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Does NAPA Sell AMSOIL? (Where to buy AMSOIL)

Written by Charleen
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Does NAPA Sell AMSOIL? They can if you ask!

Daisy Quaker|

Looking to buy AMSOIL products at your local NAPA store? The good news is, you can find AMSOIL products proudly stocked on the shelves of some stores. However, our products aren’t available in all retail stores. Here are some reasons why, and some options where you can buy AMSOIL products.

Why aren’t AMSOIL Products in All NAPA Stores?

We sell our products primarily through local independent AMSOIL Dealers. When our founder Al Amatuzio introduced the first synthetic motor oil in the world to meet American Petroleum Institute service requirements, no one knew what synthetic oil was. Amatuzio relied on a national network of AMSOIL Dealers to educate customers on why synthetic oil was better than conventional oil and the benefits of using synthetic oil.

Through Dealers, Amatuzio was able to sell AMSOIL products and educate potential customers about  the benefits of AMSOIL synthetic lubricants. Soon enough, competitors came to the market and synthetic oil became widely accepted. Now, synthetic motor oil is the standard oil for many new cars on the market.

AMSOIL Believes in Businesses that Offer High-Quality Service

We think it’s important that AMSOIL products are available primarily at businesses that offer specialized products and services. As such, we don’t sell directly to national chains because they can gain a competitive advantage that makes it less desirable for local or regional businesses that offer repair, installation or other value-added services. You can find AMSOIL products at many local NAPA and other auto parts stores, as well as at quick lubes, auto service centers, hardware stores, powersports dealers, etc.

Where to buy AMSOIL

 

You can buy AMSOIL in many places. The AMSOIL Locator shows you Independent AMSOIL Dealers, automotive centers, powersports stores and retail stores near you that carry AMSOIL products.

Or you can buy AMSOIL products online. The AMSOIL website is the only place that sells AMSOIL products online.  AMSOIL products usually ship within 24 hours, and we have distribution centers all over North America, so in some cases you will receive your order in 2-3 business days. Plus, orders of more than $100 placed online qualify for free shipping.

Synthetic Warehouse here in Sioux Falls can save you a bundle calling us direct as we use our established wholesale account to get your order to you in the most efficient way. Just call 800-579-0580 or 605-274-2580.
We use the regional warehouses and in some cases you will qualify as a account so you can do your own ordering for less all the time.
Just because we are in Sioux Falls, SD doesn’t mean we can’t help someone in Florida or Yuma, AZ.. In fact most our business is more than 1000 miles away. That’s why people call us – to save money BUT if you want to use other means  – please be our guest! Use the dealer/retailer locator at AMSOIL.com.

So if you’re planning a DIY oil change next weekend, ordering it Monday or Tuesday will guarantee its delivery in time for you to get under the hood when you want.

Which Stores Sell AMSOIL Products?

Granted the store meets our guidelines, you can find AMSOIL products at any individual auto parts store, including those that belong to large chains such as Auto Value Parts stores, Bumper to Bumper, Carquest, Fleet Farm, Hardware Hank, O’Reillys and more. The best way to find retailers near you that carry AMSOIL products is to use the AMSOIL Locator at www.amsoil.com.

We’re (Almost) Everywhere, Just Ask

You may also find AMSOIL products at gas stations and some automotive repair shops. The London Road Car Wash down the street where I regularly get my oil changed sells AMSOIL, as did two of the gas stations I visited during a recent trip to $Canada$.

If your local repair shop does not advertise AMSOIL, ask them about it; I’m pretty sure they will know a Dealer or two in the area who stocks AMSOIL products and can get it to the shop within the same day.

Bottom line: If you are looking to buy AMSOIL products, use the AMSOIL Locator or amsoil.com to stock up. Find out what type of oil you need for your car using the AMSOIL Product Guides to find out what fluids to use in every part of your car.

Help Us Help You

Just by asking your parts house that you are interested in AMSOIL goes a long ways. We sign up auto parts stores all over the country after they have called us expressing it’s because they had a persistent customer.  Be the customer to tilt the scale. Generally all a store needs is about six of our products to fit most of the needs (XL, API, ZRT, MCV, ASL and MTG).

