I was going to a loyal Royal Purple user but I have read that the additive moly they use can clog oil lines so I have decied to stray from it. I know Mobil 1 is great stuff and so far I have looked into AMSoil and it seems to be the best stuff out there I plan on running it in the Mini and the M3. I was just wondering if anyone has used it before and your thoughts on it.
Here as well Use it in our e46 and e39 (plus a couple Toyotas.) Be sure you sign up as a preferred customer so you can buy at 'wholesale'. BTW, you can also by Mothers waxes and now Mann filters through them (at 'wholesales' prices.)
Stick with the RP or Mobile One unless you have an E46 M3 in which you need to be running Castrol TWS.
Stick with the Amsoil.... I have been using Amsoil for many years in many different vehicles. Engine oil, Transmission Fluid, Gear Lubes and even grease. Nothing wrong with Mobil 1 or Castrol TWS that is formulated to BMW/Mini specs. I agree that most moly additives, or oils containing it, can build up as they do not stay suspended in the oil. Not to start anything, but check if M1 or RP, or any other manufacturers, will replace your engine if their oil is found to cause its failure. Good stuff !!! Agree, sign up for the $20 preferred customer program, it will save you $$ if you plan on using/swapping to Amsoil, or related, products....they have a LOT. I used to be a "dealer" about 15 years ago before they had this option. A bit of back story.....if you are interested.... I did not initially run Amsoil in my M5's Getrag 280 5-speed as I bought it with a bit of a leak, so I stuck with the OE non-synthetic Automatic Transmission Fluid. When it developed the common G-280 2nd-3rd gear synchro crunch, I attempted to extend the inevitable rebuild by adding a very small amount of MoS2 powder to the 2 quarts of fluid. This helped temporarily, and when I rebuilt it, I found this powder caked into every small nook and cranny. I ended up running every piece, including the housing, thru the parts washer to remove it all. With all new synchros and seals, I now run the Amsoil synthetic ATF and my transmission runs cooler and shifts smoother. The rear end gear lube I run is also Amsoil and it runs cooler as well. I check using my Raytech infrared temp gun for comparison under track conditions. The temps are always lower than when I was using NON-synthetic lubricants.
I have used Amsoil for years in my Supercharged truck and my Harley Davidson Ultra Classic motorcycle. Never had anything better. Will go to it when I have to start paying for oil changes.
Someone's Jamming my Radar It is I....LoneStar!!! Hello Jer, I ran the 75w90 with the formulation that doesn't require any limited slip additive. I believe it has a rating higher than the the GL-5. Been using it for a while....it was in there when you drove the car!!! It would be a nice addition for the "Bahrnsthommer", if that is even a word. I have a resource that sells at just above cost....
holy crap... that was in........2003??? I have a client that is a dealer, (John Gentry, used to be at Duncan, you know him), I'll just get it from him. Much thanks though... It'll be some time anyway, I can't even get to the back of the car at the moment!!!!! I'm going to go home and start pulling off the exh manifolds and the intake in preparation for head work...
In general I avoid synthetics because my "fleet" is older high mileage cars. but I keep wondering about Amzoil. Just like POR 15, a marvelous product for restorers, AMZOIL is sold thru multi-level marketing (as I understand) and this alone tends to turn me away from it...as so many layers of distribution ad so many layeers of markup and so on AND the guy you are taling with buying it from doesn't have to know any more than a data sheet about it. what's the real story here?
If you sign up to be a "prefeered customer you get the stuff for wholesale, which so far has saved me alot, The $20 fee, with over $80 and counting in savings works for me. With discount its cheaper then stuff at the dealership and at the autostore and this stuff is quality.
