Fleetguard on the new FS19579e and FS19800e

[rbattelle]

Last week I sent the following email to Fleetguard:



To whom it may concern:

I'm writing to protest the recent changeover from FS19579 fuel filters (2003-up Cummins ISBe for Dodge) to FS19579E models. These filters are of clearly inferior construction to the "old" FS19579's.



Normally you guys put out such high quality stuff. What were you thinking with this move? I'd gladly pay a little more per filter to get the old quality back. When you began offering the FS19800E's and people noticed the shoddy construction, I figured I could just continue to run the old FS19579's, but you went and eliminated those too!



Does the "E" stand for "Economy"?



https://www.turbodieselregister.com/...ad.php?t=171462



I fear this move could be a sign of things to come from Fleetguard.

Today, someone from Fleetguard called me to discuss these comments. Here's what he told me:



1. The machine that used to make FS19579's was old and breaking down. The new FS19579e and FS19800e's are made on a new machine.



2. These filters are made in Iowa. I had assumed they were imports, but they aren't.



3. The change in the plastic components, although they admit it makes the filters look cheesy, does not represent a decrease in filter integrity. The old FS19579 filter media was glued in place using a thick plastic goop. In order to hold sufficient glue to retain the filter, the plastic end caps had to be of a certain size. The new machine embeds the filter media directly in the plastic ends without the need for additional glue. That means the end caps can be made much thinner without sacrificing the holding power at the media.



4. Because the media is now embedded in the plastic, there is no chance for dirty fuel to leak past the filter media. Apparently, there were occasionally problems with the old FS19579's having passages in the glue that permitted some dirty fuel to bypass the filter.



5. No, "E" doesn't stand for "Economy". It doesn't stand for anything, apparently. They just tacked an "E" onto the end to distinguish the new filter part numbers from the old.



The guy I spoke with was nice, and gave me almost no marketing hype. He admitted that they discussed the fact that the new filters look cheesy compared to the old ones, but they believe the new design is better (since the media is better retained in the plastic).



Fleetguard's (and Cummins') responsiveness to their customers is amazing. The only other company that has ever given me this kind of service and attention is Isspro. It's sad that such a level of customer service is so rare. I couldn't believe it when I got a phone call.



I forgot to ask why there's no Stratapore or Fleetguard logo on the new filters.



Can anyone post a picture of the new filters? I haven't actually held one yet.



Ryan

 

[nickleinonen]

pictures... [fs19579e]

 

[CBrahs]

Please don't take this as starting a fight or anything but I am going to play devils advocate for a second.



It states that you "had never actually held one yet". that tells me that you have just sent an email to fleetguard and criticized them about inferior manufacturing on the new "e" filter rather than contacting them and asking questions first then hammering them. I am glad to hear that they contacted you and gave you a real answer rather than marketing hype. that is rare and it should be noted how fleetguard does business. Maybe next time ,and again I am not trying to start a fight, contact them with questions on the new filter and if it has better filtration and why they made the change.

 

[rbattelle]

It states that you "had never actually held one yet". that tells me that you have just sent an email to fleetguard and criticized them about inferior manufacturing on the new "e" filter rather than contacting them and asking questions first then hammering them.

I did criticize the new design, but not from a manufacturing standpoint. Rather, I criticized them for making a filter that *appears* to be of lesser structural integrity than the old FS19579.



I did this without ever having laid eyes on a real one. I suppose that was wrong. I normally prefer to carefully research components and parts prior to purchase, as opposed to just shelling out the cash and hoping for the best.



I trusted the judgment of some people around here whose opinions I hold in high regard (Nick among them), rather than paying for a new one first and then contacting them (I won't actually need a new one for at least 50000 miles, as I have a stock of old FS19579s).



I had been considering an increase in the filter change interval in order to avoid needing the new design for more than 50000 miles. After talking with them, I no longer see a need to do so.



I hope Fleetguard doesn't think I was being mean-spirited toward them ("hammering" them) - I know I sometimes come across as being confrontational when I'm really just trying to be direct. In hindsight, I should have softened the language in my original email, so as not to hurt anyone's feelings. I often fail to recognize emotional fragility in others.



In the future I will work harder to avoid this behavior. My apologies to anyone I've offended.



Ryan

 

[RankRam]

Ryan I feel that you did the right thing.



Thanks for taking action and posting this information for all to see, as always you have provided the TDR with yet another great post!

