Since Amsoil is so good, why doesn't every1 use it

[Andrew]

In Australia:

- AMSOIL: approx $AU76/5L including postage and there are very few sellers but the one I have used is excellent

- Mobil 1: $AU85/5L. Available everywhere

- PP: Impossible to find and when you do, only 40 weight at approx $AU75/5L (and I need 10w30)


I use Amsoil in my fathers car because he wanted a guaranteed 100% PAO oil and it is quite cheap by Australian prices. I use Mobil 1 because my car is under warranty and I want a brand-name oil with API certification so Toyota Australia won't give be grief.

 

[Louie's gone fishing]

Just think how many people would use Amsoil if the product was mediocre and the marketing was great. I’d say a whole lot more. Look at Mobil 1. There marketing is great considering the quality of the oil. At least Amsoil gives customers credit for being able to choose from products that not only have different labels but are different in the bottle, too.

 

[resslera]

I have tried in the past to buy Amsoil. The one time I called a dealer to buy some motorcycle oil they tried on the phone to get me to sell Amsoil. That deterred me so I use mobil1 in my bike and its cheaper.

About a month ago I was at the gas station. My car was ticking because it is an Isuzu with a SOHC 3.2L that is inherant to this problem (sticky valve-lash adjusters). Usually Mobil1 ow30 clears it quick though. Had a guy walk up and ask me to pop the hood so he could find out where the ticking is coming from. I politely said "no thanks, well aware of the ticking and what the cause is". He then proceeds to give me his business card "Amsoil" and tells me he has something that will cure that instantly. I tell him no thanks and he then begins to tell me how I can sell Amsoil. At that point I merely smiled, said no thanks and got in my car. He was still talking as I started my car to go.

Maybe it is the greatest oil in the world but that is strike 2. Mobil 1 and Royal Purple are working just fine for me.

 

[kd5byb]

My guess is that it's like this:

For instance, let's say my favorite beer is Stella Artois on tap. I think its the best beer out there. Why doesn't everyone else think it's the best beer? Personal taste. Different people like different things.

It's the same with motor oils. People like what they like for different reasons. Plus - if you don't think your oil is the best for your needs, you wouldn't use it!

Habit is also a player - takes energy/thought to try something new...

later,
b

 

[Pablo]

That's no good. Those guys were idiots. That is not what Amsoil Corporate pushes. Sorry about your experience.

You want oil, Gary and I sell oil.

 

[Steve S]

If I were to buy Amsoil I would buy it from the site sponsers
I have been reading their posts for years and they are straight shooters . Ihopt that is a politically correct description. Amsoil is a fine oil . Most people do not take advantage of its properties.

 

[Mamala Bay]

Amsoil is a small company it's been their trade mark to produce high quality products. Amsoil took a beating in the early years against the big boys and it's still here. Remarkable story...I'm a believer in their products. Even more so today.

 

[Shovel Head Ted]

I too, used to be a skeptic. Never heard of it.I also knew that Fram made the finest filters available. They had to be best, cause the name was on all the race cars. I was told about it by a co worker. Ive used it for about four years now. Now instead of crawling under my cars every 3-5k I go once a year. I get it from a guy who is near where I work. I just call him a day ahead. As for the mlm thing, who cares? I worked in a small town hardware store as a young man. There were many items that went through many hands before they got to us. It wasn't called mlm it was distribution. I also hate to pay shipping on anything, but the fact is wether we realize it or not we pay shipping on every thing we buy. I think most people don't use it cause they never heard of it.

 

[HighwayRanger]

Originally Posted By: jmac


4. I prefer to go on mystical hunts for oil and get best value for bottom dollar that take me to far flung automotive stores and odd places to find that which is on sale, or is a magical green elixir. Ordering over the phone or even *gasp* online would be way too easy and spoil the experience.


I suspect jmac just hit it on the head.......that elusive stash of exotic quarts or stupid-low prices stumbled upon in a motor-oil scavenger hunt. Here is the BITOG dance seen in auto-parts aisles across the country

 

[buster]

Originally Posted By: Louie's gone fishing
Just think how many people would use Amsoil if the product was mediocre and the marketing was great. I’d say a whole lot more. Look at Mobil 1. There marketing is great considering the quality of the oil. At least Amsoil gives customers credit for being able to choose from products that not only have different labels but are different in the bottle, too.


