Do It Yourself Oil Change
The radio advertising of the national auto supply chain store told me to look in the mirror to see the best person to change my oil. Then came the pitch, special price for five quarts of conventional motor oil and filter. Well, on the face of it in these recessionary times this seems like a perfectly reasonable proposal. Although I am not sure how many people did the ad convince to become a do-it-yourselfer.
Then again, the ad was probably targeting those already changing their oil themselves and trying to get them in the store to get the deal on the oil and sell them whatever else they might need.
Is a deal -any deal- on conventional motor oil really a deal? I used to do my own oil changes years ago when a quart of oil was about 70 to 80 cents and the filter cost less then 3 bucks. At the time I did it because it was like hobby and I did it every 2000 miles just to make sure. Nowadays, with the oil about 3 bucks a quart and the filter about 6 dollars it would be more of a savings proposition. But lets see if the savings would be worth the trouble...
On average a mechanic charges about $29.95 to $34.95 plus tax for an oil change. Figure about a half an hour to 45 minutes including the trip to and fro to the shop. If we take the average car being driven 15 thousand miles per year that's 5 oil changes. Not figuring the tax as that's a variable, we are looking at a yearly expense of $150 to $175 and about 3 hours of time. We should count an additional expense of a few bucks, say $10 per year, for the engine flush every 30 thousand miles to get rid of the sludge build-up due to the use of conventional motor oil. So our yearly expense comes to about $160 to $185.
If I were to do this myself, I would have to incur the initial costs of two ramps and some tools but I am not going to put that into the equation. Assuming I would get the oil and the filter for about $20, I would be saving about $60 to $85 per year. I would still spend about the same amount of time doing the work myself. Over the life of the car the savings would add up to about $500 to $800.
About two and a half years ago I found a better way... I switched to AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oil in all the cars in the family. With the multitude of synthetic oils available on the market, I had to do some research. In comparing the leading makes I found AMSOIL to be the only one that had a 25 thousand mile or one year guarantee printed right on the bottle. My cars all had anywhere between 35 thousand to 65 thousand miles on them so I had to have the engines flushed before I had the oil change done.
True, the oil currently costs $9.10 per quart and the filter is $17.30 retail, but I am only doing it once a year!
There are additional benefits as well. Since I switched over to AMSOIL, I get about 8 – 10% better gas mileage which made a big difference last year with gas being $4 a gallon. And the way gas prices are going up again, it does help! AMSOIL has no contaminants, is a lot thinner than conventional oils so my engine runs cooler in the summer. It also stays liquid down to below -50°F which I really appreciate on those cold winter mornings, my engine starts easier. So not counting the additional benefits of less wear and tear on the engine and the gas savings, I am looking at an expense of $62.80 plus $25 that my mechanic charges me to do the oil change. This comes to $87.80 once a year, about half the cost of conventional oil changes! A good deal!
An even better deal is AMSOIL's Preferred Customer program. AMSOIL Preferred Customers purchase AMSOIL products at wholesale cost, which is 20-25% less than regular retail prices. Preferred Customers receive an information kit on AMSOIL products and the monthly AMSOIL magazine. Preferred Customer memberships may be renewed indefinitely for only $20/year. There is also a six month membership which costs $10.00. There is no limit on purchases, buy as much or as little during the membership period.
So, adding it all up, which is the better deal? I think the choice is obvious! Oh, one more thing that is also an important factor, I am also environmentally friendly because I am only disposing of 5 quarts of used oil instead of 25 quarts...
To learn more about the AMSOIL Preferred Customer program and to find out how to save $3469 every year on car maintenance, visit: http://drivealotsavealot.com
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
3 Steps to Save Gas
This is neither about the usual, commonplace or trivial recommendations, nor is it about claims that certain additives or alterations to your engine will make it run on water.
This is my actual experience switching to AMSOIL products.
1) Since my car was four years old with 65,000 miles on it, I first flushed the
engine with AMSOIL Engine Flush to get rid of the built-up gunk.
2) Changed the oil to AMSOIL 100% Synthetic 0W-20 Motor Oil.
Under normal conditions this oil has a Guaranteed Service life of 25,000 miles
or one year. This required the use of AMSOIL’s Ea Oil Filter which is also
Guaranteed for the same miles / time.
