VW 505.01 Spec – Is Amsoil AFL “approved”?
I got an e-mail this week from a mobile lube company owner, asking about the AMSOIL European Car Formula 5W-40 product (“AFL” product code).
“I use Amsoil in my personal cars and sell quite a bit to customers. There seems to be a lot of discussion on several boards about VW 505.01 Approval list and the fact that Amsoil is not listed. I can understand that there could be many reasons for this, but…”
The AMSOIL “European Car Formula 5W-40 Motor Oil” (AFL) IS approved by VW and Mercedes, and DOES meet the 505.01 VW spec and 229.51 Mercedes Benz spec. Some older lists (especially the original lists) do not include the AMSOIL product, because for several months they (Volkswagon) would not release either the spec or testing requirements, or identify a testing lab that could perform the tests – this is a common delay/ploy intended to benefit the original oil mf’r (such as Castrol) who worked with them to formulate the spec and product. The only questions are the product code and the age of the cases you have in stock. If they have the AFL product code and have been purchased since about February 2006 (very rough approximation), they will have the new label you see here which is the new formulation. The old version of Amsoil’s AFL did not meet the new spec because of the tighter restrictions on Zinc content, which is a key component to most high-end-product wear-reduction additive packages: some exhaust design engineers are concerned about the possibility that certain forms of Zinc could possibly reduce the long term performance of extremely low emission catalytic converters. It remains to be seen whether these concerns have any validating data, or if the concerns are related only to specific zinc compounds. Meanwhile the oil companies are forced to use much higher cost wear-control additives if they want to meet the new specification.
For those who aren’t aware, this oil is designed to meet all the European specs for both gasoline and DIESEL engine applications, including the latest ultra-clean-emissions diesels with diesel particulate filter (DPF) units. Here are some performance details on the product: http://www.ultimatesyntheticoil.com/synthetic_engine_oil/AFL_meets_VW_505.01.htm
About
One of the greatest mechanical benefits of the modern world are cars & trucks: we can’t hardly live without them, but sometimes wonder if we can afford them. What we drive is determined by an individual combination of affordability, the “cool” factor, what we found on the lot, our job & hobby & family needs, and what someone talked us into buying. Total vehicle cost includes the fuel, the maintenance, and the mileage life of the vehicle.
More than ever before, we’re needing to get better fuel economy and make our vehicles last longer without needing major repairs. But how? What’s true? What’s exaggeration? What’s a scam? What will REALLY help me? Huge numbers of people and companies are trying to coax vehicle-related money from our pockets. So how are we suckers supposed to tell fact from fiction, tests from slogans, and endorsement from advertising contracts?
Well, here I go. Trying to rescue people from the endless drivel of marketing slogans, false product claims, and media hype. Forget 40 year old technology with 3,000 mile oil changes and paper filters. Think REAL synthetics and state-of-the-art additive packages. Think military nanofiber filtration technology. Think standardized SAE/ASTM test data. Is that a bit much? I’ll help you through it, in plain language, so you can learn how to NOT be taken advantage of, and instead make truly GREAT CHOICES in your vehicle maintenance that will pay you for years to come.
Who am I ? I’m an engineer who has been in manufacturing for more than 25 years, with a dozen years in several automotive companies who supply to many OEM’s. But just as important is who I’m not: I’m not a marketer, not a web guru. I’m not paid to endorse anything, and don’t work for a company that is. I still have OEM engineering friends, but I no longer directly work for any OEM’s, so my career isn’t on the line for telling the truth.
My Duramax pickup needed No Oil Changes for over 120k miles
A word about integrity and purpose: Whether here or on the www.UltimateSyntheticOil.com website, I will mention various lubrication or filtration products. I may bash them, question them, applaud them, or heartily endorse those who are worthy. One particular product line – AMSOIL – happens to stand much taller in their field. And it may seem, to some of the uninformed public, that my comments or AMSOIL’s claims are just marketing baloney. Not so. These aren’t crazy infomercial claims – they’re simply the measured and recorded performance results of more than 30 years of engineered excellence, from the world leader in both lubrication & filtration technology.
What other company offers 25,000 or 35,000 mile engine oils? No-one. Who else offers the modern breakthrough of nanofiber filtration technology? No-one. Who else guarantees their product performance? No one. In the simplest terms, those bold facts suggest that there are no better products in existence. But more than that, as a mechanical engineer with 12 years of experience in the automotive industry and two in an OEM headquarters as a Senior Engineer, I stand by the performance of Amsoil products. I recommend these products based on independently certified API/SAE/ASTM testing data, fleet oil analysis sampling data, hundreds of hours of personal research, and years of personal use in my own vehicles. So I’m confident the products will perform as claimed (or better) – to produce great benefits to you.
In fact, I became an Amsoil dealer in order to help YOU, and I tell you about Preferred Customer membership (giving up “my” retail profit), specifically so that you know I’m not being deceptive and trying to get your money.
Beyond that, I have a personal dislike for deception, fraud, and dishonesty. I believe our society is suffering greatly due to moral retardation, and the censorship of inconvenient facts. Or perhaps we could say that those who pay get their voice heard, while the truth is stored in the basement. Gay lifestyle, evolution, environmental activism, these and many more areas are dominated by deception and strong social pressure to adhere to a Socialist party line. Not going to happen here. It’s time for Americans to find their backbone again and stand for truth, no matter how uncomfortable or unprofitable it might be.
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