Blackstone oil testers, TBN? or no? (And other random thoughts)

So im looking into this whole oil testing thing.

are most of you doing the basic or are you doing TBN as well?

are you testing mainly for “blood work” on your engine, or looking to extend drain intervals? Or both?

if something IS detected (metal related to bearing failure or something) does it matter? I don’t think Toyota will preventively do a repair based on an oil sample.

or is just good “insurance” to have documentation to help in the case of a warranty dispute with Toyota?

also wondering with the engine failures are you less likely to DIY oil changes to avoid potential warranty hassle?

my wife uses a quick lube. Ive always DIY’D and kept a written record. Not sure if keeping receipts helps as I stock pile oil so the invoice will not line up with the oil change date (oil filter is within a day or 2)

I figure it couldnt hurt to have a Blackstone report that has mileage that lines up with my oil change records.

I don’t know if I’ll do TBN. With my driving I’ll just be changing oil every 6 months, and well within 5k.

 

I skip on the TBN since I'm not looking at extending my OCI's. I mainly do it for insurance since I do not have the time to take my truck to the dealer for a quick 20 minute job I can handle. I do buy my filters there though...usually 2 at a time. I too change my oil at 5k, not really at any X number of months...just mileage.

I'll likely have them do the 30k service, just to have that recorded.

 

I went for the TBN just to give me piece of mind. I also am doing 5k intervals and if the numbers come back amazing I may stretch it to 7k. I bought my truck practically brand new so I've done all the oil changes on it. The first I didn't send to black stone but the second I did, I don't know if it will be worth it to send every change in or 1 out of every 5. I'm using mobile 1 full synthetic and oem filters. Hopefully my record keeping will be enough if I ever have to take it in for something warranty related.

 

What actionable information can Blackstone possibly tell you about your new truck if you're doing 5k oil changes anyway?

 

I have done 2 changes so far, 1 at 2,500 and one at 5,000. I sent the 5,000 out to Blackstone. They actually recommended me do another change at 7,500 because it appeared my engine was still in break in. I do all my own work because I'm more reliable than any $15/hr lube tech. I keep all receipts. If Toyota wants to fight me with all my records AND Blackstone...They're going to have a hard time winning.

 

Good question.

are you asking, or are you suggesting that it’s pointless?

 

Either one just being polite and want to hear others perspective.

I did 1k oil change and 5k oil change.

Really... If my engine or anyone else's engine breaks at this early stage, it'll just be fixed under warranty, and then it's up to the owner what they want to do next.

What will Blackstone tell you?

 

no idea? If there’s a bearing issues then certain metals will show. Just wondered the like;hood of Toyota doing anything, or just waiting for failure.

otherwise what is the point of analysts other than extended drain interval?

 

Are you guys using the little blackstone dipstick pump, or just collecting sample from drain pan during oil change?

 

If the numbers come back and they are not good then I can provide that information to toyota and take my truck in for warranty repair. If the numbers are all within spec then it will create a baseline that I can continue to add to for the life if the vehicle. Let's say 40k miles down the line I get a test back that shows high amounts of something in the oil. I can go back and see If this is normal based on the the previous test or a sudden change and that will help me plan my next move. I could send my oil in from my 2000 4runner next oil change at 266,000 miles and if the results show something high I'll have no idea If its something I need to concern myself with or if the numbers have been that high for years and the truck is just fine.

 

I have the Amsoil diptstick tube pump. I've used it with other vehicles when testing TBN to extend OCI's. With this truck, I just get a sample mid stream from when Im draining it.

 

Fuel dilution is actionable. It's becoming apparent with these trucks that dilution might be a problem as numbers are a bit on the high side. If you notice a high dilution %, this would very well be an actionable item. My father in law is having this issue with a Honda, we sent a sample and provided the info to his lemon law lawyer and the dealer. The longer the oil is in the vehicle, the more his oil level increases, its crazy.

With failing bearings on these 22s, high metal content would also be an actionable bit of info. You might get a heads up on an imminent failure coming.

All of this is great info to have on deck when dealing with warranty fixes...no denying the condition and cant blame it on "lack of maintenance" since you have maintenance records with actual analysis.

On a historical level, it will help you identify trends in your driving conditions and overall engine health. In a previous truck I had, I could tell when I was hard on the engine (towing/idling) as metal count would increase and I would be advised of a shorter oil life via the reports. I sold that truck with 218k miles and a clean bill of health with those reports, definitely helped the new owner pay my asking price.

 

So, to summarize, the main reason seems that you guys are saying that Blackstone may find issues with your brand new engine and it'll help you to address these issues sooner, before engine broke completely?

Scenarios:

1. You see high metal content in the engine oil, and it keeps increasing with each sample - provide reports to your dealer and ask them to get authorization from Toyota to do major work on your engine with no other warning signs or CEL.

2. Fuel content keeps increasing in engine, show reports to dealer so they can tear down your engine based on these repairs and fix the issue.

Let's imagine that you have a good dealer and they'll believe you and will get the major work on your engine authorized by Toyota? Maybe...

Now, what are the chances that your truck engine WILL ACTUALLY have these issues if you change oil every 5k miles?

Imagine, on the opposite side, is me. I don't do ANY Blackstone tests, change oil every 5k miles, my engine grenades at 15-20k miles (typical bearing failure range), then I have dealer do same repairs which are covered by warranty, then probably sell my truck.

So what am I missing out on? I saved money for Blackstone tests? Anything else?

 

Let's say the engine fails and for some reason Toyota tries to say its not covered under warranty I will have evidence to support it was their fault. After the warranty period I will be responsible for all repairs and knowing if something catastrophic is coming will help me plan how I chose to resolve it.

 

I think at this point we don’t know what’s causing the engine failures. Is it bad parts? Is it long oil change intervals? Is it fuel dilution by short trips.

 

Yes, we don't know.

Whats interesting is that the most recent build of truck that had failure is around March 2023? I'm just hoping that it will stop with that date and newer builds won't be having any more failures (meaning that Toyota quietly figured out issue and resolved it for future new tricks)

 

Can they fix things that fast “on the fly” ?

 

Can they? They're the guys who developed this engine from the ground up, and it's in their best interest to stop these failures which are costing them money and reputation.

They are using this new engine in all of their larger Lexus and Toyota vehicles.

So, id say yes, if they want to, they can figure this out pretty quickly for newly built trucks.

Do they want to replace engines for everyone else who may or may not have this engine failure from the early build 2022 year? Definitely not! That's why they're quiet

 

Then a report is not for you...pretty simple. You dont see the value, no problem.

 

I've had it done on my Tacoma at 40k miles.

Why and what benefits? 90% piece of mind. If you aren't changing your own oil you also don't otherwise know what kind of oil is being put in. If I was to find a non-solvable problem from my oil and I'm out of warranty - I'm using that information for myself to justify selling the truck and getting away from it.

What can it find? Metals, other fluids, it could tip you off to a blow head gasket early for example.

But again, it's primarily a $40 piece of mind. The engine is only 1 major expense or repair your truck can have 80k miles from now, I'm usually more concerned about how my transmission is doing than the motor.