UOA's, and when is enuff, enuff ?

[OtisBlkR1]

Several questions in this one, lets break it down.

#1 Are you doing a UOA with each oil change ? if not how often are you ? what are you paying ?

#2 If your changing oil (say you drive alot) 4-5 times a year and are performing a UOA on
each change what are you spending a year ?

#3 Cost v.s. gain. The point in short for most UOA's is to tell us when our oil is spent,
how long we ca n run a oil, and whats in the oil to determine possable upcoming problems.
say your spending $100 a year on UOA's (( that buys alot of oil and filters))

The point of the thread is when are you overdoing it ? how often do you think its necessary ? Do you think its necessary on newer autos with low miles ? Whats your general breakdown and opinion on the topic ?


I dont think there is a right or wrong awnser myself, but there are two sides to this coin and in the few years ive been on this board i dont think ive ever read anything on it..

 

[c24k]

I personally believe it's a waste of money from the get go. Almost entirely pointless. Change oil according to manual and get on with life instead of worrying over little nit- pick things such as a used oil analysis. But whatever makes u feel good about something then do it I suppose. My $.02

 

[buster]

I try and do it once a year. I've done several in one year before. It really depends on what your goal is. Extended drains? Trying to get the lowest wear metals possible?

Something is worth what someone is willing to pay. It depends on the person and what they are using the UOA for. It's an inexpensive tool. We spend far more on gasoline than UOA's and oil so I never found it to be an issue of money personally.

You have to remember, the majority of members on here are a bit obsessive with cars and have an interest in oil. So if you're one of them, most likely you will pay for a UOA.

 

[901Memphis]

Depends on your income level. I think it pretty cheap if you're making enough money to consider it a hobby.

 

[volk06]

Originally Posted By: c24k
I personally believe it's a waste of money from the get go. Almost entirely pointless. Change oil according to manual and get on with life instead of worrying over little nit- pick things such as a used oil analysis. But whatever makes u feel good about something then do it I suppose. My $.02


Trying to maximize your money by checking the status of the oil and your engine is pointless and a waste of money? A periodic uoa can help identify problems and allow you to extend ocis. Less oil, less filters, less time and less money in the end. It told me I had a leaking intake gasket before it was a serious issue.

 

[Spector]

Originally Posted By: c24k
I personally believe it's a waste of money from the get go. Almost entirely pointless. Change oil according to manual and get on with life instead of worrying over little nit- pick things such as a used oil analysis. But whatever makes u feel good about something then do it I suppose. My $.02


I have to agree, I still have my binder of numerous UOA on multiple vehicles, some have a several year trend but in the end, useless!!! Unless you are looking to solve a known or thought to be problem like coolant in oil etc the wear numbers are useless,. Why, pretty much nothing you can do about them except change your oil every 2000 miles. Even my worst case wear numbers, off the charts, the engine outlasted the rest of the vehicle. Just change your oil as recommended and let it go, UOA are a waste of time and money. Nothing you can do on the wear numbers and even if you think you see a trend what are you going to do, sell the car because the lab says your numbers are above normal.

 

[c24k]

Originally Posted By: volk06
Originally Posted By: c24k
I personally believe it's a waste of money from the get go. Almost entirely pointless. Change oil according to manual and get on with life instead of worrying over little nit- pick things such as a used oil analysis. But whatever makes u feel good about something then do it I suppose. My $.02


Trying to maximize your money by checking the status of the oil and your engine is pointless and a waste of money? A periodic uoa can help identify problems and allow you to extend ocis. Less oil, less filters, less time and less money in the end. It told me I had a leaking intake gasket before it was a serious issue.

Obviously it can help like that. You didn't read the key word of ALMOST. Glad you found out because ur right it would have been serious

 

[c24k]

Originally Posted By: Spector
Originally Posted By: c24k
I personally believe it's a waste of money from the get go. Almost entirely pointless. Change oil according to manual and get on with life instead of worrying over little nit- pick things such as a used oil analysis. But whatever makes u feel good about something then do it I suppose. My $.02


I have to agree, I still have my binder of numerous UOA on multiple vehicles, some have a several year trend but in the end, useless!!! Unless you are looking to solve a known or thought to be problem like coolant in oil etc the wear numbers are useless,. Why, pretty much nothing you can do about them except change your oil every 2000 miles. Even my worst case wear numbers, off the charts, the engine outlasted the rest of the vehicle. Just change your oil as recommended and let it go, UOA are a waste of time and money. Nothing you can do on the wear numbers and even if you think you see a trend what are you going to do, sell the car because the lab says your numbers are above normal.

+1
Everyone is so worried about wear metals it's laughable. By the time wear metals create a problem you'll hear it and ur engine will let you know well before a $25 oil analysis could and at that point UOA won't even matter, youll be so [censored] when u add up all those oil analysis you might as well have used the money for a new car or new whatever. Some peoe get quiet carried away with this kind of stuff. An extra stress factor that could so easily be avoided.

 

[dave1251]

Originally Posted By: c24k
Originally Posted By: Spector
Originally Posted By: c24k
I personally believe it's a waste of money from the get go. Almost entirely pointless. Change oil according to manual and get on with life instead of worrying over little nit- pick things such as a used oil analysis. But whatever makes u feel good about something then do it I suppose. My $.02


I have to agree, I still have my binder of numerous UOA on multiple vehicles, some have a several year trend but in the end, useless!!! Unless you are looking to solve a known or thought to be problem like coolant in oil etc the wear numbers are useless,. Why, pretty much nothing you can do about them except change your oil every 2000 miles. Even my worst case wear numbers, off the charts, the engine outlasted the rest of the vehicle. Just change your oil as recommended and let it go, UOA are a waste of time and money. Nothing you can do on the wear numbers and even if you think you see a trend what are you going to do, sell the car because the lab says your numbers are above normal.

