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SW Iowa | Wix changed ownership a few years ago; Mann & Hummel has cheapened them up / moved manufacturing overseas and most educated assessments are that overall quality is not as good as it used to be. Perhaps you will be able to find USA-made stock for a period of time or in certain filters, but I'm guessing anything ordered from a high volume source like fleetfilter is likely to be louvered core instead of round holes and/or overseas production.
My understanding is that Napa has moved to PremiumGuard as manufacturer of most of their filters. My assessment and most of what I've seen online is that they are fine, and probably better than Mann+Hummel Wix. PremiumGuard makes filters for a bunch of people (OReillys & CarQuest included IIRC). I've also seen/heard that some Napa filters are being made by Hastings/Baldwin (I'm guessing more ag/industrial/heavy duty) but not sure of specifics.
I used to use Wix for basically everything automotive... currently mostly ordering Hastings/Baldwin (which I believe is presently still all USA made) from RockAuto. RockAuto PrimeGuard / private label are also PremiumGuard filters and super cheap. I use mainly OEM or fleetguard for farm equipment.
Also not sure I really buy that new-Wix couldn't keep up with Napa demand... pretty sure Mann+Hummel is a HUGE company and I can't imagine they wouldn't want to keep that account if there weren't other factors (price/quality/etc). That narrative seems like marketing BS that minimizes backlash and allows Napa to move both old and new inventory interchangeably without people asking a lot of questions. | |
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Napa price and quality going downhill
