[Vwdiesel] reply to Terry Briggs & others re Amsoil synthetic oil

[William J Toensing]

I too, believe Amsoil makes the best synthetic oil on the market. Their policy is to make the best synthetic oil possible & if it can be marketed at a profit, then produce & sell it. I am sure they could make a better synthetic at $100 a quart but there would be no market at that price. Some oils marketed as synthetics are not full synthetics though improved from dyno (petroleum) oil. Others have their quality cut so it can be sold at a lower price. I think, but have no proof,  Amsoil does this too with some of their cheaper  blends such as their 7,500 mile oil designed to be sold in quick lube establishments. Amsoil is marketed on a multi level basis. If you want to become a dealer, I can sign you up. Someone asked if they ordered under my ZO#2185 if they would get a discount. The answer is no. There might be some other dealer out there who could but because the profit margin is so low, many dealers drop out but I remain a dealer so I can get my oil at a discount since I have a number of cars.
OIL FILTERS: Amsoil has made oil filters designed for synthetic oil for years, but not for every car. If not available, use an OEM filter or a quality filter like Baldwin or Hastings. I would stay away from cheap filters like Fram. I found start up oil pressure was very high on VW diesels. I remember installing an after market oil pressure gage on my then new 1979 Rabbit diesel bought new. An 80 or 100# gage pegged on start up on Amsoil 10W40 engine oil. I then installed a 200 # psi aftermarket oil pressure gage bought at a parts house specializing in racing parts. It too, would peg at 200 pounds psi on start up but would idle when hot at 25# psi. I notice my 1981 Dasher diesel oil pressure gage pegs on start up & reads up to 100# psi. Amsoil makes a "dual remote" oil filter which has a full flow regular filter plus a bi-pass filter which is the way to go, if you can find room under the hood. I may be able to find room in my Dasher but I can't find any room under the hood of my 2001 Ford Focus ZX3 5 speed (my daily driver) for the Amsoil by-pass filter let alone the dual remote filter. In this car I am running Amsoil's "Series 2000" 0W30 synthetic. This oil is fantastic. I have gone 17,000 miles & not have to add one drop & now has 86,000 miles on it, over 13,000 on the last oil change & still 1/2 quart above the full mark as I accidentally put in a half quart too much last summer.
I would like to run an Amsoil dual stage lifetime reusable air filter but they don't make one for my Focus but they do for the VW TDI. When I asked why, they said they had too little demand for Focus air filters but good demand for the VW air filters. I guess TDI owners are interested in high MPG & taking care of their cars but Focus owners (not me) are treating their Focus' as throw away cars. I am running a K&N instead. The Amsoil air filter will filter particles out of the air as low as 3 microns.
I am 73 years old & & bought my first new car, a 1957 VW bug in 1957. VW mechanics back then were strongly recommending using non-detergent oil although the owners manual then recommended detergent oil. This was because when they received their European training just after WW2, in the late'40s & early '50s, detergent oil was then new & untried. Therefore the comment about using a 0-W or 5-W in a multi-viscosity oil makes sense to me. FYI, the "W" rating on say a 0W30 oil reflects how thin the oil is at zero degrees Fahrenheit. However, synthetic oil will remain much more fluid at -30 or -40 below. Not a problem here in Calif. but I grew up in Minnesota so I know what cold weather is.
The oil analyzer I bought in Minn. about 15 years ago was made in Lino Lakes, Minn. but I believed the moved to Ohio or Indiana. I will get the manufacturers name, if you want it.