Completely disagree. M1 has always been good. It's only been called into question since this website and the internet in general. Amsoil can't lower quality with sites like this. Plus, what incentive would one have to pay to ship oil to their house that is no better than what you can get at Walmart?

 

[Steve S]

Originally Posted By: buster
Originally Posted By: Louie's gone fishing
Just think how many people would use Amsoil if the product was mediocre and the marketing was great. I’d say a whole lot more. Look at Mobil 1. There marketing is great considering the quality of the oil. At least Amsoil gives customers credit for being able to choose from products that not only have different labels but are different in the bottle, too.


Completely disagree. M1 has always been good. It's only been called into question since this website and the internet in general. Amsoil can't lower quality with sites like this. Plus, what incentive would one have to pay to ship oil to their house that is no better than what you can get at Walmart?
I am not knocking Amsoil but there are many oils on the market that will do an equal job or maybe even better than Amsoils offerings as there are lesser oils. It is what people believe or their preconceived notions that Amsoil products are worth buying.Just as with any other product.

 

[buster]

Originally Posted By: Steve S
Originally Posted By: buster
Originally Posted By: Louie's gone fishing
Just think how many people would use Amsoil if the product was mediocre and the marketing was great. I’d say a whole lot more. Look at Mobil 1. There marketing is great considering the quality of the oil. At least Amsoil gives customers credit for being able to choose from products that not only have different labels but are different in the bottle, too.


Completely disagree. M1 has always been good. It's only been called into question since this website and the internet in general. Amsoil can't lower quality with sites like this. Plus, what incentive would one have to pay to ship oil to their house that is no better than what you can get at Walmart?
I am not knocking Amsoil but there are many oils on the market that will do an equal job or maybe even better than Amsoils offerings as there are lesser oils. It is what people believe or their preconceived notions that Amsoil products are worth buying.Just as with any other product.


That is true too.

 

[Oilgal]

Since Amsoil is so good, why doesn't every1 use it?

Sadly the answer is both obvious 'and' unbelievable. It is because most people, simply can neither perceive nor believe, that which is obviouly true.

All sorts of credible people, are absolutely in love with with ARX, because it works so incredibly well. However, since the forgoing is true and ARX is so very highly recomended, therefore many simply assume that it is just "too good to be true", for some reason which only G D really knows, and so they refuse to use it.

This phenomenon is referred to as, The Self Punishing Principle Of Obtuse Incredulity

 

[dwendt44]

Until you can run down to the auto parts store (or Wal-mart) buy the oil at competitive prices and change your oil that afternoon, Amsoil will remain a nitch oil.
MLM is a turn off for many as well.
I can buy vitamins many places; don't need them from an oil company.

 

[Oilgal]

Myself, I plan to buy Amsoil and one of their EaO filters, by mail, because I don't want to drive all the way down Wal-Mart, find a parking spot, and then get stuck waiting in some long line. Instead, I will just wait for my Amsoil order to just show up at my door, and then I will go an entire year until my next oil change. Seems like a real no brainer to me.

 

[Ponch]

Oil guru's,.... a few years back I did a couple of UOA's on my vehicle using Amsoil, and after only 6 month's of service, and roughly 9000 miles on both batches, I was NOT impressed with the way it thickened out of range into a 40 weight oil (cst of 15.1). I contacted tech service at Amsoil, and even talked directly with Al junior, ..but got no where as to why they think this is acceptable. I am not trying to slam this company, but we all have the right to freedom of speech, and I am just letting everyone know of my personal experience. I was told that I should not worry until the viscosity gets into the 18cst range!! No more Amsoil for me!