+1
Everyone is so worried about wear metals it's laughable. By the time wear metals create a problem you'll hear it and ur engine will let you know well before a $25 oil analysis could and at that point UOA won't even matter, youll be so [censored] when u add up all those oil analysis you might as well have used the money for a new car or new whatever. Some peoe get quiet carried away with this kind of stuff. An extra stress factor that could so easily be avoided.


UOA's to establish wear trends is dubious at best. The value of UOA's is to hit the sweet spot on your OCI's schedule this is very valuable to companies that operate a large fleet of vehicles and individuals that value information gained on UOA's in their own vehicles.

Now some people study and gather the information from UOA's and completely throw this information out the window or can not compute the information provided and that is a waste of resources and time.

 

[Cooper]

I believe UOA's are good for numerous reasons. I have seen excessive fuel dilution, excessive silicone, coolant leaks, etc. All of these things showed up early in a UOA. Getting one done every oil change = hobby. Getting one done every few oil changes to make sure things are running smoothly = cheap insurance.

 

[widman]

For the average person, analysis doesn't do much. You need your own trend line. I do it for customers and can tell them 10,000 hours before their breakdown that it is going to happen.

You can identify problems with fleets, especially if similar vehicles and routes or work. That sets up your maintenance program.

But for my own dozen or so vehicles, I usually run a sample every year or two. Costs me about $8.00 plus another $8 or so in FedEx.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: OtisBlkR1
#1 Are you doing a UOA with each oil change ? if not how often are you ? what are you paying ?

I kind of do it once a year because that's how often I change my oil. However, it's just a curiosity thing for me. Has nothing to do with trying to save money or cost vs. gain thing at all.


Quote:

#3 Cost v.s. gain. The point in short for most UOA's is to tell us when our oil is spent,
how long we ca n run a oil, and whats in the oil to determine possable upcoming problems.
say your spending $100 a year on UOA's (( that buys alot of oil and filters))

If you're just trying to establish a safe OCI, then you only need to do a UOA once. From that point on, you don't need to keep doing it anymore.

 

[tig1]

I have done two UOAs and that was for the novilty of it. PPM metal counts are useless for the most part as they have no real value as to actual engine wear. Now there may be a rare, very rare, exception to that. If you suspect oil contamination from coolant, fuel, or dirt, then a UOA may be of some help. Outside that, saveing the UOA money toward your next car is a wiser investment. This comes from someone that has done 10K OCIs longer than most anyone else here.

 

[Donald]

If you are extending your UOA it almost mandatory until you get a handle on your engine and oil. I am extending T6 in my diesel and need to know how its doing.

Some depends upon your sump size. If your sump is large (diesel is 12QT) then it may make sense to do a UOA to see when to change oil. If your sump is 5 QT the UOA is same cost as oil change.

I pay around $20/UOA and includes TBN and oxidation/nitration. I need to buy a few to get them at that price.

I think a UOA of a new to you used car is reasonable.

A UOA is normally part of a power boat survey.

 

[CarbonSteel]

I have performed a UOA on every OC of every fluid that I have changed in my FX4 to establish a number of things. The least of which is so that everyone that sees them can make some informed decisions about oil and throw most of the oil related fables (that seem to hang on forever) out of the window.

My expense = shared knowledge for everyone to see.

 

[BISCUT]

UOA is relatively new to me. I don't do many but I do like that I am establishing a trend to compare future analysis too. I have done 3 IIRC over 60k in wife Armada. Set me to a feel good point of about 8k with M1 and a P1 filter. One a year is like every 3rd OCI. Makes me feel good. I have a trend to watch over the next 150-200k. I'll drop the 50k on a sweet ride but I will also keep the maintenance up and drive it for 200+k. So for me I think an UOA is worth it.

If dollars were tight I wouldn't do it but I sure wouldn't just go to the manufacturer recommended either. I live in a very hilly area and temps are widely diverse as in -5(rare-10) to today's 99F and nasty humid.

That's just me and I'm sure new to a lot when it comes to lubricants.

 

[Bill in Utah]

UOA are the rule in Aviation and find all sorts of issues before failure.

My first post here was about a UOA that I had run and found issues with my vehicle. At that time they were $8 and $25 to have a pro look it over.

End result? That "useless, cheap, non informative" UOA caused a major manufacturer to FIX my engine which was out of warranty.

Guess it was good enough to have them tear the engine apart, fix it and provide me with a rental car for 3 weeks.

They are useful. When they don't prove your bias then they are an excuse...

Bill

 

[Bill in Utah]

Originally Posted By: 2010_FX4
I have performed a UOA on every OC of every fluid that I have changed in my FX4 to establish a number of things. The least of which is so that everyone that sees them can make some informed decisions about oil and throw most of the oil related fables (that seem to hang on forever) out of the window.

My expense = shared knowledge for everyone to see.


+1

 

[OtisBlkR1]

great feedback !

 

[montero1]

Originally Posted By: 2010_FX4
I have performed a UOA on every OC of every fluid that I have changed in my FX4 to establish a number of things. The least of which is so that everyone that sees them can make some informed decisions about oil and throw most of the oil related fables (that seem to hang on forever) out of the window.

My expense = shared knowledge for everyone to see.



+2.

Better than spending it on cigarettes, booze, and hookers. It is kind of a hobby.