Be Careful Of Lube Shops With Iggnorant Techs!

Yesterday while I was on my route (I drive a FedEx Truck for an Independent Contractor) I had a delivery for a lube shop (I will not mention name).  I do not have deliveries for this or any of the oil change places on my route that often but I have always wanted to talk with one of the few about retailing Amsoil.

As I approached the person/tech on duty to sign for the package I noticed he was wearing a black Castrol GTX shirt and I thought this might be a nice conversation starter because underneath my FedEx shirt I also had a Castrol GTX shirt (you think I would wear my Amsoil shirt to get dirty in???)... So after he signed for the package I said "I like your shirt" as I pulled my collar down to show him I was wearing a similar white one.  I then went on to say "To bad Castrol GTX is such as  bad oil" his reply "oil is oil"  Right then and there I knew i was talking to the wrong person, or of this was the right person he would not be interested.  I replied to him "Really? I have seen oil analysis from many oils and I can tell you that is not true" and left.

Be aware of people like this and let me clarify what I feel this comment "OIL IS OIL" means to me.

• Be concerned that this person really may not care what kind of oil he is putting in your car. The weight and/or one that meets the spec for you engine. Who knows maybe he will put tranny fluid in your oil!
• That what is in the bulk tank may not be filled with what they are selling you since, oil is oil

If this person and or shop really feels this way why wouldn't they let that show though in their marketing tactics?  When you look around the waiting room or the outside of the building you will see banners offering synthetic oil changes, or oil additives to boost performance.  If the shop really felt that "oil is oil" why would they even offer or sell you on synthetics, different brands of oil, or additives if all oils were equal?  I guess I am just a bit different. If I felt the way this person does I will tell everyone buy the cheapest oil you can buy change it every three thousand miles and that would be it.  But I don't agree with that lube shop because I know synthetics make a difference and all oils are not equal.

I can NOT sell something or promote something that I feel has little or no value.  Shops like this do not care about the oil you put in your car.. all they care about is you coming back every three thousand miles. This rakes in tons of cash for quick lube facilities and is completely uneccessary! Not to mention a complete waste of valuable resources.

GM, Honda and others use oil life monitoring systems that monitor your driving habits and bases oil changes on that data.  Most of these systems will not trigger "change oil now" any sooner than 5000 miles - this is on petroleum oil folks!.  Even with these systems, lube shops like the one mentioned above, will put oil change stickers in your window for a change at 3000 miles.. this is CRAZY..

If you are interested in changing your oil once or twice a year at 7500 to 35000 miles contact me.  I can even help guide you to changing oil on your own if you wish!

If you have had any terrible complaints about lube shops or you think I am off my rocker please comment.

2006 Chevy Impala SS 5.3L V8 DIY (Do it yourself) Oil Change

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This post serves two purposes

• Step by step guide to changing oil on a 2006 Chevy Impala SS 5.3L V8
• Unlocking the truth about Amsoil.  Is it is as good as they say it is?  As an Amsoil Independent Dealer this is very important to me as I sell products to personal friends, co-workers, and family.

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As of 6/16/2010 this car has 31,937 miles and has been running conventional oil change intervals of 3000 miles.  My customer is very busy. He operates a business full time, has two young children, is married and likes to spend time with his family doing things he enjoys on the weekend.  Currently he puts an average of 18,000 (he has not owned car since new) miles a year on his car.  With this kind of mileage he was changing oil 6 times a year, on the weekends at a lube center, when he would rather be spending time with his family. He is thrilled that he will have to only change once per year with the occasional top off - all backed with a warranty and an oil analysis.

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What I Hope To Achieve?

• Save my customer time and money by not changing oil six times per year. By doing so he will also be producing a lot less waste oil.
• Using oil analysis at the end of one year roughly 18,000 miles. Take an oil sample and provide the results here online to show that Amsoil does last 17,500 -35,000 Miles or one year based on driving habits.
• Show everyone that oil changes can surpass 3000 miles. GM Oil Monitoring Systems already recommend 5,000 -7,000 mile oil change intervals on conventional oil.  Is it really hard to believe a quality synthetic can go 17,500-35,000 miles before changing? (Keep in mind that you have to change the oil filter per manufacturers recommendation.) Not a problem here, the Amsoil Ea Oil filters are good of 1 Year or 25,000 Miles whichever comes first.

