Customer Testimonials

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AMSOIL Quality Saves Tractor Engine

Nine years ago, Thomas Mendenhall, Suffolk, Va., bought a new Toro/Wheel Horse tractor with a Briggs & Stratton 15.5 engine and put AMSOIL 10W-30 Synthetic Motor Oil in it at the first oil change.

He used it to work one acre of land. "The oil was changed only every two years," Mendenhall reports. "It was always still clean at that time."

Toward the end of last summer, the motor developed a vibration. "Upon shutting down the motor, I found that all the oil had leaked out the bottom of the motor because the bottom housing bolts had backed out and let the crankshaft move about with the lower housing." he said.

He tore down the engine. "We found no damage from the loose housing but, more important, we found no wear on the piston or the cylinder," Mendenhall said. "The cylinder wall still had the original hone marks and, to my surprise, the inside of the motor was clean enough to eat off of."

He found all he needed was a $14 gasket rebuild kit and the tractor was back in working order.

Mendenhall was so impressed with AMSOIL synthetics he started using them in his cars, trucks, boat and motorcycle. He uses AMSOIL XL-7500 10W-30 in his 1969 Cougar XR; AMSOIL 10W-40 Synthetic High Performance Motor Oil in his 1994 Ford E-150 conversion van, along with the AMSOIL Dual-Gard By-Pass Filtration System. AMSOIL High Performance 10W-40 Motor Oil runs in his 1998 Chevy CK-2500 diesel, as well as in his 2003 GMC 2500HD diesel truck. his 1993 Intreped 20-foot boat with a 5.0 Cobra motor runs smoothly with AMSOIL 15W-40 Heavy Duty Diesel and Marine Oil, and his 2003 Harley-Davidson Ultra Glide runs with AMSOIL 20W-50 High Performance Motorcycle Oil. In November of 2003, Mendenhall became an AMSOIL Dealer. "What a great product," Mendenhall said. "We wouldn't consider using anything else now. Thanks AMSOIL."

Steve Haines nets trophy walleye.

Fishing to the Beat of a Different Angler

"If our father had had his say, nobody who didn't know how to catch a fish would be allowed to disgrace a fish by catching him."

- A River Runs Through It, by Norman Maclean

Steve Haynes knows how to catch fish. He learned as a youth on the rivers of "Michiana," the area along the border Michigan and Indiana. Landing Channel Cats and Flatheads from the Tippecanoe and St. Joe Rivers with his father and grandfather are amoung his fondest memories. They taught him how to fish and respect fish. They also taught him to chase dreams and never settle for second best.

Haynes also developed a love of music and art. He learned to play the drums as a toddler and can still sit behind a double-bass, Pearl drum kit and make it come alive. It was his skills as an artist working for a printing company which introduced him to AMSOIL.

Haynes moved to Minnesota in 1990 and started a family. Six years later he was introduced to the world of competitive tournament fishing and became hooked instantly. In 1997 he was named Cabela's "Amateur of the Year." The next year he turned professional.

Haynes is an artist with the fishing rod and fishes to the beat of an AMSOIL-filled V6 engine.

The career of a pro angler can be as rough as the bottom of a rocky shoal, but Haynes has maintained steady improvement. One of his secrets has been knowing which products to use to get to and from the hot spots quickly. Haynes depends on AMSOIL 2-Cycle Oil to keep his Mercury V6 outboard running. "Big V6 outboards are notorious for fouling plugs. But yet, in the five years I've been using AMSOIL, I have yet to even break out a spark plug wrench," says Haynes.

Whether it's hovering over a rocky reef in five-foot chop or trolling off shore, there are many times when pros let their power plants idle for hours, if not days. With conventional motor oils, those engines will fail. "My boat can idle all day and when it's time to put the hammer down, I'm positive I will be just as fast as can be and not be fouled out."

Haynes is making sweet music with two new fishing partners. They've formed Team Walleye Xtreme. The trio is making waves on the Professional Walleye Tour with top tournament finishes. It's easy to enjoy the sound of water lapping upside the boat, in concert with the low, humm of the engine and concentrate on the task at hand when you don't have to worry about getting back to the dock.

Baja Buggy Drives Wichita State and AMSOIL Near Top of the Class

Dealer Bob Snyder poses with the WSU Mini-Baja Team prior to competition.

Wichita State University undoubtedly has very bright students. The Mini-Baja team was smart enough to use AMSOIL synthetic lubricants and performance products in its winning buggy.

Wet and mud covered, the crew from WSU is all smiles with its national third place finish.

