What have you learned since joining BITOG?

[wavinwayne]

Here's just a few things I've learned:

1. The type of oil listed in your owners manual will work for 99.999% of people.

2. The OCI listed in your owners manual is correct for the same 99.999% of people.

3. Even the hated, over-priced Fram oil filters will work fine on almost any engine, even though there are much better filters on the market.

4. Dealerships & their service tech's are not nearly as knowledgeable about oil as they should be.

5. Never, never, never, not ever let anyone except YOU change your car's oil.

6. Elves are waaaaaay more knowledgeable about oil than we ever knew.

and about 1000 other things I can't think of right now.

 

[MAJA]

1. Not to use fram filters
2. HDEO oil are ok for older high mileage V-8s.
3. Paper air filters are as good as the high end oiled filters, and filter much better.
4. LC and FP give noticeable improvements

 

[JohnBrowning]

1) Do not use Fram filters.
2) Do not use oil foam or guaze filters.
3) Most vechile do better with oil one to two grades higher then recomended by owners manual.
4) 0W40 and 5W40 is best comprimise for 99% of owners in the United States with gasoline or diesel engines.
5) GM engines like an oil that is either a thick 30wt. or thin 40 wt.
6) UOA can be a powerful once a trend is established
7) It is possable to chemicly clean slude insitu and reconditional seal.
8) Not all synthetics are created equaly.
9) I am not the only a n a l retentive oil nut.
10) UOA is a cost effective way to evalute manufactures powertrain material and build quality quality angainst competition.

 

[axjohn]

"Hi, I'm Axjohn, and I'm a BITOGholic".

 

[T-Keith]

1. UOAs can be helpful.
2. Dino oils can do pretty well after 3000 miles.
3. Penzoil isn't so bad after all.
4. Using a different weight then OEM isn't always a bad idea.


Sorry I already knew about Fram and Group III "synthetics".

-T

 

[Bryanccfshr]

1. What oil specs actually mean and how it trnaslateds to the oils performance.
2. How to read an oil analysis
3. LC,FP & Auto RX are not snake oil additives.
4. There is much much more to lubrication than I had imagined.

 

[labman]

1 There are other crazies out there that chop up used oil filters.

2 They prefer Super Tech to Fram too.

3 There are other crazies out there.

4 Pennzoil isn't a bad choice for a dino, although some other things might be as good and cheaper.

5 There are better ways to clean up sludge than engine flushes.

6 If you use anti seize or other lube on nuts, reduce tightening torque to 80%.

7 There is no procedure so weird that somebody won't insist it is an absolute necessity.

 

[twentynine]

I have learned that I am not the only one in the world with an oil dependency.

 

[Gary Allan]

quote:

---

7 There is no procedure so weird that somebody won't insist it is an absolute necessity.

---

You can exchange expensive for weird and it's also true.

I love lists of "must do"'s You wonder how you've gotten this far on shear luck.

 

[steeltoe]

1. SuperTech filters are ok.
2. Motor oil can come in other colors than brown.
3. That Molokule is a very smart person.
4. It's ok to go over 3000 miles on an oil change.
5. My wife is not "into" motor oil.
6. Last but not least, A LOT of people have way too much time on their hands!

 

[Pablo]

Can I steal steeltoe's list! The best!

1) I have the guts to talk back to Al A., but unlike that unruly 6 year old or teenager - I now can make some sense.
2) People really like oil as much as I do.
3) Smelling like gear oil is never a good thing.
4) Motorcraft filters are pretty good.
5) GM engines can throw a lot of copper and be OK.
6) Castrol is a strange company, and it gives me a little solace trying to sell a product for a company that is strange as well.
7) Mobil has their **** together, but they are not perfect.
8) It's OK to like Asian girls.
9) Some folks did drugs when younger, some people did a LOT of drugs, and forgot to quit.
10) People hate me, and the product I sell with total prejudice and very little knowledge.
11) Dewlanna has very keen sense and knowledge for history.
12) There are some oil heads near where I live.
13) Redline is not invincible.

 

[Ugly3]

01) Dino oil is as good as synthetic oil in most cases if you change it in a reasonable fashion.

02) Few people have any idea of the effectiveness of an oil filter.

03) There are very few additives that really help.

04) Amsoil makes great products and have some great distributors (and some others too).

05) UOA reports tell you lots about the condition of your oil and very little about engine wear.

06) If you want to run your engine over 300,000 miles get a good bypass filter.

07) In general, thin oil is more effective than thick oil.

08) Many well meaning people (including myself) hold come crazy ideas.

09) The more you learn the more you find you need to learn.

10) Finally, freedom is expensive and the best value you will find.

 

[peterr]

What have I learned?

