Ok experts, which oil testing outfit is the best?

[hitmanharleyk]

Being new to this, I want your opinions as to where I should order my kits from and send my used Amsoil to when I reach the 10,000 mile mark.
Give me your opinions and why they do a better job, cost is a factor for me since I'm on a budget.

 

[CarbonSteel]

I have tried 3 different labs and they all do (more or less) the same quality of work. Blackstone is a board sponsor and from a convenience standpoint, they are hard to beat. They have been my "main" lab for 30+ UOAs and I have sent simultaneous samples to other labs to "keep them honest" and they have performed within the same parameters as the other labs.

IMHO, they are not very strong in the oxidation department and they use pore blockage (versus optical count) for particle tests, so if you need these tests to be "absolute" you may want to consider another lab, but by and large, they do pretty well.

Hope this helps!

 

[hitmanharleyk]

All I want to know is if the oil has extra life after 10,000 miles and that there is no signs of extreme wear. I've been running 20,000-22,000 mile OCI's for a good while on my two vehicles.

 

[CarbonSteel]

Originally Posted By: hitmanharleyk
All I want to know is if the oil has extra life after 10,000 miles and that there is no signs of extreme wear. I've been running 20,000-22,000 mile OCI's for a good while on my two vehicles.

Blackstone will certainly tell you the TBN (amount of life left) and wear metals in PPM.

 

[Eddie]

Dyson Analysis, excellent but expensive.

 

[INDYMAC]

Terry Dyson is in between labs right now, but will interpret if you send him your data.

Blackstone is good enough for wear trending, but lacks in the oil condition categories (fuel, oxidation, nitration, glycol) and you have to order TBN and TAN separately for extended drain information.

I believe Polaris and OAI are one and the same. I have not used them yet, but just received a Polaris 10 pack of Advance Mobile Anaysis kits. These kits will provide a fair amount of data at a reasonable cost for me. I'll also ask for TAN and or V40C data for an additional $5/test. They use FTIR and ICP methodologies.

 

[MolaKule]

ALS of Toledo is pretty decent and will charge only for what you tell them to test for.

 

[FowVay]

Polaris has a facility in Duluth (north ATL suburb) which is convenient if you're near Atlanta.

 

[Doug Hillary]

Hi,
hitmanharleyk - Signum is one to consider. I use ths Lab

 

[ltslimjim]

Originally Posted By: FowVay
Polaris has a facility in Duluth (north ATL suburb) which is convenient if you're near Atlanta.


Shut up. I'm going! Thanks.