Carquest Premium Carquest Premium Engine Air Filter: Removes up to 0.99 of Dirt & Debris

This is the 2nd time I installed the in cabin filter and decide to do so myself after getting a $79.99 estimate from the Nissan dealer. Took me all of 30 mins to do and I wasn't rushing. The other filter was full of dirty and bugs so this replacement was right on time. Only downside to this one is it doesn't have the tab that the dealer will tell you should be missing when it's time to need replacing. Only used for a day(20-30 miles) but it seems to do the trick.

The OEM filter has locking tabs to keep the filter in place in the air box. When I purchased this same filter a year ago, it had the locking tabs. The new version, which is now made in China, does not. None of the filters in the store, Carquest Blue, Red, or Fram, had the locking tabs. I returned the filter and went to another parts store down the street and bought a Wix, which does have the OEM-style locking tabs and is made in S. Korea. The Wix costs an extra dollar, but it's worth it to get a filter that fits properly. The employee in the store thought that the tabs weren't needed and that it still would fit. Maybe he's right, but if the tabs don't serve a purpose, why did Carquest used to have them, and Wix and other aftermarket suppliers still have them? I don't understand why Carquest and Advance Auto changed the design of the part, but it was probably to save a few cents. They lost a sale as a result. I will not buy these filters in the future and am going to look at my other Carquest parts more closely in the future so I can see if they really are functionally the same as OEM.