Recently had my oil changed on my 2016 F-Type Base with 5228 miles and sent an oil sample into Blackstone Labs to get tested. I also owned a 2015 F-Type Base which I also had a sample tested with 6700 miles. Granted there is a 1472 mile difference between the two, but I was still very pleased at the consistent readings between the two cars despite being built one year apart. Potentially could be a sign of consistent engine manufacturing by JLR. Click below to view. 2016 on the left and 2015 on the right.

 

The samples are consistent ...

... but the wear metals are high.

As Blackstone notes, this is the original fill and thus the wear
metals are accounted for by the fact that it is a new engine.

As the samples are consistent in this area, it suggests that
an early oil change as previously suggested by manufacturers
when the owner paid for oil changes would have been helpful.

 

Agreed. 16k miles is waaaay too long for break in materials to be in the oil.

 

This is the first oil change for me at 10,500 miles for comparison with others. I paid for this one. I will do the regular change at 15,000 mi or 1 year, whichever comes first.

 

All looks good. The high titanium is to be expected since the"titanium technology" is touted right on the front of the prescribed oil bottle.

 

3750 and 10,000 mile results:

 

To the uninitiated, what does all this mean?

 

It means the oil is still good and serviceable after 6250 miles and at 10,000 miles the engine is on it's way to being properly broken in. Next oil change next Spring after 8-10,000 miles.

 

People are seeing evidence that the factory oil intervals are maybe not hocus pocus.

Individual samples at early intervals are better than nothing, but will not really show much other than confirming that the OEM change intervals and oil type/viscosity are appropriate.

Oil sampling programs come into their own for extended intervals beyond OEM recommendations but require frequent sampling. Not really cost effective.

 

My primary reason for the analyses is not to confirm the service life of the oil, but to monitor for potential engine failure. Much cheaper to replace bearings and rings before a catastrophic failure occurs. With periodic analyses, I can monitor trends and trend rates.

 

Don't disagree, but effectively catching an engine via sampling would require intervals of no more than a thousand miles or so. Possibly less.

The probability of your particular engine actually going bang is very low in the first place.

The probability of a engine deteriorating in a gradual enough manner that a 1K mile interval will catch it and permit a repair vs. a complete loss is even more remote.

Oil sampling trend analysis was an important part of my job for over a decade. I think the weatherman gets it right more often.

 

You are probably right about the interval. When sampling did serve me well was when I was racing and checking the oil at the end of every 400 mile weekend.

 

Oil checked after 3700, 6200 and 8200 miles of use. Blackstone suggests that it is safe to push to at least 10,000 miles.

 

Two numbers stand out to me, molybdenum way under the universal average and titanium a fair bit over the universal average.
I'm guessing this is due to the Unobtanium Castrol oil recommended by JLR having little or no moly but lots of titanium in it?

 

That be true. I also had a virgin sample of the Jag spec'd elixir analyzed a while ago and asked Blackstone to include it with my running analyses:









Keep in mind, the universal averages include any F-Type model, but some of those cars might not have been using the magic joy juice.

 

Based on what you guys are seeing in these reports, when would you all suggest someone to have their first oil change?

I was thinking of having an oil change done around 1500 miles just to perhaps clear out the first wave of break in metals.

 

I'd wait (and did) until the end of the break-in period or 2-3k miles (officially 2k miles on MY16+). With modern manufacturing processes, the urgency to change oil extremely early has been eliminated.

 

Unhingd's data suggests that in Unhingd's case it was safe to wait until later to change the oil. However, Unhingd's data doesn't tell if his case is at all typical.

 

Perhaps, but modern engines are far more consistent that motors of yesteryear.....a sample of one isn't quite ironclad but I'd imagine his results are most likely typical.

Dave

 

It matches my data. I just got another analysis done. The sample was taken about 6K miles after my first annual service, with my next scheduled service still three months away. The summary states this:

"STEVE: This is the report you've been waiting for! Sure, we weren't concerned about metals in the past since they were just from wear-in, but it's always great to issue a perfect, highlight-free report. The last of the wear-in material has washed out and we don't think the 40 ppm titanium is an issue. That could be wear, or just oil additive. The oil's physical properties were all in spec as well. The TBN is plenty strong at 3.9. Go ahead and add another 2,000 miles or so to this fill and check back. We look forward to many perfect reports to come -- nice Jaguar!"

I am going to continue the analyses not so much because I'm worried my engine will a'splode as that it gives me trends to watch. If coolant starts contaminating the oil I'd like to know before I come out one morning and find my engine hydraulic-locked. Still not likely, but for a car I intend to keep for the long haul, the time and expense are noise-level issues.