 

[CBrahs]

not playing DA now. I am glad that you contacted them and got a straight forward answer. It is great that someone did. We all now know that the new filter is not a "turd" and is hopefully a better product. Thanks for keeping us all informed and GREAT POST. This site is a great place to get information and learning from peoples mistakes or successes. Sorry if I sounded or came accross like an *****.

 

[rubberneck]

Thanks for the info. I just picked up one of the new 19579e filters and my very first thought was man who did they contract these things out to as they definitely "look" cheaper. Good to know they actually thought out the move rather than just boxing up the cheapest junk they could find.

 

[MMeier]

How much for the new ones ?

 

[cyborg]

Fleetguard is just another company selling a product.

Just because they say it, don't make it so.

I'm sure some engineer got a nice bonus for designing a comparitable filter using a new machine and current technology. The new filter has to be cheaper to produce, that was probably one of the selling points to replacing the old. But that does not make it stronger or more efficient. It only means it meet a standard and minimum criteria. And it was economically feasible.



In this day and age when someone says "new and improved", it doesn't always mean better.



I will still use them and change as I do (with the oil change), unless I find something better. maybe Baldwin?



Someone needs to dissect the two side by side.

I think the old one looked to be better built.

 

[dezeldog]

Ryan, Thanx for the info. on the new filters. When I received my first 19800E I couldn't believe it. That thing looked so damn cheap I had to look twice and make sure it was the right filter. Thanx again for posting.



Jim

 

[Buffalo]

Ryan,

I had a similar experience to "Dezeldog". I returned my "old" 10 mic. filters for the "new & improved" 7 mic. units. When I finally looked at the new ones, I thought "My God,what have I done?"



Since the new filters came out, there have been many negative comments made about the visual quality. Instead of just complaining, you decided to go to the source & find out what was really going on. For that, I thank you. Personally, I feel much more comfortable with the new filters after reading your post.



To me, it doesn't matter that you never held one in your hand. You had enough information about the new filters to warrant a communication with Fleetguard.



Joe F. (Buffalo)

 

[pwr2tow]

I never could understand all the anti-buzz everyone was making about the new filters. I looked at them and said hey they look great more surface area and embedded better into the end caps.

I stayed out of the debate because I couldn't find anyone to back me up. Thanks for doing what someone should have done from the beginning before the filters got discredited. It makes me wonder how long it will take to shed the rumor the new filters are crap.

 

[rbattelle]

It makes me wonder how long it will take to shed the rumor the new filters are crap.

Well, I feel much better about them now having spoken with Fleetguard. I'll move into the 7-micron without any concern when my stock of old filters is depleted.



Glad to be of service in helping figure out the new filters.



Ryan

 

[Lektrikman]

Fuel filters

RBattell, Did you by any chance ask them about any plans for 2 micron filters for the future? I've read a lot of posts on a number of sites about the level of filtering Dodge has provided us on these trucks (10 micron)and what Bosch recommends (2 micron). Has anyone heard officially from Bosch about their recommendations for filter micron size or efficiency? It appears that one of the elements of improved fuel system component reliability is clean, water free fuel and I don't think the 10 or 7 micron filters available are capable of doing the job... ... ... ..... Lektrikman

 

[rbattelle]

RBattell, Did you by any chance ask them about any plans for 2 micron filters for the future? I've read a lot of posts on a number of sites about the level of filtering Dodge has provided us on these trucks (10 micron)and what Bosch recommends (2 micron). Has anyone heard officially from Bosch about their recommendations for filter micron size or efficiency? It appears that one of the elements of improved fuel system component reliability is clean, water free fuel and I don't think the 10 or 7 micron filters available are capable of doing the job... ... ... ..... Lektrikman

It never occurred to me to ask. Sorry about that.



Ryan

 

[RDyson]

The filters area available from Geno's for $14. 95 + shipping.



Randy

 

[dezeldog]

The filters area available from Geno's for $14. 95 + shipping.



Randy

They are also available from scheiddiesel.com for $12. 15 + shipping.



Jim

 

[MJardine]

Just to confirm what Fleetguard had said about the old filters, I just changed mine (10000km) and found the filter media was securely fastened in the glue but the end cap was no longer attached to the glue and filter media. This was allowing unfiltered fuel to bypass direct to the VP44. At first I wondered if this was to do with the introduction of ULSD but it sounds like Fleetguard had previously identified the problem.



Mr. Mike.