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Can oil analyisis save money (and possibly the environment)?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by alevinemi, Jun 19, 2009.

  1. alevinemi

    alevinemi Junior Member

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    Okay, if I do this will I save money vs. ditching my oil every 5000 miles?

    1) Buy 4 gallons of Mobil1 0w30 Advanced Fuel Economy (same oil I would use anyway).
    2) Do oil changes normally, storing old oil in a 5-gallon bucket.
    3) After 6 oil changes/30000 miles, mix the oil in the bucket and have it analyzed.
    4) If the oil is good, put it back in the car. Free oil for another 30000 miles. After 6 more oil changes, repeat.

    Cost of oil: Roughly $22.00/gallon.

    -->Adam
     
    #1 alevinemi, Jun 19, 2009
  2. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    Well, of course you're aware that without proof of oil and filter changes every 6 months or 5,000 miles, Toyota would be in a good position to fight any motor warranty claim.

    It wouldn't matter if there was an internal defect, the kind which if you changed the oil and filter daily would do nothing to prevent, it's a way to deny a claim

    That said, based on oil analysis, I ran Mobil 1 0W-20 and the dealership oil filter to 16,000 km with no issues. The oil held up well

    Although some folks use oil analysis as a tool to determine how long to extend an oil change, I also use the analysis as a tool to determine the health of my engine, and of the engine oil. The analysis has helped me uncover some issues in the past, that if left unchecked, could have caused problems
     
    #2 jayman, Jun 19, 2009
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  3. alevinemi

    alevinemi Junior Member

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    I would still replace the filter every 5000 miles, so I would have proof of purchase. A also log all my maintenence on the mytoyota website when I do it. I'm not too worried about the warranty issue - there is no way they can tell how old the oil was when I put it in.

    Unfortunately, by diluting the problems in the oil over six oil changes, I doubt the analysis will be able to find significant engine trouble unless it's old engine trouble.
     
    #3 alevinemi, Jun 19, 2009
  4. alevinemi

    alevinemi Junior Member

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    BooYeah!

    Just found this - a $10.00 rebate on the motor oil I just bought. That brings the Walmart+Rebate price down to $12.00/5 quarts!

    It's good on 0W20 or 0W30.

    I'm surprised Mobil did this - most companies won't issue rebates on anything you buy from Walmart, because Walmart doesn't like rebates as policy.

    Mobil 1 Advanced Fuel Economy Rebate Offer Terms and Conditions

    -->Adam
     
    #4 alevinemi, Jun 19, 2009
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  5. dogfriend

    dogfriend Human - Animal Hybrid

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    I don't really get the part about reusing the oil - I think a better plan (what most people do) is to use the UOA to extend the oil change interval to see when the oil is no longer doing its job. So you put in new oil, run it until its no longer viable (per the UOA) and then change it out for new oil and repeat. You can still change the oil filter at the appropriate intervals

    By draining and storing, I don't understand what you are gaining, other than the possibility of adding contamination via the 5 gallon container.
     
    #5 dogfriend, Jun 19, 2009
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