DIESEL OIL? I have a dealer selling AMSOIL who says it is as good or better than the dealer stuff?

[sconney]

Is AMSOIL fine for a TDI JETTA

[ToeBall]

Is AMSOIL fine for a TDI JETTA

Depends on which engine is in the Jetta. 09+ requires 507 oil to keep from clogging the DPF.

[AsianDude]

Amsoil has both a 505.01 and a 507.00 spec oil available

[ToeBall]

Well, there you go. You're set then.

[nikhsub1]

Scamsoil.

[ajd187]

Scamsoil.

+1000

I would never use the stuff for that reason alone.

[PeteTDi]

Amsoil does work!

I've used it for almost 20 years in everything I own (cars, boats, dirtbikes, motorcycles, trucks, campers) for the engines, transmissions, differentials, etc.. I've actually torn down engines that used different oils and the Amsoil ones are always better. That's what convinced me to switch and so far the company's claims are true (better mileage, run cooler, etc). If the previous 2 posters have actual experiences with the product to back up their "scam" claim, I'd love to hear them.

[AsianDude]

Scamsoil.

and the reason being?
tell us your story...

[nikhsub1]

and the reason being?
tell us your story...

Amsoil disregards most certifications. Is there a 507.00 certified oil from Amsoil? Why don't they get certified? Car mfgrs can and will deny warranty if improper (read uncertified) oil is used, ESPECIALLY a diesel. So please, you tell us how and why scamsoil is far superior and worth the stupid price over any other synthetic 507.00 certified oil.

[ajd187]

They have made it very hard to find good oil information on the Internet that doesn't contain their marketing material.

That alone is a reason not to like them. Not saying it means they are doing shady stufff but it sure doesn't look good.

[AsianDude]

Amsoil disregards most certifications. Is there a 507.00 certified oil from Amsoil? Why don't they get certified? Car mfgrs can and will deny warranty if improper (read uncertified) oil is used, ESPECIALLY a diesel. So please, you tell us how and why scamsoil is far superior and worth the stupid price over any other synthetic 507.00 certified oil.

Well...seems to me like you have not tried their 507.00 spec oil yet. How about i do this, when i get my '13 passat tdi, i will drain out the factory fill and use amsoil 507.00 spec oil and then check back here after a couple of thousand miles. Fair enough? After all, i have not used their 507.00 spec oil either.

[AsianDude]

They have made it very hard to find good oil information on the Internet that doesn't contain their marketing material.

That alone is a reason not to like them. Not saying it means they are doing shady stufff but it sure doesn't look good.

Really? I didnt know there are ways to make "it very hard to find" information on the internet on the internet.
I know there is not much advertising from them, but i didnt find much wrong reported out on the internet either...oh you said they are hiding that info...i see.

[nikhsub1]

Well...seems to me like you have not tried their 507.00 spec oil yet. How about i do this, when i get my '13 passat tdi, i will drain out the factory fill and use amsoil 507.00 spec oil and then check back here after a couple of thousand miles. Fair enough? After all, i have not used their 507.00 spec oil either.

I have not and will not - it is not certified 507.00. They say it meets or exceeds 507.00 standards, I have no reason to disbelieve that but VW will void your warranty if you use uncertified oil. Not worth it to me. Again, why do they not pay to have their oil certified? Are they above it? Are they too snobby? Perhaps they have enough market share that they just don't bother. For me it is a deal breaker and it makes them look stupid IMO.

[AsianDude]

The way i see this is like me using redline 10w60 in my M cars in place of the Castrol 10w60 that bmw sells.
I am sure there are costs involved to get something certified, so maybe that is a reason.

[BsickPassat]

I have not and will not - it is not certified 507.00. They say it meets or exceeds 507.00 standards, I have no reason to disbelieve that but VW will void your warranty if you use uncertified oil. Not worth it to me. Again, why do they not pay to have their oil certified? Are they above it? Are they too snobby? Perhaps they have enough market share that they just don't bother. For me it is a deal breaker and it makes them look stupid IMO.

the short answer is VW charges companies lots of money to get them certified and they have some secret tests in addition to what VW publishes.

[ajd187]

Really? I didnt know there are ways to make "it very hard to find" information on the internet on the internet.
I know there is not much advertising from them, but i didnt find much wrong reported out on the internet either...oh you said they are hiding that info...i see.

Obviously they aren't hiding information on the Internet, no one could do that.

However, Amsoil shills such as yourself come to forums like this one or motorcycle forums (which I'm also heavily involved in) and tout the "evidence" of how much better this oil is. Meanwhile no manufacturer recommends it, it's expensive, and only available largely through their Amway like dealer network.

I'm sure you'll have a response to this but don't bother; you won't convince me to buy that product either way.

[ajd187]

the short answer is VW charges companies lots of money to get them certified and they have some secret tests in addition to what VW publishes.

This is probably spot on. A lot of times arrangements like this are purely business decisions made behind the scenes. VW says "hey we will certify this for you, and you'll sell more oil. that will costs you $X".

