I am in Dayton, OH. Most of the parts come from Columbus , OH or Indianapolis. Sometimes, KY. Like you said, the Gold filters have been gloss black for probably 5 years . These new, satin black ones have a little, dry grit/grip to them. Might make them a little easier to get hand tight. Similar to the end of some Fram filters. My local NAPA store was an independent for over 30 years. About 2 years ago, all the local stores became "corporate" stores. Not much changed as a consumer. They sell more garage art and air fresheners now. Got a couple decent late model corporate looking delivery cars. Everything else about the same. The 3 main counter people have about 70 years of parts experience and are fantastic. They make ALL the difference and that's why I go there. Parts probably cost 5% more than Autozone, Oreily's, and Advanced Parts which are all staffed by complete idiots with a maximum of 6 month's experience.
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