Amsoil - Worth it?

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: VNTS
Oil isnt about ROI, that is like saying what is the ROI of Sam Adams vs Budweiser?


You wouldn't say that if you were running a fleet or a bar.

That being said, I think it's been shown that Amsoil can easily provide ROI when used as directed in appropriate applications.

 

[Volvohead]

Originally Posted By: dnewton3
Want to use a beer example? Fine by me:
Would you dump out the Sam Adams, or Bud, or Lite, or anything else before it was fully consumed? Would you throw away a bottle of Michelob or Amstel after only drinking 1/2 the volume?


Depends on where I am and what I'm doing.

I like Amsoil. But I like GC, RL, T6 and a few other much cheaper oils, too. I'm not running Amsoil in the lawnmower.

I like Sam Adams and a few other microbrews. Michelob and the other mega-produced ones are lawnmower beers.

If running Supertech in the lawnmower lets me drink more Sam Adams in the house, I'm a happy camper.

 

[buster]

Originally Posted By: Spooner65
Everyone knows of Amsoil, my question is; Is it hype, or the real deal.


One of the best oils on the market.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: Spooner65
Everyone knows of Amsoil, my question is; Is it hype, or the real deal.


Both, hype and the real deal.

I stopped using it because of the hype, and after trying it and hearing more engine noise. When I questioned it I was quickly attacked, and told engine noise doesn't mean anything. Yea OK. I don't like how carefully it is guarded and protected on these boards but reps. Some of their reps are clueless, and make some off the wall claims. Remember anyone can become a dealer for a fee. You won't see Mobil or Pennzoil guarded that way by reps or employees. I also don't like the idea that I have to pay extra to get better pricing, and how the dealers can waive that fee if they want to. No thanks. 4 ball testing, why?

They do make some good products, so do all the other oil companies. In the end it's your money spend it as you see fit! JMO

 

[Pablo]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Originally Posted By: Spooner65
Everyone knows of Amsoil, my question is; Is it hype, or the real deal.


I was quickly attacked,...I don't like how carefully it is guarded and protected on these boards but reps..... You won't see Mobil or Pennzoil guarded that way by reps or employees. I also don't like the idea that I have to pay extra to get better pricing, and how the dealers can waive that fee if they want to.



Not sure if you were attacked, but I will jump in when I see untruths. Small thing here - some/all brands are protected by loyalists on BITOG. It's not a company or board "rep" issue. I can assure you, I pay to be a sponsor and honestly get no special treatment. And I can assure you that Mobil or Pennzoil are very well guarded by employees.

One thing for sure, the PC fee is NEVER waived. That's just not true. Dealers can sell at whatever price they want, of course they can't sell less than they pay for too long! Some dealers may personally rebate the PC, but that's not an Amsoil thing, that's a personal thing.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: Pablo
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Originally Posted By: Spooner65
Everyone knows of Amsoil, my question is; Is it hype, or the real deal.


I was quickly attacked,...I don't like how carefully it is guarded and protected on these boards but reps..... You won't see Mobil or Pennzoil guarded that way by reps or employees. I also don't like the idea that I have to pay extra to get better pricing, and how the dealers can waive that fee if they want to.



Not sure if you were attacked, but I will jump in when I see untruths. Small thing here - some/all brands are protected by loyalists on BITOG. It's not a company or board "rep" issue. I can assure you, I pay to be a sponsor and honestly get no special treatment. And I can assure you that Mobil or Pennzoil are very well guarded by employees.

One thing for sure, the PC fee is NEVER waived. That's just not true. Dealers can sell at whatever price they want, of course they can't sell less than they pay for too long! Some dealers may personally rebate the PC, but that's not an Amsoil thing, that's a personal thing.


Pennzoil and Mobil reps are not on this site jumping into threads when something negative is mentioned about their products, at least I never saw it. But those companies are structured differently and don't have the same type of representation that Amsoil does here.

