Roy: I note that you bought a quart of Valvoline CVT Fluid for your Ascent. The following will help establish that Amsoil "100 Synthetic" CVT Fluid is vastly superior to the Valvoline "Full Synthetic" CVT Fluid. You can compare the Safety Data Sheets between Amsoil and Valvoline fluids and you will find the Valvoline (and true of many other full synthetics) is mostly composed of hydrocracked petroleum oil, a Class III Synthetic (extra refined petroleum to mostly eliminate impurities, but it doesn’t get totally get rid of then entirely). Amsoil Signature Series doesn’t contain a drop of petroleum oil, but a pure chemical mixture of Class IV Synthetic polyalphaolefins (PAO) and Class V Synthetic (such as Esters) plus top-shelf additives. Valvoline lists the Flash Point of their CVT Fluid as 219.99 F (104.44 C), whereas Amsoil's Flash Point is listed as 424.4 F (218 C), so Amsoil holds up to the heat far better than the Valvoline. Furthermore, Amsoil lists the Pour Point of their oil (the point where the oil pours out of bottle) at -50.8 F (-46 C), but Valvoline neglected to list the Pour Point of their CVT Fluid! Valvoline Syn Power "Full Synthetic" 0W-20 Motor Oil lists the Flash Point of their oil as 390 F (199 C), whereas Amsoil "100 Synthetic" Signature Series 0W-20 Motor Oil is listed as 428 F (220 C), so Amsoil holds up to the heat better than the Valvoline. Furthermore, Amsoil lists the Pour Point of their oil (the point where the oil pours out of bottle) at -63 F (-53 C), but once again Valvoline neglected to list the Pour Point of their oil. You may question why Valvoline doesn't disclose the Pour Point of their their aforesaid CVT Fluid and Motor Oil? The difference between a Full Synthetic and a 100% Synthetic? Rafe Britton, a former Lubrication Engineer at Mobil and the creator of a number of highly educational TH-cam Videos under the heading of “Lubrication Explained,” states in order for an oil company to call its oil product 100% synthetic, it must be composed of either a Class IV Synthetic (PAO) and/or Class V Synthetic (such as Esters), while being completely devoid of refined petroleum. I had tried the Full Synthetic Valvoline about 25 years ago at a quick lube facility, but I was so unsatisfied the performance of my vehicle, I immediately drove back and complained to the owner or manager. They surprisingly emptied my car’s crankcase and filled it up with Mobil 1, which in my opinion was better than Valvoline. I began to utilize Mobil 1 for several years thereafter, until I found Amsoil being sold by an auto parts store that is no longer in operation. After I personally emptied the Mobil 1 and I put it in the Amsoil in my car about 20 years ago, I was blown away with the increased performance, better fuel efficiency and the overall quietness of my engine. Since 2004 I have exclusively been using 100% synthetic oils, fluids and gear oils made by Amsoil. In my 2013 Subaru Tribeca I use 5W-30, which has a Pour Point (PP) of -58 F and my Toyota Camry uses 0W-20, which has a PP of -63 F. I have never experienced any problems starting my vehicles any longer using 100 synthetic products . I also changed the 100% Synthetic ATF in both my vehicles at about 40,000 miles (the Multi-Vehicle ATF in my Tribeca’s transmission and power steering reservoir has a PP of -63 F, while the Fuel-Efficient ATF in my Camry has a PP of -85 F). Also around 40,000 miles, I changed the gear oil in both differentials in the Tribeca with Amsoil 100% synthetic 75W-90 Gear Oil (that has a PP of -45 F), which ran much better at any time than the original full synthetic gear oil from the Subaru Factory. I also changed the Coolant and brake fluid in both vehicles to Amsoil. Another benefit of using Amsoil (other than the great performance), my vehicles are covered by the widest warranty in the business regardless of the age and mileage of your vehicle, even if this was the first time trying Amsoil (as long as your vehicle was in good mechanical condition at the time you first started using Amsoil). For full disclosure, I am an Independent Amsoil Dealer (all dealers of Amsoil are independent contractors, as opposed to employees of Amsoil). I assume your shop is a mechanical shop and if so (and providing you are interested), I can enable you to become an Amsoil Retail Account, where your shop can obtain a 30% discount on Amsoil products (with opportunties to achieve even greater discounts). Your customers will derive both the benefits of the smooth performing 100% synthetic products, as well as being protected by the Amsoil Warranty. There is free shipping availabe to Retail Accounts when they order $400 or more per