FRAM is No More

Most of FRAM's filters were poor quality inside (opinion). Taking them apart to inspect, they were....interesting.

FRAM was owned by Allied Signal for many years, then became part of Honeywell when Allied Signal was acquired. Eventually Honeywell sold FRAM/Prestone/etc. to private equity before First Brands bought it. First Brands went bankrupt, but FRAM may have been sold to PGI Northstar, more private equity. We'll see if they do anything with it.

Consider Wix, Purolator, etc.

changing oil at about 10 years old (yet my son wants to do it and I won't let him go figure).

My mom would always get FRAM because it's what they sold at Caldor.

I'm so old, we had to drive the spout into the metal can hahahahahahahaha

Anyway lots of filters went downhill. Ones that used to be made in Germany or Austria, Mexico and Poland today. Basically, kept the name but got bought out by a conglomerate.

Even the one I've used for 30 years, WIX XP, folks online say they are no longer any good. You know something was up when the same filter got a different model (the digits got longer), and the number of flutes changed.

At any rate this is what I use across our 3 vehicles:

Genuine AC Delco for wife's GM (her previous one used WIX XP and it's the same model filter), Hengst for our German vehicle, and WIX XP for our Japanese vehicle.

Yes I am for certain quality has declined on all 3, but what am I going to do? And everyone stop taking YouTube as a source for how to conduct life, even if someone has 5-10 mil subscribers and lives in a mansion.

They said there would be a shortage of not only motor oil but especially Dexos due to no additives being available. I stocked up like 10 jugs (this vehicle takes 8 qts or 2 jugs leaving 2 qts leftover). Guess what? there is plenty as I type so yes I got fooled lol

moral of the story and I've changed my position. Changing the oil more frequently vs. less frequently is about all a person can do. Why debate this until the moon comes up because there are some really serious guys online who feel if you're not spending $16/qt you don't love your vehicle lol

Change it often. What I'm after is shear stability, if one cuts to the chase. I'm not sending my oil to a lab or tasting it like TJ Hooker on a drug bust, to see if it's holding up.

Many years ago, I worked for Fram and they made all of their inside parts and filters in house as I worked all the different areas.

Purolator One is considered to be quite good at 99.9% efficiency @ 20 microns and 10Kmiles. All of the reviews I have seen online are excellent. That being said the older PureOne often had torn pleats when opened. It was also only rated for 5K miles.

Purolator also late last year announced a premium filter that only was available at Walmart. See https://www.purolatornow.com/en/about-purolator/news-press/p...

hello

What does efficiency in a filter mean? The definition that I'm familiar with is efficiency = output / input.

Specifically for Subarus, I read that they have a high pressure bypass valve which a few forums claimed fram didn’t spec properly for their aftermarket filters. So it was enough for me to use oem filters for the last 5ish years.

explain this to me like I'm six years old.

Why do folks interchange OEM with OE, when they are not the same?

Especially when referring to Japanese cars?

For example, there is auto glass, in 3 grades.

OE, OEM, aftermarket.

Same with parts.

What comes from the dealer is OE.

OEM is not that.

Just curious.

In the Euro car world, there is transparancy with the 3 grades, Japanese, no. Maybe that's why.

To me the error is no different than mispronouncing Oregon as ora gone.

enquiring minds want to know, where do these habits originate.

Not Japanese, but here (https://help.fcpeuro.com/hc/en-us/articles/360021208651-What...) is the European take on the difference between OEM and OE.

As an example, for example, if I need a replacement ignition coil for my Porsche, the OE part might come in a Porsche box with a Porsche logo, while the OEM part will be the exact same physical coil inside a Bosch or Beru box, sold for a lower price.

Sometimes things are muddied even more, thanks to the large conglomerates in the auto manufacturing world. I once needed (about 10 years ago) to replace the ignition switch in my Porsche, It is a relatively easy DIY job although you need a chiropractor afterwards. As best I recall the switch under a Porsche name was about $240. My independent told me to go to an Audi dealer. The same switch was about $50. The P/N’s were identical except for the first three digits.

Apparently FRAM is still alive - maybe.

https://carbuzz.com/first-brands-companies-acquired-premium-...

I decided to save $3/plug by going OEM vs OE.
Both plugs made by Bosch.

The OE ones come in a mfg. box and are blue.

Bosch are green, and they make the plugs for the mfg as well.

Same part # on both.

It's 10 years later so the $18 savings is to no detriment.

It's a shame one cannot get the same transparency with Japanese.

There are 3 decades long debates about Lexus OE radiators vs Denso purchased at rock auto for less than 50%.

One guy got tired of the endless debate so he used his own money, bought both, showed them in detail, establishing dealer is OE, Denso rock auto is aftermarket. They were not the same physically. And, people reported the then $92 radiator failing in 1-2 years. I did this job last fall and remembered the thread so I got OE, from an AZ dealer. 40% off, no shipping, and no sales tax (this was new to me I thought internet purchases always generated sales tax--not in Arizona).

Denso makes OE, OEM, and aftermarket.

The factory alternator on my wife's former Buick Enclave (Michigan UAW vehicle) was made by Denso in TN, the GM OE part.

But it's hard to find the OEM for Japanese. That's often the sweet spot for cost.