Another option is to first join us as a dealer, go through the training online, then start getting to know your prospects. Many have that gift to be the local supplier of your own auto parts store accounts of your region. AMSOIL lists the active account on their site and you are paid a commission for your efforts. AMSOIL is known to add new customers to many of these shops which they wouldn’t have had in the first place.
People would rather pay retail on lubricants than wait for these heavy but necessary products by mail.

 

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How Often Should I Change Front or Rear Differential Fluid?

Written by Charleen
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When to change differential fluids

 

John Baker|

It depends on your vehicle, driving conditions and differential fluid quality.

That’s a pretty vague answer, but it’s true.

If you drive your truck primarily on the highway in temperate conditions and rarely tow or haul, you likely don’t need to change front or rear differential fluid very often. But, if you tow a work trailer or haul supplies frequently and the temperature fluctuates as wildly as your health insurance premium, then you need to change the fluid more often. The only way to know the exact mileage interval is to check your owner’s manual or visit the dealership.

Bigger, faster, stronger

Why the varying fluid change intervals? Because severe operating conditions break down differential fluid more quickly and place greater stress on the gears and bearings, inviting wear.

The truck manufacturer’s ongoing arms race for the highest towing capacity has resulted in trucks that place far more stress on differentials than their predecessors. Meanwhile, differential fluid capacities have largely decreased or remained the same.

For example, compare a 1996 Ford F-250 Crew Cab to the 2017 version. Back in 1996, maximum towing capacity was 10,500 lbs. using a rear differential that held 3.75 quarts of gear lube. The 2017 model offers a 15,000-lb. towing capacity using a rear differential that holds 3.5 quarts of fluid.

Greater towing capacity, less gear lube

What does that mean for your truck? It means less fluid is responsible for guarding against increased heat and stress. In this environment, inferior lubricants can shear and permanently lose viscosity. Once sheared, the fluid film weakens, ruptures and allows metal-to-metal contact, eventually causing gear and bearing failure.
And in Sioux Falls looking out over 12th St every day, I see a lot of people overloading their light duty pickups!

Increased temperatures are also a challenge. As temperatures climb, gear lubricants tend to lose viscosity, while extreme loads and pressures can break the lubricant film, causing increased metal-to-metal contact and heat. The increased friction and heat, in turn, cause the lubricant to lose further viscosity, which further increases friction and heat. Friction and heat continue to spiral upward, creating a vicious cycle known as thermal runaway that eventually leads to greatly increased wear and irreparable equipment damage.

That’s why you need to change differential fluid more often in severe operating conditions.

In our example above, Ford recommends changing differential fluid every 150,000 miles in normal service. But they drop the change interval significantly – to every 30,000 miles if using non-synthetic fluid – when towing frequently at wide-open throttle and driving at temps above 70ºF. Those restrictions apply to just about anyone who’s pulled a camper/boat/trailer anywhere in North America during most of the year.

Bottom line…

Use a high-quality synthetic gear lube to maximize your truck’s ability to tow and haul.

AMSOIL Severe Gear 75W-110 ® Synthetic Gear Lube, Severe Gear 75W-90 (Best seller) and Severe Gear 75W-140 are specifically designed for severe service. It maintains viscosity better than other conventional and synthetic gear lubes despite rigorous use and it contains advanced anti-wear additives for further protection. It also costs less than most OEM-branded gear lubes.

FIND AMSOIL SYNTHETIC GEAR LUBE FOR MY TRUCK

Stay safe out there and visit our Sioux Falls AMSOIL Store at 4610 W. 12th St. (Just west of I29 about 1-block)  605-274-2580

 

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Ease Winter with AMSOIL Silicone Spray

Written by Charleen
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Ease Winter with AMSOIL Silicone Spray

We sell a ton of this in the Sioux Falls store. Great on all rubber and non-metallic seals. Good product to have on hand when you need it.

AMSOIL Silicone Spray is perfect for lubricating and protecting rubber, nylon, plastics, upholstery, vinyl, wood, cardboard, fiberglass and other nonmetal surfaces (and metal surfaces that come in contact with nonmetal surfaces). Keep a can on-hand this winter to…

  • Spray onto shovels, snowblower chutes and augers, plows and skid-steer buckets to prevent snow from sticking
  • Spray onto weather stripping and seals to prevent frozen doors and windows
  • Spray onto wiper blade frames to prevent them from freezing
  • Spray onto leather boots, shoes, jackets, suede and more to protect them against snow and water

For leather and sensitive surfaces, initially apply to a small area. Silicone Spray will not damage leather, but may slightly alter the color or hue.

