2004 Mitsu Diamante, havoline 5w30, 4.2k mi.

[blmqzjc]

Greetings, Been a couple of years, so thought I'd do another UOA on the wife's Diamante. Car is coming up on 8 years old, looks and runs fine, but has very low total miles (57455). I was particularly surprised with the low insolubles and silicon, as I have not changed the air filter in over 2 years, and I live a block from the ocean. As always, comments and suggestions are welcome.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Looks perfect! What engine does the Diamante use? Is it the SOHC or the DOHC 3.0 V6?

 

[addyguy]

Very nice run. Havoline is GREAT stuff.

 

[blmqzjc]

Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm

Looks perfect! What engine does the Diamante use? Is it the SOHC or the DOHC 3.0 V6?

SOHC I believe. Mediocre performance, avg around 22mpg mostly city driving now. Runs up to about 28-29mpg on highway, and rides great. The General tires I put on 27k miles ago look to be about 50% worn, so happy with that decision too. Still on original pads front and rear, but will need changing soon. The wife absolutely loves the car.

 

[blmqzjc]

Originally Posted By: addyguy

Very nice run. Havoline is GREAT stuff.

I first put Havoline in the Diamante when I acquired it in 2008. The UOA's (3 now) have been so good that I also began using it in my other car (2005 Hyundai Elantra). Nice UOA's on that car also. Havoline is probably the best conventional oil I have ever used. Our driving style and low miles between OCI's make synthetics not really necessary. Only exception I've found is when the car spec's the synthetic (like our former Passat Turbo).

 

[scurvy]

With UOA numbers like that I'd run it to 7500 or 10k and get another UOA done with TBN.

 

[dparm]

5k or maybe 6k if it's 95% highway or something. Good to see it has a bit of moly.

 

[blmqzjc]

Originally Posted By: scurvy

With UOA numbers like that I'd run it to 7500 or 10k and get another UOA done with TBN.

Conventional Havoline probably wouldnt stretch that far, not to mention that the Mitsu will now average around 5k miles per year, about half of what we use to drive. For less than $15 for oil and filter, I usually dont like to go much past 7 months or so, regardless of mileage. The other car (Hyundai) is still under warranty, so I have to honor the 6mo OCI interval. Cheap Insurance.

 

[scurvy]

Originally Posted By: blmqzjc

Conventional Havoline probably wouldnt stretch that far

Why not? You've got practically zero contaminants in the oil at this point. TBN depletion would be the only limiting factor as far as I can see from your UOAs (and you've only had TBN checked once, 2.5 years ago). But if this car is only going to see ~5k miles per year, I'd probably just change it once a year and be done with it. I tend to approach all UOAs based on my own driving habits unless the OP has posted otherwise with the UOA. Whatever you're doing with the Diamante, keep it up!

 

[cchase]

It's still within the "noise" but I can't help but notice that lead is trending up with time.

 

[blmqzjc]

Originally Posted By: scurvy

Originally Posted By: blmqzjc

Conventional Havoline probably wouldnt stretch that far

Why not? You've got practically zero contaminants in the oil at this point. TBN depletion would be the only limiting factor as far as I can see from your UOAs (and you've only had TBN checked once, 2.5 years ago). But if this car is only going to see ~5k miles per year, I'd probably just change it once a year and be done with it. I tend to approach all UOAs based on my own driving habits unless the OP has posted otherwise with the UOA. Whatever you're doing with the Diamante, keep it up!

The TBN from 2.5 years ago was 2.2, on less than a 5K run. Virgin TBN on that oil is "likely" in the 7 to 8 range. So how much farther would you suspect that the 2.2 would drop if you ran it to 7.5K or 10k miles? I know it's not linear, but I would bet you'd be quite low on additive at 7.5k miles and probably "out" of additive at 10K miles. Why risk it, when I can just change it for $15? I don't remember what the "bogey" is for TBN, but I bet anything under 1.0 means it's time for an oil change. Is that your understanding also? Thanks for your response.

 

[blmqzjc]

Originally Posted By: cchase

It's still within the "noise" but I can't help but notice that lead is trending up with time.

I know - that's the only thing in the report that caused me even a little concern. I'll probably do another UOA in a year or so.

 

[LoneRanger]

Was that the new SN/GF5 Havoline or the previous SM/GF4? Based on the moly content, I'm guessing SM/GF4...

 

[blmqzjc]

Originally Posted By: LoneRanger

Was that the new SN/GF5 Havoline or the previous SM/GF4? Based on the moly content, I'm guessing SM/GF4...

I used remainder of one 5 gal jug and part of another for this OC, so I was thinking one of them may have been the old SM/GF4. Fortunately, I still have both containers. Just checked - they are both the new SN/GF5. Maybe they shaved the moly content a little. I too noticed it was down 25 to 30% from the UOA's 2 years ago.

 

[Artem]

Gotta love Blackstone and their comments. This one made me laugh, good stuff. Anyway, this report looks fantastic. Definitely change the air filter if it's 2 years old (10k +/- miles?) as it might be quite dirty and clogged with dirt and sand from the beach (eating up your gas mileage and robbing power above all else) Without a TBN of this SN formula, it's hard to judge how much longer it could have went but if Havoline improved on their formula from the SM version, i'm sure 5k OCIs regardless of months should be the sweet spot based on your driving style, conditions and engine health. Should be spotless under the valve cover.

 

[dnewton3]

Very decent report; nothing alarming. Pb is OK, but I'd watch to see if it continues upward. BTW - I edited your thread title to show the OIL milage and not vehicle mileage.