2007 Buick Lacrosse 3.8L, ~45k
Out: ~4+ qts of unknown dino juice (Castrol?), AC Delco PF47 filter
In: 4.5 qts Amsoil XL 5W-30, Amsoil Ea15K filter
Hello - My first post on BITOG though I've been reading the forums for a week or so while waiting for my profile to be activated.
I just did an oil change yesterday on my 2007 Buick Lacrosse 3.8L. It used to be my parents' car until my mom stopped driving and they gave it to me after my previous car died. Don't know exactly what kind of oil they used last, it was in late June/early July at their friendly neighborhood Buick dealer, whom I have come to despise. I'm pretty sure it was conventional dino juice, I think it was Castrol based on the static cling sticker in the windshield. Not sure how many miles have elapsed since, I've put about 5k on since I got it in October before this oil change, so I'm guessing it's been around 7k. It did have the AC Delco PF47 filter.
I have almost always done my own oil changes, and have done do for nearly 25 years on several vehicles. This was my first on this car. I waited until the Oil Life Monitor was down to about 12%, and for the Polar Vortex to finally be over. (I live in Michigan, so it's never really over.)
I say I despised my parents' Buick dealer because they made three strikes: a) they did a full PA state vehicle inspection in November, and less than three hours later the headlights were out; b) they also neglected to check the power steering fluid reservoir, and when I noticed a whining noise I checked and found it to be empty, and c) when they did the last oil change, they severely overtightened it so I could not get it off without rounding off the hex head.
There were a couple of other circumstances which compounded this: a) the plug was a non-standard hex size (threads were correct), and b) the idiot engineers at GM designed the plug too close to the transmission pan so I couldn't get a socket wrench in there, and had to use an open-end wrench. (The box-end wouldn't go on because of the damaged head.)
When that didn't work I visited my own friendly neighborhood Buick dealer and asked if they would do it. They wouldn't do it with my own oil, and I didn't want to pay $70-$80 for their full synthetic change. I did ask their advice, and they were good enough to give it to me. They pointed out the smaller-sized hex head, and sold me a new plug with a 15 mm hex for a little over $3.
I went home and tried to a set of off-brand vice-grip pliers I had in my tool set. When that didn't work (because of the round jaws and dull teeth), I went and got name-brand made-in-the-USA GripLock pliers (same as Channel Lock but with square jaws instead of rounded). That finally worked.
The filter removal was a bit more straightforward; the BuickForums website and most other tutorials I'd seen said to remove the wheel to get to the filter. Since I was on ramps I wasn't going to do that. I decided instead to use a cap-style filter from underneath with a long 3/8" extension bar to my socket wrench. It broke free more easily than I'd expected. I tried the plastic bag trick I'd read about to catch most of the oil, but a shopping bag doesn't work as well as a ziplock bag. It got twisted and turned inside-out and didn't catch quite everything. But still better than letting it gush all over the place. I cleaned off the mounting surface and spun on and tightened the new Amsoil filter by hand per usual procedure.
This is my first go-round with Amsoil, but I have been using store-bought synthetics for about 20 years in several vehicles. I bought it while talking with the local Amsoil rep from whom I was buying an Amsoil air filter, and I decided to give the oil & filter a try. (While he talked an awful lot about the products, he wasn't a particularly aggressive salesperson, as I had to ask him to sell me a kit.) Total cost for the oil & filter (incl tax) was $45.86.
As for refilling, I was very surprised at how easily the Amsoil flowed out of the bottle. I really liked how the shape of the bottle and the size of the spout allowed me to invert it easily onto the fill tube. Usually I have to let a bottle sit for at least a few minutes to get all of the oil out, but with this it didn't seem to take nearly as long. I used 4.5 qts. Thus far I have only driven a few miles and no leaks seen. I'll check again tomorrow when I get home from work, or if I happen to go out tonight.
Amsoil says the XL oil is good for 6 months or 10,000 miles, but I'd expect to get at least 50% better than that with the OLM. I've been reading and searching the posts here and I see that Amsoil seems to have a loyal following. Honestly I'm probably one of those people who sometimes gets taken in by the product lit, but I really feel like I have made the right choice using Amsoil. But only time will tell. Not sure if I will get as in-depth as others with having oil analysis, maybe when I see a noticeable condition change.
Best Regards,
-Raj