3) Switched my Air Filter to AMSOIL’s Ea Nanofiber technology Air Filter.
These filters hold 15 times more dust than wet gauze-type filters. The Media
removes 5 times more dust than traditional cellulose filters and 50 times more
dust than wet gauze. Unmatched 4-year/100,000-mile guarantee.
The oil change-over increased my mileage by about 8% and the filter gave me another 4 – 5% more miles per gallon. While this increase during the summer was more meaningful then it is now there are additional savings to consider. I am changing the oil once a year instead of 5 – 8 times. ( I drive between 15,000 to 25,000 miles per year)
In addition, AMSOIL stays liquid down to –65 °F and it’s flash point is 442 °F my engine starts easier in the winter and runs cooler in the summer, I am also saving on repair costs… while being Environmentally Friendly!
To learn more about AMSOIL, tips on how to save gas, oil and money while driving and to order online direct from AMSOIL, visit: http://www.drivealotsavealot.com/
average joe
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Run your Own Business
To find out more about AMSOIL or, to purchase the right Amsoil product for your vehicle, visit:
AMSOIL Testimonials Library
Dear AMSOIL:
I wanted to tell you about an event that happened to my family and I when first using AMSOIL. It was back in 1992 and a friend introduced me to Ray DesMarais (now my direct jobber) in Rochester, MA, and it only took Ray a minute to turn me on to AMSOIL. I switched my brand new 1992 Subaru over at 5,000 miles and that winter my family and I were on a ski trip to Bretton Woods, NH located across from Mt. Washington.
The temperature that Saturday morning was below zero while we sat in the breakfast room of Carlson's motor lodge and Mr. Carlson explained to us that the tow-truck was stuck -- he couldn't get his engine started. And so, we bundled up after breakfast, went outside where we found at least a foot of newly fallen snow on top of a foot that fell on Friday and a few of us shoveled out a path to our drivers side doors. There must have been at least 8 to 10 cars, trucks, vans, etc., in the lot. Everybody ended up with dead batteries except me. I got in, turned the key without pressing the accelerator, and the starter was whining, then turned it off, then tried again without pumping any gas and on the second try, it started. It was very quiet at the time and the people that were still out there came running over to see how I started my engine. I simply pointed to my AMSOIL stickers and said that is the only reason why my engine turned over. They were all in disbelief. I let the engine run while we packed up and off we drove to the ski area.
Even though we only took a couple of runs that day, it was much too cold no matter how well you were dressed but, we were delighted to know that we could start the engine and forever are grateful to AMSOIL. It could have been a circumstance of far more importance and from that time on we have been driving with confidence knowing that AMSOIL is under the hood.
Again thank you.
Respectfully,Douglas C. Oliveira, ZO#505194
To find out more about AMSOIL or, to purchase the right Amsoil product for your vehicle, visit:
http://www.drivealotsavealot.com/
I wanted to tell you about an event that happened to my family and I when first using AMSOIL. It was back in 1992 and a friend introduced me to Ray DesMarais (now my direct jobber) in Rochester, MA, and it only took Ray a minute to turn me on to AMSOIL. I switched my brand new 1992 Subaru over at 5,000 miles and that winter my family and I were on a ski trip to Bretton Woods, NH located across from Mt. Washington.
The temperature that Saturday morning was below zero while we sat in the breakfast room of Carlson's motor lodge and Mr. Carlson explained to us that the tow-truck was stuck -- he couldn't get his engine started. And so, we bundled up after breakfast, went outside where we found at least a foot of newly fallen snow on top of a foot that fell on Friday and a few of us shoveled out a path to our drivers side doors. There must have been at least 8 to 10 cars, trucks, vans, etc., in the lot. Everybody ended up with dead batteries except me. I got in, turned the key without pressing the accelerator, and the starter was whining, then turned it off, then tried again without pumping any gas and on the second try, it started. It was very quiet at the time and the people that were still out there came running over to see how I started my engine. I simply pointed to my AMSOIL stickers and said that is the only reason why my engine turned over. They were all in disbelief. I let the engine run while we packed up and off we drove to the ski area.
