Autolite = Fram Group

[KnockKnock]

It's been well-known for quite some time that Autolite and Motorcraft plugs are one & the same, however, I just ordered a set of iridiums from RockAuto (<---those guys really do rock BTW) and as I was going over the Rebate Form where I read line 7, and there it states:

Requests from groups, P.O. boxes, APO/FPO boxes or organizations will not be honored, acknowledged or returned, and Fram Group reserves the right to confirm identification. Non-Conforming requests may constitute fraud.

Purolator is the main supplier for Ford's Motorcraft filters, and perhaps I've been under a rock, but this is the first I've heard about Autolite & Fram in cahoots, and apparently there's a whole bunch of labels under the UCI-Fram Group that I never knew about.

 

[Bronco638]

I think you're a little off-base here.

Autolite started out as an independent but was purchased by Ford, as their in-house parts brand, in the early 60s. However, they were forced to sell it off back in the early 70s because of some sort of anti-trust litigation. Bendix bought Autolite from Ford. Bendix also owns Fram. That's the connection.

Motorcraft has now supplanted Autolite as Ford's in-house parts brand. As far as I know, Autolite and Motrcraft are not connected. This is the first time I've heard of Purolator being Ford's air filter supplier.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

It doesn't really matter if they are connected.

Companies can make different quality products under different names. Being owned by the same company doesn't mean that Fram and Autolite are the same thing with different stickers any more than a Pinto and a GT are the same car with different badges although they were both made by Ford.

 

[KnockKnock]

According to Wiki, Fram & Autolite have been together since '73 under Bendix, so I guess it's a little late to start worrying about quality-control now. I guess I was just surprised to learn that they are under a single parent-company together. It seems that Autolite (& others) was (/were) just sold-off by Honeywell back in 2011, and that may have been when Motorcraft made the split, however prior-to, I've always thought it common knowledge that Motorcraft & Autolite were synonymous.

As far as Purolator is concerned, popular rumor 'round the scuttlebutt is that their oil & fuel filters were used by Ford/Motorcraft, but I've never really had any idea where their air filters came from.

 

[Bronco638]

...and that may have been when Motorcraft made the split...

Motorcraft has been around since the 50s actually. When Ford bought Autolite, Ford 'retired' the Motorcraft name but brought it back when they sold Autolite to Bendix (in '73).

 

[country0001]

I still run a Fram filter, never had a problem with one on a stock motor.
I noticed they make Airtex fuel pumps too. Those are the ones that they sell at Autozone. They have been ok.

 

[KnockKnock]

Bronco, thanks for the interesting post. Country, I've read, and personally seen evidence of Fram's inferiority, but shortly after posting this thread, I tried to find a link to where I'd read hard data on this, and couldn't find it, so all I can do is say so, and hope your luck holds out better.

Airtex is carried by most major auto parts retailers (O'Reilly's, Advance, Car-Quest, etc.) and despite having recently replaced an Airtex myself due to a faulty housing, I've sold a LOT more than I've warrantied for them, so I have no beef with that brand. Prestone is (or was - not sure now) GM's preferred coolant, and Wells is distributed by both AutoZone & Advance, but I (personally) prefer O'Reilly's Borg-Warner stuff when not going OEM, and I buy nothing from the back shelves of AutoZone, so I'd have no idea how well they hold up. All this leads right back around to "quality-branding".

My Ranger is a product of Mazda, but in order for these Mazda pickups to be branded a Ranger, they had to be built Ford-tough. So long as I knew that Autolite was making plugs that were up-to-par with FoMoCo standards, I felt a lot better about buying them. The reason I've never tried a Wells product is because I don't trust AutoZone parts, and had I known that Autolite was under Fram, I probably would have bought Motorcraft platinums for the same reason; that is, if Autolite is no longer making plugs for Motorcraft, because when it comes to quality-control, good enough for Henry, is good enough for me.

 

[naford]

There's a you tube video on the fram filter.

 

[country0001]

I've seen the video, there are a few threads about it.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

My Ranger is a product of Mazda, but in order for these Mazda pickups to be branded a Ranger, they had to be built Ford-tough.

Your Ford is a Ford, a Mazda is a Ford with a different grille and optional box.

 

[KnockKnock]

Your Ford is a Ford, a Mazda is a Ford with a different grille and optional box.

I learn something everyday. Wiki says:

...the Mazda B-Series and Ford Ranger twins sold in North America are developed by Ford, whereas models sold elsewhere under the same badge are engineered by Mazda.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I learn something everyday. Wiki says:

Yeah, they started out with Mitsubishi manual transmissions and ended up with Mazda manual transmissions and 4cyls but everything is was Ford.