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Common Fixes for a Transmission that Jerks or Hesitates

Written by Charleen
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Common Fixes for a Transmission that Jerks or Hesitates

John Baker|

The AMSOIL ATF is one of our best sellers in the Sioux Falls store. Thanks to you many local transmission shops are now suggesting it to their customers. You can pick up here and take to your favorite transmission shop.

Here are a few common reasons why your transmission may shift erratically, jerk or hesitate.

• Low fluid level
• Depleted fluid frictional properties
• Poor cold-temperature fluidity

Start with the easiest fix

There’s an old adage when troubleshooting: start with the least expensive and simplest fix. In this case, check the transmission fluid level first. Low fluid can prevent the transmission from shifting properly. It’s important to find out why the fluid is low and fix any problems. It could be a leaky seal or other mechanical defect. Otherwise, adding new fluid won’t ultimately solve the problem.

Worn fluid equals poor shift quality

Transmission fluid that has aged and lost some of its frictional properties can also lead to poor shift quality. When your vehicle’s computer tells the transmission to shift gears, hydraulic pressure (provided by the fluid) squeezes a series of plates together inside a clutch pack to connect the engine to the transmission output shaft and route power to the wheels. The fluid’s frictional properties play a vital role in ensuring the clutch plates bind together properly and gear shifts occur seamlessly.

Over time, the fluid’s frictional properties can degrade, leading to elongated, jerky or inconsistent shifts. In this case, it’s time for a fluid change.

How do you know for sure the fluid is worn? The only definite way to find out is to conduct used fluid analysis. However, fluid that smells burnt or appears dirty is likely due for a change. It’s best practice to change the fluid before the frictional properties are depleted and you experience poor shifting. Those poor shifts can cause the clutches to wear more rapidly and lead to bigger issues that need mechanical repairs.

Be aware of “adaptive” transmissions

One interesting note affects newer vehicles equipped with adaptive transmissions. These units “learn” your driving habits and the characteristics of the fluid to adjust shifts accordingly. As the fluid loses its frictional properties, the computer compensates and adjusts transmission performance.

** If you’ve recently changed your fluid, the computer may still operate as if old fluid is installed, causing poor shift quality. In these cases, keep driving and eventually the computer will “relearn” your driving habits and the behavior of the new fluid and adjust accordingly. The problem was significant enough on some 2012-2013 Ford F-150s to cause Ford to issue a technical service bulletin (TSB 13-1-10).

What do “frictional properties” look like?

We know what good, crisp shifts feel like. Can we dive in even further and see what they look like?

We can, and they appear as a flat, boring line on a graph. The dark blue line represents the frictional properties of new AMSOIL Signature Series Synthetic Automatic Transmission Fluid. The light blue line shows the frictional properties of the same fluid after more than 180,000 miles in taxi cabs operating in the intense heat of Las Vegas.

As you can see, the lines are extremely close, with no abrupt spikes or dips. This means, after 180,000 miles of severe service, the fluid continued to deliver crisp, confident shifts.

Granted, it’s not exciting to look at – unless you love driving and want to protect your transmission.

Cold weather can reduce shift quality

When the temperature drops, transmission fluids with poor cold-flow properties can thicken and cause elongated and hard shifts until the fluid has warmed up enough to flow properly. Switching to a high-quality synthetic transmission fluid will help. Synthetics don’t contain waxes, as conventional fluids do, meaning they remain fluid at lower temperatures for improved shifts during cold weather.

The best transmission fluid available won’t fix a broken transmission. But using high-quality synthetic fluid can help improve shift quality and maximize transmission life.

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World’s Most Powerful Outboard Motors Rely on AMSOIL

Written by Charleen
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World’s Most Powerful Outboard Motors Rely on AMSOIL

Seven Marine, maker of the world’s most powerful outboard motors, has a saying: We move the people who move the world. The Germantown, Wis. company designs, builds and sells outboard motors that produce up to an astonishing 627 hp and power some of the fastest and most impressive watercraft in the world.

