A(merican) Lube News

Simply put, viscosity is the thickness of the oil and is the measure of the ability of the oil to provide protection for internal engine parts. Diesel engines in particular provide a challenge for lubricants because of the extreme forces generated are enough to literally shear them at the molecular level of the oil. Once sheared, the lubricant loses viscosity which leads to accelerated wear, higher oil consumption, deposit formation, poor fuel economy and ultimately, increased time and money spent on maintenance and repairs.

AMSOIL’s Premium API CJ-4 Diesel Oil out performed the leading diesel oil’s on the marked in a recent test performed by Kurt Orbahn Shear Stability Test. Using AMSOIL Premium API CJ-4 will save you money and better protect your equipment!

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The state of the current economy does have some upsides. AMSOIL is reducing prices and making several program adjustments that will increase overall Dealer commissions effective March 1st. The price decreases will mainly affect lubricant prices, which will decrease the price between 15-30 cents a quart. While AMSOIL is made from synthetic base stocks, the price of crude still has a definite effect on the price suppliers charge for their products and the recent (overall) decrease has made this possible.

In addition to reducing product pricing, AMSOIL is adjusting Dealer commissions in the Commercial and Retail-on-the-Shelf Programs to provide greater overall profits for Dealers. These changes are the result of ongoing analysis of the AMSOIL business model and the lubricants industry and will provide Dealers with a more sustainable, more profitable, more balanced, long-term business opportunity.

Given the current job market, these changes provide an even greater incentive to make your own job and use the AMSOIL opportunity to make your own way in these troubling economic times. To learn more about how to start your own AMSOIL business and take charge of your own future, call us at 866-430-4236.

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Extended drain intervals involve changing the frequency of oil changes from the what the manufacturer recommends to a longer interval. The first thing most people ask is if it is safe. Depending on the oil you use it can be safe and as long as the oil conforms to the American Petroleum Institute (API) standards required by the manufacturer and is providing that level of protection, manufacturers cannot deny warranty claims.

FTC regulations state: (c) No warrantor of a consumer product may condition his written or implied warranty of such product on the consumers using, in connection with such product, any article or service (other than article or service provided without charge under the terms of the warranty) which is identified by brand, trade, or corporate name; except that the prohibition of this subsection may be waived by the Commission if (1) the warrantor satisfies the Commission that the warranted product will function properly only if the article or service so identified is used in connection with the warranted product, and (2) the Commission finds that such a waiver is in the public interest. (15 U.S.C.2302(C))

When choosing a motor oil for extended drain intervals, you need to look at how they perform in industry standard tests that demonstrate how well they perform. Synthetic oils typically provide better protection because they are made with a base stock of uniformly size molecules that have a higher lubricity than conventional petroleum where base stocks contain various size molecules. The four ball wear test (ASTM D-4172) is one such example where three metal balls are strapped together with a coating of the lubricant then a fourth ball is rotated over the others for an hour using 40 kg of force at a temperature of 150 C. The resulting scar is measured and the narrower the scar, the better protection. Another factor to consider is the Total Base Number (TBN) test which measures the alkalinity of an oil. This is important, especially in extended drain scenarios, because it measures the oil ability to counteract the acidity that builds up in the crankcase and corrodes engine parts.

Filters are also an important consideration and you need to make sure that you are using a filter designed to provide service for the extended drain interval. Alternatively, you could change the filter between oil changes following the filter manufacturer’s recommendation.

Extended drain intervals save you money by consuming less oil and filters and time in maintenance of the equipment. It’s also better for the environment by producing less waste of containers and consuming less resources. And if you use a quality product, you can give your equipment better protection at the same time.

