Recently, one of the AMSOIL Dealers on our team, Erik Rud of Big Thompson Diesel and Automotive wrote an article pointing out the continuing problems plaguing vehicle owners who unknowingly purchase oil changes from dealers, quick lubes and repair shops that use inferior quality lubricants that are listed as “Full Synthetic” oil changes. This is an ongoing problem we have pointed out in several previous articles.
Here is the article by Erik Rud:
Let’s talk oil quality for a minute. It doesn’t matter if you own a gas vehicle or a diesel vehicle. All engines, transmissions, and differentials need lubricant. There is a very common issue that is causing a plague vehicles right now. Oil quality!!! It has been the #1 failure of all internal engine components for quite some time and it is getting worse.
When you choose to have a “cheap” oil change done they are using the lowest possible quality oil they can buy. Most of the times it barely meets if at all meets the standards the vehicle manufacturers recommend. The cheap oil changes will definitely end up costing you money in the long run with expensive breakdowns of major engine, transmission, or differential components. One way to avoid catastrophic internal engine components is to have your vehicle serviced with quality oils.
Here at Big Thompson Diesel we are true believers in putting the highest quality oils in your vehicle that we can possibly get our hands on. Yes there are some places out there that say they’re using good quality oils; however even most of those places are still trying to get away with the cheapest possible oil they can get and buying in mega bulk prices to try to keep their costs down. Just because they offer a fully synthetic oil change doesn’t mean they are offering high quality products. They are typically not using any name brand oils at all. If they are claiming it’s a name brand oil it is usually a generic oil based off a similar formulation to a name brand oil but comes in a bulk drum from a bulk dispenser from a bulk truck with a fancy label on the drum of oil they’re pumping it into.
I can tell you from personal experience most of the bigger more reputable shops around town are using all the same oils. These oils we see over and over causing turbo failures, engine bearing failures, most commonly lifter failures on the modern vehicles, as well as transmission failures and a whole slew of other failures that all can be attributed to poor quality oils. Some of the oil quality concerns come from these manufacturers pushing these oils so hard that they tend to break down early and quickly. Unfortunately the common trend in the automotive industry is to recommend longer and longer drain intervals. Now owners are running longer oil changes on oil that breaks down even faster because of the low quality. The one way to combat this is to change your oil more frequently using the same poor quality oil you have been using.
What we consider the better option is come see us and get your oil changed with the absolute top quality lubricants that you can buy. Many customers are surprised when switching over to AMSOIL because the price really isn’t all that much different than what they’re paying now. Although, in the long run, I guarantee we will save you an engine, transmission, differential, or many other very expensive failures just by putting a good quality oil in your vehicle that can last those extended service intervals. This picture here shows a 6.0L Ford diesel engine. The oil has become so gummed up underneath the oil cooler that it has actually started to revert into a mixture of tar and charcoal. It is heavily caked on the engine block, almost a quarter inch thick in some cases. It had completely plugged the oil cooler solid and it had pretty much destroyed most things inside of this engine. The other pictures are of a 2019 and later 6.7L Cummins engine. 
This engine has had its oil changed at the dealership most of its life. You think they would be using top quality oils. But I know for a fact they don’t always use their own OEM oils. Sometimes they use the cheapest stuff they can get their hands on. In either case, this oil has broken down inside this engine and caused a massive lifter failure, which also caused the pushrods to wear the tips off. This caused the rocker arms to get worn and the rocker bridges to wear down which ended up with with the engine having a lot of valve train noise. Unfortunately this is not a cheap fix on this vehicle. What would have been a cheap fix is to prevent this failure in the first place by spending a few dollars more on oil changes throughout the life of the vehicle and never have to replace these lifters or the entire valve train like this again.
We’ve seen similar failures to this on the 3.6L Chrysler engine that is used in many Jeep vehicles as well as minivans and Chrysler / Dodge cars. Volkswagens also have a high failure rate very similar to this. Chevy gasoline 5.3L and 6.0L engines also have a very similar failure where the lifters collapse and will not pump back up. They are placing such a high demand on the oil that it can’t possibly lubricate the lifters properly. That ultimately ends up in a lifter collapsing, destroying a camshaft and, if you’re lucky and catch it soon enough, it does not completely destroy your engine.
When the conversation of oil comes up everybody’s going to have their favorite brand and we totally understand that, but after having dealt with this industry and watched the oil failures happen over and over and over and progressively get worse as the engines get more complicated. It is very clear that many of the name brand oils are definitely falling short of their mark and cannot supply proper lubrication to these engines over the long term. In most cases your vehicle is a second most expensive purchase you can ever make in your life and is typically only second to buying a house, then it is very important to protect your expensive investment with proper maintenance and quality products. Come see us and see what we can do for you. Let us get you set up with AMSOIL Synthetic Lubricants to put in all of your vehicles. It doesn’t matter if you drive a gas, diesel, hybrid vehicle. We have an oil to cover all of the needs to help keep your investment on the road for the long run. If you’re a do-it-yourselfer, I’d be more than happy to set you up to buy AMSOIL directly and help save you a little bit of money. If you are another shop seeing this post and would like to step up your game and actually start installing quality oils in your customer’s vehicles. I would be more than happy to get you set up with an AMSOIL installer account and you can start treating your customers vehicles with respect today. Stop by our shop or give me a call if you would like to start using the highest quality lubricants. Choose AMSOIL!
Are you interested in becoming an AMSOIL Dealer or getting set up to carry or install AMSOIL at your shop? AMSOIL offers factory direct opportunities for business owners or individuals that would like to offer and sell AMSOIL. Check out our Become An AMSOIL Retailer or Become an AMSOIL Dealer page to get started.
AMSOIL Inc excels at developing, testing and manufacturing synthetic lubricants that provide cutting-edge solutions to the toughest problems faced by vehicles and equipment. The exceptional performance of AMSOIL synthetic lubricants across various industries—including automotive, powersports, industrial, and racing—has cemented our prominent position in the market and earned our brand significant respect. Our dedication to innovation has fostered a loyal customer base.
Other articles you may be interested in:
Auto Shops Beware of offering low quality synthetic oil changes
Should a quick lube consider selling and recommending AMSOIL Synthetic Lubricants?
Become an AMSOIL Premier Installer