All that power places tremendous stress on their sophisticated motors, which is why they turned to AMSOIL synthetic lubricants as their factory- and service-fill lubricants after having previously used Mobil* products. We sat down with Eric Davis, Seven Marine Vice President, to get the story.

AMSOIL Magazine: What makes Seven Marine unlike any other manufacturer of marine motors?

Eric Davis: We build the most powerful outboards available on the market today. We use a completely different technological approach than any other outboard manufacturer by using the small-block supercharged V-8 out of the Cadillac* CTS V and applying that in its normal horizontal configuration under the cowl. And that really makes Seven Marine unique because all other outboard motors are vertically oriented. That means we can use the performance, quality and emissions advancements that are central to automotive engines and apply that to outboard motors for the first time. In addition, we pair the engine to a ZF* marine wet-disc-clutch transmission. We’re the only outboard that uses a transmission. Because of that, our motors don’t shift in the lower unit.

AMSOIL Magazine: What performance advantages does that design provide?

Davis: It allows us to optimize the lower unit with a twin-pinion, race-inspired design that’s smaller in diameter. That benefits us in high-speed-cruise fuel economy and top-speed capability. A twin-pinion also gives you a tremendous amount of durability.

So, when you use a horizontal crankshaft engine, go with a wet-disc-clutch transmission and finish with a twin-pinion lower unit, you really get an outboard that’s built completely different, which is how we’re able to deliver the amount of power and torque to the propeller that sets us apart from everyone else.

AMSOIL Magazine: Your most powerful motor produces 627 hp. On what type of watercraft are people using your outboards?

Davis: The vast majority of our applications are multi-engine, and the trend lately has been more quads than anything [using four engines simultaneously]. We address the market that’s called the ‘super consoles,’ so we’re talking about 40-plus-foot, centerconsole, off-shore boats. Four engines can be done using a boat as short as 43 feet and as long as 61 feet.

AMSOIL Magazine: Who’s buying your outboards?

Davis: By the time you find out what they’ve done or what they do, they’ve touched your life in some way, shape or form. We use as a corporate tag line, ‘The Power to Move Those Who Move the World,’ and that really came from the fact that our customers are exactly those people, whether it’s the northern hemisphere’s largest onion farmer or the family that owns the third-largest grain distributor in the world – all kinds of people like that. They have truly amazing stories.

AMSOIL Magazine: How do they use your outboard motors?

Davis: It varies a lot. In general, they use them for transportation. They’re moving great distances, and what makes the applications unique for Seven Marine is that they’re trying to traverse those distances at high-speed cruise. They use the applications for everything from island-hopping to poker runs to deep-sea fishing. We have customers in the Gulf of Mexico who are running 150 miles to fish the rigs, so they’re cruising three hours at 50 mph to get out there and fish. We have people in Alaska 150 miles from civilization. Generally speaking, they’re covering great distances at pretty good clips.

AMSOIL Magazine: Why did you choose AMSOIL synthetic lubricants for your engines and transmissions?

Davis: When you’re trying to deliver the most luxurious experience for the customer and deliver the most performance at this level of power, you really have to have the best of everything to make sure it works properly. And you have to be confident that you have the best lubricants to ensure you’ve got the ultimate in durability. AMSOIL, on the engine and transmission side, has been the best products we can find. That allows us to be confident that when we do a factory-fill and recommended servicefill with AMSOIL, that you’re going to get that same factory performance day-in and day-out.

AMSOIL Magazine: What did your own test results tell you about AMSOIL products?

Davis: When we started doing oil sampling from dyno testing and looking at the performance of the oil and its degradation, the AMSOIL results were superior than what we were using before [Mobil products]. We’re endeavoring to build the absolute best world-class products we can and innovate in the marine industry, so we prefer to have an oil that we feel is as innovative and technologically advanced as the engines that it’s going into, and that leaves us with AMSOIL

In Sioux Falls review our marine 10W-30 and 10W-40 4-stroke oil for the big blocks, the new Mercury 25W-20 and several 2-stroke oils for injection units both OEM and our famous HP Injector formula and the 45 year old 100:1 outboard pre-mix.

And our best seller – the highly stable and water resistant Marine Gear Lube 75W-90.

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