Which oil testing labs did you used and liked?

[Ma-fia]

Pablo,
that's the page I meant. Of course now I get a completely different impression. It must have been fairly late when I got to it, and I don't remember any more why I got the impression OA were off; they all have a bit of dispersion. It's not a problem to read it (I had a few semesters of inorganic chemistry in the past), but I don't understand a rat's tail about oil analysis itself (yet), so it's hard to remember details.

 

[Pablo]

Ma-fia,

You mention you stumbled across a lab comparison.
Can you provide a link? Here's one I paid for:

Lab comparison

Thanks,

Paul

 

[Lawrence Richards]

I use Polaris Laboratories. great to deal with and fast. I get all bells and whistles including TBN and TAN for $14.75 a sample plus cost of bottle. Highly reccomend! (Polarislabs.com)

 

[Chris B.]

Any word yet?

 

[Pablo]

Ma-phia - yes there is an a error factor in this type of lab work. I think scanning that data, ANA is the smelly one. Look at P, Ca, Zn and Viscosity...it's like they had the wrong oil sample!

That's why I choose the lab with the lowest cost, relatively most accurate, with good reporting and then just think of the results as quick and dirty.

I have nothing against Blackstone, but they are sooooo slow. Funny thing, it's hit and miss with some folks, and people say the same thing about OA.

 

[msparks]

I've been using Oil Analyizers since I became an Amsoil dealer.

I really like that they now have switched to the CTC, since I can get my analysis online. I can also have my customers put my name at the bottom so I can get a Carbon Copy of their sample. This helps me tremendously since I can interpret for myself, and not have to make recommendations blindly.

Plus for $18.95 which includes shipping, you can't beat the price.

 

[Spector]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Lawrence Richards:
I use Polaris Laboratories. great to deal with and fast. I get all bells and whistles including TBN and TAN for $14.75 a sample plus cost of bottle. Highly reccomend! (Polarislabs.com)

---

Nice web site. Info on how to order the sample kit and the pricing weak but will see.

 

[widman]

I use CTC. Don't know their retail prices, as I have special volume pricing. My biggest cost is DHL that varies from $70 to $114 per shipment. It takes 3 days to get from Bolivia to Arizona, 24-48 hours for analisis, so I can see my results on the web in 4 to 6 days.
But unless you know a lot about them, or want to depend on the comments of this board to help, you need good personal feedback from a real person like Terry.

 

[Chris B.]

Blackstone just emailed me and said they would get this all sorted out!

 

[MNgopher]

Blackstone with the Dyson Analysis package has worked very well for me.

Blackstone has bent over backwards for me when I had an issue with one of my reports. Simply e-mail them or call them - they are very willing to get things right!

If you aren't happy - tell them! Its hard for them to know something is wrong if you don't tell them!

I've always shipped them using the supplied container by First Class Mail, handed to a postal worker at the post office in case there are questions. I have always gotten results back from Blackstone within 5 business days of sending it, and get quick turnaround from Terry.

 

[Chris B.]

Yoo hoo Alex, what is going on? Any word yet? Sorry but I'm curious!

 

[Ma-fia]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Lawrence Richards:
I use Polaris Laboratories. great to deal with and fast. I get all bells and whistles including TBN and TAN for $14.75 a sample plus cost of bottle. Highly reccomend! (Polarislabs.com)

---

Interesting. So far this is the most "el cheapo".
I'd really like to know if anybody else has used them, and/or compared with other labs. I wonder if it's the case of "you get what you pay for", or simply someone new tries to establish themselves on the market.

Would it make sense to do the oil analysis right after I switched to synthetic oil (the first change), or should I wait till the second syntho change. I didn't flush the eingine; of course it shouldn't be dirty with only 16k on it (yet, hopefully).

I'm impressed, that someone from Bolivia mails oil to AZ... No labs at all in Europe?

 

[msparks]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ma-fia:

I'm impressed, that someone from Bolivia mails oil to AZ... No labs at all in Europe? [/QB]

---

UM Bolivia is in South America I don't know why he would want to send his samples to Europe, which I'm sure there many labs over there as well.

 

[therion]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ma-fia:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Lawrence Richards:
I use Polaris Laboratories. great to deal with and fast. I get all bells and whistles including TBN and TAN for $14.75 a sample plus cost of bottle. Highly reccomend! (Polarislabs.com)

---

Interesting. So far this is the most "el cheapo".
I'd really like to know if anybody else has used them, and/or compared with other labs. I wonder if it's the case of "you get what you pay for", or simply someone new tries to establish themselves on the market.

Would it make sense to do the oil analysis right after I switched to synthetic oil (the first change), or should I wait till the second syntho change. I didn't flush the eingine; of course it shouldn't be dirty with only 16k on it (yet, hopefully).

I'm impressed, that someone from Bolivia mails oil to AZ... No labs at all in Europe?

---

I would do so after the second change, since some of the dino is still left over from the first change (on the valvetrain especially). You will get a more accurate report if you wait untill your second change. Thats what i am doing i am on my second change on my van using Mobil 1 5W-30 SS waiting to get 3,000 miles so i can drain and send out my oil to BlackStone or maybe Polaris since they offer TBN & Analysis for $14.75.!!

 

[Ma-fia]

Re: Bolivia
Boy, what a flop-up. For some reason I had Bosnia in mind. (Nooooooooooooooo, I am not a morooooon!)

Re: Oil changes.
Yes, I was thinking the same thing. Do you suppose that viscosity would matter? I mean if I change from 0w20 to 0w30 or 5w30?
Maybe it's my imagination, but it seems to me that the engine sounded "happier" with the dino oil. Who knows if I need to adjust the viscosity.

 

[Pablo]

As far as Polaris...nobody has studied their accuracy and precision. Anyone want to pony up?

International? I can tell you no one does as much anal work as the USA. Canada is right there as is Australia. In Asia, almost unheard of, Europe maybe a fair bit (UK?)...