 

[Louie's gone fishing]

I'm not calling Mobil 1 into question. Among all the choices today Mobil 1 is just another oil, nothing special in performance. Given the choice and especially for the price there are others worth considering and savings to be had. It has nothing to do with this web site or the Internet. Do you really think that Mobil 1 is better than say, Pennzoil Platinum? If you price match an Amsoil selection to Mobil 1, is Mobil 1 better? Marketing, yes, Mobil 1 is the best at marketing. Mobil 1 is in the hearts and minds of too many people and that's the best place to be with a product. When you go to your favorite watering hole for a non-alcoholic beverage you don't say give me a caramel colored fizzy sugar drink, you say give me a Coke and you don't think too much about what's really in the class. You might get a Pepsi but you got that dark colored fizzy drink you wanted and the name Coke is in your heart and mind. That makes Coke better than Pepsi, just like Mobil 1 is the best synthetic oil out there, bar none, right? Mobil 1 only has to be good enough and that's all it is. It was expensive to get into the hearts and minds of the public with the Mobil 1 name, logo and images, but imagine how much more it would cost to replace Mobil 1 with a new brand name. Unless someone comes up with a staggering amount of money and a great campaign it's game over, just like with Coke. The effect that this site has on the Mobil 1 market is non existent. In fact all the trash mouth talk and uninformed shots taken at Mobil 1 has probably been good for increasing sales. Now if Mobil 1 would make a cheaper oil filter they could go after Fram. Sort of a reverse of EP, have a new product that they actually sell for a reduced price. I guess that's why it won't happen and Fram will keep it's place in the hearts and minds of the public as the best oil filter.

 

[MGregoir]

If correct for the application, I don't think you can go wrong with Mobil 1. It might not be the cheapest, it might not be the best, but it's certainly a good answer to the question.

When correct for the application no oil should underperform, there is no real wrong answer, but it's when you try to flush out the details that is where you start to narrow it down.

If I had a Corvette, I could use Pennzoil Platinum, Mobil 1, any other number of approved Group III oils and maybe Amsoil and Red Line's recommended equivalents. All vary in price, all vary in quality, and all to an extent vary in their approach to the end result. If used as recommended, you may see a price-performance ratio difference but the end result is going to fundamentally be the same. Mobil 1 and Pennzoil Platinum are both readily available off the shelf and cheap.

Amsoil is a specialty product that may prove to be better than either, but it is not certified so you really don't have a 100% way of knowing. You could use Pennzoil Platinum as the manufacturer of the car recommends and SSO 0w30 the way Amsoil recommends and possibly even get the same results.

If you use the product you are supposed to, the way you are supposed to, you should get consistent results with no ill effects (barring something ridiculous like BMW's OCI and dealer oil at present) to the point you would have to run that engine a significant amount of time on a single oil in the same conditions to really put a standard deviation between them.

Mobil 1 or Amsoil or Red Line or Pennzoil Platinum are not the best oils in any given circumstance, but all of them are better than good enough, and in the mind of the public who doesn't know, Mobil 1 is better than good enough and they find comfort in that.

I am waiting for Mobil Super 3000 to come out over here, especially if they price it between their other oils and Mobil 1. It is their group III oil in many markets.

Your mileage may vary.

 

[Oilgal]

Originally Posted By: Ponch
Oil guru's,.... a few years back I did a couple of UOA's on my vehicle using Amsoil, and after only 6 month's of service, and roughly 9000 miles on both batches, I was NOT impressed with the way it thickened out of range into a 40 weight oil (cst of 15.1). I contacted tech service at Amsoil, and even talked directly with Al junior, ..but got no where as to why they think this is acceptable. I am not trying to slam this company, but we all have the right to freedom of speech, and I am just letting everyone know of my personal experience. I was told that I should not worry until the viscosity gets into the 18cst range!! No more Amsoil for me!



Ponch do you have a link to your UOAs in question? How long ago did this occur, and with what type of of Amsoil etc?

 

[Pablo]

Oilgal - it was probably old formula TSO (now SSO) or perhaps ASL in the 2000-2004 time frame. Indeed this oil did, by design, thicken into the 40 range and was acceptable. No one suffered wear because of this and I certainly didn't enjoy the perception on the sidelines that an oil of 14-15 cSt was road tar or sludge or something.

Amsoil got tired of people not really understanding this and changed the formulas in 2005.

It's odd now how readily folks are OK with shearing in some oils....as long as it doesn't effect wear.