Had this argument many years ago with insurance--I want OE glass. Not OEM, not aftermarket. This means it's Saint Gobain Sekurit WITH a BMW logo. It is not Saint Gobain Sekurit missing the BMW logo, nor is it Safelite which is aftermarket. I decided I will not give up and it was 60 minutes with the phone rep. Today I would give up, I'm 16 years older and no longer have time for this plus it would be a bot that would never cave in on their side lol (my logic was what do I care what the glass costs, my deductible is $100--in states like Massachusetts and CT where there is no deductible, then, I get it, you offer aftermarket so your execs get a bigger bonus as do shareholders (policy holders).

Back to Fram, if it is no more, nothing is lost other than nostolgia, imho. Again, visions of coming home from college and having 2 Fram filters waiting, purchased by my mom from Caldor. Not sure if this store existed where I live now, but it did in New England where I grew up.

FRAM, as well as some other part brands may have gotten a reprieve. See https://carbuzz.com/first-brands-companies-acquired-premium-...

What I find interesting is the buyer was Premium Guard, a company that for many years have made what is considered one of the better oil filter products. It should be interesting what may happen moving forward.

Oil and filter, is in my opinion directly related to engine life in my opinion, so I want the very best. One engine repair could cost more than many years of cost saving of cheap oil and filters.
In the mid 1970s, I did a LOT of photography for General Motors at their Troy, MI research center. They were testing Corvette engines with Mobil 1, running them flat out, under load stress, for long periods, eg. days and weeks, then tear down to reveal no wear.
I bought a 76 Chevy van, w/350) directly from GM and had it for 30 years after which the engine was fine, body not so much. Mobil 1 from day one.

Then, I bought a 95 GMC Van, w/350, Mobil 1 and Mobil 1 filters, mid way through, and still have it. It still runs like new with no engine repairs. And, it looks like new since it has had a garage all these years and Ziebart when new w/follow ups.

The GMC retired with me, many years ago, so it may last my lifetime, since I plan to just keep it, just for occasional driving.

I used to use their cabin filters in my Subaru. Seems like the Wiki is indicating the end but that's never 100% accurate.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FRAM_(brand)

When synthetic motor oil was pie in the sky. I recall Corvettes and Porsche 911 having Mobil 1 stickers when you lifted the hood (well the 911 doesn't have one, the engine cover). Then I recall people getting really snooty talking about Mobil 1 is not good they preferred boutique oils costing 3X and like anything else it was like Tupperware salesmen in the 70s.

At any rate at the end of the day I now focus on shear stability. If there were any one thing I would consider besides frequent changes. Shear stability. Personally, I would not use 0W40 just because the numbers are higher than 0W20, etc. There's a new Toyota that takes 0W8.

Many people don't even know what the W stands for. Not even a YouTuber with like 7 mil subs. He said "weight."

First Brands owned Fram and the filed bankruptcy. The list of companies First Brands owned is impressive, last I read, most of the brands are expected to be bought by others.

W = Winter. Specifically for a 0W designation the lubricant is tested at -35 deg C.

Personally I think if the engine oil meets the ILSAC GF-6A and GF-6B spec, as appropriate to the vehicle, it should be fine. There is also the newer GF-7A (the direct, backward-compatible successor to GF-6A), as well as GF-6B and GF-7B (which are reserved exclusively for ultra-low viscosity 0W-16 oils and are generally not backward-compatible). The common and readily available brands that are GF-7A compliant GF-7A motor oils are

Valvoline™ Global: Features the API Starburst on 0W-20 and heavier weights.

Mobil™: Mobil 1 and Mobil Full Synthetic lines meet or exceed these specifications.

Pennzoil®: Their standard viscosity grades are engineered to tighter wear and deposit control limits.

Quaker State: All their current standard motor oils meet the GF-7 requirements

been using Purolator. I recently found the OEM at the dealer Is cheaper. I figure if it is good enough for Toyota as OEM and dealer service, then it should be good enough.

Ther are multiple types of Purolator filters and you should pair your oil change interval with the type of filter. As an example, if an auto manufacturer recommends an oil change every 5000 miles then you might want to use the standard Purolator that is recommended for “…up to 10000 miles. If you buy a premium oil, say a major brand 100% synthetic good for 20000 miles, then it probably would be appropriate to spend the extra money on the Purolator BOSS filter. That be ing said, I think Purolator filters may have also just changed names.

PurolatorBOSS: Premium filter designed for full synthetic oils, offering maximum engine protection and up to 20,000 miles of service.

Purolator ONE: Advanced protection for high mileage and synthetic oils, trapping up to 99% of dirt and lasting up to 10,000 miles.

Purolator: A standard, routine-driving filter designed for all oil types with up to 10,000 miles of engine protection.

PurolatorSPORT: Specialized for powersport vehicles like ATVs, UTVs, and motorcycles.

PurolatorTECH: Built for professional mechanics and shops, delivering reliable performance and 96.5% dirt removal

Wow. I did not realize that oil filters could be so different. Thank you for the comments. They are educational.

Part of my Mobil 1 logic was that I was so busy with my career that I let oil changes slide a bit, and Mobil 1 was like insurance.

However, when my wife 88 La Baron turbocharger, shot craps, it got VERY HOT !!!! by the time she got home. We had it towed to the dealer and they pronounced the engine saved by Mobil 1 and only had to replace the turbo. She drove it for several years after that with no problems.

They used to be good quality when allied signal owned it. They have changed hands several times now and the quality has slipped. Most who know it is not one of the better filters, although there is one line that make OK filters (don't remember the name/type). This is why I gave up on them a long time ago, crap filters and acceptable filters coming from them.