Even though we only took a couple of runs that day, it was much too cold no matter how well you were dressed but, we were delighted to know that we could start the engine and forever are grateful to AMSOIL. It could have been a circumstance of far more importance and from that time on we have been driving with confidence knowing that AMSOIL is under the hood.
Again thank you.
Respectfully,Douglas C. Oliveira, ZO#505194
To find out more about AMSOIL or, to purchase the right Amsoil product for your vehicle, visit:
http://www.drivealotsavealot.com/
AMSOIL Testimonials Library
Richard Giddens finds AMSOIL an Invaluable Asset for his Prize AMC Race Car.
About three years ago a friend told me about AMSOIL products. He explained how they would conserve fuel in my Dodge pickup truck. At first I was skeptical. I thought this was just another product promising to work better than anything else. After some convincing I gave in and tried AMSOIL. My Dodge pickup was a 2000 year model with 140K miles on it. My truck typically got 19-20 MPG. That following weekend we traveled to West Texas. I carefully calculated the mileage. . .then recalculated the mileage. I was amazed to find that my truck actually got 22.23 MPG after switching to AMSOIL. That is an increase of 3 to 4 MPG.
I became a believer in this product. I added it to all of my vehicles including my 2002 41Ft. CAT Diesel motor home, 1971 AMX Javelin show car, and a 1971 AMX Drag Racing muscle car as well as my wife's 2004 Chevrolet Avalanche pickup. The performance of all the vehicles improved, especially my 1971 AMX Dragster. This car has an 800+ HP engine with a 15:1 compression ratio.
After 10 runs down the strip the cam distributor gears went out. I replaced the gears and added standard 20W50 Castrol racing oil (not AMSOIL). The car performed at 125 MPH in the quarter mile on the first run. This was 8 MPH slower than the typical 133 MPH I was getting with the AMSOIL product. On inspection of the car after this run 1 discovered that the new gears had also stripped out. Apparently the gears had never been compatible. I replaced them once more and this time added AMSOIL. My car resumed its outstanding performance on the track at 133 MPH in 10.38 seconds. I also believe that AMSOIL actually preserved my car's gears for those first 10 runs and they would have stripped sooner without AMSOIL. Now at 191K miles, my Dodge diesel pickup continues to perform well and maintains the 22 to 23 MPG.
Richard Giddens
Owner:1971 Javelin AMX "Rare Breed" Race Car 1971 Javelin AMX Show Car2004 Chevy Avalanche Pickup2000 Dodge Turbo-Diesel Pickup2002 41 Ft Cat Diesel Powered Motorhome
Note: The incompatible timing gears on the distributor of the AMX Drag Car lasted 10 runs before stripping out when lubricated by the AMSOIL Series 2000 20W-50 Racing oil. The next set of distributor timing gears were also incompatible and only lasted one 1/4 mile pass with Castrol 70W-50 Racing oil.
To find out more about AMSOIL or, to purchase the right Amsoil product for your vehicle, visit:
http://www.drivealotsavealot.com/
About three years ago a friend told me about AMSOIL products. He explained how they would conserve fuel in my Dodge pickup truck. At first I was skeptical. I thought this was just another product promising to work better than anything else. After some convincing I gave in and tried AMSOIL. My Dodge pickup was a 2000 year model with 140K miles on it. My truck typically got 19-20 MPG. That following weekend we traveled to West Texas. I carefully calculated the mileage. . .then recalculated the mileage. I was amazed to find that my truck actually got 22.23 MPG after switching to AMSOIL. That is an increase of 3 to 4 MPG.
I became a believer in this product. I added it to all of my vehicles including my 2002 41Ft. CAT Diesel motor home, 1971 AMX Javelin show car, and a 1971 AMX Drag Racing muscle car as well as my wife's 2004 Chevrolet Avalanche pickup. The performance of all the vehicles improved, especially my 1971 AMX Dragster. This car has an 800+ HP engine with a 15:1 compression ratio.