I've heard of motorcycle companies recommending a certain brand of oil, and then you come to find out that there's a marketing agreement between the two companies.

[rootrider]

However, Amsoil shills such as yourself come to forums like this one or motorcycle forums

calling people names in an oil thread? seriously? calm down...

[brian81]

the short answer is VW charges companies lots of money to get them certified and they have some secret tests in addition to what VW publishes.

Sort of. Oil manufacturers around the world submit their products to automakers who have standards and to industry auspices like API. The fees paid to automakers are nothing compared to what it costs to get an API donut on a product, but what the two have in common is that the oil manufacturers pay to have the testing done. Outside of the US, this is a common practice in most industries. For example in the UK to market a drug or OTC health product, you have to pay the MHRA (the British FDA) for the testing. Here you just submit whatever BS you want to the FDA and they "review" it, and the submitter hopes to not get flagged and denied. That's a big reason why there are so many drug lawsuits here compared to the ROW.

Here's some API information:

API Certification System

API Quality Marks

API Licensing fees

Amsoil and Royal Purple may be decent products, but they don't submit to automakers (at least European ones) because that isn't their market. They don't expect their products to go in premium imported cars; the market is also too small. They are after the average Joe using dino oil in their driver, truckers, and the American hot-rod and old muscle car markets. Amsoil has API certifications, which is all they need. Also, their markets involve engines that will be routinely rebuilt (especially amateur auto and bike racers) or are heavy-duty to begin with, and made for rebuilds (diesel truck-tractors). Royal purple is sold at Wal-Mart, right where their target audience often shops.

I never understood why if Amsoil was so damn good, why it's only sold through multi-level marketing. Something kind of cheesy about that.

and the reason being?
tell us your story...

Last summer I was at the AMG Driving Academy with my son; it was included with the purchase of my new DD. There was a guy there who had just purchased an E63 to replace an E55 that he totaled out. The car didn't hit anything; he was part of a group of E Class AMG guys that drag race their cars. (Kind of unbelievable, but they're all over benzworld.com and mbworld.com.) This guy blew his heavily modified AMG engine all over some drag strip in New Jersey, and since the replacement was over $50k (without labor), insurance totaled it. He was talking about his mods at lunch and his use of Amsoil came up. He said MBUSA denied him warranty replacement in part because of his ECU printout (lots of hard launches and stupid high boost levels), and in part due to an oil analysis, which of course came back as Amsoil.

One of the AMG factory guys there said that nobody would say specifically that such a failure was due to the oil, but he did say that MB, BMW, VW, etc will test some products on their own sometimes out of curiosity, and that Amsoil's formulations were never conforming enough to MB standards to be given an approval. So no warranty coverage. He said that they like to have as many approved products as possible because if there is a warranty issue that comes up, it's tough either way- a customer gets hung out in the breeze, or the manufacturer has to eat a huge repair, and nobody is happy.

The tech guy said that he might put Amsoil in a DTM car that has a full engine rebuild every thousand miles, but not in an MB sedan he'd hoped to go 300k miles in. His impression was that the formulation of Amsoil and Royal Purple was aimed at power and efficiency at the expense of longevity, at least in terms of longevity MB is noted for.

VW/Audi Approved Oils

MB Approved Oils

[BsickPassat]

Amsoil does submit some of their products to API & ILSAC for licensing and certification.
See:
http://eolcs.api.org/licenseAgreemen...ce.aspx?id=995
and
http://eolcs.api.org/licenseAgreemen...on.aspx?id=995

How did MB determine the oil was Amsoil by getting an oil analysis done? Oil analysis will tell properties of the oil, but not necessarily the basestock and all the components of the additive package, they can't tell who made the oil. Plus different testing sites tend to produce different results, due to variances of testing.

Amsoil does have their warranty, but one has to submit all the paperwork documenting it.. and Amsoil does come through if their product (oil or their filters) did actually cause the damage.

[AsianDude]

Obviously they aren't hiding information on the Internet, no one could do that.

However, Amsoil shills such as yourself come to forums like this one or motorcycle forums (which I'm also heavily involved in) and tout the "evidence" of how much better this oil is. Meanwhile no manufacturer recommends it, it's expensive, and only available largely through their Amway like dealer network.

I'm sure you'll have a response to this but don't bother; you won't convince me to buy that product either way.

I'm not trying to convince anybody to buy anything...if you read my earlier reponse, I am willing to try the oil out and report back after a few thousand miles.
Stop calling people names

[brian81]

Amsoil does submit some of their products to API & ILSAC for licensing and certification.

Amsoil has API certifications

I said that.

How did MB determine the oil was Amsoil by getting an oil analysis done? Oil analysis will tell properties of the oil, but not necessarily the basestock and all the components of the additive package, they can't tell who made the oil.

Easily discernible by mass spectrometry. The isotopic composition and structure of a compound has a unique mollecular signiature, and spectrometry will tell you exactly what the base stock and additive package are. Couldn't have gotten my PhD (physics not chemistry) without it.