Quote:
Originally Posted by Love_00_Max
No offense meant to Amsoil lovers and their claims on OCI.
20K OCIs etc is way too dangerous and asking for trouble. If you want a syn choose M1/PP with an 7500 OCI rather than falling into the >20K OCI trap. I have seen UOAs on 15K (10Q pump capacity on BMW 330's, just following what BMW says in user manual) and the oil was cooked and so was the engine. Just go onto BITOG UOA forums, all data is present. Infact BWM is now proposing 15K OCIs in new vehicles (lesson learnt).
So OCI is something folks get too gready... 5K on good dino and 7.5K on syn is just optimal, beyond that is unncessary headache.
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Not all oils, petroleum or synthetic based, are created equal. While some synthetics are formulated to meed the minimum performance standards established by the API, others (like AMSOIL) are formulated to achieve higher performance standards and to deliver longer service life.
All AMSOIL products are formulated for extended drains. The XL oils carry a 7500 mile recommended change interval, and other formulations carry a drain recommendation of
"up to" 25K or 35K depending on the product, or 1 year, whichever comes first. These maximum drain recommendations assume a stock engine in sound mechanical condition, operating in normal service.
Many people use AMSOIL and change it sooner than they absolutely have to, but choose AMSOIL over other brands for the convenience and performance benefits the products offer. Not very scientific, but I have many customers who have used other brands of synthetics before changing to AMSOIL, and many remark on how much quieter and smoother their engines run with AMSOIL...extended drains are not their primary concern. On the other hand, I have several customers who use AMSOIL for the full length of the manufacturers recommendation (and beyond) and they love the performance and convenience the products provide...I have not had to deal with one mechanical issue yet resulting from the use of AMSOIL for extended drains since I began using/selling the products roughly 25 years ago.
Concerning the BMW you mention, I believe I have seen those same pics on BITOG, and if i remember correctly the vehicle was purchased with relatively high mileage and the owner did not know the history, to include what kind of oil had been run in it in the past. As you state, BMW recommends synthetics and their service intervals are pretty long when using the correct oil (see the following paragraph). Mercedes Benz also had a problem a few years ago where owners were relying on the vehicle's oil life monitoring system to tell them when they needed to change oil. Unfortunately, Mercedes failed to warn people that they had to use a synthetic oil that met MB's specs if they were going to rely on the oil monitoring system. Not knowing any better, owners put petroleum oil in their engines, ran it for extended periods of use, and the result was severe sludging and engine failure. MB was faced with having to replace a lot of engines under warranty.
And that brings me to another point concerning European cars. Manufacturers of these engines, specifically VW/Audi, Mercedes Benz and BMW have more stringent specs for the oils used in their engines. There's certain specialty oils out there that meet these unique requirements...AMSOIL offers a European formula that is one of the few oils in North America to meet the latest specs of all three major european automakers and the latest North American API spec. Generic oils will not offer the protection required by these engines; and if an owner uses an oil that is not properly formulated for the application, they should not be surprised at the results.
AMSOIL has been selling premium synthetic oils capable of extended drain intervals since the early 1970's...in fact they were the first company to sell a 100% synthetic that met/surpassed API requirements. Do you really think the company would still be in business and prospering today if their products didn't work as advertised?
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