shipment. You can send me an email to AutomotiveBuff, at my gmail address with your contact information and I will promptly contact you. If consumers wish to buy the Amsoil products as a Preferred Customer (PC), they will get the oil at a 25% discount, plus free shipping when they spend $100 (plus receiving a $5 coupon for every $100 you spend). It only costs $10 for a 6 month PC membership and there is no requirement to purchase (as there is with so many companies offering a membership for a preferred customer program, where there is an automatic shipment involved). If you don't have a commercial shop, but you are tempted to try Amsoil, I invite you to visit the official website of Amsoil and apply to become my Preferred Customer, by kindly utilizing my name (James Norris) in the box underneath the question that asks “Did someone refer you to Amsoil? If so, please tell us.” Then in the next box they ask “Have a Referral Number? Enter it below:”. I kindly ask that you include my Referral Number of 1420935 in that box. If you can write down my name and referral number, before you eventually decide to exit this webpage, it will be appreciated (so that it will be at your fingertips when you get on the Amsoil website). I also invite you to review the wonderful comments made by "verified customers" of Amsoil products (you can see how impressive their vehicles perform and many of them reporting an increase in MPG). Thank you for your time.
Quite an ad you posted. I ordered 5 gallons of Amsoil transmission fluid a few months ago and the shipper informed me that it went into ‘lost or damaged’ status, which happens. But it took Amsoil two weeks to refund my money after being informed that the shipment was not going to happen. Unacceptable. They processed my payment in 5 seconds they can refund me in 5 seconds. Also there’s no doubt Amsoil is better but the price is so high I won’t be a customer. Good lubricants like Valvoline, combined with ontime fluid changes will allow components to last a long time; much longer than the unibody will in my rust belt state.
Roy: I should point out that Subaru recommends the use of Subaru Extra MT (gear lube) for both differentials. They further state as an alternative, a GL-5 SAE 75W-90 may be used, however, using this type of “oil” (gear lube) will detract from drivability and fuel efficiency. Is Subaru referring to the typical full synthetic 75W-90 when they say you "will detract from drivability and fuel efficiency," but are they excluding the increase in such benefits when using a 100% Synthetic Gear Oil? You may recall the comments I made last night, when I changed the former factory-filled “full-synthetic” 75W-90 gear oil in my 2013 Subaru Tribeca and inserted Amsoil “100 synthetic” Severe Gear 75W-90 Gear Lube in both differentials at about 40,000 miles. I experienced a quite noticeable and remarkable pick up in performance (as if I could actually feel more torque delivered to the 4 wheels) that I never experienced with the factory-filled gear lube. Although I did not specifically test the fuel mileage both before and after the gear-lube change, I suspect that it nevertheless would have improved the MPG as well with the reduction of friction. This type of gear lube is suitable for vehicles (like my Tribeca) with limited-slip rear differential (considering that the Ascent is the replacement vehicle for the Tribeca, I’m not aware whether your Ascent has the limited-slip rear differentia or not). Yes, the gear lube in the front differential can be filled from under the hood. Although the rear differential has to be filled underneath the vehicle, Amsoil provides a collapsible/flexible plastic one quart containers that makes installation a snap underneath the vehicle with tight spaces. Amsoil also sells this lube in regular plastic-quart bottles (like the rest of the industry), 5 gallon pails, 16 kegs and 55 gallon drums, but in these varieties they will require a pumping device to deliver the lube to the rear differential. Ahmed, the owner of TCCN Automotive and the producer of numerous TH-cam Videos on the channel of The Car Care Nut (also a former Toyota Master Mechanic for 20 years) is a friend of mine and his shop maintains my Toyota Camry. He recommends changing gear lubes in differentials every 30,000 miles (and changing the ATF in transmissions and CVT Fluid in CVTs every 50,000 miles). Ahmed purchases the Severe Gear for the Toyota and Lexus customers of his shop that have differentials. Amsoil warranties the Severe Gear to last 100,000 miles for “normal driving,” but only 50,000 miles for “severe driving,” as defined by your owners manual. Amsoil states that the 