This enterprising group of engineering school co-eds designed and built their own vehicle for a national competition. They fabricated parts, constructed the frame, crafted a fiberglass body and developed a special gearbox for the rigors of the contest. The powerplant was a 10 hp Briggs and Stratton engine with a 305cc displacement.

For a choice of lubricants the team turned to AMSOIL Dealer Robert Snyder of Wichita, Kan. Snyder recommended 10W-30 Synthetic Motor Oil, Series 2000 75W-90 Gear Lube and Series 2000 Racing Grease.

The team arrived in Provo, Utah for the ASE International Mini-Baja competition, not as the biggest team, but one with something special, the Baja Evolution 38.

The four-mile course was rugged and muddy. The competition was stiff with 115 schools invited. Still, in their first competition, the WSU "Shockers" shocked the field placing first in acceleration, first in hillclimb, enroute to earning third place overall honors. Congratulations to all.

Online Information Earns New AMSOIL Customer

ON DISPLAY - Chris Meutsch displays his 2000 Mazda and his 2001 Honda Civic at his home in Cincinnati, Ohio. Both vehicles rum AMSOIL lubes from bumper to bumper.

Consumers today look for value as well as good price - and they know cheaper doesn't mean better.

The Internet has given consumers a virtually unlimited gateway to sophisticated information from experts in nearly every field.

So, today's customers know what they want before they get to the traditional brick and mortar store, or online storefront.

That's how Chris Meutsch, Cincinnati, Ohio, became familiar with AMSOIL lubes in January 2003. Meutsch, a salesman for Wine Cellar Innovations in Cincinnati, describes himself as a man with an "insatiable desire for finding the best motor oil possible."

He bought a copy of a motor oil resource book online. "It's the book that carries testing and data for many oils," he said. "AMSOIL tested best overall in every category. I decided to give it a try based on the Four-Ball Wear Test and the extended drain intervals."

He owns a 2000 Mazda Protege ES. It has a 1.8 L DOHC engine with about 41,000 miles on it and a five-speed manual transmission. Meutsch installed AMSOIL 5W-30 Motor Oil and 75W-90 Gear Oil.

"I instantly noticed easier shifting, especially getting out of gears," Meutsch said. "The clutch seemingly is effortless, and selecting a gear has gone from a bit of searching to seamless, fluid transfer. I love this stuff."

His wife, Anya, drives a 2001 Honda Civic LX. That engine, a 1.7 L SOHC, has about 32,500 miles on it. Meutsch runs AMSOIL Automatic Transmission Fluid and 5W-30 Motor Oil in the Honda.

"I have the fullest confidence in the products, and I know if anything ever goes wrong, AMSOIL will stand behind me," he said.

While this year brought him extra initial expenses installing AMSOIL products, Meutsch anticipates overall savings. He expects not only to increase his miles per gallon, but to put many miles on the engines of the two cars.

"Now that I have transmission fluid and gear oil installed, I'm set on those for 90,000 miles and lifetime, respectively. Therefore, I won't have to buy those again for a long time," he said. "Now my only expenses will be once a year for the oil and twice a year on filters. Bottom line, I won't be spending extra money on a transmission or new gearbox down the line, so I don't mind spending more up front to prevent failures."

Better Gas Mileage Impresses AMSOIL Customers

Joe and Mary Tate, Hopewell, Va., are raving about the fuel savings they're getting since they switched their vehicle to AMSOIL products.

The Tates bought a used 2001 Jeep Cherokee Limited, with a six cylinder engine that had 27,000 miles on it. Joe Tate, a long-time AMSOIL user, carefully checked the mileage and found he was getting about 12 to 13 miles per gallon around town and about 17 to 18 mpg on trips.

Tate went to AMSOIL Direct Jobber Gerry Reid and switched the Jeep to AMSOIL products. He installed Series 2000 0W-30 Motor Oil, AMSOIL Automatic Transmission Fluid in the transmission, AMSOIL Series 2000 75W-90 Gear Lube in the differentials, AMSOIL Two-Stage Air Filter and AMSOIL Performance Improver in the fuel.

He reports lower operating temperatures, easier starting, smoother throttle response and noticeable improvement in power.

On top of those benefits, Tate said he's thrilled with the fuel savings he's getting, especially with the cost of gasoline changing daily. The Jeep is now getting 17 to 18 mpg around town and 22-plus mpg on the road.

That represents a minimum of 20 percent better mpg, which means he's saving at least 33 cents per gallon. Tate spent about $100 to convert the Jeep to AMSOIL products. But the savings he's experiencing soon will cover the cost of that initial investment making the AMSOIL switch-over essentially free. "AMSOIL did it again," Tate said. "And saved me a lot of money."

