Do they make them to the same specifications and with the same materials as the filters that are sold under the Fram name?
Not really sure.
I only care about the quality of construction.
I only care how well it filters. Construction is almost meaningless…as long as the filter holds together…and filters that’s all that’s needed.
Good deal, mine cost closer to $20 each, but the after-markets are only slightly cheaper. Certainly not enough price difference to play with after-market brands.
My wife worked for Wal-Mart in accounting for many years and this allowed us an extra 10% employee discount so I got to using oil, filters, batteries from WM.
My cars have had a steady diet of WM oil filters for 20 years with no problems.
The only filters I’ve ever seen a problem with were some of the bootleg filters but these are not sold through WM, auto parts houses, etc. You might find them at some fast lube facilties and they’re recognizable by being usually packaged in a generic white or yellow box with no logos. The boxes may have an identifier number and Hecho en Whatever on the package.
Some of the fit and durability of these are pretty questionable and I would not use them.
I made a mistake years ago when a BMW motorcycle dealer started carrying a few bootleg oil filters for about 25% of the cost of the OEM BMW filters. Talking to the dealer later, he advised me to bring any of them back for a refund because after being in place for a few thousand miles the filter would have to be dug out with needlenose pliers and the paper element was disentegrating.
The one filter I installed (they were cartridge type) took me close to an hour to remove from it’s cubbyhole in the engine block and the hunks of loose paper really had me sweating bullets over that one.