75W-90 Severe Gear has a Flash Point of 431.6 F (222 C) and a Pour Point of -45 F. (-43 C). Amsoil claims this lube delivers excellent performance in hot and cold extremes; improves fuel economy through its lack of waxes that facilitates cold-flow properties; specifically engineered for maximum performance in severe duty applications; maintains viscosity for long-lasting protection against metal-to- metal contact; contains proprietary Amsoil additives to form an iron-sulfide barrier coating on gear surfaces, further preventing wear, pitting and scoring; helps to prevent “thermal runaway,” which is a condition caused by a lubricant’s inability to control friction and increased heat under high-stress conditions; and inhibits rapid lubricant degradation. Since your vehicle contains both a turbocharger and direct injection that are murderous on conventional oil, synthetic blends and full-synthetic motor oil, may I introduce you to the full line of Amsoil 100% synthetic Motor Oils? Also to prevent a buildup of carbon on your valves from the effects of Direct Injection, we have Amsoil PI Performance Improver Gasoline Additive that is designed to remove the carbon and if used every 4,000 miles it will temporarily prevent the carbon from returning. I invite you to check out the Reviews of the CVT Fluid by Verified Customers of Amsoil to see the owner of a Subaru who went from Valvoline to Amsoil and to see his favorable comments regarding the Amsoil CVT. Also, a customer from Nova Scotia describing her increased fuel economy in her Nissan Maxima from Amsoil CVT Fluid and an air filter going from 9.4 liters every 100 kms to 8.5 liters every 100 kms. I converted the equation to miles and gallons to arrive at the equivalent of increasing her fuel mileage from 25 MPG to 27.64 MPG or a 10.5% increase! Of course, we will never know how much either the fluid or the air filter contributed to this massive increase, but she said her car feels and drives better. A found a gentleman that performed a drop and fill with about 3.25 quarts of Amsoil CVT Fluid in his Kia Forte LXS and he reported the best MPG he obtained before the CVT service was 51 MPG and afterwards he gets upwards of 58 MPG (that translates into a 13.7% increase)! Lastly, you can review the gas mileage increases from the reviews of verified customers of various Amsoil Motor Oils. If you have any questions, please let me know. Thanks!
![ILLSLICK - KILLSHOT REMIX [FULL VERSION]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RIK8RrqIAzE/mqdefault.jpg)
Roy: I note that you bought a quart of Valvoline CVT Fluid for your Ascent. The following will help establish that Amsoil "100 Synthetic" CVT Fluid is vastly superior to the Valvoline "Full Synthetic" CVT Fluid. You can compare the Safety Data Sheets between Amsoil and Valvoline fluids and you will find the Valvoline (and true of many other full synthetics) is mostly composed of hydrocracked petroleum oil, a Class III Synthetic (extra refined petroleum to mostly eliminate impurities, but it doesn’t get totally get rid of then entirely). Amsoil Signature Series doesn’t contain a drop of petroleum oil, but a pure chemical mixture of Class IV Synthetic polyalphaolefins (PAO) and Class V Synthetic (such as Esters) plus top-shelf additives. Valvoline lists the Flash Point of their CVT Fluid as 219.99 F (104.44 C), whereas Amsoil's Flash Point is listed as 424.4 F (218 C), so Amsoil holds up to the heat far better than the Valvoline. Furthermore, Amsoil lists the Pour Point of their oil (the point where the oil pours out of bottle) at -50.8 F (-46 C), but Valvoline neglected to list the Pour Point of their CVT Fluid! Valvoline Syn Power "Full Synthetic" 0W-20 Motor Oil lists the Flash Point of their oil as 390 F (199 C), whereas Amsoil "100 Synthetic" Signature Series 0W-20 Motor Oil is listed as 428 F (220 C), so Amsoil holds up to the heat better than the Valvoline. Furthermore, Amsoil lists the Pour Point of their oil (the point where the oil pours out of bottle) at -63 F (-53 C), but once again Valvoline neglected to list the Pour Point of their oil. You may question why Valvoline doesn't disclose the Pour Point of their their aforesaid CVT Fluid and Motor Oil?
The difference between a Full Synthetic and a 100% Synthetic? Rafe Britton, a former Lubrication Engineer at Mobil and the creator of a number of highly educational TH-cam Videos under the heading of “Lubrication Explained,” states in order for an oil company to call its oil product 100% synthetic, it must be composed of either a Class IV Synthetic (PAO) and/or Class V Synthetic (such as Esters), while being completely devoid of refined petroleum.