There are other tests and if you are interested in learning more please contact me, Steve Schoeneman, at alube.us@gmail.com or 866-430-4236. I’ve been using AMSOIL and 25,000 mile drain intervals for over 7 years with over 166,000 miles on my 1997 Jeep Wrangler with no problems.

lube basics amsoil, base stocks, TBN

AMSOIL Diesel Recovery quickly dissolves gelled fuel to allow the operator to continue driving with minimal downtime. Diesel Recovery separates the molecular bonds of wax crystals that have agglomerated in diesel fuel. The product even thaws frozen fuel filters and reduces the need for a new filter, saving money and preventing an inconvenient trip to an auto parts store.

• Works With All Commercially Available Diesel Fuels
• Non-Corrosive, Alcohol-Free Formulation
• Safety in a Bottle

additives cold weather, diesel additive, diesel gelling

The Retail On The Shelf program is designed for businesses that already sell auto parts or any other equipment requiring lubes to consumers. Often, people want to go and make a purchase immediately when it’s convenient for them and not wait for an order to arrive. Based on the comments by the person I buy my firewood from about the availability of 2 stroke oil at the local saw shop, I decided to talk to them about Amsoil since I needed to drop a couple of chains off to be sharpened anyway. I discussed briefly with the owner that he could sell Amsoil products using the Retail On The Shelf program and he seemed interested, so I told him I’d bring him some literature when I came to pick up the chains.

Because of the weather events we’d been experiencing it ended up being a little over a week until I returned to pick up my chains and drop off the literature. I’d prepared a one page spreadsheet with some guessimates of how much oil he might sell and printed that out along with the official Amsoil literature on the Sabre Professional 2 stroke oil which I had in hand when I went in the store. After finishing with another customer, he retrieved my chains and proceeded to ask me about the literature. I was a little shocked, to be frank, as I figure most people don’t want to hear about Amsoil. In reality, people don’t want to be sold, but they do like to buy. Here’s an opportunity for him to add another product line in his small saw shop that people are asking for, like my firewood guy. Why I hadn’t approached him before was fear of rejection, I suppose. I wonder how much that’s held me back from achieving my goals in this business… a lot, I would guess.

These types of accounts are a win/win for the Amsoil dealer and the storefront owner. They can order their product direct from Amsoil, get 30 day terms on merchandise and credit for promotional items as their volume increases and the dealer gets 20% commissions on everything they sell as well as commission credits to add to his or her’s bottom line.

When I first got interested in Amsoil, I had to go to the Internet and search for a dealer. No one has ever approached me about this fantastic product. Not once. And once I started using it, I realized how great it was. I can save money and put the absolute best protection available for my equipment. I think there’s a huge untapped market out there of people who don’t know they can save money and get the best protection and I intend to go after it.

amsoil business retail on the shelf, sabre professional

With the recent cold snap in our area, I thought talking about the benefits of Amsoil’s superior pour-point rating. The pour-point is the lowest temperature at which the oil can be poured, ironically enough Synthetics, in general, have a lower pour-point than conventional petroleum based oils that solidify in cold temperatures. What this means to you, is that your car will crank over easier when it’s cold and lubricant will quickly reach the vital parts of your engine. Engines start faster and wear is greatly reduced for extended engine life.

In a test performed in 2005, Amsoil’s 10W-30 achieved the lowest pour-point rating (-58°F) of all the oils being tested.

oil characteristics cold weather operation, freezing, pour-point

The Ea By-Pass Oil Filter system provides the best filtration protection for wear and oil degradation you can get for your vehicle. It combines a full-flow and by-pass filter to remove particles down to 1 micron from your engine’s oil and provides cooling of the oil as well. The by-pass filter operates on a partial-flow process, redirecting approximately 10% of the oil drawn from the system at any one time and traps the extremely small, wear-causing contaminants that full-flow filters can’t remove. The Ea By-Pass Filter typically filters all the oil several times in one hour of operation. The full-flow filter operates just as your normal oil filter would, removing larger particles, but with AMSOIL’s nano-fiber filter you get better filtration for up to 25,000 miles between filter changes.

