So I just sent an oil sample in for analysis after having gone over by 56 miles according to the maintenance minder. I've had my car for a bit over a year now (bought used with 9k miles) and this is my 3rd oil change. Past 2 oil changes have been at 15% and 10% remaining, this time I just couldn't fit in an oil change in time. According to Blackstone they were surprised as to how clean the oil was for 12k miles and would suggest trying 13k.
I won't be trying the 13k mile interval until my hondacare expires in a couple of years, but thought this was interesting.
I tried searching the forum for others' experience with Blackstone labs and their I2, but found nothing, but suggestions to use them. Thought I would share my results everyone.
For those curious about my driving conditions, I have a 40-60min (~30mi) one way highway commute to get to work with a small 530ft hill in between home and work.
It's the stock synthetic, that my local Honda dealership uses. I would change it myself and use Mobil 1 or Amsoil, but I haven't gotten around to buying a ramp to get under the car. Oil changes were a lot easier in the truck my Insight replaced.
Well the analysis was 25+10 for the tbn (optional)(Total Base Number) and like 3 bucks or so to ship it to them first class w/tracking. You don't need the tracking, but I was curious to see when it would arrive. Oh and they have a link on the blackstone labs site to prepay, which was handy so I didn't need to send a check.
well, I'm about 13mi from the ocean and am at the beach maybe once a week visiting friends, but my weekly commute is headed inland.
As for the filter I just use a basic one http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004IJBV20/ I setup Amazon to automatically send me one every year.
I haven't checked for air leaks.
Well time to resurrect this thread. I managed to skip 2016 due to winding up having my 2 a year oil changes done at the dealership. The car wound up whining about needing an A/B135 and A/B14 and so to the dealer I went twice last year. I don't trust them to remember to get the oil sample, so I don't bother asking them.
Here's the link to to sample I just had analyzed in case anyone is curious to see how our car engines tend to burn. My 2011 EX is now up to 127k miles.
Well time to resurrect this thread for the final time. My poor 2011 Insight was declared a total loss after being rear-ended on the highway about a week after I sent off this oil sample for analysis.
I have a daily roundtrip commute of 34mi/54km w/an elevation change of ~1150ft/350m between work and home. Most of my driving is primarily highway and I'd say I sit in about 30 min of slow moving traffic (20mph/30kph) in each direction. No, I definitely don't have too many cold starts. Every once in while it might get down to 30f/-1c when coming home in the evenings from work in January and I think the coldest I've driven/parked the car is 20f/-7c when driving through our local mountains in winter.
Sadly I still haven't bought a replacement for my dead gen 2 Insight. I'm leaning towards a plugin hybrid this time around. I'm going back and forth between the Clarity Plug-In or the Hyundai Ioniq Plug-In.