I No Longer Trust Blackstone Labs

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May 28, 2011
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I sent Blackstone a virgin sample of Audi 0W-30 fully synthetic oil. It was clearly labeled as Virgin 0W-30 oil. As you can see from the report below, they thought it was a 10W-30, but also stated it could be a thick 5W-30 or a thin 0W-40. I wonder what that tech had been smoking.

I have no problem with the cSt 100C being 10.67 (if that's what it really was). But I don't like the fact that they have decided to come up with their own standard for a 30 viscosity oil in the cSt 100C test. They say it should be 9.9-11.9. This is NOT THE SAE STANDARD. According to every source I have consulted, the SAE standard for 30 viscosity oil is 9.3-12.49. According to Blackstone's "30 grade standard", Mobil 1 ESP 0W-30, with a cSt 100C of 12, would be a 40 weight oil.

It should also be noted that the SAE standard cSt 100C for a 40 weight oil is 12.5 to 16.29. So there is absolutely no way this could have been a "thin 0W-40".

In the future, I'm using either Oil Analyzers or Polaris Labs for my oil analysis.
 

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  • Audi 0W-30 Annotated.pdf
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Not that I don’t trust them but, they took 7 business days after receiving my voa to test it. At $40x2 I’d like a quicker turnaround. Napa/wix seems to test within a day or two from receiving and $16 tbn included to 🥾,

how long did yours take after they got it?
 
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This oil uses a little boron.....

468 ppm is actually plenty.

You're right, this isn't even a thick 30 IF 10.67 cSt is true. Redline 5W-30 is a thick 30, Ravenol REP 5W-30 is a thick 30, all BMW LL-04 5W-30 are thick 30s, most if not all VW 504 00 are thick 30s. The latter makes me question, if this OE Audi 0W-30 is a VW 504 00, is it even possible that 10.67 cSt is correct?

Believe me, this isn't their biggest fail.
 
Not that I don’t trust them but, they took 7 business days after receiving my voa to test it. At $40x2 I’d like a quicker turnaround. Napa/wix seems to test within a day or two from receiving and $16 tbn included to 🥾,

how long did yours take after they got it?
I sent them a sample four weeks ago. I'm in a neighboring state, so the USPS delay can't be too long. As of this morning, there was no report and no charge.

I don't care any more, honestly.
 
468 ppm is actually plenty.

You're right, this isn't even a thick 30 IF 10.67 cSt is true. Redline 5W-30 is a thick 30, Ravenol REP 5W-30 is a thick 30, all BMW LL-04 5W-30 are thick 30s, most if not all VW 504 00 are thick 30s. The latter makes me question, if this OE Audi 0W-30 is a VW 504 00, is it even possible that 10.67 cSt is correct?

Believe me, this isn't their biggest fail.
Yes, this Audi 0W-30 was VW 504. The only other 0W-30 VW 504 oils I have been able to find have had 100C cSt values between 11.9 and 12.18.
 
I have sent two samples to Oil Analyzers and it seems they got lost in the mail. :( It has been over 7 weeks on the first sample and now at a month on the second. I just sent regular USPS. Next time I'll pay for priority and tracking.
 
I sent them a sample four weeks ago. I'm in a neighboring state, so the USPS delay can't be too long. As of this morning, there was no report and no charge.

I don't care any more, honestly.
Napa/wix $20 ish shipped with tracking and get your results a day or two after they receive. I paid priority shipping on 2 bottles, all in about $87 dollars. I’m no longer using Blackstone.
 
If you buy the Polaris (oil analyzers) kits from amsoil, get the prepaid UPS shipping option. It comes with tracking and proof of delivery. I've never had to wait more than a few days after receipt to get my results.
The way it should be, especially if you’re paying more than Napa.
 
I've actually asked Blackstone this question. They base the "should be" values on a combination of standards and actual averages from their own data mining from their massive database of results:
We tend to start with manufacturer specs for viscosity "should-be" values, and then fine tune them depending on how these oils actually end up measuring in analysis.
Have you actually replied to them about your concerns? They probably want this sort of feedback. Any company worth their salt uses customer feedback to improve processes and execution and provide retraining where needed. They are less likely to improve if customers complain on forums but don't give them the same feedback.

I once asked them about their "should be" values of 0W20 and 5W20. They ran the numbers on all virgin samples of those two grades, determined that 0W20s on average are 8.30 cSt while 5W20s on average are 8.55 cSt. They thanked me for asking the question because it pointed out that they needed to update their "should be" values for these two grades.
 
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I've actually asked Blackstone this question. They base the "should be" values on a combination of standards and actual averages from their own data mining from their massive database of results:

Have you actually replied to them about your concerns? They probably want this sort of feedback. Any company worth their salt uses customer feedback to improve processes and execution and provide retraining where needed. They are less likely to improve if customers complain on forums but don't give them the same feedback.

I once asked them about their "should be" values of 0W20 and 5W20. They ran the numbers on all virgin samples of those two grades, determined that 0W20s on average are 8.30 cSt while 5W20s on average are 8.55 cSt. They thanked me for asking the question because it pointed out that they needed to update their "should be" values for these two grades.
Yes, I called them and their answer was basically "That's the way we do it."
 
I have been very happy with the NAPA ALS kits which can be had for about $12 on Amazon. Includes TBN. There are several labs around the country to mail them to. I’ve used the ones outside of Atlanta and Cleveland. The usps is the main problem. Yesterday I received my June cigar catalog.
 
I sent them a sample four weeks ago. I'm in a neighboring state, so the USPS delay can't be too long. As of this morning, there was no report and no charge.

I don't care any more, honestly.
Was this via the prepaid USPS label on the BS bottle? It's crazy how much slower USPS is when using this. It's as if every employee who touches it is obligated to open a full-blown investigation. I think I was averaging 2-3 weeks delivery on the several I shipped that way. The last two I stuck in a small box with USPS priority, paid ~$5 and it got there in 3-4 days with no fuss.
 
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