Didn't do it because size matters, did it because it's cheap

I treasure hunt at places like flea markets, thrift stores, yard/garage sales, etc., every now and then. I saw this new Wix filter and got it because it's cheap. It's about 1/3 of the price compared to places like O'Reilly and about half the price of an OEM Toyota filter so I said, why not?

 

What other kinds of other treasures have you come across in your hunts? I got a Toyota bed mat on Craigslist one time, so I know the feeling. I also found a new toilet upper flapper rebuild kit at a garage sale, so my luck will probably run out any time after this win streak.

 

Sounds like your luck is just going down the crapper

 

Great score, OP. For those of us unlucky to find oil filters and toilet parts at estate sales, RockAuto is generally the best cost option for non-OEM parts like this (and sometimes OEM Denso or Aisin too). If you have a tiny bit of foresight to buy a bunch of parts at once the shipping costs are probably less expensive than the fuel you spend driving to the store.

 

Good find OP! High shipping cost usually is the deal breaker when found good wanted items online.

 

I normally buy oil and oil filters from Walmart, they are pretty much always cheaper than the auto parts stores. That filter is about $8 from Walmart in my area, so you still got a good deal, assuming you didn't spend $4 in gas to get there anyway.

 

I've found several things over the years but here are the things I've found for my Tacoma specifically thus far that I considered score, a brand new set of Weather Tech floor mats for $25. I had to trim the top edge a little to clear the clutch pedal though because my Taco is a 6-speed. A used genuine Toyota bed divider for $20, set of used genuine Toyota running boards for $50 and a set of used Lexus GX460 wheels for $100. All in good and clean condition.

The thing is most of the time when I do my treasure hunt runs, I don't really have anything specific I'm looking for, I just kind of stumbled onto it. I probably hunt about once a month. Maybe I'll stumble onto a manual TC one of these days as my low 4 is not working. I pretty much use high 4 all the time anyways when it comes to 4 wheeling but it's good to have low 4 in case needed.

Happy Hunting!

 

Thanks, and yes RockAuto is a good alternative.

 

Thanks and agree with the shipping cost. With that said, I don't really consider online shopping treasure hunting because I usually have something in mind when I shop online. Now, hitting up the flea markets, yard sales, etc., in person is treasure hunting IMO because I'm there in person to see what's up and then happen to stumble onto things I had an interest in but forgot all about it.

 

Very well thought

 

Okay, that is some really good stuff actually. Maybe we should hang out. I like to pass the time on Craigslist, your way sounds like too much work for me. Garage sales can produce some gems from time to time. I like to ask if stuff that isn't for sale is for sale. It produces good results.

 

Wix makes good filters. They have been around since the 1930's and I believe introduced the first spin-on oil filter. At one time their motto was: "Truck Filters for Cars"

 

So for all you commenting here...i got some maintenance on the wife's Kia (Optima, 2020) coming up, including an oil change. Are you suggesting that I should be putting a Wix filter on her car over nearly anything else? Should I be doing that over the OEM filters I put on my 2016 taco too?

 

In a word: NO. Wix are not even the best filter for a Tacoma. They are good quality filters and work just fine, but objectively they are not the best thing available. Don't take my word for it, go read the following thread and make up your own mind.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/toyota-oil-filter-made-in-thailand-vs-the-competition.123608/

 

Read that years ago, when I joined TW. Have been running Toyota filters ever since, and honestly a recently watched video by The Car Care Nut on YT and now I'm borderline not going to use another aftermarket filter (ever). But in needing plugs & an oil change in the wife's kia, and looking on RockAuto, they had a Wix filter available and pretty cheap... so I figured I'd ask

 

I don't think Wix is the best either. Aside from genuine Toyota OEM, I've used several aftermarket oil filters such as Mobil 1, K&N, etc., over the years. My Taco is approaching 250k mile mark on the clock now and the motor still runs very good so I'm content with all the filters I've used in the past. I will use the cheap Wix filter mentioned on here for the next oil change and see. I don't foresee any issues with it either.