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2006 Chevy Impala SS 5.3L V8

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6/16/2010 - Car with 31,937. I will be doing an oil analysis (read more at the end) and changing the oil  around 49,937 Miles or one year whichever comes first.

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Here is the back of the Amsoil SSO 0W30 Full Synthetic Bottle.  My customer will be following the severe service guidelines.  This is the Chicago area... All driving is severe!

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Here is the box for the Amsoil EAO 32 Oil Filter.  It is a 1 Year 25,000 Mile filter.

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• Remove oil cap and pull out dipstick.  On some vehicles this may help the oil drain faster. It is also a nice reminder once you return the car to the ground that you still need to fill it.
• Jack up the car, and use jack stands to support the weight, or use drive on ramps. Never let the jack support the weight of the vehicle. Believe me jacks DO fail. In shops I have seen cars that were on professional lifts come down - this could be avoided by simply using the safeties that are built into these lifts.  As a do-it-your-selfer your safety is the jack stand! Here is what I did.. Place a 2x4 behind the right rear wheel.  Jack underneath the cradle (engine and transmission support that bolts to body) at the left front of the vehicle behind the front tire or anywhere that is part of the sub frame.My aplogies.. no pic Then I placed my jack stand near the front left of the cradle and lowered jack to allow stand to support weight of vehicle. I did not need to raise the right side because I had plenty of room to change the oil and filter lifting only one side.
  
  
  
  
  

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Once the car is up locate the engine oil drain plug.  For this application I used a 13mm Snap On wrench.  Any 13mm socket with ratchet or wrench will do. Well mostly, not all tools are created equal. Most of the tools found at the big box hardware stores or Sears will do just fine.  Some of the cheaper brands break and strip out or round out the fastener you are trying to remove.  When this happens you usually need to pull out a pair of vice grips right after you bandage your bloody knuckle from slamming into a metal object.

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Here you have a nice pic of the oil draining and an OK view of the oil filter with a oil filter wrench as well as my skinny arm. Location - Front dead center underneath car.

What's nice about this oil drain and oil filter location is that you can place a pan underneath both and remove at the same time.  Remember "righty tighty lefty loosy"

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While the oil is draining I take the time to fill the filter.
From the picture two above you may have noticed the filter is installed in an upright position.  This is not always the case. This allows me to fill the oil filter prior to installing it. This will help the engine build oil pressure quicker. Many people do not do this and while it may not be necessary, or even possible on other cars it can not hurt, so if it's an option I fill it before installing.

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Here you can see the oil filter is full.  You will also notice that I have applied oil to the black gasket.  This will help the filter seal, and make the filter easier to remove when it needs to be changed. BE SURE the filter you removed has the gasket attached to the filter before installing your new filter. Double gaskets will not work..I have to mention it because I have seen it done many times.. I have to admit I did it once or twice 12 years ago when I started. This is why you always check for leaks before driving off! Take your time no need to rush!
Installing the filter. Spin on - contact - then another full turn should do. Most filters have this info on the box.  You really should not need to use an oil filter wrench ( you may damage the filter) on a filter this small since your grip should be pretty good.  Big trucks sometimes require a little help from an oil filter wrench.
Most manufacturers recommend changing the oil drain plug gasket at oil change.  This is rarely done, but if you feel that it is necessary most part stores will carry them. Obviously if the gasket is torn, missing, ripped etc... replace it.

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Here is the type of drain pan I recommend you use.  You can seal it at all ends which eliminates the need to fill bottles to take off to the local recycling center. Just seal it up and put in it your car. (you may want to put it on a dirty towel, cardboard etc..) Always recycle your oil. Many parts stores will take the oil as well as most lube centers and repair shops.

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After lowering the car fill it up.  This car takes 6.1 Quarts.  I added 5 (already have some in the filter) to start with. Install cap, dipstick and start it up.  What you are looking for is your oil pressure light to go out on the dash (should happen real fast) and then go around to the front of the vehicle and peek for leaks.  If you have any leaks that are not residual leftovers from changing the oil turn it off immediately and find the source of the leak..  Did you tighten the oil filter? How about the drain plug?

