No bashing here, I'm just trying to wrap my head around the whole engine oil analysis thing. I understand the purpose, and definitely understand the benefits in commecial or developmental situations, but I simply do not understand the financial benefit behind them in a pick-up truck.
Here's why. I just bought a 5-gallon bucket of Shell Rotella T for about 47 bucks. That's $2.35/quart, or 35.25/change in my 15-quart system. I also just got a filter from NAPA for $12.50. Oil and filter comes to $47.75 for a complete oil and filter change. Now, I just checked the Blackstone site, and see that they charge $22.50 for the analysis. Add postage, and I'm sure you're close to $25, or essentially one-half the cost of an oil/filter change. (I'm rounding to the cost of a beer or so, no CPAs need to bust my bubble...)This means, then, that even if a guy could DOUBLE his oil change interval, he's still only at a break-even point relative to the cost of the analysis. I see elsewhere on this site where guys are confidently extending their intervals by what, a thousand miles? I just don't see the payback.
Sure, it'd be nice to see my contaminant levels, and sure, it'd be great to see a failure looming on the horizon, but getting into the Diesel truck thing in the first place was in part due to the extreme longevity expected out of this engine. Getting all paranoid at this point just doesn't seem to make sense. What am I missing?
Here's why. I just bought a 5-gallon bucket of Shell Rotella T for about 47 bucks. That's $2.35/quart, or 35.25/change in my 15-quart system. I also just got a filter from NAPA for $12.50. Oil and filter comes to $47.75 for a complete oil and filter change. Now, I just checked the Blackstone site, and see that they charge $22.50 for the analysis. Add postage, and I'm sure you're close to $25, or essentially one-half the cost of an oil/filter change. (I'm rounding to the cost of a beer or so, no CPAs need to bust my bubble...)This means, then, that even if a guy could DOUBLE his oil change interval, he's still only at a break-even point relative to the cost of the analysis. I see elsewhere on this site where guys are confidently extending their intervals by what, a thousand miles? I just don't see the payback.
Sure, it'd be nice to see my contaminant levels, and sure, it'd be great to see a failure looming on the horizon, but getting into the Diesel truck thing in the first place was in part due to the extreme longevity expected out of this engine. Getting all paranoid at this point just doesn't seem to make sense. What am I missing?