Oil Analysis: Pay Now, or Pay Later

You keep good maintenance records on all the equipment in your fleet. One reason you do that is so you can predict when parts will need to be replaced. You can plan ahead with confidence. So why bother with analyzing the oils your heavy equipment uses? It adds cost and time to your regular service schedule. You’re trying to turn a profit here.

But it’s not that simple. Focusing on the negatives of oil analysis can be very short-sighted, posing real risks to your ability to make money. So let’s take a closer look at why oil analysis might, in fact, be one of your best operations investments.

Not just another expense

There is no question that maintaining complete and accurate service history on each machine is an efficient way to monitor equipment health. But it literally do not go deep enough. Oil sampling is the ideal, sensible companion to service history because it helps complete the picture. It gives you the best possible insight into what you can’t see with your own eyes.

Oil analysis is an early warning system that can more than pay for itself when sampling detects a problem.

It only takes a minute

OK, 10 minutes. That’s all it takes to add oil sampling to your regular service checklist. Just one more, short step. And the sampling kit itself is inexpensive – typically about $20. Ten minutes of labor plus the cost of the testing is insignificant compared to the peace of mind (which is priceless) or the potential of very expensive repairs or replacement and downtime. Don’t you wish you could get that kind of ROI on all your investments?

The value of oil analysis is well-known

If you purchase a used piece of equipment and want to get an extended warranty for it (smart plan, by the way), you can bet your insurer will want to see an oil analysis. Why? They need to know as much as possible about the machine before they can determine if it is warranty-worthy. Even if service history is available, those records don’t tell the whole story. Is this machine a breakdown just waiting to happen? Oil analysis is a quick way to get an accurate reading.

If there seems to be a problem with some component, you can disassemble it for further inspection, then either repair or replace the worrisome part(s). Now the machine is good to go – for an extended warranty and on the job within your fleet. (Don’t want to fix the problem? You may be able to get an extended warranty that excludes the questionable component. But, thanks to oil analysis, you’re forewarned that a component is starting to fail.)

And, what if you want to sell one of your machines?

Prospective buyers are going to be more inclined to buy your equipment if you can show consistent oil sampling along with service records. You can give them greater proof of care than someone who’s selling a similar machine without this documentation. Which would you choose?

You have our name on it

For all the same reasons, we also rely on oil analysis here at Tracey Road Equipment. When we take in or buy a used machine, the first thing we do is fully inspect it – including sampling and testing the oils. If we find anything that needs to be fixed, we fix it. We know the repair will cost us money, but it mitigates potential problems for the buyer.

And that’s the bottom line for us. Regardless of the make and model, we’re putting our name on that machine, too. The used equipment you buy from us is Tracey-approved. Our Tracey team has worked hard over the years to earn your trust and confidence, and we’re proud of our reputation for putting customers first. Oil sampling is one more way we have your back, helping protect your equipment and your business from costly future problems.