I had tried the Full Synthetic Valvoline about 25 years ago at a quick lube facility, but I was so unsatisfied the performance of my vehicle, I immediately drove back and complained to the owner or manager. They surprisingly emptied my car’s crankcase and filled it up with Mobil 1, which in my opinion was better than Valvoline. I began to utilize Mobil 1 for several years thereafter, until I found Amsoil being sold by an auto parts store that is no longer in operation. After I personally emptied the Mobil 1 and I put it in the Amsoil in my car about 20 years ago, I was blown away with the increased performance, better fuel efficiency and the overall quietness of my engine.
Since 2004 I have exclusively been using 100% synthetic oils, fluids and gear oils made by Amsoil. In my 2013 Subaru Tribeca I use 5W-30, which has a Pour Point (PP) of -58 F and my Toyota Camry uses 0W-20, which has a PP of -63 F. I have never experienced any problems starting my vehicles any longer using 100 synthetic products . I also changed the 100% Synthetic ATF in both my vehicles at about 40,000 miles (the Multi-Vehicle ATF in my Tribeca’s transmission and power steering reservoir has a PP of -63 F, while the Fuel-Efficient ATF in my Camry has a PP of -85 F). Also around 40,000 miles, I changed the gear oil in both differentials in the Tribeca with Amsoil 100% synthetic 75W-90 Gear Oil (that has a PP of -45 F), which ran much better at any time than the original full synthetic gear oil from the Subaru Factory. I also changed the Coolant and brake fluid in both vehicles to Amsoil. Another benefit of using Amsoil (other than the great performance), my vehicles are covered by the widest warranty in the business regardless of the age and mileage of your vehicle, even if this was the first time trying Amsoil (as long as your vehicle was in good mechanical condition at the time you first started using Amsoil).
For full disclosure, I am an Independent Amsoil Dealer (all dealers of Amsoil are independent contractors, as opposed to employees of Amsoil). I assume your shop is a mechanical shop and if so (and providing you are interested), I can enable you to become an Amsoil Retail Account, where your shop can obtain a 30% discount on Amsoil products (with opportunties to achieve even greater discounts). Your customers will derive both the benefits of the smooth performing 100% synthetic products, as well as being protected by the Amsoil Warranty. There is free shipping availabe to Retail Accounts when they order $400 or more per shipment. You can send me an email to AutomotiveBuff, at my gmail address with your contact information and I will promptly contact you.
If consumers wish to buy the Amsoil products as a Preferred Customer (PC), they will get the oil at a 25% discount, plus free shipping when they spend $100 (plus receiving a $5 coupon for every $100 you spend). It only costs $10 for a 6 month PC membership and there is no requirement to purchase (as there is with so many companies offering a membership for a preferred customer program, where there is an automatic shipment involved).
If you don't have a commercial shop, but you are tempted to try Amsoil, I invite you to visit the official website of Amsoil and apply to become my Preferred Customer, by kindly utilizing my name (James Norris) in the box underneath the question that asks “Did someone refer you to Amsoil? If so, please tell us.” Then in the next box they ask “Have a Referral Number? Enter it below:”. I kindly ask that you include my Referral Number of 1420935 in that box. If you can write down my name and referral number, before you eventually decide to exit this webpage, it will be appreciated (so that it will be at your fingertips when you get on the Amsoil website).
I also invite you to review the wonderful comments made by "verified customers" of Amsoil products (you can see how impressive their vehicles perform and many of them reporting an increase in MPG). Thank you for your time.
Wow! Thank you for the information! This is great information. I will be giving Amsoil a deeper look into the future!!
Quite an ad you posted. I ordered 5 gallons of Amsoil transmission fluid a few months ago and the shipper informed me that it went into ‘lost or damaged’ status, which happens. But it took Amsoil two weeks to refund my money after being informed that the shipment was not going to happen. Unacceptable. They processed my payment in 5 seconds they can refund me in 5 seconds. Also there’s no doubt Amsoil is better but the price is so high I won’t be a customer. Good lubricants like Valvoline, combined with ontime fluid changes will allow components to last a long time; much longer than the unibody will in my rust belt state.
