I've done some googling and found another of Ed's posts here
More here by Mike Busch. They suggest that Exxon Elite is also OK to use.
But this points to AS 15W50 being similar to Elite if one mixes in 50% of W80...
Does anyone here use the Blackstone lab for oil analysis? They don't do prepaid kits; instead they send you a free collection kit (obviously USA only) and then they charge $25 for the analysis - same as Avlab.com.
Yes, I use them. The service is quick and the reports are informative and pretty comprehensive. I would definitely recommend them.
They will send collection kits to the UK but you have to mail them back. It is also advisable to send them in a Jiffy bag to avoid occasional issues with the postal authorities not wanting to handle oil.
Blackstone do pre-paid kits, I ve been using them for nearly 10 years. Excellent service. They have all the data on every test I ve done on the 2 aircraft I have owned on their website. http://www.blackstone-labs.com/order-now.php $19 per analysis if you pre pay at least 6 They will send you a batch of 6 kits free of charge to Europe, even if you opt for the $25 at a time service. Their container can be sent as is in the post, never had any issues in the UK and France, but sometimes have to explain what it is so I will probably will send it in a jiffy bag to avoid the 2 min argument. Postage is about 3 to 4 quid or euros.
I had some questions on Camguard and emailed ASL directly. Ed Kollin himself replied (I suppose it is not a huge shop anyway) suggesting I give him a call to chat over the phone. We spent 15 minutes discussing various options, great guy, fantastic service.
Interesting...
If I was changing labs I would send - at the change - an oil sample to both the old one and the new one, and compare them.
If they differ significantly then some serious questions need to be asked.
Gone are the days of the £7 oil tests... I bought about 50 of the test kits then, and gave quite a few away as favours.
Gone are the days of the £7 oil tests...
The only sensible option in Germany costed more than 70 € but it was very nicely done and more thorough than the others. Not that I needed any of that.
I think $25 is not much as it involves manual labor. Blackstone are considered to be the best by far on the Cessna Pilot Association forum, they are very proactive and even call you to discuss findings. Once I'm out of kits, I will probably switch to Blackstone.
BTW: The business model is not making money by performing oil analysis, it is making money by selling test kits which then don't get used!
Yes; very funny and probably true......
Avlab would be competitive if it wasn't for the stupid cost of the packaging. The problem is that one cannot get most American firms to do anything other than throw the package onto the Fedex (or UPS, etc) pile going out of the door. It's just the culture out there. I suppose the US Postal Service is even more of a joke than the UK one, but US businesses pay very dearly for this.
If somebody wanted to push this product in the UK, or even Europe, they would do a deal with Avlab to locally produce the kits. The cardboard box is about 25p (1000 - I use similar ones at work), the plastic bottle is about 50p... I suspect the old UK £6.50 (including VAT) deal was done that way.
The problem is you would never find enough people here to bother. I suspect most don't even open their oil filter. The first thing they notice is the engine sounds, ahem, a little rough... and a renter will likely not notice anything short of the prop falling off.
If somebody wanted to push this product in the UK, or even Europe, they would do a deal with Avlab to locally produce the kits. The cardboard box is about 25p (1000 - I use similar ones at work), the plastic bottle is about 50p... I suspect the old UK £6.50 (including VAT) deal was done that way.
My supplier does exactly that and I pay 12 € per kit. Shipping in Germany is like 4 € and I combine orders (still place way too many with them, they already recognize my voice on the phone!)
For Lycoming in Cessna 172SP we have to use the oil additive LW-16702. Does the Camguard replace that additive or should (can) we use both of them in the oil?
Miroc
Camguard does not include LW-16702 or anything with the same effect. You can combine them, however, it is not very cost efficient to use LW-16702 as it costs more than the oil. It's much cheaper to use AeroShell 15W50 which includes LW-16702 at no extra cost.
Miroc, do you have the O320H2AD? If you run that engine then yes you have to use that additive, no then you don't. The ad is only for that engine due to the automotive cam used in that engine, which has high pressure points between tappets and cam face. There is no proof that this additive does anything good in other Lycomings. Not sure what Lycoming was thinking of...
