Holy Amsoil!

Joanna · 04-04-2008, 09:09 PM

Can it be true, as the Ford tech told me after he spoke with SMB West, that once Amsoil is put in, the filter (one of two) is first changed at 15K miles and the oil itself only has to be changed at around 60K miles? And changed depending on how the sample that is sent in to Amsoil Inc. tests when you get close to that milage? And that you, lucky Amsoil customer, are sent the filters and the oil itself so you arrive at the dealership, provisions in hand?
Where am I? This is not my father's oil change.
Joanna

Jeffrey · 04-05-2008, 10:12 AM

Yes, something like that.

Does your father have a SMB too?

Ford_6L_E350 · 04-05-2008, 11:26 AM

That may be the change program that Amsoil and SMB suggest, but it's not the one I would follow.

If you extend oil change intervals beyond the Ford oil change intervals, they may not honor your engine warranty when and if failures occur. Your local dealer/tech may understand, but you may not be near home when disaster strikes (we lost two injectors in Alaska). At least until the 100,000 miles diesel engine warranty expires, I would follow Ford's 7500 oil/filter change intervals.

Mike

Joanna · 04-05-2008, 03:53 PM

No, not an SMB, but he was a big RVer starting in 1970 when he and my mom began their 20 years of traveling all over Mexico and Central America, only stopping when they were in their 80's. They preferred small rigs for the same reason I like the SMB.
He was Navy test pilot, and would have chuckled at the idea of mailing off a sample of oil for assaying. Just wish he was still here to answer my questions (and to admire the SMB).
Mike, thanks for the insights. Will the dealership put Amsoil in that often if I want them to? Maintaining the warranty is paramount for me.
Can someone explain why the system has two filters? And why they told me one is changed more frequently than the other?
Thanks for your patience,
Joanna

Ford_6L_E350 · 04-05-2008, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joanna

Mike, thanks for the insights. Will the dealership put Amsoil in that often if I want them to? Maintaining the warranty is paramount for me.
Can someone explain why the system has two filters? And why they told me one is changed more frequently than the other?
Thanks for your patience,
Joanna

I'm guessing most dealerships will be happy to do more maintainance (and take your money) than the minumums. Or you can have someone else change your oil - just keep receipts for proof of the work.

One of the filters is a normal oil filter and filters all the oil, the other is a bypass filter and only filters a small portion of the engine oil at a time, but it filters smaller particles than the 1st filter. Over time, all the oil passes through the 2nd filter also.

See the Amsoil webpage for more details:

http://www.amsoil.com/StoreFront/bf.aspx

Mike

Jammyauto · 04-06-2008, 09:09 AM

I can not understand why someone would want to extend oil changes. This is penny wise and pound foolish. Of all the things we do to our very valuable vehicles oil changes are the cheapest inurance for good engine condition. I do not care what asmoil says. I change my oil about every 5k miles. I would go more but I do not put alot of miles on the van and so that means at least one oil change a year. Do not forget that metal "sweats". Condensation adds moisture inside a sitting engine. I run Mobil one delvac in my van as the test results (dieselstop) seem to suggest that it provides better protection than amsoil. I also completely flush my brake fluid, trans fluid and coolant at least every 2 years.

EMrider · 04-06-2008, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jammyauto

I can not understand why someone would want to extend oil changes. This is penny wise and pound foolish. Of all the things we do to our very valuable vehicles oil changes are the cheapest inurance for good engine condition. I do not care what asmoil says. I change my oil about every 5k miles. I would go more but I do not put alot of miles on the van and so that means at least one oil change a year. Do not forget that metal "sweats". Condensation adds moisture inside a sitting engine. I run Mobil one delvac in my van as the test results (dieselstop) seem to suggest that it provides better protection than amsoil. I also completely flush my brake fluid, trans fluid and coolant at least every 2 years.

There is good data/analysis behind Amsoil's recommended change intervals. It is based on extensive oil analysis from many customers over a long time frame. What they recommend is not arbitrary, and it would certainly not be in Amsoil's best interest to give customers bad advice. I still understand your point of view completely, however. To each his or her own. I really like the longer change intervals and follow Amsoil's guidance closely. And as for warranty issues, my feeling is that there is a huge random element that goes way beyond oil change intervals. Certain Ford dealers will try and weasel out of anything, and if I'm unlucky enough to be dealing with one of them, being able to show 7,500 intervals won't help one bit. As we've seen from many posts here, they can and will make up SMB related reasons to duck responsibility. Our vans are heavily modified and that creates a huge grey area for debate over warranty coverage. A quality Ford dealer won't grind or be unreasonable on warranty issues. Like many, I don't have the time or resources to wage a legal battle over this, so when the time comes, I hope luck is on my side.
R

Ford_6L_E350 · 04-06-2008, 10:08 AM

I tend to follow the manufacturer's recommendations for maintainance:

- Oil and filter every 7500 miles

- Fuel filter every 15,000 miles

- Trans fluid and filters every 30,000 miles

- Air filter - as needed. See Filter minder.

- Coolant 5 years or 100,000 miles

- Brake fluid. Never. Used to be every two years, but system seals have improved and now keep water vapors out. Don't know of any current manufacturer that still uses 2 year fluid changes.

See the Ford Fleet Maintainance schedule:

https://www.fleet.ford.com/maintenance/ ... hedule.asp

Mike

sdwindansea · 04-06-2008, 04:42 PM

We have the Amsoil dual remote system. The main reason we chose this option was to place the filters in a much "safer" area under the van for offroad use. However, the possibility of doing extended oil change intervals was a selling point as well.

I'm not sure what we are going to do yet regarding the extended change intervals. I did the first oil change several weeks ago at 5,300 miles. I plan on doing an oil analysis every 5,000 miles. For what I've read, the oil analysis is not only good for telling you if the oil needs to be changed, but is also like a blood test for a diesel engine. That alone makes it worthwhile to me. I also plan on changing both filters and the 2 to 3 qts that go with the filters every 7,500 to 10,000 miles.

Now to answer Jammyauto's question about why anyone would extend oil changes. For me there are two simple reasons. First is to save a little bit of money over the long haul (assuming this doesn't have a negative effect on the vehicle). The second and more important reason for me is the huge difference in oil consumption and the resulting environmental impact. Changing 3 qts versus 16 qts is a major difference and every little thing I can do to make an impact is worthwhile to me.

deminimis · 04-06-2008, 05:45 PM

I have the Amsoil system, but I change the filters and top off more frequently than recommended. Did a complete change upon getting the vehicle just to be safe as well. Good oil and filter system, but oil is cheaper than a rebuild, so I'd rather change out the oil every 15k or so. Overkill is not a bad thing in my opin.