UPS rang my doorbell last night around 8PM. I just love that sound, especially after I've ordered something for Max. A box from Amsoil was handed to me and I thanked the driver. Upon opening the box I was a bit suprised. First off I ordered a case, 12 quarts of 10-30 oil which was fine, but I also ordered a filter. I find the oil filter OUT OF IT'S BOX, with no protection on the open end. I found the oil filters box folded nicely and tucked along the sides on the 12 quarts of oil.

I'm not very impressed with their packaging AT ALL!!! The oil filter was flopping around in the case of oil with no cover on the end of it. So contaminants could and may have easily gotten in there only to be flushed into my engine when I install it. NICE!

2nd - that filter is tiny! Whats the deal with that? High capacity filter and it's 1/2 the size of a stock Nissan filter?

Overall I'm not very impressed with Amsoil so far. I do hope their oil is better then their shipping department. I'm still a bit concerned about the oil filter being open like that. I'll probably flush it out with some oil before I install it.

Has anybody else had experiences like this getting oil and filters from Amsoil?

I'm going to change over to the Amsoil Oil this Saturday. What I plan to do is drain the old oil, it's only got about 2,500 miles on it. Put in a Plain Jane oil filter, put a few quarts of Amsoil in it, run the engine for about 5 minutes, drain, remover Plain Jane oil filter and refill again this time using the Amsoil oil filter. I think this way I'm sure to flush out any old dyno oil thats in the car. Any feedback on that idea?

 

Odd.....I've never had my stuff packaged inappropriately from Amsoil. That's a surprise. Make sure the filter visually looks OK. If you're not comfortable, then let Amsoil know of your dissatisfaction with the packaging.

See the attached pic, as I expressed those same concerns in December of 2000 when I was the newbie trying out the Amsoil......a search will actually reveal that post, but the pic has probably been purged.

Lab proof is readily available that my 99 can go 17k with nothing more than a filter change halfway through. The oil is good, but I'm disappointed that you didn't have a pleasant delivery experience. That never reflects well on a company, although I'm sure UPS did their best to throw that filter all over the place as well.

Amsoil's recommendation is to use an Engine Flush that you pour in to your current oil WITH A NEW FILTER (of course they recommend Amsoil, but a good $3 Purloator Plus filter will do just as well and is what I recommend), and run the engine at about 2500 rpms for about 10 to 15 minutes. Then drain the oil and replace your oil and filter with the Amsoil stuff.

Since you used the, IMHO, "garbage" Syntec stuff (I have another analysis that I haven't updated the spreadsheet with that makes me not recommend the Castrol Syntec), I would definitely recommend doing the engine flush. You can get a can of any decent brand at a local parts store and it'll cost ya a few bucks.

 

Thanks for your input Bill. I'm not so sure I really want the engine flush stuff in my crankcase. There's always some residule oil up in the motor after a drain and refil and I really want it all out. I don't want any left over flush mixed in with the Amsoil oil. My motor looks very clean when I peak into the valve cover. I do want all that Castrol stuff out of the car at this point so I'm going to do the flush with just Amsoil oil and a plain jane filter.

The Amsoil filter looks OK, I was dissapointed at the packaging, but hey, **** happens. I will flush the filter with some nice clean oil before I install it though.

 

my search skillz:

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....=amsoil+mobile


This was about 90,000 posts ago!

 

I've used the engine flush before I changed over and had no problems with it. I agree with Bill that there shouldn't be an issue in using a generic filter while you flush the Syntec out of your system if that's the way you plan on doing it.

I've received the filter that way before as well. They seem to do it when you buy cases so they don't have to ship two boxes or something. I agree it's kinda of annoying but I haven't had a problem because of it though. I will pass on to them your comments and add my own because I agree it's not a good practice and they really should change it.

The oil filter is relatively tiny, but the quality of the filtering media and the sturdiness of it's construction are what make it preferrable over the long haul, not it's physical size.

Overall, I think you'll be very happy with the oil. Amsoil's shipping issues aren't an accurate reflection of the entire company, but I do wish they'd learn that appearances make a big difference.

 

Interesting......usually when I place an order, it is for a case (or more) of oil along with several oil filters (I go ahead and buy 2 for each vehicle that needs the oil), so my packages are usually seperate, with one being the oil and the other being a myriad of filters.....


Toyota and Acura filters are notorious for being tiny as well. They make a Nissan OEM VQ filter look huge in comparison. It's all about relative surface area of the paper media and the construction of the "can".

 

I think since you're buying multiple filters they decide to package them separtely. If you only buy one filter they figure it's more efficient to just leave it loose in the box with the other stuff. This might depend on the individual shipping center as well. Everytime I order product for myself they ship from the PA center. I think your's might come from Dallas or Wichita.

 

I got a package from Amsoil yesterday too. I got a case of 5w-30, 2 oil filters and the engine flush. The oil filters were sealed in their boxes, just like at filters at the store, and everything was heavily wrapped in bubble wrap.

I've been running Mobil 1 oil with Nissan filters, and had maybe 2500 miles on the last change, but I think the flush was worth it. I too was a bit surprised the filter looked so small, but having used different filters on many cars, I know appearances can be deceiving.

I also got a new fuel filter from them, since I've got almost 118k on the car. I'll probably tackle that one today.

 

I live 10 min from one of the Amsoil warehouses for the Northeast (in Lancaster, PA of all places) I just drive over and pick up what I need.

 

I have a question about your amsoil changeover. You put a new oil filter on with the amsoil and then changed it at the half point on the 17k?

