Do you only take care of the things you can see?

"Out of sight, out of mind" is a major problem for many of us. We all have plenty on our plates, and all too often our attention goes first to the matters most visible to us. As a consequence we neglect the unseen.... until it becomes a problem that forces us to deal with it, oftentimes when it is most inconvenient.

To quote another well-worn maxim: "A stitch in time saves nine." This especially applies to what's going on under the hood. We're talking cars here. How often do you take a few minutes for routine fluid checks on your vehicles? This includes the radiator, oil, transmission and brake fluids.

For most people their car or truck is their second largest personal expense. That's why they need to take care of it. Using premium quality motor oil, radiator fluid, transmission fluid and brake fluid is only one part of your protection package. Wise vehicle owners check their fluid levels on a regular basis to insure that they are at proper fill levels. No coolant in the radiator can result in a cracked engine block. Low lubricant levels result in inadequate protection of moving parts, resulting in unnecessary wear and early retirement for the vehicle you love.

This is just a reminder, just in case you don't have a reminder method already established.

Meantime, enjoy your summer....

Locks, Handcuffs, Houdini and AMSOIL

Locks serve many functions, most commonly to keep a door from being opened... or a vault. There are many kinds of locks. Padlocks, mortise locks, deadbolt locks, window locks, combination locks and a variety of electronic systems which have evolved in our modern technological era.

One of the great magicians of all time built a reputation around his knowledge of locks and the inner mechanisms by which they operate. His name was Harry Houdini, a master escape artist.

He was born Ehrich Weiss in Budapest, Hungary in 1874, coming of age in the last years of the 19th century. It was a period in history when circuses and vaudeville flourished. There were no televisions, radios or other means of distraction available today.

He initially became a master of illusions, especially devoted to sleight of hand and card tricks, dubbing himself the "King of Cards." Eventually his repertoire grew to include all manner of puzzles and whatever seemed to bring the most gasps. As an escape artist he learned practically everything there was to know about locks, ropes, chains and handcuffs. He didn't stop there, designing new escapes that would put his life at risk, including the famous milk can escape.

Even though there was usually a trick to it, people enjoyed the work of master magicians like Houdini. Handcuff escapes, though, had their basis in understanding mechanics and science. There was no real hocus pocus here.

So it is with the magic of AMSOIL synthetic motor oil. There was no hocus pocus when AMSOIL appeared on the scene in 1972 with its 25,000 mile oil/one year oil change interval. There was no trickery involved. It was science, an understanding of chemistry that produced the first synthetic motor oil. Synthetic oils had been in use for more than two decades in jet engines because of their high and low temperature performance capabilities. It took a determined fighter pilot many years to achieve the goal of applying jet engine technology to the internal combustion engine.

The benefits of AMSOIL synthetic oils involve no illusions. It is fundamentally advanced chemistry and applied science. We don't really have to know how  magicians like Houdini do their magic. It's nice to simply enjoy the show... or the benefits of unlocking the performance capabilities of your vehicle's engine.

How Many Different Kinds of Motor Oil Do I Need?

In days of old the wheels of progress were greased with beef fat or whale blubber. Over time, in the mechanical/industrial age, more sophisticated lubricants were required, especially with the advent of the internal combustion engine.

As with everything else today, engines come in a variety of shapes and sizes with an equally vast diversity of applications. Because of the differences in these diverse applications, there is no such thing as a "one size fits all" motor oil. We do have a vast selection of lubricants for nearly everything you can drive, hence one of our current advertising campaigns is titled "AMSOIL for Any Engine."

Whether it's a weed whacker or Class 8 truck pulling trailers coast to coast over the open road, the engine needs lubrication. AMSOIL provides premium synthetic oils for both and everything in between. European cars? Yes. Two-stroke engines? Yes. Farm tractors? Yes. Ride around lawn mowers? Yes. 1950's Packards? Mini Coopers? Camaros? Pintos? Corvettes? Yes, yes, yes, yes and yes.

Visit the AMSOIL website to learn more about what your motor oil requirements are and how we can keep your motors running, whether you're heading out on the highway or just out to the back forty.

Gary Ressler Wins Case of AMSOIL

Gary Ressler just won a case of AMSOIL 10W-40 Synthetic Motorcycle Oil courtesy Road Runner magazine in an April contest. Road Runner readers are long haul riders who can't get enough of the open road. Thank you, Gary, for sending us a photo to share. That bike is a beauty and the setting equally thrilling. Ride on!

More Photos from the 2014 Diesel Power Challenge

Driver meeting, Day 3, in preparation for the Fuel Economy Run.

Watching the clock as we wait for the drivers to return from the mountains.

The Sled Pull tested everyone.

The weather threatened but we got it done.

Three trophies, plus a little something extra from AMSOIL.

L to R: Matt Kauffman, Lavon Miller and Danick St. Pierre

Establishing a tradition: drinking beer from the winner's cup.

Once again, congratulations to both the winners and competitors for making this another memorable Diesel Power Challenge.