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Now that you have verified no leaks it would be a good time to reset the oil maintenance light and/or and fill out an oil change sticker.
To reset the oil maintenance light for this application you turn the key on (don't start) press the gas pedal to the floor three times and the indicator should go back to 100% oil life.  This info is also in your owners manual.
Now that a few minutes have gone by you need to check the oil and add as necessary until you reach near the full mark. You are looking to be in the cross hatched area.  For this car it was 6.1 quarts. Here you can find specs for oil fill, and drain plug torque specs for this application.

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Now that the oil has been changed here is what I am going to do.
I will update any information that my customer gives to me or any work that I perform that is related to the oil, and/or performance.  Also, any concerns, testimonials, change in MPG or anything that is relevant to this post.  I will also provide any info including date, mileage and amount of oil that needs to be added to make it 18,000 miles.  I know my customer will be changing to the Amsoil Ea Air Filter in the near future.  I will also post date and mileage when this happens.

To eliminate any skepticism regarding the oil analysis I have included a Poll that has three different oil analysis companies and I will let the viewers decide. Please pass this page on!


To view the poll and the most up to date comments, and updates the original article is hosted here.  Scroll to the bottom and you will find the poll as well as the comments.

School District Saves Money With Amsoil

AMSOIL Proves Superior in Clark County Field Test

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In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of AMSOIL 15W-40 Synthetic Heavy Duty Diesel and Marine Motor Oil and the AMSOIL Dual-Gard filtration system in reducing operating expenses, AMSOIL and Direct Dealer Bill Andes began an ongoing field test in October 1998 with the bus fleet of the Clark County Board of Mental Retardation & Developmental Disabilities (MR/DD) in Springfield, Ohio.
Participating in the field test are three 1997 International 3800 school buses, two equipped with International 466 diesel engines and one with an International 466E diesel engine. Each had previously been running a conventional petroleum-based oil.

Prior to starting the field test, four goals were set:

1.	The reduction of fuel consumption through the superior lubricity and reduced viscometric drag provided by AMSOIL 15W-40 Synthetic Heavy Duty Diesel and Marine Motor Oil. Verification of this goal will be obtained by com-paring previously documented fuel mileage reports using petroleum oils with fuel mileage reports of the same vehicles now using AMSOIL diesel oil.
2.	The extension of fluid drain intervals due to the superior synthetic chemistry and additive system of AMSOIL Synthetic Heavy Duty Diesel and Marine Motor Oil, along with the additional efficiency pro-vided by the AMSOIL Dual-Gard filtration system.
3.	The reduction of maintenance costs due to the superior wear protection and extended drain intervals provided by AMSOIL Synthetic Heavy Duty Diesel and Marine Motor Oil and the AMSOIL Dual-Gard filtration system.
4.	Provide the above-mentioned benefits without com-promising the mechanical integrity of the equipment.

Baseline samples of the petroleum oil already in the crankcase were obtained, tested and documented. Next, the oil was drained and the engines flushed with AMSOIL Engine Flush. AMSOIL BMK-12 Filter Mounts, two BE-110 By-pass Filtration elements and AMSOIL 15W-40 Synthetic Heavy Duty Diesel and Marine Motor Oil were installed in each vehicle.
Oil samples from each bus are drawn and tested at 4000-mile intervals, the normal oil drain interval practiced by MR/DD when using conventional lubricants. Data obtained from the oil samples serves to determine the following:

1.	Fluid and vehicle baselines
2.	The mechanical condition of the vehicles
3.	Ability of the equipment to continue functioning as a demonstration vehicle
4.	Rate of internal equipment wear
5.	Serviceability of fluids and filters

Once drawn, each oil sample is reviewed in the areas of elemental analysis (including wear metals, contaminates and additives), physical properties (including viscosity, total acid number and total base number) and contamination (including water, solids, glycol, oxidation, fuel soot and fuel dilution). Oil condemnation limits vary due to individual engine idiosyncrasies, operating conditions and time the fluid has been in service.

Bus Number	Miles on AMSOIL without being changed	# of Petroleum oil changes (based on 4,000-mile interval)	# of AMSOIL oil changes (based on proposed 10,000-mile interval)
4	45,465	12	5
7	71,185	18	8
22	65,776	17	7

Read The Full Article Here..