So some dealers rebate the fee if they like? OK fine waive, or rebate it, to me it's all the same because I didn't pay it. All I know is because I placed close to a $300 order I paid no fee and got PC pricing. Smart business IMO, because I would have passed had I not been given the better pricing or had to pay the fee.

I will say this, you know the Amsoil line a lot better than most people selling their products to make extra cash. Some of them are totally clueless.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: buster
Originally Posted By: Spooner65
Everyone knows of Amsoil, my question is; Is it hype, or the real deal.


One of the best oils on the market.


Absolutely agreed, but represented by many different types. MLM is a tough way for some to do biz.

Pablo here is very professional and would be a good guy to go to if you want some.

 

[TiredTrucker]

I have no doubt that Amsoil products are good. As for worth the cost.... not too sure on that one. I have taken several commercial trucks to over 1 million miles on so-called regular HDEO's. One, I took to 1.4 million and it still got better than industry average mpg and only used a gallon of oil every 7,000 - 8,000 miles, and was never been opened up for more than the overhead being run and one replaced injector. And it got 30,000 mile oil changes using Kendall 15w40 and did not use a bypass filter. I have not ever seen one truck go substantially further on engine life by consistently running synthetic. And the so-called "case study" articles put out by Amsoil are subjective at best. And I don't fall for the wasting oil scam. Virtually all used engine oil is recycled. Several companies put out very good oils themselves that are made primarily from recycled oils. Northland comes to mind.

I will contend that extending OCI's could make it more worthwhile, but that is all relative. How long can one extend the drain? Each situation would be different, as there is so many variables that can contaminate engine oil and cause breakdown. All it takes is one bad air filter to skew up the extended drain plan. Not counting the myriad of other small component related failures that could occur to mess things up. Is there any possible fuel mileage savings? Hard to quantify since there are so many variables that affect fuel mileage, and it has been shown that when someone does a mod or changes oil brand, etc, that they also tend to be more observant of fuel mileage and they operate the vehicle with more awareness of fuel mileage. So the mpg saving could be more related to the driving than the oil.

And considering the additional cost of the synthetic (and shipping if it isn't locally available), especially for someone like myself that uses 11 gallons in just one engine, it hasn't shown to be that good in relation to cost. Not when I can get a good quality HDEO, delivered to my house, at a total cost per gallon of right at $11. And when one is doing the extended drains, they will still be repacing full flow filters and usually be also using a bypass unit. That adds to cost.

When it comes to a pickup truck used to pull a bass boat on the weekend, ROI may mean nothing. But when equipment is used in business, ROI is everything. And I do use synthetics in other component applications like trannies and diffs. I can get substantial drain intervals using them there (500,000 miles), and the OEM also will extend the warranty by 50% (to 750,000 miles) if I use synthetic in those components. So that is cost effective. Engines.... not convinced.

 

[mead]

Originally Posted By: Pablo
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Originally Posted By: Spooner65
Everyone knows of Amsoil, my question is; Is it hype, or the real deal.


I was quickly attacked,...I don't like how carefully it is guarded and protected on these boards but reps..... You won't see Mobil or Pennzoil guarded that way by reps or employees. I also don't like the idea that I have to pay extra to get better pricing, and how the dealers can waive that fee if they want to.



Not sure if you were attacked, but I will jump in when I see untruths. Small thing here - some/all brands are protected by loyalists on BITOG. It's not a company or board "rep" issue. I can assure you, I pay to be a sponsor and honestly get no special treatment. And I can assure you that Mobil or Pennzoil are very well guarded by employees.

One thing for sure, the PC fee is NEVER waived. That's just not true. Dealers can sell at whatever price they want, of course they can't sell less than they pay for too long! Some dealers may personally rebate the PC, but that's not an Amsoil thing, that's a personal thing.




I have never had a employee of Shell, Mobile or Schaeffers continue to call me and harass me to purchase their product after informing them that I was not interested.

