New style WIX filter ok to use?

Hello TW,
I ran into this ponderable while changing my engine oil the other day and wanted to see what y'all think:
I've been using WIX oil filter #51348 and awhile back found that Amazon had a better price on them and the oil. Oil change time was here again, so I got my usual order. When I pulled the new one out of the box I was surprised to see it was different.
A little research showed the difference apparently is between the place of manufacture, the made in the U.S. style, which I was used to, and the made in china style which showed up this time.
It's the same part number, and cross references as acceptable for my engine (2RZ 2.4L) but my concern in the obvious differences.
The "new" one is the same diameter but a good ½" shorter and the drain back holes as well as the filter media are completely different.
I know the filters on these are small-ish already, including the Microguard and Purolator brands from O'Reilly's that I used in the past. But this one just seemed...small.
Has anyone else come across this, and is this china made variety ok or should I chuck it and snag a different one?

 

That looks like an incredibly cheaply made filter. In fact, it's so janky looking I have to wonder if it's a knock off.

 

Don’t use that filter send it back.
You can see the filter material looks like there is no or very little center support tube.
At the oil pressures these trucks run a slight surge could blow out the paper element without support.
Someone is trying to ruin your day for a few pennies!

 

Walmart sells OEM filters. I think I paid around $5.

 

Ty both. That is exactly the feeling I got when I looked at it. When I was looking it up I had seen others mention they thought theirs were possibly knock-offs, but no one really confirmed or denied that. One person said they contacted WIX and was told the difference was simply because of the country of manufacture. I was and still am skeptical. I already installed it since I had removed the old one already, so I am probably eating that $7, but I haven't driven more than a few miles on it. I'll swing by the parts store and grab a new one and swap it out.
Caveat emptor!

 

Nessal, was that online?

 

What a disappointment. I thought Wix was a good brand. I have found the best price is my local toyota dealer or $5

 

I suspect a knock off… and like the above posting, the factory filter from the dealership is the way to go.

 

I bought a 10-pack of OEM Toyota filters off of Amazon for $48 just a few months back. Now I'm good to go for the next 5 years.

 

Aroma, it is disappointing. I was under the impression Wix was a quality product too and have used their oil filters for a long time now. Not sure if it is a difference in country-of-origin or a knock-off but it's not staying on.

...$48 for 10 OEM's is a steal. I'll have to try to get in in that.

Stopped by O'Reilly's and grabbed a Microguard filter to swap on for now.
...and it looks suspiciously like a WIX. Hard to tell these days with all the outsourcing and global manufacturing. But it will do.

 

Looks like it's up to $53 now. Gotta love inflation.

 

well, you ordered off Amazon. Unless "WIX" themselves were the ones fulfilling the order, it's possible, maybe even probable that you received a counterfeit product. This is rampant on Amazon. Next time, buy your oil filters at the store, or from a reputable online seller (not even items "sold/fulfilled by Amazon" are trustworthy IMO).

As a test, you should go to Napa (or another parts store that sells Wix filters), buy the same part, and see if they're different. Then you'll have your answer, 100%.

 

Where did you order that from?

 

Nope, it was in store.

 

Same, I get the best price from my local Toyota dealerships. Never paid more than $5, and often times the parts guy will throw in a drain plug gasket at no charge. (It has been a little while, like everything, I might be surprised by an increase next time)

 

Another upvote for OEM's. I would buy them in 5-10 packs for less than $5 a piece.

 

When you buy from Amazon, make sure the seller and/or ships-from says amazon. Otherwise, you are purchasing from a third party and amazon has no quality control. I am not saying all third party vendors are bad, only that that’s where the counterfeits lurk. Same on eBay and other platforms. Rockauto and similar part vendors may be the safest platforms to avoid counterfeits.

 

ThunderOne
It is definitely different than the Wix filters purchased in-store anywhere. That was how I noticed immediately it wasn't "right."
Not to argue the point, but just to say I was purchasing these from O'Reilly's forever, and the price kept going up (I think they are up to $11 last time I looked at O'reilly's site,) which is what drove me to check out other options. Not to say it doesn't happen a lot; once I looked into it I found a lot of people saying the same thing. It was the 1st time I had encountered it though.
As someone else said, OEM for the win. Even at $53/case, that's still a bargain.