After 10 runs down the strip the cam distributor gears went out. I replaced the gears and added standard 20W50 Castrol racing oil (not AMSOIL). The car performed at 125 MPH in the quarter mile on the first run. This was 8 MPH slower than the typical 133 MPH I was getting with the AMSOIL product. On inspection of the car after this run 1 discovered that the new gears had also stripped out. Apparently the gears had never been compatible. I replaced them once more and this time added AMSOIL. My car resumed its outstanding performance on the track at 133 MPH in 10.38 seconds. I also believe that AMSOIL actually preserved my car's gears for those first 10 runs and they would have stripped sooner without AMSOIL. Now at 191K miles, my Dodge diesel pickup continues to perform well and maintains the 22 to 23 MPG.
Richard Giddens
Owner:1971 Javelin AMX "Rare Breed" Race Car 1971 Javelin AMX Show Car2004 Chevy Avalanche Pickup2000 Dodge Turbo-Diesel Pickup2002 41 Ft Cat Diesel Powered Motorhome
Note: The incompatible timing gears on the distributor of the AMX Drag Car lasted 10 runs before stripping out when lubricated by the AMSOIL Series 2000 20W-50 Racing oil. The next set of distributor timing gears were also incompatible and only lasted one 1/4 mile pass with Castrol 70W-50 Racing oil.
To find out more about AMSOIL or, to purchase the right Amsoil product for your vehicle, visit:
http://www.drivealotsavealot.com/
The Sum of it's Parts
To find out more about AMSOIL or, to purchase the right Amsoil product for your vehicle, visit:
AMSOIL Testimonials Library
AMSOIL Gives Life to a Sweet Old CadillacMaking a skeptic into a believer.
Dear AMSOIL,
I thought you might appreciate hearing my AMSOIL story.
When the opportunity arose last year to purchase my mother-in-law's 1987 Cadillac DeVille, I jumped at the chance. A true low mileage survivor, it was in near pristine condition. I was proudly showing it off to a mechanic friend when he said, "Uh-oh, you bought an HT-4100? Good luck buddy."
After much research I understood what he meant. The HT-4100 was rumored to be one of the most troublesome engines Cadillac ever built. The problems are numerous: an aluminum block with cast iron heads that expand and contract at different rates causing premature head and intake gasket failure, coolant loss into the oil, and finally main and rod bearing failure. They also have a heavily loaded distributor gear, weak timing gears, and sludging issues.
My first thought was, if ever an engine needed AMSOIL, it's this one. I first heard about AMSOIL at the old Brohman Dragway in the late 1970s from a fellow racer who swore by it. For the past 10 years, I've used various synthetic oils with favorable results, but never AMSOIL. Then I talked with Dave Mann, the AMSOIL Dealer in my home town, and told him my story. Having spent 19 years as a lubrication specialist with Ford, Dave knows his stuff. He made several recommendations, and shared with me his excellent e-book on motor oils.
I also asked around at the Cadillac owners group I belong to, and almost every one of them said, "Don't buy AMSOIL! It's too expensive and won't do you any good. You need this or that oil with this or that additive," and so on.
So who was I to believe?
Having spent over 25 years in advertising and marketing, I have a strong skepticism for extravagant claims made by manufacturers. Usually, when you hear impressive adjectives like "advanced" and "superior," someone just wants your money or your vote (or both). So I read the science; from AMSOIL and from several independent studies. I came to the conclusion that it really is an excellent product. It also intrigued me that one of the primary sales points made by AMSOIL is to convince you to buy LESS of their product. That kind of marketing is contrary to anything I've experienced, and elevates AMSOIL's credibility level exponentially.
I switched the Cadillac over to AMSOIL 5W-30 (ASL) last fall, then put in AMSOIL 10W-30 (ATM) this spring (even though it's not a turbo, I like the extra wear protection offered by this formula). Rather than letting the oil go a full year, I change it every six months, during which time it accumulates about 6,000 miles. My dad was an auto mechanic and taught the 3,000-mile oil change rule like it was the 11th commandment - that kind of conditioning is hard to overcome. With this frequency, I still spend less money than if I changed the oil on a three-month/3,000-mile schedule. I use the money I save to have drain samples tested by an independent lab each time.
The Deville now has 50,000 miles and runs like a fine Swiss watch. I have not had a single problem with the 'troublesome' HT-4100 engine. It runs roughly 10 degrees cooler than with regular oil, and my gas mileage has increased by 10%. It has become my mission to get 200,000 miles from this car. With AMSOIL, I might just make it.
