A while ago I asked if anyone had done oil sampling on the their engine/auto to see how the oil holds up with the long service intervals recomended by Mitsubishi. Well I finally got around to doing it and have posted the results to the BITOG forums

The engine oil has been in service for 12,000km and is still in great shape.
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/3687090/

The ATF has gone 43,000km with external cooler+magnefine filter and is still good. Might make it to 100,000km.
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/3687084/

Both samples looked ok on the dipstick but once in the bottle they appeared quite dark. I will change the engine oil @ 15,000km as I think the filter is too small to go longer.

Confirms really, that unless your driving falls into the harsh driving conditions category, 15000 intervals is quite sufficient

Thats pretty good news. Is that the Penrite HPR5 full synthetic?
As to the ATF, how does the result show that the cooler is helping?
And what's up with the lead reading?

Correct HPR5 Full Syn. Not sure about the lead reading. Did run some Nulon total fuel system cleaner through but don't think it would have been that. Could be a bearing that is wearing out. Something to keep an eye on anyway.

I think without the cooler the oil would show a much higher oxidation reading due to higher temps. Would really need someone who doesn't have a cooler to do a sample to compare.

Correct HPR5 Full Syn. Not sure about the lead reading. Did run some Nulon total fuel system cleaner through but don't think it would have been that. Could be a bearing that is wearing out. Something to keep an eye on anyway.

I think without the cooler the oil would show a much higher oxidation reading due to higher temps. Would really need someone who doesn't have a cooler to do a sample to compare.
I'll do it, just let me know how.
Out of interest heres a good ol blot test of my ATF as at now.
This is 1,640 k's after a drain and fill and cold. On the dipstick it looks good.
Some brand new straight from the container on the left, current on the right.
http://i1159.photobucket.com/albums/p629/Kwawd/image.jpg1_zps3cfrgee7.jpg (http://s1159.photobucket.com/user/Kwawd/media/image.jpg1_zps3cfrgee7.jpg.html)

Interestingly, the new stuff never looked such a lovely pink in the car, even after flush.
I also notice that streaky grey stuff on the end of the dipstick today even with the magnefine filter installed.

Hey, I didnt expect the samples to dry out and evaporate? What gives?
http://i1159.photobucket.com/albums/p629/Kwawd/image.jpg1_zps9zrwlcqg.jpg (http://s1159.photobucket.com/user/Kwawd/media/image.jpg1_zps9zrwlcqg.jpg.html)

The oil is spreading out and the bleach used in the preparation of the paper is taking the colour out. lol Simple!! lol

As for the lead . . . do you live near a metal refinery?
Here in good old SA, we have a town, called Port Pirie, where lead is everywhere, in the soil (don't grow your own vegetables there) and in the air, I bet cars driving around there would have a very high lead reading in their oil!

(Lead has turned kids who grew up there quite weird, I believe.)

Just my take on this (I could be wrong!).

Don't think it evaporates - just wicks throughout the tissue so it feels dry.
The "stain" on the tissue is possibly the dye that is left behind.

I see MadMax beat me to it.

How would the oil the Mitsubishi dealerships used do at 15,000km oil change intervals?
Certainly they did not use fully synthetic stuff approaching 20 years ago.

The oil is spreading out and the bleach used in the preparation of the paper is taking the colour out. lol Simple!! lol <snip>
Lol , thanks Max, that must be it... I'm thinking if the stuff evaporates like that we'd be refilling it everyday...

How would the oil the Mitsubishi dealerships used do at 15,000km oil change intervals?
Certainly they did not use fully synthetic stuff approaching 20 years ago.

HPR5 is not a true synthetic, it is a group 3 oil which is essentialy a highly refined mineral oil. Still good stuff. This guy explains it well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGirwUAMnDE

In the owners manual it specifys SH oil. I'm guessing that as these engine are relatively unstressed they are easy on their oil, which means it may last 15,000km even with mineral oil. I'm sure Mitsubishi would have done a lot of testing when setting servicing requirements.

From what I read a lot of the decision to advertise 15,000km OCI was to appeal to fleet car purchases and the cheaper running cost.

An UOA would be great on some base $20 mineral oil

From what I read a lot of the decision to advertise 15,000km OCI was to appeal to fleet car purchases and the cheaper running cost.

An UOA would be great on some base $20 mineral oil

Thats my theory. Its possible that some damage is being done by running mineral oil that long, especially cheap mineral oil, however the geniune Mitsubishi oil is high quality stuff and probably performs ok over 15,000km. Even if damage were being done by running oil that long it wouldn't become apparant untill a long long time after the warranty expired.

Yes, unfortunately for us, we are in the "long, long time after warranty expired" stage.
The service history on my car shows 15K OCI at the dealership (not sure what oil is used there) until 100,000km, and then 10K OCI using Castrol Magnatec until 170,000km (this is when I bought it) and since it's been having high grade synthetic on 8-12K OCI

HPR5 is not a true synthetic, it is a group 3 oil which is essentialy a highly refined mineral oil. Still good stuff. This guy explains it well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGirwUAMnDE <snip>
Eh? I know that HPR5 wasnt a full synthetic until recently. Havent had time to watch that video, but Penrite states that the HPR range is now "full synthetic".
Link (http://www.penriteoil.com.au/products.php?id_categ=1&id_brand=1&id_products=1)