1. Fuel and oil additives are not ALL snake oil, although most of the stuff marketed in that space is 100% Group III Serpent.

1a. Auto-RX yields benefits for many people when used appropriately.

1b. Fuel Power and Lube Control yield benefits for most people even when used inappropriately.

2. There are some smart and kind people willing to share their expertise (subject to restrictions of the NDA) in terms comprehensible to people like me. As the kids would say, props to the posse: Terry, MolaKule, Doug Hillary, Vetteman, Patman, (there is probably even a ManMan although I am not sure about the diversity implications of that screen name) etc.

3. There is the occasional smart and not as kind individual who is willing to share info in terms that make you feel like even more of an idiot. These are mercifully rare (yet sometimes good sources).

4. Higher octane in a high compression engine is not a panacea.

 

[oldman]

1. Location of all of the Autozones in Maryland.
2. More ways to spend money on my already car habit.
3. After many failed attempts to post pictures, still don't have a clue.
4. Know that if I am in trouble anywhere in the world there are always great people who will lend assistance.
5. Not many places where one can get outstanding advice for free.

 

[AstroVic]

I have learned:

1. Paying more than $3-$4 for a quart of synthetic oil is probably a complete waste of money in 99.9% of the applications.

2. Synthetic oil is great stuff, but it certainly isn't a *necessary* condition to treat your car "right." (I use synthetic in two of my three cars.)

3. Dino oils - Chevron, Havoline, Motorcraft, and others - have come a long way in the past ten years, and some even rival synthetic oils in performance over 5,000 mile (or less) oil change intervals.

4. You don't have to pay over $5 to get a very high quality oil filter. In fact, you don't have to pay more than $3 to get a very good oil filter.

5. I currently possess more quarts of oil and more oil filters than I could realistically use in the next six months.

7. Most of us on BITOG probably spend A LOT MORE MONEY than is necessary to properly maintain our vehicles. Myself included.

8. My wife thinks I'm nuts.

9. My wife is probably right.

10. BITOG is an evil place.

 

[Rob Taggs]

1. Learned to pull foot out of my mouth when it
comes to bashing Pennzoil. Pennzoil makes
quality products now. My experiences were
from mainly 1960's and 1970's V-8's I tore
down to find 2,000 to 3,000 mile oil looking
like molasses, so my b***h is valid for that
time frame.

2. Run not walk away from the Orange Cans of
Doom (Fram Oil Filters).

3. Pass on valid, proven advice to friends, co-
workers, and even strangers that I have
learned from BITOG posters and members.
Seen the advice used by these folks that I
have talked to and got great feedback every-
time.

4. Learned that I do not know everything there is
to know. As I learned in competition shooting,
there is always someone better at it than me
(Dad's saying to me). There is when it comes
to motor oil etc... but, very, very few when it
comes to long range shooting - Heck, I gotta
brag, its about the only thing in this d**m
world I'm good at! I can't even type.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

1. There are many right answers and several wrong ones as well.

2. In order to achieve a "right" answer, trended UOAs are the ONLY answer.

3. Opinions, brand loyalty, racks of aftermaket chemicals, and even the product du jour mean absolutely nothing without analyzation of the product itself and how it interacts with the given application.

4. I'm a more educated customer when it comes to car & truck lubes.

5. GC is a really great product IF you can get your hands on it.

6. I will continually learn more and more as this is an industry that doesn't stand still.

 

[Audi Junkie]

I confirmed that cheap dino IS actually bad for consumption, not just my imagination.
I confirmed mixing 5w30 and 10w-40 might not have bad too bad an idea for an amatuer.
I confirmed that all the chasing around I did for 5w-40 was worthwhile.

Before BitOG: Mobil 1 0w-40, SynPower 5w-40, DuraBlend and Rotella Synth.

After BitOG: Mobil 1 5w-40, GC, 15w40 HDEO and Rotella Synth.

I also learned both synthetics and dino oils have their place.

The 2 best new things I leaned about is 15w40 and GC...0w oils in general.

 

[moribundman]

What have I learned?


1. I'm a cat person.

2. Pablo travels much.

3. Liking XW-40 oil makes me a heretic.

4. John Browning is a furious typist.

 

[ediamiam]

Bitog saved the automatic tranny in my Mazda. My previous cars were typically stick, so never really got into the habit of checking the auto dipstick. I new the pan was seeping some fluid, just tightened the bolts, but never checked the level. I finally pulled the dip, and what little fluid that registered on the end was very dark and burnt. I did several incremental changes, until the fluid was red again and now use LC also.
I also checked the power steering fluid - low and very dark. Did the same swap and also use LC.
The moral of the story is check all the fluids.