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My History with

Amsoil Logo

Fred Richartz

My Father was a AMSOIL Dealer back in the 70-80s and I first learned of the product through him. He was using it in his 1967 Cadillac Coupe DeVille at the time and later another car that I first started driving, a 1973 Volkswagon Type III Squareback. He was always the mechanic on his cars and also as a hobby would rebuild antique BMW Motorcycles. Prior to this point he had been an airplane engine mechanic in the Air Force, and later for Pan American World Airways. Eventually he became a flight instructor for their biggest airplane, the 747. He was FAA licensed to inspect small aircraft. His years of airplane mechanic experience is what made him a user and believer of AMSOIL. After working for years around aircraft engines using synthetic oils he knew synthetics could do nothing but benefit his automobiles. His Dealer involvement was mostly to be able to buy at wholesale the oil he needed for his vehicles and fellow coworkers who were interested.

When I got what I consider to be my first car, a 1981 Mercury Capri RS, we put in AMSOIL 10W-30. The Capri was stolen about a year later, and my next car was a 1980 Honda Accord. This car was quickly switched over to the 10W-30 as well. At one point my Father had left the AMSOIL business but we were using the products he still had on hand. Even today I have a few items from those days in my collection. He still promoted the AMSOIL quality. With the 25,000 mile oil change interval they have promoted since day one, it lasted for a while.

Laser RS Turbo

For years I have continued to use AMSOIL in my vehicles, when I could find it. I purchased my 1991 Plymouth Laser RS Turbo in January of 1993 with around 15,000 miles on it. Knowing some of the benefits of synthetic lubricants, and the reputation and quality of AMSOIL, I hunted down a local AMSOIL source and changed the oil over immediately. Up until becoming a dealer I had been running their 10W-30.

One day I met an AMSOIL Dealer, who offered to also make me a Dealer, so that I may purchase my oil at wholesale cost, have access to their entire line of products, and never need to worry about not having a way to purchase what I needed in the future. So on my next oil change, I decided to take him up on his offer. At this point I was part of Club DSM, an auto club devoted to the Mitsubishi Eclipse, Eagle Talon, and Plymouth Laser. I was slowly starting to modify my car, so wanting to put in the best of the best, I switched to the Series 2000 0W-30. Once becoming a Dealer and having looked over their paperwork, I was impressed with the many products they carried which I was never aware of. I decided to convert all of my fluids over to AMSOIL and sell it as well, in the hopes that I could make a little money to pay for some of my modifications. I ran the Series 2000 75W-90 Gear Lube in my transmission, Series 2000 Racing Grease in all the CV joints, the Antifreeze/Coolant, ATF in the Power Steering, and have used both the Series 2000 0W-30 and Series 2000 20w-50 in the engine with an SDF-44 Oil Filter. On every gas fill up I gave it a shot of PI, to keep my injectors clean as well as using the Power Foam to periodically clean out my intake. I also ran RMI-25 Cooling System Treatment.

Hooters Girls with my Laser

In October of 1999 the Laser suffered a setback in performance when I ran lean on fuel with the modifications I had and damaged the engine. I decided to retire the car completely in 2001 when I finally opened up my engine and saw the extent of the damage, and decided it was time to "move on." I sold the car in early 2003 and soon after I heard the new owner has repaired the damage and it is running better than ever.

Right after damaging the engine of the Laser, I was needing a new reliable form of transportation until I was able to make repairs on my Laser which I originally intended to keep. I needed something more equipped to handle the equipment and supply load of AMSOIL I was now taking to car shows, since I was now working the AMSOIL business part time. I bought a 1989 Ford E-150 Conversion Van with a 302 engine. Not only was this more practical for hauling, but some shows and events I went to were multiple day events and I could camp in my home away from home.