Lawn Care Business Converts to AMSOIL

LAWN CARE SPECIALISTS - (left to right) DeeDee Salyers, Tim Salyers and Gale Salyers display the tools they use in their Eden Lawn Care services business in Clermont, Fla. The family-run business recently converted to AMSOIL oils in all its two-stroke and four-stroke machinery.

Gale Salyers doesn't know yet how much he'll save using AMSOIL lubricants in his lawn maintenance machinery, but one benefit was immediately apparent.

"I don't have to gag on smoke and exhaust when I'm using my gas-powered hedge trimmers," Salyers said. "With regular petroleum-based oil, I had smoke and fumes in my face and oil on my shirts all the time since the trimmer is held at chest level. Now I have no smoke or carbon buildup.

Salyers, who owns and operates Eden Lawn Care with his wife and son in Clermont, Fla., was introduced to AMSOIL 2-Cycle Oil by one of his customers, AMSOIL Dealer Paul Curtis.

"I had thought about switching to a synthetic oil," Salyers said, "but my attitude was, if it's not broke, don't fix it. Then Paul gave me a couple of packets of the 100:1 2-Cycle Oil, and that sold me on it right away."

Eden Lawn Care services more than 100 customers each in the Clermont area, one of the fastest growing areas in the United States. In business for 16 years, the Salyers have two trailer loads of machinery, including Dixie Choppers and John Deere walk-behinds. Salyers just switched to AMSOIL motor oil in his four-stroke engines and plans to perform scheduled maintenance every six weeks instead of every two. He already has influenced a great many of the area lawn care companies to switch as well.

"I've been around this machinery a long time, and I've used most about every type of oil," Salyers said. "And this is by far the best I've used in 16 years. It is just a great product."

More on the Servicing Dealer...

It's been said there are nearly as many ways to operate an independent AMSOIL Dealership as there are Dealers.

AMSOIL independent Dealer Paul Curtis is no exception. He first signed up as a Dealer in 1997, but became more active in his business during the past year and a half as he looks toward retiring from Dal-Don Produce, in Clermont, Fla.

"It's mainly a watermelon business," Curtis said. "We send out between 2,000 and 3,000 tractor trailers of watermelon during the season." The company also ships citrus.

That company runs most of its machinery with AMSOIL lubricants, including X-Treme Synthetic Food Grade Grease. "And most of the company cars run on AMSOIL," Curtis said, which he sells to the company.

Curtis, Master Chief Petty Officer, USN (Ret), uses "networking" as the main way he grows his business.

He tried several approaches to marketing AMSOIL, he said, but joining the local South Lake County Chamber of Commerce in Clermont has proven especially productive for him. "Once I joined the chamber, there was just an incredible turnaround," Curtis said. "About half of them now use AMSOIL products."

He gives potential customers ATC-48 packets of Synthetic 100:1 Pre-Mix 2-Cycle, and about one in 10 brings him a new customer, he said.

Curtis has all types of accounts, including marine shops, repair facilities and commercial accounts.

Harley Expert Uses AMSOIL for All Applications

BUILT BY DOC WOOD - This 1992 Harley-Davidson DynaGlide sports a 131 cubic inch evo style engine built by Doc Wood's V-Twin in Livermore Falls, Maine. The dynamic paint job was done by painter Mike Grodin, Grondin's Auto Body Jay, Maine. VINTAGE HARLEY - This 1988 Harley-Davidson XL 1200 has an 88 cubic inch engine built by Doc Wood's V-Twin, LLC. It was painted by painter Mike Grondin, Grondin's Auto Body, Hay, Maine. Both of these motorcycles are driven daily and will get about 15,000 miles of use per summer.

Don "Woody" Wood, Livermore Falls, Maine, knows Harley-Davidson motorcycles. He's been riding and racing "Hogs" for 42 years; building, repairing and modifying them for more than 30.

He owns Doc Wood's V-Twin Motorcycle Works, LLC, and is an expert when it comes to Harleys.

He owns five Harleys, including a Harley drag racing bike. They're all run exclusively on AMSOIL motor oils and lubes.

"That quarter-mile, it's wide open," Wood said. "It's like putting 30 to 40 days of street riding on the engine. It's hard on the bike."

He tears down the engine every winter and finds it's clean with very little wear on the engine parts using AMSOIL motor oil and lubes.

"AMSOIL is just the best oil you can run in your bike," he said.

