar part numbers to see if there was a difference I can truly tell everyone here that I could never spot any difference. Every thing including the pleated filter paper looked the same and number of pleats. My guess is that they run the same filter down the line and each brand gets a different paint job. I could never see Purolator slowing down the line to put something cheaper in one filter over the other. I don't thing it would be cost effective to do so.

Hope I cleared the air some on the subject at hand.


Just wanted to mention I got word and paperwork this weekend that Purolator is consolidating quite a few part numbers in their Group 7 and Purolater lineups.

 

[labman]

Not surprised to hear of the consolidation of part numbers. I look at the orange wall at Walmart and wonder if we really need that many different filters.

Always nice to have somebody in a position to know contributing. Better yet when they explain who they are. You are no longer with Car Quest?

 

[FastFred]

Purolator use to make the Carquest Oil Filter years ago. I have no idea who is doing it now. Most companies like Napa put a bid out to the different manufacturers and bite at the lowest bid. Purolator made the NAPA filter at one time also that I remember. I have sold Purolator for 32 years. Never had a incident. Also sold Fram at one time. I sell some Champ filters on occasion also a good Oil Filter but Purolator Group 7 still to today is my biggest seller as I wholesale them to the Repair Garages who want a good filter for their customers. Many repair facilities I hate to say are buying the Chinese Filters now on the market that are much cheaper. I have had to sell these also but I have my reservations about them like I do with other China products. We all know what happened with the toys and dog food additive from China just to name a few things. When I think of how good their Filter media might be I sometimes think to myself that they don't seem to be able to even make a good cardboard box equal to what is made in this country. Most of us have experienced them as they are very flimsy made boxes. Always made me wonder what they made them out of.

To answer your question about Carquest. We dropped their program in the beginning of the 80's. We wanted to be as Independent as we could then and Carquest we felt wasn't the way to go at the time as they pretty much told you what to do. I have been Independently on my own since 1983 when I sold out to my then partner in the parts store.

 

[Mokanic]

Originally Posted By: Panzerman
So its not the design or how well made the filters are, its the country of Origin. Funny, because even though I will use a Chinese filter, without regard, I still have not ever bought or even looked at anything but Ford, Chevy and Dodge. Its the same people who despise Chinese products that have a Honda, Kia, Toyota, Hyundi, etc.. In thier driveway. Yes they do make them in America and yes they do employ Americans to build them, but the revenue goes the same place my little Chinese oil filters purchase price goes, ...Overseas.


Except for one little fact. They are not Communist countries that would wipe you off the face of the earth if they thought they could get away with it. I have a Honda,Toyota,Volvo sitting in my yard and none of them came from a Communist country. Sadly, it's darn near impossible to get past China products since our leaders sold us dowm the river for a buck.

 

[LordAbbett]

Well i buy american when i have a choice though giant retail chains often don't you a that.
One little thing. Purolator air filtration is a Clarcor company, maker of Baldwin etc.. In was told that decades ago the industrial hvac side of Purolator was sold off with the continued right to the use of the Purolator name.