Here are some of the benefits:

By-Pass Filtration Benefits

• Dramatically Extended Drain Intervals
• Improved Oil Cooling
• Increased Filtration Capacity and Life
• Increased Fluid System Capacity
• Efficient Small Particle and Soot Removal
• Significantly Extended Engine Life
• Equipment Constantly Runs on Clean Oil
• Increased Engine Efficiency
• Remove Particles Less Than One Micron

I thought I’d include some photos from the installation I did on my 1997 Jeep Wrangler. There wasn’t a lot of room available, so I removed the battery and welded the mounting plate to my battery tray.

For more information or to purchase, visit the AMSOIL online store.

filtration by-pass filter, ea oil filter, oil filters

I’ve talked about the technical reasons for switching to Amsoil, but in this entry, I wanted to talk a little bit about the ethical reasons. Sure, better protection and saving money are important, but perhaps even a better reason is the ecological factors.

By using a product that last longer and requires less frequent changes, you reduce the waste of packaging, the used oil that should be recylced and things like fuel costs and emissions used to deliver those products and deal with the waste.

There’s another reason that isn’t technical I like to use Amsoil. It helps America reduce it’s dependence on foreign imported oil. Yes, I know, it’s a very small difference I might make, but we all have to do our own parts and it will collectively make a difference.

ecology ecology, pollution

Motor oil is made up of two basic ingredients: base stocks and additives. More than ever, today’s high performance engines depend on the protection the motor oil provides. I thought it might be good to cover some basic information here as this blog is getting started so I wanted to address the makeup of oil in this entry.

Base stocks make up the bulk of the motor oil. They are responsible for lubricating the moving parts of the engine, helping the piston rings seal and provide cooling. They can be made from petroleum, chemically synthesized materials or a combination of both. Petroleum base stocks generally have long carbon molecule chains of different sizes that are very sensitive to heat and can break down and “boil-off” (evaporation of lubricants) at relatively low temperatures which changes their physical properties such as viscosity. Synthetics are made from uniformly shaped molecules that makes them resist break down from heat and reduces the boil-off rate. The uniform shape also adds to the “lubricity” (the ability to reduce friction between moving parts) because they provide a more uniform film across bearing surfaces. This higher lubricity provides better protection for those surfaces and also increases the sealing ability of the piston rings, which increases the engine’s efficiency and miles per gallon. It also helps to reduce the temperature of the engine.

Additives are chemicals included in motor oil that provide corrosion resistance, anti-foaming, acid neutralization, maintenance of viscosity, detergency and dispersion and anti-wear. The quality of the additive packs range widely in the lubrication industry. Some use the bare minimum to meet certain API classifications. Amsoil uses exceptionally high quality additives that allow it to be used with extended drain intervals while providing better protection for your engine and industry standard laboratory tests have proven this in repeated tests with the competition.

Using Amsoil products allows you to provide better protection while saving you money and time in reduced maintenance intervals.

additives, lube basics additives, base stocks, oil comparative tests

Now is a better time than ever to become an Amsoil Dealer. People are looking for ways to save money and with Amsoil, they can save money while at the same time getting better protection for thier investment in equipment. As a dealer, you don’t have to stock inventory and when someone orders you can have it shipped directly to them from one of the many regional distribution centers.

The cost is minimal ($30/yr) to maintain your dealer status and with a website, you can redirect customers to the Amsoil site and they can complete the order themselves without any intervention by you yet you receive the commission. Besides consumer sales, there are programs setup for fleet operations and off-the-shelf retail outlets that are great ways to produce even bigger sales.

The thing I like about this business, is there is an efficient distribution system setup and they have marketing plans that teach you exactly what to do be successful. If you ever thought about opening your own business, this is fantastic way to do it because the system is all setup and all you have to do is get knowledgeable about the products and start talking to people.

Like most multilevel marketing programs, as you build a team of dealers your income will grow from their sales as well. I’ve posted a brochure that gives you more details and I’d be happy to discuss it too. Just drop me an email or call me at 360-450-5187.

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