He recommends breaking in a new engine with conventional motorcycle oil for 2,000 miles before switching to AMSOIL Series 2000 Synthetic 20W-50 Racing Oil. After a 500-mile break in with conventional motorcycle transmission oil, he advises switching to AMSOIL 75W-90 Gear Lube in Big Twin transmissions and Sportster types for all wet clutch Sportsters.

Wood also installs AMSOIL Medium Shock Therapy Suspension Fluid in the front forks.

After switching to AMSOIL he often needs to set back the idle by as much as 400 rpm. "To me, that is cheap horsepower," Wood said. "We've found AMSOIL products give us reduced oil temperature, easier starting in cold weather, better fuel mileage and reduced wear on parts."

He told the story of a customer who had his transmission rebuilt by Wood, who put in AMSOIL Series 2000 75W-90 Gear Lube, and was told to come in and have it changed again after 1,000 miles. "He decided to change the oil himself and got distracted and forgot to put the drain plug back in," Wood said. "He didn't notice the oil running through, and drove the motorcycle for 25 miles with no oil in the transmission to our shop. We noticed a few drops of oil under the bike and checked out the problem." A new drain plug was installed. When the tranny was flushed, no metal filings were found, Wood said. It was refilled with AMSOIL and test driven. "I could feel everything loosening up right away," Wood said. "That was six years ago, and the transmission is still going strong. This is why we run AMSOIL in our shop."

So his Harley riders question his use of AMSOIL?

"Around here I'm God," Wood said. "They know I wouldn't sell them something I wouldn't use myself. Once I get them switched over to the AMSOIL, they just don't look back."

AMSOIL Performance Catches Pro Angler

BASSMANIA - Preferred Customer Shawn Towner, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, shows off his 5.4 pound largemouth bass that helped win first place last year at a Bassmania Tournament in Canada. Towner tells everyone he meets that AMSOIL lubes are the best on the market.

Preferred Customer Shawn Towner, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, may practice catch-and-release as an angler, but Towner says AMSOIL products are keepers - all of them.

"Being a professional angler for the past six years, I rely on the performance of my equipment," Towner said. "Most important are my tow vehicle and boat motor."

Towner first tried AMSOIL products three years ago and he's been sold ever since. "I have switched to AMSOIL lubricants in all applications," he said.

AMSOIL 5W-30 Synthetic Motor Oil and AMSOIL ATF are in his 1994 Chevy Astro Van towing vehicle - which has more than 119,000 miles on the engine - and he uses AMSOIL Series 2000 2-Cycle Racing Oil in his 2002 Mercury XR6 150 horsepower outboard motor on his 2002 Triton TR-185 bass boat.

"The racing oil has really peaked the performance of my engine," Towner said. "There's less smoke at start-up, no plug fouling, no buildup on the carburetors. Everything is nice and clean in the engine, and I get great performance. The engine never falters."

He uses AMSOIL Series 2000 Synthetic Racing Grease and AMSOIL oil filters.

"The oil filters are superior to anything else that's made," he said.

Towner and his competitive fishing partner, Rick Stuart, hope to take the Canadian Sport Fishing League (CSFL) championship this year. They fish the Bassmania Tournament Trail in Canada, the country's premiere competitive fishing circuit. It includes 14 separate contests and culminates in a three-day event for the championship.

Towner remains busy when he's not on the tournament circuit, giving guided fishing trips for visitors and teaching children fishing and conservation, which is a particular joy for him. He also is a contributing outdoor writer for Bassmedia magazine and Fishing Information News and Views.

His tournament fishing this year is partially sponsored by AMSOIL Direct Dealer Walter de Vries of Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada, a veteran AMSOIL Dealer of more than 20 years.

"Walter carries an extensive line of products and has supplied me with everything I need to keep me running smooth on the road and water," Towner said. "Along with the product, Walter has supplied me with all the promotional materials I need to help showcase AMSOIL products . . . It promises to be a busy season."

Before he switched to AMSOIL, Towner used Castrol synthetic and got about 340 miles to a tank of gasoline in the van. After nearly a full year on his current AMSOIL 5W-30, he's still getting about 400 miles per tank of gasoline.

Although Canada had record cold and snowfall this year, with temperatures -25 to -35 degrees C, Towner was confident his van would start. "I had turnkey starts every time," he said.

When he decided to put AMSOIL lubes in his Mercury outboard, Towner contacted the manufacturer and was told AMSOIL is a superior product and he should use it. "They're totally impressed with the product," Towner said.

He takes AMSOIL literature with him on the tournament trail and to boat and trade shows. He directs anyone who shows interest in AMSOIL products to the AMSOIL corporate website.

Towner tells people: "With a little simple maintenance and AMSOIL synthetics, your vehicles will last forever."