I also have a question/comment about your recommendations for tranny fluid change. You state that 30k is the max for the Nissan fluid. I read your findings and it seemed that the tranny fluid was still within spec. Did I miss something? Also, your recommendation is based soley on one car. Wouldn't driving habits and environment also play in the 30k that you got out of the fluid? I am at 50k and have babied my autotragic. I was thinking of changing it to Amsoil or another synthetic and was considering having some tests done on my fluid. On a different note, I do change my wife's intrepid every 30k.

 

Yes. To further clarify, I only went 15.2k on that change. I changed the filter at the 6 month mark, and then the oil and filter at the 12 month mark. According to Blackstone's comments, they stated I could have gone 17k on that oil.



In the comments underneath the analysis on the spreadsheet, Blackstone recommended changing the fluid due to "system abrasion". To me, that means unnecessary wear will occur with continued use, thus it had served its useful life.



Actually my recommendation is based upon my two personal vehicles, both of which went 30k on dino fluid. Both ATFs were stressed, especially my 94's ATF after only 30k. Therefore, it looks to be a good measure of how long you can go given the driving conditions I have stipulated.

My cars are "babied" as well, although they do see high mileage. They aren't run hard, etc. My driving conditions tend to allow such fluids to operate at their longest since they aren't subjected to short trips or lots of temperature extremes. Driving conditions, location, how hard you run your car do indeed have an affect on how long particular oils can last in your vehicle.

Since there isn't an oilanalysis.com website with a comprehensive statistical breakdown of the behavior and longevity of every oil, every vehicle, and every location, I decided to do this and at least start somewhere. Hopefully, we can all make more intelligent decisions when it comes to changing our fluids at the appropriate time.

With your vehicle, I encourage/beg you to have your transmission fluid replaced as I specify in the Oil Analysis thread. Take it to a Penske Auto Center and have the ATF replacement service performed. Then begin "drain n fills" every weekend with Amsoil ATF for 3 to 4 weekends. In addition, you can take samples at each phase (before changing current ATF, then once ATF is changed at Penske, then once you have performed 3 or 4 Amsoil ATF drain n fills) like I did and we can draw from your experiences and either confirm or deny my contentions. That would be a big help and would be much appreciated both by myself and the 3 or 4 other members here who care about this stuff.

 

I will look into a few things. One job that I turned down about 1 year ago was to test transformer oils for a company. It was pretty straight forward stuff and there were some instrumental tests using a GC and other physical tests (viscosity, color, density and others). I might venture over there and see if I am still welcome and if I can borrow their lab.

I have a shop locally that will do the full ATF fluid change thing for me. I am either going to go with Amsoil or Mobil 1. I know that you are big into Amsoil but either fluid exceeds the stock ATF fluid. If I do a full fluid change, what would a drain and fill afterwards for the next few week achieve? Before I do the complete change, I will try to get the kit to have the old fluid checked. My wife's intrepid is due now so I will probably have hers changed first. The intrepid tranny isn't exactly known for longevity so I have been changing it every 30k.

On a similar note, my co-worker has a 1989 maxima. It has 150k on the odo. I asked him how often he had his ATF fluid changed and he just said, "never". I pulled the stick on it and it looked good. It shifts smooth as silk. *shrugs*

You said you had the tranny fluid checked at 30K. Have you had it done since? Say at another 30k? This would seem more definitive.

Sorry for the OT on the thread and BTW, I do appreciate the spreadsheet info you have provided. I will try to contribute.

 

Well, I recommend having the flush done with regular ATF rather than the good stuff first, since you usually waste several quarts of the synthetic on the exchange machine. It's a needless waste of money.

Then, you just do drain n fills for the next 3 or 4 weekends with your good stuff. You just tend to not waste much ATF with this approach.



If you need the kit fairly immediately, let me know. I'll be happy to send you one. Blackstone can be pokey about getting you a kit in a timely manner.



Yep, so did mine when I did that first analysis with 30k on the dino ATF and you saw the high levels of iron and copper in the spreadsheet. It's all about creating the best environment for the tranny, and having fluid full of metal isn't a good environment....



Like I said before, all this had to start somewhere, and this spreadsheet concept has only been around for 18 months or so......On my 94's second analysis with 4k on the Amsoil, Blackstone recommended re-sampling at 24k. That won't happen until later this year.

No problem. Your contribution would be appreciated on the ATF, since we don't have many of those results.

 

Paraphrase - Bill drives like a woman!! just kidding Bill

I'm due for an oil change.. my last one was last June 01 (roughly 8.5-9k miles). I'll eventually do it before the autocross season starts so that I have fresh oil in there. I'll do a full season on just one oil change. I'll fax both results when I have the tests back.

 

hehe....Jeff92se says I drive like a Grandma......


Cool, just e-mail or PM me and let me know when you are going to fax it as my fax number has changed from the last time you sent me your results.

 

how pokey are they about getting the kit to the individual? Is it a few weeks? I probably won't be able to do it for another couple of weeks. I have to get my wife's done first and then some suspension work done on her car.

I am getting curious about the ATF fluid thing now. I would like to be able to see whether or not what is seen in the tranny at 30k is typical wear/break-in or not. I can provide my 50k+ results soon but I would be interested in your later this year results. I guess that would be the litmus test.

I believe I will just have it all changed at the station. The max holds what? 10quarts. A case is 12 so 14 quarts should do it? When I start calculating costs, I include what my time is worth doing the weekend drain and fill thing.