I took an oil sample from my new ride a couple of weeks ago and have been debating on whether or not to have it analyzed. Can anything be learned from a factory fill UOA other than speculation on which brand of oil is being used? Any reasons why I should or shouldn't have a UOA done on this stuff?
Factory fill oil, worh a UOA?
- Thread starter parrothead
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There's certainly no absolute reason not to. If you choose to pay for a UOA on that oil, that's fine, but the actual data value will be limited, as you know it's going to be loaded with stuff reflecting the break-in. With the rapid changes going on in a young engine, the UOA won't be too useful, but hey, if you want to do it mostly for fun, why not?
About the only reason I could think of is to check for antifreeze in the oil. Seems to happen a lot with GM brands. Wear metals will be higher than normal as it breaks-in. My experience is it takes almost 50,000 miles before break-in is complete. I think I would wait for 20,000+ before an analysis can tell you much. Warranty will still be good if you see a problem.
I don't think I would spend the money for return data that does not have much meaningful information. GM changed the design and material for intake gaskets so I don't think anti-freeze in your oil would be likely on a new car.
I don't think it will tell you anything you probably do not already know, but if you are going to continue to do oil analysis, then the first one will be a "baseline," if that is important to you. I do think there is a fair amount of doubt, which can lead to a little to a lot of "disinformation". There is a myth floating around that there is a lot of junk in/on the first oem fill. I do not believe it at all. On a 2001 Corvette Z06 for some silly reason, I did a 1600 mile OCI and it was absolutely, positively a complete and utter waste of time, energy, money, and resources. On subsequent new cars I have run the OCI's recommended by each oem which happens to be 5000 and 10,000 miles (2003 VW Jetta TDI and 2004 Honda Civic VP . Engine manufacturing and engine oils have truly come a long way from when even 3,000 miles between oil changes was stretching it. I basically have had no problems with 15,000 OCI's ( Corvette Z06, 5 Toyota I6 Toyota Landcruisers) all the way up to 25,000 mile OCI's (VW Jetta TDI).
I agree with ruking77. The only exception would be if you have an OLM and you are trying to determine if it is accurate. My Honda has one and the manual says to change oil, including factory fill, when the OLM service due notice comes up. Most Honda Ridgeline owners say that the first notice (for oil change) comes up between 5,000 and 7,000 miles. The notice only appears once the oil life expectancy is at 15% or below. A UOA of the factory fill will tell you, among other things, how much life your oil has left. If it coincides somewhat closely to the OLM, then your OCIs can be dictated from the OLM.
I would not waste the money after the first few oci's for one.
Two, the bigger issue, is time, and your out.
You must send samples in ASAP after taking them, or the results may be wacky. Bad sample now, IMHO, wait and send it in on the next go around.
Two, the bigger issue, is time, and your out.
You must send samples in ASAP after taking them, or the results may be wacky. Bad sample now, IMHO, wait and send it in on the next go around.
I would aggree with it being a waste of time,,, unless it was a used-new car, like an rental/lease or a dealer test-drive-dog. My.02
Do it if you're curious. Not many of us can justify our UOA, at least all of them, on purely economic reasons. Sure, your results will be skewed, but if you want to know, that's OK. It's not like it costs hundreds of dollars. How many guys have sport fishing boats? You know who you are. . . Can you justify those on economic reasons? Of course not -- you pay the freight because you want to, because it's fun. If you're curious, do it. If you're trying to justify it like a fleet manager, save the money for something else. No one is going to die, and you're not going to go bankrupt either way.
Yeah but the sample is a few weeks oldquote:
Originally posted by ekpolk:
Do it if you're curious. Not many of us can justify our UOA, at least all of them, on purely economic reasons. Sure, your results will be skewed, but if you want to know, that's OK. It's not like it costs hundreds of dollars. How many guys have sport fishing boats? You know who you are. . . Can you justify those on economic reasons? Of course not -- you pay the freight because you want to, because it's fun. If you're curious, do it. If you're trying to justify it like a fleet manager, save the money for something else. No one is going to die, and you're not going to go bankrupt either way.
and that alone could skew the results
on top of that its new car
double whammy
pass
no thanks
clean out the bottle and retry.
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Rob .there's a sizable concensus that says that as long as the sample is in a sealed container ..that waiting ..months even ..is of no consequence to the condition of the sample as far as suitablity for analysis.
Have you come upon some revelation in laboratory "analysis of stale samples"?
Have you come upon some revelation in laboratory "analysis of stale samples"?
A UOA is never a waste of time
(money, maybe!)
Tougher may be to find out what kind of oil was used.
I think the one real plus may be to assure all is well with the engine. I guess it comes down to if you can afford it and how curious you are.
Tougher may be to find out what kind of oil was used.
I think the one real plus may be to assure all is well with the engine. I guess it comes down to if you can afford it and how curious you are.
I wouldn't waste the money before 10K miles. Then it might be a good idea to see if coolant, excess fuel, etc. is in the engine.
Blackstone Labs doesn't agree with your "stale oil" theory.quote:
Originally posted by Robbie Alexander:
Yeah but the sample is a few weeks oldquote:
Originally posted by ekpolk:
Do it if you're curious. Not many of us can justify our UOA, at least all of them, on purely economic reasons. Sure, your results will be skewed, but if you want to know, that's OK. It's not like it costs hundreds of dollars. How many guys have sport fishing boats? You know who you are. . . Can you justify those on economic reasons? Of course not -- you pay the freight because you want to, because it's fun. If you're curious, do it. If you're trying to justify it like a fleet manager, save the money for something else. No one is going to die, and you're not going to go bankrupt either way.
and that alone could skew the results
on top of that its new car
double whammy
pass
no thanks
clean out the bottle and retry.
Quote from their FAQ page:
"I took a sample three months ago and forgot to send it in. It's been on a shelf in my garage ever since. Can I still send it in? Will the results still be good?"
"Should be fine."
Blackstone Labs FAQ page.
I have performed UOAs on just about all new cars I have owned and always find things very interesting. For example my most recent purchase, a Maybach comes with a 30 wt. oil that is loaded with Moly. Yet the recommended oil is 0W-40 Mobil 1. Before that was a Ferrari that came with a 30 wt. oil on delivery. They recommend a 5W40.
The cost is the same as going out to a good lunch but the results are less fattening and are good for conversation.
aehaas
The cost is the same as going out to a good lunch but the results are less fattening and are good for conversation.
aehaas
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