Which oil testing labs did you used and liked?

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As the subj. states, I'd like to know your opinions on what places provide good quality oil-testing.
Is it something you do via mail or there're places that do it pretty much everywhere?
Thanks,

Ira
 
Oil analyzers does a good job. I guess though I like Blackstone the best.

I have a number of Schaeffer's kits. They are available for under 10 bucks. But unfortunately they don't show TBN or potasium (potassium can signify coolant leaks). If I had used Blackstone/Oil analyzeers I would have found the colant leak before warranty was up
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I used Blackstone w/ Dyson package ......... sent the sample in in on December 21st, my credit card got charged on 01/09/04. $35 charge even though I asked for Dyson package plus TBN which would be $45........ I have yet to see the report.

This is really too slow of a service. When am I gonna see my report??? It doesn't work for me if the lab can't turn these around in two weeks. I also asked for a new container from the link here in December when I sent the sample and haven't seen it yet either. So my T-Bird got a change on Amsoil TSO w/o sample.

I am probably not gonna do it again ....... at least with Blacksone ..........
 
Alex, you need to get a hold of me or BKlabs if you are concerned.The Dyson BKLABS coop kit is $35 , includes me and the TBN. Good deal.

Odd because BKlabs turns samples faster than my in-house kits usually. Which are also $35 each.

I'll check on the status.

USPS is usually the restriction and since 9/11 thats just a fact of life here with fluids.
 
Gotta say the Oil Analyzers for full mailing both ways at $19.95 is hard to beat. Accurate and timely. The only thing better is to send the report on to Terry for real interpretation. OA/CTC doesn't really interpret the results.
 
The only UOA I've done thus far has been with Blackstone (with the Dyson analysis option). The results were prompt and nicely formatted and Terry's comments/analysis were great. The extra few dollars for Terry's advice is a great thing. He makes it interactive and works toward achieving whatever your goal is.

I would not hesitate to use Blackstone/Dyson again.

Mikep
 
I used Blackstone recently to determine if the tranny fluid in my Chrysler was wrong. They were very helpful during my initial phone inquiry.

I sent the sample on Tuesday and received the results by Saturday. Great, friendly service.
 
For the Canadians, I have to put in a plug for Wearcheck Canada. I've often sent in samples on a Monday morning and recieved the results in my email the very next afternoon! And their pricing is very good and their MOB 2 package offers up a lot of excellent info other labs don't offer (such as viscosity at 40c, viscosity index, and you can get an exact fuel percentage too, right down to the last decimal point)

Wearcheck is located in Mississauga Ontario, which is just outside of Toronto.

PS-I also use Terry Dyson to interpret the reports when I get them, his services are definitely worth the money, you can learn a lot from him!
 
I used Anaslysts Inc for about 9 years, 10 day
turnaround(not fast)but I felt pretty good interpretation. Unlike Blackstone no universal averages and no comments other then keep in service or this metal too high etc. The last year or so I have used Blackstone, very consumer oriented, but I hate their universal averages and too many of their comments are not appropriate as they are guessing about your engine, etc. and what they consider high ppm would never even bother Analysts Inc. (unless silicon got over 32 ppm Analysts Inc could care less) I feel they place way too much emphasis on the ppm counts for lead and silicon especially. But just my opinion. they can be slow also, due to holidays the last one took two weeks. However, I will keep using them, basically good friendly service, easy to use containers etc. Easy to contact as well.

Like everything in life, comments need to be taken with a grain of salt.
 
Everybody - Thanks for the input.
After I posted this I was doing some homework, too. On one page I stumbled into, they were comparing results for the same oil from different labs, and Oil Analazers were a good deal off compared to the other 3(?) labs the used (supposedly, O.A. use a bit different technique). And all in all the results were quite different. I've got an impression, that if there is a bad internal problem starting in the engine, a report would probably show it, otherwise it should not be trusted as a gospel.
TBN would be nice to know -- some time in the future, when I choose which oil definitely to go with. Want to see how M1 0w20 behaves in my '02 Focus first.
 
ma-fia,just noticed we are neighbors so if you use our in-house kits I could physically look at your car to correlate the data ! All for the same $35 a kit.

Or I would do the same with reading any other labs data for $20.

Happy Analysis hunting.
 
I would recommended Terry no matter which lab you use or else you really won't know what you are looking at. Unless you get a blatently perfect report. Even then you may think it's ok, but he can offer suggestions to improve further and completely optimize your oil and OCI. Whatever your goal is.
But I would recommend sticking with his in houes kits or use the Blackstone with Dyson Package #46 since he has verified their accuracy and service. There are some that are just a waste of your time. I'm using Blackstone now. Very fast and accurate. Since Terry's lab is close to you that may work better for you.
 
Exactly what are the "must have" and the "nice to have" elements of a UOA, so that I can be sure I get what I need when I ask for an analysis.

Unfortunately we don't have a large number of companies doing this work and these cater mainly for trucks. Not usual for a car owner to get analysis here?
 
Wow, Terry, I guess I'm you client then. I don't know when, but some day for sure. Right now money is a bit tight because of my medical bills. I can't do much, so I'm trying to learn something useful in the meantime.
Do you answer e-mails?
BTW I noticed that my Focus runs a notch cooler with 0w20 M1 in it. I guess, better oil and => less friction. On the other hand I thought I've heard some unusual noise at startup the other day (this may be a fruit of my paranoid imagination).
 
No report from Blackstone labs yet.....what a joke !!! Why would I need to get a hold of them? They already took my money. Am I expecting too much from them??

quote:

Originally posted by Terry:
Alex, you need to get a hold of me or BKlabs if you are concerned.The Dyson BKLABS coop kit is $35 , includes me and the TBN. Good deal.

Odd because BKlabs turns samples faster than my in-house kits usually. Which are also $35 each.

I'll check on the status.

USPS is usually the restriction and since 9/11 thats just a fact of life here with fluids.


 
Alex, You need to call them!!!! Obveusly somthing got messed up. They are not going to take your money and not deliver on purpose. Someone dropped the ball and if you call them and tell them what happened they will get the report to you right away or do a refund if the UOA is not avaliable anymore which I doubt because they keep everything on file! I'm going to drop them an email for you to help you out. Stay tuned!
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The only lab I have dealt with so far, is wearcheck USA.........and I can't recommend them.
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I purchased 6 of the BK/dyson kits this morning, so hopefully blackstone will be much better than wearcheck, and hopefully they will work out the promptness problem, before I send my samples in.
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quote:

Originally posted by sbc350gearhead:
The only lab I have dealt with so far, is wearcheck USA.........and I can't recommend them.
frown.gif
I purchased 6 of the BK/dyson kits this morning, so hopefully blackstone will be much better than wearcheck, and hopefully they will work out the promptness problem, before I send my samples in.
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SBC I have had no problems with BS and they ALWAYS had my report to me fast! I would reccomend to you to spend a $1.50 more on shipping and put your oil sample in a USPS priority envelope. It will get there in a few days vs. several weeks and no one knows what is in it. My 1st sample took almost a month and I thought it was lost, now with priority no more delays or wondering!
 
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