This happened to me after I contacted a local
Amsoil dealer about gear oil for my nv4500.

I was willing to try it but the price was more than the factory oil from the chevy dealer (which is also a synthetic made by Pennzoil).

While you may not conduct your business this way, enough of your associates do to taint the entire product line for me.


jim

 

[Pablo]

Originally Posted By: mead


I have never had a employee of Shell, Mobile or Schaeffers continue to call me and harass me to purchase their product after informing them that I was not interested.

This happened to me after I contacted a local
Amsoil dealer about gear oil for my nv4500.

I was willing to try it but the price was more than the factory oil from the chevy dealer (which is also a synthetic made by Pennzoil).

While you may not conduct your business this way, enough of your associates do to taint the entire product line for me.


jim


THAT is terrible and totally against policy, just like SPAM. Nothing wrong with following up with interested customers, but continued unwanted contact is just wrong. I apologize for those losers.

 

[Volvohead]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Pennzoil and Mobil reps are not on this site jumping into threads when something negative is mentioned about their products, at least I never saw it. . . .


No, not usually. But a few years back a "retired shareholder" of one of them (who shall remain nameless )undertook a near persecution campaign (here and elsewhere) against one of BITOG's members after the latter presented his own GC test results challenging an oil's formula. Caused the guy a lot of grief. He even went after me in repeated unwanted PMs until the mods put an end to it. That courageous member has kept a lower profile here since.

So . . . it can happen with any of them.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
I stopped using it because of the hype, and after trying it and hearing more engine noise. When I questioned it I was quickly attacked, and told engine noise doesn't mean anything. Yea OK.


I'm kind of on the fence with that one. We here complaints of M1 making engines noisier, too. In my experience, I can't tell the difference in sounds between a 5w-30 and a 15w-40 in the same engine, so what do I know?

As for marketing and bizarre tests, all the companies are guilty to one degree or another. Some don't like Amsoil's marketing method (from a sales perspective), yourself included. For some, it's convenient; otherwise, Amsoil would have gone under long ago.

For the people representing a product, we have all kinds in all fields. Pablo cares about his product and the idea of oil in general. Some reps may not. I'm sure most Walmart stockers and purchasers don't give two hoots about oil, either.

 

[Mamala Bay]

After reading all the posts it dawn on me this is the "HDEO" section yet somehow the thread is going beyond is "AMSOIL worth it" in general nit picking on other factors not related to the HDEO subject forum.

Seems the Amsoil dealer is trying to keep the subject on the HDEO section but somehow it's becoming an attack on Amsoil?

Amsoil offers quality products...

 

[yonyon]

Originally Posted By: dnewton3


Nearly everything can be about ROI.

Want to use a beer example? Fine by me:
Would you dump out the Sam Adams, or Bud, or Lite, or anything else before it was fully consumed? Would you throw away a bottle of Michelob or Amstel after only drinking 1/2 the volume?

Or, perhaps we should talk tires? Do you get rid of your tires when they are only 1/3 way down to the safe mark, just because you fear some undefined end?


Unlike Sam Adams, Budweiser has a way of getting warm about half way through the bottle so I dump that out before it's consumed.

About half the tires I use do get discarded before the tread is worn 1/3 of the way to the wear indicator because they get old and slippery. I don't care how much tread the tires have if I can't count on them to keep me on the pavement anymore.

Of course, Budweiser is free and I have to pay for the Sam Adams so the Budweiser wins on ROI. Still, quality counts for some things.

Wait, what was your point and did I agree or disagree with it?

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: Volvohead
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Pennzoil and Mobil reps are not on this site jumping into threads when something negative is mentioned about their products, at least I never saw it. . . .


No, not usually. But a few years back a "retired shareholder" of one of them (who shall remain nameless )undertook a near persecution campaign (here and elsewhere) against one of BITOG's members after the latter presented his own GC test results challenging an oil's formula. Caused the guy a lot of grief. He even went after me in repeated unwanted PMs until the mods put an end to it. That courageous member has kept a lower profile here since.