The first thing I did when I got the van was convert it to AMSOIL. The vehicle had 95,000 miles when purchased. I drove it a bit with the Castrol GTX the previous owner had used to note any changes. I then flushed the engine with AMSOIL Engine Flush and watched what could only be described as Hershey's syrup pour into the drain pain afterwards. I then installed an SDF-15 Oil Filter and AMSOIL 10W-30 oil. The most noticeable difference was a valve noise that was now nearly gone and a seat of the pants feel that the engine wasn't laboring as much.

Me with 1989 Ford E-150 Conversion Van

I next did a blend of Automatic Transmission Fluid of new AMSOIL ATF with the current fluid. The main reason was that I could only drain the fluid that was in the pan, and not the torque converter. My plan in the future was to do a complete transmission flush and have full AMSOIL in the AOD transmission. At this same time, I drained the fluid from the rear differential and filled it with Series 2000 75W-90 Gear Lube. When getting my front brakes redone, I had the bearings packed with Series 2000 Racing Grease. I also installed the AMSOIL 2-Stage Air Filter. I filled the radiator with AMSOIL Antifreeze/Coolant and RMI-25 Cooling System Treatment.

After nearly 8,000 miles and one oil filter change, I flushed the engine once more and watched the old AMSOIL 10W-30 drain. It had gotten dirty rather quickly, and was pretty dark coming out, although not quite as bad as with the previous Castrol GTX drain. I did burn some oil during the initial conversion, as the oil cleaned the rings. This loss was to be expected and eventually stopped, with no loss afterwards. I replaced the oil filter and then installed the Series 2000 0W-30 oil. Over time it remained relatively clear with a slightly darker amber color than when new. My initial cleaning cycle with the 10W-30 did an excellent cleaning job. Eventually I had planned to add the Dual Bypass Filtration System. I cleaned the van using AMSOIL Car Polish and Metal Polish and did touch ups with Miracle Wash. As with the Laser, it received a shot of PI on most fill ups.

The switch over to the Series 2000 0W-30 took place in May of 2000. In the summer of that year, I lost my water pump. I was about 20-30 miles from home and drove home with nothing cooling the engine but the air from the Flex-Fan I had installed and the oil. My temperature gauge was pegged. I nearly made it home when the engine finally started to knock. I let it rest a short time and finished the last few miles. The next day I replaced the pump and kept the same oil. I did the usual 6 month SDF oil filter change. Then in the beginning of 2001 I developed another coolant leak when an air bubble in the mold of the intake manifold popped. While not as drastic, all my fluid would be gone on my trip to and from work and again the gauge would be pegged. Due to my schedule, I had to drive this refill/loss pattern for several days. The leak was then found and repaired, but again I kept the same oil. When my year drain interval was up, I had nearly 10,000 miles on the oil, and what I considered some heavy abuse. Oil analysis showed that my oil was still usable, and none of it's protective additives had been effected by what it had to endure during those severe periods.

My 1999 Limited Edition 35th Anniversary Mustang GT

But due to the lack of upkeep by the previous owner, I grew tired of constant repairs and while I had invested a lot of time and money into my van, it was finally time to move into something different in August of 2001. I went back to a sports car by purchasing a 1999 35th Anniversary Limited Edition Mustang GT. And as before, as soon as I was able, I converted the car over to AMSOIL. It received Series 2000 0W-30 oil, with the appropriate SDF filter, AMSOIL ATF in the 5-speed transmission and in the Power Steering, Series 2000 75W-90 Gear Lube in the rear end and the Antifreeze/Coolant with RMI-25 added. Again, most every gas fill up I use the AMSOIL PI and I clean the car using the Amsoil Car Polish and Miracle Wash. My first year I ran nearly 20,000 miles on the same oil, with the one filter change. Oil analysis once again showed that the oil was still in good condition. This was in September 2002. At that time I installed the AMSOIL dual bypass (BMK-13) with an SDF-15 Full Flow Filter and the BE-90 Bypass Filter and began a few mild modifications to the suspension and engine. I have also used the Hastings and Bosch Products to replace my PCV Valve, and Wipers. In March of 2004 I switched the then 1 1/2 year old and nearly 30,000 mile oil over to AMSOIL Series 3000 5W-30 Heavy Duty Diesel Oil. This oil also is also rated for gasoline engines, and I've heard all the execs at Amsoil run this oil in all of their vehicles, viewing it as the best oil that they make. If it's good for them, it's good for me!

