Skip to main content

The 3000 Mile Oil Drain Fails To Address The Real Issue

The 3000 Miles Oil Change Interval Doesn’t Address Oil Quality

When people say to me they change their oil at 3000 so not to take any chances that dirt could be causing damage or the oil could be getting “bad”, I say to them, why not change every 50 miles then?? I’m sure the oil is still good but as you said, why take a chance?

Let’s look at the top reasons for engine failure which relate to the oil.

#1 is lack of lubrication. Nothing to do with dirt but a poor quality non-synthetic even low quality synthetic made from Group III base stocks (There are over 80 different quality levels for a Group III oil thus lower prices – this does not fit the scientific definition of synthetic) can and will leave deposits OR lose viscosity early on both causing lack of lubrication.
#2 – Overheating – Often the damage done after a engine overheats is caused by the heat being too intense for the oil to hold its properties. An AMSOIL product would have prevented this especially in air cooled (V-Twin bikes or marine) and in the new trend of turbocharged engines. The coming LSPI issue will demand the oil be at least a 100% synthetic quality. It’s designed for temperatures beyond these issues.
So changing oil every day will not prevent the above. Any overheating event or the list of reasons which cause a lack of lubrication cannot be addressed by the 3000 mile oil change. Only by the quality of the oil. AMSOIL also adds performance and for the difference in price per quart is less than the cost of a cup of today’s coffee so the solution for protecting your investment is here!! And has been for 45 years.

Quality Oil Filtration is a Must but still only part of the issue

I couldn’t find the study as I was writing this but Federal Mogul published research that “dirt” in oil was actually a minor part of failure while things relating to lubricant quality were. Acids or loss of TBN was a much more severe issue. Corrosion and storage was a far greater contributor to reduction in engine efficiency and ultimately failure.

Mild quality oil filters solve the dirt issue for up to 10,000 miles but you still need an oil which can fight contaminants caused by fuel or advanced wear over the years (such as starting with a used vehicle which you don’t know the history of). AMSOIL addresses the contaminants with their advanced additive packages and are willing to cover that with a guarantee.

How do you know?

Note while that AMSOIL does back their oil for longer intervals, this is clearly stated for engines which are in normal operating condition and have not been modified. For modified engines, neglected ones or those with a good number of miles over 100,000 they do list severe service categories or one can always get our KIT-02 oil analysis kit and go from there.

Just use better oil and find out what you are missing!

AMSOIL use will tilt the scales of a nations fleet replacement statistics. Imagine that. Just from changing brands of oil.

The 3000 mile oil change interval excuse is much like arguing one brand of cigarettes is more healthy than another.
Use AMSOIL and unlock the full potential of your drive train!! Find out what others already know – AMSOIL is all about performance!
Ches Cain – AMSOIL Direct Jobber

AAA Study Finds Synthetics a SIGNIFICANTLY Better Alternative than Conventional

AAA Testing Affirms Superiority of Synthetic Motor Oils

AMSOIL introduced the world to synthetic motor oil in 1972, and we’ve been extolling the benefits ever since. While we’ve been joined by many vehicle and equipment manufacturers and competing motor oil companies over the years, the American Automobile Association (AAA) is the most recent company to promote the benefits of using synthetics. The popular club recently conducted in-depth testing to determine if it’s worth paying more for synthetic oil over conventional oil.

The answer is a resounding “yes.”

“Oil protects critical engine components from damage and AAA found that synthetic engine oils performed an average of 47 percent better than conventional oils in a variety of industry-standard tests,” said John Nielsen, AAA’s managing director of Automotive Engineering and Repair. “With its superior resistance to deterioration, AAA’s findings indicate that synthetic oil is particularly beneficial to newer vehicles with turbo-charged engines and for vehicles that frequently drive in stop-and-go traffic, tow heavy loads or operate in extreme hot or cold conditions.”

AAA’s research included eight industry-standard ASTM tests focusing on shear stability, deposit formation, volatility, cold-temperature pumpability, oxidation resistance and oxidation-induced rheological changes. Each test was performed on five synthetic and five conventional oils. The results of this study by a reputable, third-party organization reaffirm what we’ve been saying for more than 45 years and give you one more reference point to back up your claims in the buy-sell process.

Click here to see the full AAA report.

Gone is the adage, “As long as you change your oil at 3000 mile intervals, I don’t care what oil you use, it will be just fine. Synthetics are a waste of money.”

AAA Finds Synthetic Lubricants worth switching to on several accounts

The above ignores many issues which this test and AMSOIL has outlined for decades. Not only that but it totally ignores the #1 reason for our brand which is performance.
An unscientific approach can also explain. If you imaging all the cars in the junkyard that are there because of an engine that failed I bet the majority of them did get their oil changed at 3000 miles. At least that is true if we go back to the 70’s. So changing oil too frequently didn’t prevent a seized engine due to loss of coolant or a lose oil drain bolt. Yes – Synthetics (true ones at least) could have very well prevented that breakdown.

Also severe wear due to fuel and acids in the crankcase which AMSOIL addresses but a conventional Group II base stock cannot. At least when considering their price point which limits the quality of the additives.

Synthetics as you see in this report excel in viscosity retention and oxidation resistance. Federal Mogul published a study years ago showing the majority of engine failures (I think the figure was greater than 85%) were not because of contaminants but because of a lack of lubrication, excess heat or corrosion. AMSOIL products address all these and their sub-categories.  Even if the subject changed the bargain brand every 50 miles, it won’t address viscosity loss when there is a overheating event causing deposits or metal fatigue.

Again the above are all features and insurance of Synthetics but the real draw is performance and is why I was sold on AMSOIL and later became a dealer thanks to it’s performance in 1960’s cars which I was told “It ain’t gonna work in them old cars!!” Lol!