So . . . it can happen with any of them.


That's interesting it must have been very short lived. I haven't seen it though. I agree it can happen, but certainly not as much as it happens with Amsoil.

 

[dnewton3]

The point most people are missing here, (and in general) is that the OP is being specific, and NONE of us can tell him for sure one way or another.

Rather than pontificating about what is "right or wrong" for him, we should be encouraging him to continue using the tools he's already involved with (extended OCIs and UOAs) and do some trials.

It is entirely possible that Amsoil could pay for itself; I've seen some excellent exmaples of it meeting and exceeding the ROI. OTOH, I've also seen shameful waste of brand XXX synthetic, where someone thinks that "if something is good, then more MUST be better when changed every 5k miles".

Not one of us has the ability to say that for his specific situation, if Amsoil or Schaeffers is "better". He needs to define what "better" means to him, then set measurables, do some experiments, and see what the data tells him.

Amsoil and Schaeffers products both have excellent reputations for good reason. And, while I'd agree there are some really poor "loser" reps out there, they are nothing like the Amsoil and Schaeffer's reps we have here; top notch.

Spooner65, like I initially said; ignore the pundits, do your own trials, and find the answers. Don't ask us what we think; tell us what you find out!

 

[yucca]

So what is the cost per gallon of a 15w40 equivilent amsoil product?

 

[mead]

Originally Posted By: Pablo
Originally Posted By: mead


I have never had a employee of Shell, Mobile or Schaeffers continue to call me and harass me to purchase their product after informing them that I was not interested.

This happened to me after I contacted a local
Amsoil dealer about gear oil for my nv4500.

I was willing to try it but the price was more than the factory oil from the chevy dealer (which is also a synthetic made by Pennzoil).

While you may not conduct your business this way, enough of your associates do to taint the entire product line for me.


jim


THAT is terrible and totally against policy, just like SPAM. Nothing wrong with following up with interested customers, but continued unwanted contact is just wrong. I apologize for those losers.



Pablo

Thank you, however I do not wish for you to apologize for others. If I have occasion to purchase Amsoil products in the future it will be from you.
I have read many hundreds of your posts and you have always been professional and helpful even when attacked.

I believe that you would act the same regardless of what company you represented.

jim

 

[Trvlr500]

I don't use Amsoil because it would be ridiculous for the car I own. I will say this though. When I had my engine rebuilt 15 years ago I ran Castol in it for the break in and then changed over to Amsoil 20-50 mainly because I worked for an Amsoil distributor at the time.

I had to turn my idle down because once I changed from the dino 20-50 to the Amsoil 20-50 the car was idling 200 rpm higher. I can also vouch for their fuel system cleaner where I noticed big results in a very short period of time.

If I ever buy a brand new car or if I had a garage queen for hot-rodding or cruising around in the summer I would probably be using Amsoil in it but T-6 works just fine for me now. Even T-6 is overkill for what I drive.

Amsoil makes very good products and I had very good results with those that I have used in the past.

 

[NavyDood]

Plain and simple... BOTH!!!

It is the real deal for me. I run Amsoil AME 15w-40 and a single Amsoil EaO80 or Donaldson ELF7349 oil filter and no bypass on my vanilla 04 Dodge Cummins. I usually follow the 1yr or 25,000 miles, but if I go over the year mark to hit the 25K I don't lose any sleep over it. I'm at 189,000 miles on the truck and coming close to finishing up my sixth 1yr/25k OCI. My last 1yr/25k OCI approx 14 months and 27,600 miles and the UOA came back good to go. I only analyze when I change the oil.

It definitely can be hype if you are dealing with a "cut-n-paste from the Amsoil website" independant Amsoil dealer and IMO that is 90% of the independant Amsoil dealers out there. They don't even know what they are selling other than some kinda lubrication stuff.