My current care sees most of the same fluids and several more modification to the engine, which include a new intake setup (intake, throttle body, and plenum) and X-Pipe (Pro-Chamber). The only changes in products are that I'm now using the Ea Oil Full Flow Oil Filter and Ea Oil Bypass Filter on my bypass setup, an Ea Universal Air Induction Filter on my JLT Performance intake, and I've started using some of the Mother's Products. In the future, I plan to swap out the rear gears for higher performance ones and finally change over to AMSOIL Severe Gear 75W-90 Gear Lube. I might also try their 0W-20 Motor Oil to see how well it performs compared to what I have been using. Also since the improvement of the PI Fuel Additive, I no longer use a shot on each tank fill, but only at the new recommended interval due to the strength of this newer product. Also upgraded was my radiator which saw the newer Coolant released by AMSOIL a few years ago. More NGK, Trico, and Wix products will make their way into the car as replacement times are reached.

There are two other vehicles I take care of now as well. Due to the passing of my parents, I now own a 1996 Plymouth Grand Voyager which has become my business vehicle as well as secondary vehicle to keep some mileage off of my Mustang. I started driving and converting this car over with around 23,000 miles on it in Spring 2003. It first ran AMSOIL Series 2000 0W-30 and an SDF filter, along with the 2-Stage Air Filter. I now am running the AMSOIL Series 3000 5W-30 Heavy Duty Diesel Oil in here as well since Spring 2004. Soon after I first acquired the vehicle I flushed and drained the transmission, installing an aftermarket cooler, and AMSOIL ATF with a Hastings Transmission Filter. It has AMSOIL Antifreeze/Coolant with RMI-25, and a Hastings PCV Valve was used. I also installed Bosch Wires and Platinum +4 Spark Plugs along with their Wipers all around. With this combination of changes, I have noticed an increase of 1 to 2 MPG. It also received AMSOIL PI with nearly every gas tank fill up. Eventually it will probably see one of the Bypass systems as well.

Current upkeep is the same, but now it uses an Ea Air Filter, and the new PI. NGK, Trico, and Wix will be making their way into it as well.

2002 Honda Accord

The other car I am taking care of is my Wife's. Previously she had a 1999 Honda Accord. It was a lease vehicle, which she traded in for a 2002 Honda Accord in August of 2002. In her '99 I installed AMSOIL Series 2000 0W-30 and an SDF filter. After her first change with AMSOIL in May 2001, my wife commented how different the car felt. She felt that it performed better and told me her MPG increased. In Spring of 2003 I switched her new '02 Accord over to AMSOIL 5W-30. This new car still had the same four cylinder engine, so maintenance didn't change. While this car was also a lease at the time, and the dealership offered her free oil changes, she quickly became tired of needing to make appointments and take her car in for these changes. By now she had grown used to the convenience of the extended drains AMSOIL offered her in her previous Accord. Fall of 2004 we bought the car outright and in March 2005 I started running AMSOIL Series 2000 0W-30 in it. It sees an occasional squirt of AMSOIL PI in the gas tank and eventually I plan to have the automatic transmission flushed and filled with AMSOIL ATF. While the Two-Stage Air Filter is no longer available for this car, I was able to purchase one before they were discontinued and it has been installed since 2003 as well.

The current upkeep of this car remains the same, with the exception of the PI treatement, and some ATF has made its way into the transmission when the car went in for servicing. She makes sure it sees the recommended maintenance at Honda with the exception of using Amsoil products. When the Ea Air Filter is available for her Honda, I will finally change from the 2-Stage AIr Filter, and on her next oil change I will probably put in AMSOIL 0W-20 Motor Oil.

These are my personal vehicles, but I have many friends and customers who get their AMSOIL supplies from me as well. How can I help you?

Mustangs and Mustangs

07/07

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