Interesting conversation with the Dealer on oil today!!

[richracer1]

When I bought my Pro this year from Frontier Cycles in Laramie, Dave (owner) actually said he went to the conference and they compared all the sled brand oils along with Ams-Oil for a 1000miles and he said Ams-Oil can in 3rd. The Ams-Oil is good stuff, but will build up on your valves faster than most. Also he said run Arctic Cat Oil would even be better. Being a CAT guy, I have 3 gallons on hand, but I don’t plan on running Cat Oil in my Polaris Pro.

I’ve always ran what oil brand goes with what brand of sled…for the most part any fully synthetic oil is good…

A little off topic, but I always see statements about "Amsoil 2 stroke oil" does this or doesn't do that, but no one states which type of Amsoil 2 stroke oil. Amsoil has several types of 2 stroke oils; such as Interceptor, Dominator, HP Injector, Saber Pro, and Saber Outboard.

And like others have mentioned, use what you like as long as it meets the criteria that the manufacturer has set for your sled. Lots of good oils out there.

 

[Demo250]

They don't make squat on the sled they make their money on the accessories and the upkeep. I can't speak for the industry but MY dealer made 3.5% on my sled.

This is not what I've seen. I saw the prices they pay. If your dealer is only making 3.5% on a sled he is either giving you the deal of the century, or he's being bent over with no lube by Polaris.

 

[GREICO1]

every dealer i go to has there head up there azz.and there service depts are worse

Are you sure it's the dealer?

 

[shoobear]

I would like to see a oil comparison.-not just a few sledders saying which brand they like.
Has anybody seen any document on the different oils?
Does not matter what sled it is going into...

 

[Rocketboy]

I would like to see a oil comparison.-not just a few sledders saying which brand they like.
Has anybody seen any document on the different oils?
Does not matter what sled it is going into...

This kid at the dealer told me that he went to a oil lab in the Twin Cities and they got to see the oils tested. Guess what..... he said the Polaris was the best!!!

All a matter of choice.

Like I said before- Trust my friends here more..........

 

[Skadi]

This is not what I've seen. I saw the prices they pay. If your dealer is only making 3.5% on a sled he is either giving you the deal of the century, or he's being bent over with no lube by Polaris.

i disagree.... from what I've seen their mark-up is VERY tight on sleds.... VERY!!!

Oh, and AKSnowrider nailed it... I've done a fair amount of research on this as well being an aftermarket oil dealer and they CANNOT deny warranty if the oil meets the same specs... However, a lot of people assume all the oils out there meet those specs and they haven't all been tested to those specs!! that doesn't mean the WON'T meet them if they are tested but they are not 'certified' which means you may have a bit more of a battle on your hands with your dealership if you don't put a LITTLE thought into this! I suggest just checking that you're running a certified oil that meets the same specs as the manus oil and you should have what you need in case they want to go to battle about it!

 

[AKSNOWRIDER]

heres some more info on oil(this is mainly about 4 stroke car /truck oil) but a good explanation to the service ratings and grades...........
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_oil

as of right now most manufacturers require an oil rated by JASO spec of FC...so as long as any oil you use has a FC or higher(FD is the newest and highest rated 2 stroke oil) rating, the manufacturer cant void your warranty based on oil used..here is a pretty good list of JASO tested oils and their ratings....
http://www.jalos.or.jp/onfile/pdf/2T_EV_LIST.pdf

 

[Pro-8250]

this oil thing just gets way out of hand, can anyone say they have ever seen any sled burn down because of the type of oil that was used??? i've been riding 2 strokes for nearly 40 years and have run every type of oil under the sun and never once had or seen a failure from any brand as long as the mixture was correct...

Same here. I had 17,000 miles on my 1999 XC700 when I sold it. It had 120 lbs of compression on both cylinders. I bought Quaker State oil by the 55 gallon drum back then. It was the cheapest oil I could find.

 

[ak49er]

this oil thing just gets way out of hand, can anyone say they have ever seen any sled burn down because of the type of oil that was used??? i've been riding 2 strokes for nearly 40 years and have run every type of oil under the sun and never once had or seen a failure from any brand as long as the mixture was correct...

My buddy put blue shock oil in the resivoir instead of Polaris Blue2 Stroke Oil.....and burned down in about 3 miles.....

 

[stormxz2]

My dealer dont know the difference between an assault rmk and an switchback assault.
He has to look in the book.
I ask a question... I have to wait because he alwayssss have to see in the book...

Stupid dealer.

 

[rmk727]

3.5 % is about it around here, we sell 3 brands of oil for the poos plus ac oil and doo oil just to get those guys in the door , don't care what you run it's all good, was not selling ves for a while cuz the valves got so gooy so quick so pushed blue marble but now going back to ves seems to be fixed; but any will work , at least here

 

[Demo250]

i disagree.... from what I've seen their mark-up is VERY tight on sleds.... VERY!!!

