Snake Oil

[Sargent Schutt <sargent@symposiafoundation.org>]

Chad (et al),

I too was intrigued by the Motor-Up (etc) stuff. I bought the Motor-Up.
Supposedly it works in engine AND tranny. A month after putting it in my
tranny (86 5ktq) the synchros went out in second and third,
necessitating replacement of the tranny. I can’t prove that Motor Up
caused it, but I would NEVER EVER recommend trying it to anyone. Audi
tranny’s shouldn’t go out that easily (mine only had ~120k on it). To
much of a coincidence in my mind. 

I had no shifting problems before using Motor Up, then, shortly after
putting it in (topped off, not overfull) third gear became inaccessible
on upshifting. Then second gear. Then I got stuck in neutral on I5 South
in San Diego in a construcion zone in the # 3 lane in moderate (read
“fast moving“) traffic. I got over to the right lane ASAP, but there was
NO shoulder, just a concrete construction divider. Costing slowly
uphill. Making a stupid (risky) decision I opened the door and started
pushing the car before it came to a stop in a 70+ MPH traffic. There was
a buffer of ~ three cars behind me, protecting me from the rear. I was
able the car to a break in the wall, and narrowly avert tragedy. In
seven years and many thousands of miles this is the only time the car
ever let me down. 

In my mind it is simply too coincidental that I had just added the
secret sauce a week before this rapid degradation of my tranny. Not to
be molodramatic, but it almost cost me a lot more than a new tranny.

Haven’t tried the other stuff. In my experience, Redline works great in
the tranny, and I use synthoil just out of deference to the
motor/payment to Audi gods for my chipped 152k mile 20v motor. Big
debate over whether synthoil makes a difference (Is there a Synthoil
list starting up yet??), but my own non-tech common-sense says if good
synthetics make the tranny shift smoother, they (insert brand of choice
here) probably don’t *hurt* the engine. It just doesn’t seem the
additive stuff is really necessary, even if the *other* brands aren’t
destructive. In my experience Motor-Up did much more harm than good. 

My wordy .02 - FWIW.

Sarge
91 200q 152k miles, no snake oil thank you.
86 5ktq 130k miles, HAD snake oil; HAS new tranny