Used Oil Analysis

[TheNip73]

Has anyone done a used oil analysis (UOA) on their Telluride yet? When did you do it and how did things look.

Running up near 1K miles and debating if I want to change the oil or run a UOA and then change based on what I see.

 

[markjenn]

Certainly nothing wrong with doing an analysis and data is always interesting. But it’s hard to justify for a one-time situation like this as the cost is close to the cost of the oil change itself and I’d be flabbergasted if it showed you that the car needs an oil change at 1k miles anyway.

I personally think a earlier-than-normal oil change (precise mileage isn’t critical), while certainly not required, is a nice idea if you plan on keeping a car a very long time. But it’s a waste of money for anyone who likely will get rid of car every five years or so.

Some mfgs (e.g., Honda, don’t know about Kia) actively discourage early oil changes on new cars by saying a special break-in oil is used which should stay in car until first normal interval. But I’ve also seen oil analysis of Honda’s factory fill and it appears to be off-the-shelf oil with a higher moly content, explained by the moly assembly lube used routinely when engines are built. And I think mfgs prefer to not have customers bringing in a car so soon after purchase as they’ll likely have a mile-long list of nitpicks that they’ll accept as normal once they’ve driven the car for a few months. It’s called warranty cost control.

Bottom line: it probably doesn’t matter what you do as long as you service the car at its regular interval.

- Mark

 

[TheNip73]

I’m a 8 - 10 year vehicle keeper. Generally 125K target mileage before moving on.

I always run UOA as I’m interested in the data and it is not that expensive in the big picture. If I find coolant in the oil and can get required repairs covered under warranty, it was worth the expense.

Not so much looking for UOAs for my first oil change - was trying to see if anyone is doing them generally. Depending on what zi saw, may or may not sway my decision on first change timing. Most likely I’ll run 3 or 5 K and do an early change.

I’m a fan of not “over changing” the oil.

 

[markjenn]

If you do UOAs, the reports will likely say that even 7.5k is too short and at 1k, everything will be great. Catching an early problem is a very good reason to do it, but very few owners bother as the chances of a catchable problem with today’s ultra-reliable engines don’t justify the expense. But it is very interesting data.

- Mark

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[TheNip73]

If you do UOAs, the reports will likely say that even 7.5k is too short and at 1k, everything will be great. Catching an early problem is a very good reason to do it, but very few owners bother as the chances of a catchable problem with today’s ultra-reliable engines don’t justify the expense. But it is very interesting data.

- Mark

This is true. Did 7.5K in last vehicle, but could probably push it to 10K. I’m okay leaving a little buffer

 

[TheNip73]

Reviving my old thread, rather than starting a new one.
Am I the only one running UOAs on the Telluride.

Did first oil change at 5020 miles and as expected, things were fine. A few metals a little high, but expected with a brand new engine.

 

[Familyman20]

Never considered a UOA before. My dealer recommended the first oil change at 3500 then every 7500 miles. I keep up with the maintenance on my vehicles but I do like the idea of early intervention, especially if its going to be warranty work. On the other hand it does seem excessive to me for this but could just be because I'm not knowledgeable on the process

 

[TheNip73]

Never considered a UOA before. My dealer recommended the first oil change at 3500 then every 7500 miles. I keep up with the maintenance on my vehicles but I do like the idea of early intervention, especially if its going to be warranty work. On the other hand it does seem excessive to me for this but could just be because I'm not knowledgeable on the process

Probably excessive for a newer vehicle. Not as much with an older one where trouble could be looming, but you don’t know without the help of a UOA - excessive metals wear, coolant in oil, excessive fuel in oil, etc.

The early UOAs are more to get a baseline on the engine. Maybe in this case go every other change.

I historically have done 7,500 - 10,000 mile changes and the oil was still in good working order. Thinking of going 5,000 mile changes on this one, simply due to carbon buildup potential on valves. If only there was a test for that one that wasn’t intrusive and/or expensive. That is the biggest unknown on this vehicle for me and I’m not sure even the best steps to prevent carbon buildup will do anything - it is more of a design issue.

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