Price of fun went up...

duckmanJR · June 2011

Not sure who has a 4 stroke and does their own maintenance. I do an oil change with AMSOIL twice a year ( Dec & june) on my Suzuki 140....
I just did it today and the price of oil went up quite a bit. I did the lower unit change also and it was $60 for oil.... plus the overpriced oil filter...
I guess the "up side" is that I don't change myself labor.....:D

tag · June 2011

Dang, how much oil does a 140 hold?

Day Tripper · June 2011

Well a big gulp now costs 1.49 at 7-11 so it's not just oil going up.

duckmanJR · June 2011

5 quarts...at $10 a pop...and a quart of gear oil on the L/U at ...you guessed...$10

Really like the AMSOIL ( Highest rated synthetic).....and last time it was only $7.50 but may go to Mobil 1 at $6.50 at Wallyworld

EricL · June 2011

a fram PH4967 for the suzuki 140 I believe. Check your year here http://www.framcatalog.com/Application.aspx?b=F

I stopped using amsoil and also stopped using mobile 1 with my new zuks.
If you read you manual it tells you what to look for in a oil to be able to use it in the zuk. Mobile 1 has 1 rating and Castrol edge or sytec has every one of the requirements .
My last oil change was 17 quarts of castrol

gator97dwb · June 2011

I understand that the increasing price of crude drove up the cost of regular motor oil. What I don't get is why the synthetics increased prices? Nothing should have changed for them other than a small increase in manufacturing/delivery cost to fuel prices. I haven't noticed them changing anything so R & D should have been recovered over the years. I think they just keep adjusting to keep the price higher than regular oil and jacking up profit. Since crude is roughly twice as much as it was when synthetics hit the market you would think that they would be more in line now and eventually synthetics would be cheaper. I don't think we will ever see it though. Since it is superioir product I believe it will always be priced higher. I bet if they let it go lower and most users switched over for the savings they could see a huge increase in revenue.

duckmanJR · June 2011

I agree, demand for the superior product is driving some of that. Some is probably just inflation.

duckmanJR · June 2011

EricL wrote: »

a fram PH4967 for the suzuki 140 I believe. Check your year here http://www.framcatalog.com/Application.aspx?b=F

I stopped using amsoil and also stopped using mobile 1 with my new zuks.
If you read you manual it tells you what to look for in a oil to be able to use it in the zuk. Mobile 1 has 1 rating and Castrol edge or sytec has every one of the requirements .
My last oil change was 17 quarts of castrol

Thanks for the filter link....I buy two at a time since it isn't always convienient to go to the Suzuki dealer......and I bet the auto parts store gives Fram's out at a better price!

Just a question...why the castrol?? Last time I read all the boring research on synthetics (a few years back) Amsoil came in #1 on the 4 tests they used and Mobil 1 came in #2 ....Royal Purple came in dead last and Castrol was like # 5 out of 8 or 9...
I know all things change (like pricing... LOL) but was wondering if you have read something recent to make you go that way.

I'll probably just pay the extra $ and stay with AMSOIL....I don't like switching due to differing additives in each blend and not knowing if they are totally compatable.

EricL · June 2011

I hope this helps. I never read manuals but I did this time around

IN your manual. These are the Api ratings that suzuki suggests be in the oil you use. Any "one" of the ratings
Api rated SE,SF,SG,SH,SJ,SM

Castrol Edge
API SM, SL, SJ, SH, CF or CD iGF-4 for API Certified Gasoline Engine Oils.

Mobile 1
MOBIL 1 0W-40 API is SL only(if you can find 10-40) SL is not listed in the book for Suzuki

Amsoil
Only had 1 typle with a SL rating. Not all have a API rating. SL is not listed in the book for suzuki

Fishinjeff · June 2011

Do you really need to change the oil at 6 months??? Typically it's at 100 hours. I don't like the Castrol oil at all. I use Valvailine synthetic once a year on my Hondas.

EricL · June 2011

I change mine every 100hrs. With the price of the motor ,Oil changes are nothing.

duckmanJR · June 2011

Fishinjeff wrote: »

Do you really need to change the oil at 6 months??? Typically it's at 100 hours. I don't like the Castrol oil at all. I use Valvailine synthetic once a year on my Hondas.

Welll, most will not...but I use my boat every day....As Eric L says...at the price of oil as opposed to parts and repairs...Oil is cheap.

I may even move my lower unit schedule to every three months...this way you know early if you have a bad seal and are getting water before there is expensive damage. L/U gear oil is $10 and takes me 15 minutes to do...that L/U costs thousands when it needs major repairs as opposed to resealing.

duckmanJR · June 2011

EricL wrote: »

I hope this helps. I never read manuals but I did this time around

IN your manual. These are the Api ratings that suzuki suggests be in the oil you use. Any "one" of the ratings
Api rated SE,SF,SG,SH,SJ,SM

Castrol Edge
API SM, SL, SJ, SH, CF or CD iGF-4 for API Certified Gasoline Engine Oils.

Mobile 1
MOBIL 1 0W-40 API is SL only(if you can find 10-40) SL is not listed in the book for Suzuki

Amsoil
Only had 1 typle with a SL rating. Not all have a API rating. SL is not listed in the book for suzuki

It is warranty certified (NMMA fc-w) I use the Marine 4 stroke formula...unlike most auto application oils...it has additional additives for rust and moisture.

The thing with all those API certifications (and SAE)....the oil manufacturer has to pay them (big $) for it....that's why some companys don't opt in as long as they get warranty cert. Repsoil and motul like AMSOIL are smaller companys so they may just do what they need to get the warranty cert.

Price of fun went up...

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