Roy: I should point out that Subaru recommends the use of Subaru Extra MT (gear lube) for both differentials. They further state as an alternative, a GL-5 SAE 75W-90 may be used, however, using this type of “oil” (gear lube) will detract from drivability and fuel efficiency. Is Subaru referring to the typical full synthetic 75W-90 when they say you "will detract from drivability and fuel efficiency," but are they excluding the increase in such benefits when using a 100% Synthetic Gear Oil?
You may recall the comments I made last night, when I changed the former factory-filled “full-synthetic” 75W-90 gear oil in my 2013 Subaru Tribeca and inserted Amsoil “100 synthetic” Severe Gear 75W-90 Gear Lube in both differentials at about 40,000 miles. I experienced a quite noticeable and remarkable pick up in performance (as if I could actually feel more torque delivered to the 4 wheels) that I never experienced with the factory-filled gear lube. Although I did not specifically test the fuel mileage both before and after the gear-lube change, I suspect that it nevertheless would have improved the MPG as well with the reduction of friction. This type of gear lube is suitable for vehicles (like my Tribeca) with limited-slip rear differential (considering that the Ascent is the replacement vehicle for the Tribeca, I’m not aware whether your Ascent has the limited-slip rear differentia or not).
Yes, the gear lube in the front differential can be filled from under the hood. Although the rear differential has to be filled underneath the vehicle, Amsoil provides a collapsible/flexible plastic one quart containers that makes installation a snap underneath the vehicle with tight spaces. Amsoil also sells this lube in regular plastic-quart bottles (like the rest of the industry), 5 gallon pails, 16 kegs and 55 gallon drums, but in these varieties they will require a pumping device to deliver the lube to the rear differential.
Ahmed, the owner of TCCN Automotive and the producer of numerous TH-cam Videos on the channel of The Car Care Nut (also a former Toyota Master Mechanic for 20 years) is a friend of mine and his shop maintains my Toyota Camry. He recommends changing gear lubes in differentials every 30,000 miles (and changing the ATF in transmissions and CVT Fluid in CVTs every 50,000 miles). Ahmed purchases the Severe Gear for the Toyota and Lexus customers of his shop that have differentials.
Amsoil warranties the Severe Gear to last 100,000 miles for “normal driving,” but only 50,000 miles for “severe driving,” as defined by your owners manual. Amsoil states that the 75W-90 Severe Gear has a Flash Point of 431.6 F (222 C) and a Pour Point of -45 F. (-43 C). Amsoil claims this lube delivers excellent performance in hot and cold extremes; improves fuel economy through its lack of waxes that facilitates cold-flow properties; specifically engineered for maximum performance in severe duty applications; maintains viscosity for long-lasting protection against metal-to- metal contact; contains proprietary Amsoil additives to form an iron-sulfide barrier coating on gear surfaces, further preventing wear, pitting and scoring; helps to prevent “thermal runaway,” which is a condition caused by a lubricant’s inability to control friction and increased heat under high-stress conditions; and inhibits rapid lubricant degradation.
Since your vehicle contains both a turbocharger and direct injection that are murderous on conventional oil, synthetic blends and full-synthetic motor oil, may I introduce you to the full line of Amsoil 100% synthetic Motor Oils? Also to prevent a buildup of carbon on your valves from the effects of Direct Injection, we have Amsoil PI Performance Improver Gasoline Additive that is designed to remove the carbon and if used every 4,000 miles it will temporarily prevent the carbon from returning.
I invite you to check out the Reviews of the CVT Fluid by Verified Customers of Amsoil to see the owner of a Subaru who went from Valvoline to Amsoil and to see his favorable comments regarding the Amsoil CVT. Also, a customer from Nova Scotia describing her increased fuel economy in her Nissan Maxima from Amsoil CVT Fluid and an air filter going from 9.4 liters every 100 kms to 8.5 liters every 100 kms. I converted the equation to miles and gallons to arrive at the equivalent of increasing her fuel mileage from 25 MPG to 27.64 MPG or a 10.5% increase! Of course, we will never know how much either the fluid or the air filter contributed to this massive increase, but she said her car feels and drives better. A found a gentleman that performed a drop and fill with about 3.25 quarts of Amsoil CVT Fluid in his Kia Forte LXS and he reported the best MPG he obtained before the CVT service was 51 MPG and afterwards he gets upwards of 58 MPG (that translates into a 13.7% increase)!
Lastly, you can review the gas mileage increases from the reviews of verified customers of various Amsoil Motor Oils. If you have any questions, please let me know. Thanks!