Mact, Devilsown is correct....overall Amsoil will be cheaper after shipping, tax etc. once you recoup the $20 preferred customer fee and are buying at wholesale. To avoid a known high quality product because of perceived "Multi-Level Marketing markups and layers of distribution" is, in my opinion, absurd. That could easily have been dispelled by simply visiting the Amsoil website. You would have been invited to buy direct at wholesale and shipped direct to your door, with no middle man, for the $20 preferred customer fee, that is not much like most MLM's I have seen. This is a very reputable company with a long history of excellent products and results. I really can't understand why you are even concerned since you "generally avoid synthetics" and would not by buying Amsoil, or any synthetic products anyway. Not trying to flame on you, just gain perspective of what your angle on this subject is. Are you asking how Amsoil is set up as a company, how their cost structure flows thru their independent dealers etc.? If so, visit this link as there is a lot of good info there....<http://tinyurl.com/99uop7>
Compared to what exactly? What oils are you comparing? And paying significant overhead on a product when I can buy a well known and OEM recommended product for the same or less from the dealer (with my CCA discount) is equally absurd. Totally unbiased i'm sure. I can buy oil at a discount from my local BMW dealer after paying the "$40 preferred customer fee" from CCA. So is Castrol.
Upon further review....Perhaps I was partially wrong..... Chicane, Not being beligerant confrontational at all....I appreciate your questioning. Please continue to buy the OE Castrol and be happy, it is a great product and I run it also. OP asked a question about Amsoil and their dealer structure (MLM), period. He got the answers that were relevant, originally and then was offered some pricing comparisons. If you read the statement that Devilsown wrote, he was referring to over the counter $5.50ea. (5w-30) and $10.65ea. (10w-60 for M cars) per quart retail of BMW OTC Castrol oil. If your local BMW Center doesn't offer a CCA discount, guess what, that is what you will pay. Most only offer a 10% discount, if anything. I just called a BMW dealer for pricing so I'd know I have it right. Did some further research to try to dispel your claims and found this. Amsoil is $7.45 - $11.15 retail so 25% off for Preferred Customer would be $5.58 - $8.35. Both would be charged tax but the Amsoil would have some shipping, which in my experience is not much. So, with that knowledge, it might actually be a wash, or a bit more for the Amsoil, depending on which weight and application you choose to run. I can say, the prices for the OE Castrol has come down significantly, specifically for the 10w-60 "M" engine oil. It was much higher almost a year ago, by almost $5ea quart. They can't say it was because of the oil prices because synthetic is man made, unless the BMW Castrol has some petroleum base stock. I know for a fact the Amsoil is 100% man made, always was.... Some additional firsts for Amsoil..and this is not "biased" info..ain't google and wikki great!!! * First to develop an API-rated 100 percent synthetic motor oil. * First to introduce the concept of "extended drain intervals" with a recommended 25,000-mile/1-year drain interval. * First U.S. company to utilize the NOACK volatility test as a standard of performance excellence. * First to produce synthetic motor oils for diesel engines, racing engines, turbo and marine engines. * First to introduce synthetic oils that legitimately contribute to improving fuel efficiency. * First to manufacture synthetic gear lube for automotive use. * First to manufacture a 100:1 pre-mix synthetic 2-cycle oil. * First to manufacture a synthetic automatic transmission fluid for automotive use.
1. Amsoil doesn't make 10w60 which is required for my S54 in my E46 M3. 2. BMW would not honor my warranty if I used anything other than Castrol TWS Amsoil 5w-30 = almost $9 a quart ($8.90) http://www.amsoil.com/a/catalog.aspx I can get a 5 quart jug of Mobile One for less than $20. ($4 a quart) Even with the "Preferred Customer" discount Amsoil can't beat that price. And what is that $20 PC cost? Is it per order annually, what? Honestly you are starting to sound like an Amsoil salesman....
Mobil 1 is what I use for synthetic in my wife's car and my SAAB, and it is less than that discounted price off the shelf locally disregarding shipping. for trans and the like I use Red Line, a local source. I stick with a 4-5,000 mile change interval for these cars (which i perform myself, primarily because it provides an an opportunity to look the thing over. I do not trust oil change places (having managed one a couple years back!<G>). And cannot afford $125-150/hour for an indy shop's ministrations. would I buy special oil for my 25 year old BMW with 1/4 million + miles on it? Nope. I use GTX with ZDDP additive or Valvoline VR1. Same as in my MGBs.
