Thanks for taking the time to explain wear rates in terms of  per hour basis. That really helped as did explaining the DC-4 “smoking gun” for my high silicon rates. I should have called about that years ago! Thanks for being a great tool in my tool box for monitoring engine health along with annual compression tests, oil changes, oil filter inspections, bore scope inspections (a $200 gem that only takes 30 minutes added onto a compression test and I have a photo record of valves, pistons and cyl walls) and my own form of cruise “trends” from engine gauge readings. Thanks again, keep up the great service.

I just wanted to drop a thank you note for the work you do. Thanks to you I don’t have to be afraid to keep using the suburban due to the noise.  Based on some youtube videos, I thought I had some mechanical issues where tearing the top end of the engine apart was the fix (replacing the roller lifter and cam shaft). Thanks to you I just saved a pretty penny (hundreds of dollars) and a weekend worth of work (if I’m lucky). Again, thank you!

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

My 86 Olds Calais with 2.5 four cylinder has been saved by your oil analyses that discovered coolant in the oil. There was no overheating, milkshake in the oil, no external leaks or water vapor coming from the exhaust. Just loss of coolant over a period of time. Because of Blackstone I took it to my mechanic with test results in hand. Diagnosis: Cracked head, broken bolts and the crack in the head was allowing the head gasket to seep coolant into the oil. Caught in time.

Your data saved my engine and the car.

Yes, it has no market “value” but it is still useful and functional. Not the route many would have gone, but would have been a waste to junk the car for me. It now has a brand new head, head gasket and head bolts & the improved ones that TSBs of the period indicated should be used for these problems. I’ve gotten more pleasure and satisfaction out of this repair than I would have had with a brand new car.

Thanks to Blackstone Labs. I am very grateful for the availability of your services.

By the way, after your test showing water in the engine, the dealer tested the oil at the shop with only 30 miles on the oil and it still showed contamination from antifreeze. We don’t use this truck much anymore — if not for the oil sample, we would’ve gone out of warranty before we knew we had a problem!

Thank you guys! You don’t know how relieved I am that I don’t have to dig into the lower end. Thank you thank you! What a waste of time that would have been. Now I just need to go hunting. Probably water pump or timing belt. You guys are awesome and I’ll keep sending samples in periodically to keep an eye on it.

Good morning my beloved nerd-powered, hard-charging, dedicated & motivated Blackstone “Lab Geeks”! Say no more fam! I’m a recently retired United States Marine Gunnery Sergeant. Did my 21 years for the Country & Corps, and fought in three ground-combat tours both in Fallujah, Iraq, and Sangin, Afghanistan! I absolutely LOVE dealing with professionals like You folks! Daggone, y’all made my day with my first report for Marta’s (my lovely wife) 2015 Acura RDX. Hot damn son! Love the details, absolutely enjoyed seeing those comments written by a real professional, and the way they are written. Folks, like I said in my first e-mail few months ago…y’all got a dog-loyal customer for life. Today I’m sending you an oil sample from my 2015 Audi Q7 TDI 3.0 V6 Turbo Diesel. I got 7,000 miles on it, and I’m starting now to keep track of it as miles pile on. I’m a lab rat myself, so I’m sending each and every one of You a huge THANK YOU and what we Marines call “BRAVO ZULU (BZ)” for doing an immensely important service to your community and our fellow ‘Mericans. Keep it up you Indiana gangsters! Semper Fidelis & God Bless! P.S. Travis, as a decorated ground-combat veteran I wholeheartedly thank YOU for being a life saver brother. If you’re ever having a bad day, remember that YOU help save lives!  One of the most, if not the most, Honorable professions in this crazy world. God bless You!  MOTIVATE!!

Having this information both saves our family money in oil and transmission changes AND saves me sleepless nights worrying about what might be happening in our engines. I recommend you to everyone I know who drives a vehicle that’s worth taking care of. Happy Spring and have a great week!

I’d like to update you all on my 01 Mustang Bullitt. The lab technician stated I had very high levels of aluminum and other metals in the engine. He even took the time to call me with his concerns and provided a more detailed analysis along with suggestions based on your oil database. At this time the engine made no noticeable noises and ran great. I ran compression checks on all cylinders and every cylinder held for 30mins+ between 200-207 psi across the cylinders. Digital scope suggested that cylinders were clean and still had cross hatches after 125k miles. This led me to disassembly for further diagnosis. After pulling timing chain cover, I found chain had deeply wore into the guide on the passenger side.

I am now a complete believer in oil reports, as I would have never known about this issue until it was too late. I have now replaced the timing chain with Ford motorsport replacement and all new gaskets. I look forward to sending my oil in for analysis later this year but wanted to update you for your database and thank you for the invaluable information that saved me a motor!

Thank you for your outstanding oil analysis. Once again, you predicted engine failure. As devastating as this past week has been, your oil analysis led me to my tuner who discovered my engine was in the beginning stages of failure. Within 3 days, my car was at a local shop getting its engine pulled, then rebuilt. It was found that when the already built motor was assembled, a mere 29k miles ago, the clearance in the rod bearings were too tight. I’m thankful that I was able to have the motor pulled and torn down before it actually failed (unlike last time). And thanks you all, it saved me lots of money. I constantly refer you all to the car community. And this is an added reason I vouch and recommend you all.

Hello Blackstone Labs! Just wanted to say thank you for the excellent service you provide. I have just received the readout on my second oil change and first diff/transmission flush on my 2013 G37 coupe. The info that you folks provide has helped me to navigate the maintenance schedule on my car, and I feel much more comfortable knowing that there is data to inform any decisions I make about maintenance and how I drive.

My father also sends his (motor) oil to you folks for his 2003 Tundra, which is where I heard about you folks. We have also recently purchased a 2015 VW GTI which will be due for its first oil change in a few thousand miles, and I will also be sending my first sample from my rebuilt 2006 ZX6R soon.

In short, my family and I love your service and will continue to send you our business for each and every vehicle we own. Thanks so much for your hard work, we value the service you provide! Aloha and big mahalo!