As an addendum, I also recently switched my wife's 2003 Oldsmobile Silhouette minivan to AMSOIL. Since we've owned it, this car has had a lifter clatter for the first 10 seconds on cold starts. Literally, on the first start after putting in AMSOIL, the clatter was gone.
Thanks AMSOIL. By making a superb product that truly does what you say it will do, you've given new life to a sweet old Cadillac, and made a believer out of this devout skeptic.
Steve Cook Traverse City, Michigan
To find out more about AMSOIL or, to purchase the right Amsoil product for your vehicle, visit:
http://www.drivealotsavealot.com/
Dear AMSOIL,
I thought you might appreciate hearing my AMSOIL story.
When the opportunity arose last year to purchase my mother-in-law's 1987 Cadillac DeVille, I jumped at the chance. A true low mileage survivor, it was in near pristine condition. I was proudly showing it off to a mechanic friend when he said, "Uh-oh, you bought an HT-4100? Good luck buddy."
After much research I understood what he meant. The HT-4100 was rumored to be one of the most troublesome engines Cadillac ever built. The problems are numerous: an aluminum block with cast iron heads that expand and contract at different rates causing premature head and intake gasket failure, coolant loss into the oil, and finally main and rod bearing failure. They also have a heavily loaded distributor gear, weak timing gears, and sludging issues.
My first thought was, if ever an engine needed AMSOIL, it's this one. I first heard about AMSOIL at the old Brohman Dragway in the late 1970s from a fellow racer who swore by it. For the past 10 years, I've used various synthetic oils with favorable results, but never AMSOIL. Then I talked with Dave Mann, the AMSOIL Dealer in my home town, and told him my story. Having spent 19 years as a lubrication specialist with Ford, Dave knows his stuff. He made several recommendations, and shared with me his excellent e-book on motor oils.
I also asked around at the Cadillac owners group I belong to, and almost every one of them said, "Don't buy AMSOIL! It's too expensive and won't do you any good. You need this or that oil with this or that additive," and so on.
So who was I to believe?
Having spent over 25 years in advertising and marketing, I have a strong skepticism for extravagant claims made by manufacturers. Usually, when you hear impressive adjectives like "advanced" and "superior," someone just wants your money or your vote (or both). So I read the science; from AMSOIL and from several independent studies. I came to the conclusion that it really is an excellent product. It also intrigued me that one of the primary sales points made by AMSOIL is to convince you to buy LESS of their product. That kind of marketing is contrary to anything I've experienced, and elevates AMSOIL's credibility level exponentially.
I switched the Cadillac over to AMSOIL 5W-30 (ASL) last fall, then put in AMSOIL 10W-30 (ATM) this spring (even though it's not a turbo, I like the extra wear protection offered by this formula). Rather than letting the oil go a full year, I change it every six months, during which time it accumulates about 6,000 miles. My dad was an auto mechanic and taught the 3,000-mile oil change rule like it was the 11th commandment - that kind of conditioning is hard to overcome. With this frequency, I still spend less money than if I changed the oil on a three-month/3,000-mile schedule. I use the money I save to have drain samples tested by an independent lab each time.
The Deville now has 50,000 miles and runs like a fine Swiss watch. I have not had a single problem with the 'troublesome' HT-4100 engine. It runs roughly 10 degrees cooler than with regular oil, and my gas mileage has increased by 10%. It has become my mission to get 200,000 miles from this car. With AMSOIL, I might just make it.
As an addendum, I also recently switched my wife's 2003 Oldsmobile Silhouette minivan to AMSOIL. Since we've owned it, this car has had a lifter clatter for the first 10 seconds on cold starts. Literally, on the first start after putting in AMSOIL, the clatter was gone.
Thanks AMSOIL. By making a superb product that truly does what you say it will do, you've given new life to a sweet old Cadillac, and made a believer out of this devout skeptic.
Steve Cook Traverse City, Michigan
To find out more about AMSOIL or, to purchase the right Amsoil product for your vehicle, visit:
http://www.drivealotsavealot.com/
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