Fair enough. I wont post what I saw, as I'm sure Polaris doesn't want everyone knowing... but let's just say they were making thousands. Of course this was from a dealer that has a lot of buying power... so maybe it's sorta like a Walmart vs the corner store scenario.

 

[GREICO1]

Midwest dealers have it the worst. Have seen dealers selling into holdback in October. That leaves them cash negative for months. The further you get away from Polaris HQ, the better the margins get, but the difference between what the dealer writes the check for, and what most people are willing to pay is typically less than 5%. I wonder why so many Canadian customers come to the US to buy their vehicles. Hmmm....As for the oil-Polaris posters typically show pictures of valves using their oil, and a competitor. The competitor is Amsoil and the testing is done in the lab at the vendor Polaris buys oil from. Believe what you want but it is a fair test. OE oils are blended to MFG specs to work with your motor. Independant oil mfg's blend to work in all motors and may not have a particular additive you need. The manufacturer can not dictate what you run unless they provide it to you-that is true. However, all manufacturers can and will deny a warranty claim if they can prove the oil caused the failure. Otherwise, their lawyers are on payroll, yours is out of pocket. Good luck in court. Run what you want but understand the consequences should they arise.

 

[gcmci]

every dealer i go to has there head up there azz.and there service depts are worse

I take serious offense to that generalized statement

 

[GREICO1]

I take serious offense to that generalized statement

As well you should. I think everyone here needs to stand on the other side of the counter for a week and see what dealing with the general public is like!

 

[dansyl159]

Midwest dealers have it the worst. Have seen dealers selling into holdback in October. That leaves them cash negative for months. The further you get away from Polaris HQ, the better the margins get, but the difference between what the dealer writes the check for, and what most people are willing to pay is typically less than 5%. (quoted from GREICO1)

Yup, I owned and operated a dealership for 20 years, 3.5% was pretty close to average. 5% I was doing handsprings.

 

[Rocketboy]

Midwest dealers have it the worst. Have seen dealers selling into holdback in October. That leaves them cash negative for months. The further you get away from Polaris HQ, the better the margins get, but the difference between what the dealer writes the check for, and what most people are willing to pay is typically less than 5%. (quoted from GREICO1)

Yup, I owned and operated a dealership for 20 years, 3.5% was pretty close to average. 5% I was doing handsprings.

Very true- Very good friend of mine owned a Polaris dealership. I spent many nights putting away parts to make money for parts. By the time they pay set up on a sled and then everyone thing that since they purchased a sled they should get a free belt and oil........ they hope you come back for parts and service!!

 

[Pol600]

Valve cleanliness

My Midwest sled is a 2000 Edge XC 600 SP VES (early release). First mass-produced Polaris sled with valves. Being the conscientious owner that I am, I bought the Polaris VES Silver (Silver jug) for the first year (99-00', a winter much like this one). With about ~400 miles on the sled and third day in Dubois, it started sounding like a 4-cycle. This is shortly after our 98 XC 600 smoked it on a straightaway. My Old Man is saying 'WTF'. 320 jets and needle dropped one, so maybe a bit fat but not a crazy amount. We discovered one of the valves was completely stuck and the other one just about. We had to spray carb cleaner and let it soak for an hour before we got the valve out.

Next we tried Polaris Gold (gold plastic jug), results were worse. We then proceeded to try eveything under the sun, including some Phillips 66 sled oil from Cenex (don't do that). The valves were either sticking or badly caked by 500 miles. We eventually tried Amsoil Interceptor and we could clean the valves with a green scotchbrite pad with no brake cleaner. We went to Amsoil Dominator at the suggestion of a local Arctic Cat racer. You can wipe the a tiny bit of build up of with a shop rag at 500 miles. The sled has about 10,000 miles on it. We also use it in our 700 RMK's. It's been Dominator ever since.

I curse myself for not taking pictures. My rear-end hurts at the thought of spending $43 + tax for Polaris Gold for the new Pro. I also don't want to deal with a chump telling me Dominator caused the burndown 3 years from now.

***Rocket--my dealer said I can use whatever I want and not to worry about the warranty but he also highly recommended Polaris VES Gold. Another dealer in the Metro said he has dealt with Polaris's ESC Warranty folks and the ESC folks have denied warranty coverage because of oil use in an 800 that burned down.


Anecdotal, I know, but...

Pol600

 

[Pro-8250]

My experience has been Amsoil will tell you Dominator is for race sleds.
Give them a call. I did. As far as Polaris and Amsoil? They are in bed together.
Anyone that has been to Haydays or Snowcross in Duluth or Canterbury Park knows what I am talking about.
http://www.amsoil.com/company.aspx:musicnote:

 

[oldcrow]

My .02, the only reason we are burning this expensive oil is because of its ashless formula.
If my 800 didn't have exhaust valves I'd be running Phillips Injex. Ran it for many miles in the 90's without issue. When I got my first exhaust valve motor I found the oils weak spot.
That's when I started using Amsoil Interceptor, been happy with it

On a side note I believe Mobil supplies Amsoil with its base product.