Few things throw a wrench in your day like an equipment breakdown. Whether it’s a truck sidelined with mechanical trouble or machinery in your plant grinding to a halt, breakdowns mean one thing: lost time, lost money, and missed deadlines, not to mention surprise repair bills. As a fuel and lubricant supplier, we work with many small businesses running fleets, heavy equipment, and processing plants, so we know how disruptive this can be.
That’s why we advocate preventive maintenance to our customers. The goal of a preventative program is to catch issues early, before they take your equipment out of service. One of the best ways to do that is through oil analysis. We offer membership to our customers in Chevron’s LubeWatch® Fluid Analysis Program. It’s a powerful tool for monitoring equipment health, reducing maintenance costs, and minimizing lubricant expenses, all while keeping your business running smoothly.
What LubeWatch® does (and why it matters)
Think of the LubeWatch® program as a regular health checkup for your equipment. Just like annual bloodwork helps your doctor monitor your health, fluid samples reveal what’s happening inside your engines, gearboxes, and hydraulics. Instead of waiting for a breakdown to tell you there’s a problem, LubeWatch gives you ongoing visibility into equipment health. Small changes in test results can serve as early warning signs, allowing you to make adjustments, whether that’s changing fluids, addressing contamination, or fine-tuning maintenance schedules, before minor issues become costly failures.
So, what exactly does LubeWatch watch for?
- Wear Trends: Catch abnormal wear early and prevent minor issues from turning into major repairs.
- Contamination: Detect dirt, water, or coolant intrusion so you can flush systems before permanent damage occurs.
- Fluid Condition: Optimize drain intervals and eliminate the guesswork around oil changes.
- Actionable Recommendations: Get clear next steps so you can respond quickly and confidently.
The result is fewer unexpected failures, lower maintenance costs, and longer equipment life—all with data you can access anytime through the online portal or mobile app.
Data-driven results
Regular oil analysis is more than just a good idea. It delivers measurable results. We’ve seen firsthand how customers who consistently use the LubeWatch® program reduce costly downtime, plan maintenance more effectively, and keep their operations running smoothly. And the data backs it up. In a previous blog, we highlighted this program. We shared these statistics from the 2015 POLARIS OUTLOOK benchmark study that highlight the benefits businesses saw from regular oil analysis.
- 80% of users kept their equipment running longer by catching issues early, and before they turn into costly failures.
- 77% say their maintenance programs ran smoother, with better scheduling and faster problem detection that cuts down on last-minute repairs.
- 69% were able to safely stretch out oil drain intervals for their vehicles and equipment, which saved them money on oil, filters, labor, and unnecessary equipment downtime.
- 80% found that participating in the program made it easier to plan for maintenance downtime, rather than dealing with the expense and stress of an unexpected breakdown.
In short, these businesses discovered that regular oil analysis more than paid for itself. It helped them move away from the old “fix it when it breaks” approach and toward a “catch it before it happens” mindset. That shift gave them more control over their maintenance schedules, saved them time and money, and kept them hitting their productivity targets.
What you can test with LubeWatch®
Not all equipment runs under the same conditions, and Chevron designed LubeWatch to handle just about any situation. There are six core testing packages, plus additional specialty tests like coolant analysis:
- Basic Lubrication: Wear metals, water content, and viscosity.
- Diesel Crankcase: Adds fuel dilution, soot levels, and base number testing.
- Industrial/Natural Gas: Includes nitration and pH testing to monitor combustion byproducts.
- Industrial Oils: Includes optional particle count testing for extra precision.
- Metalworking Fluids: Tracks chlorine, sulfur, fat content, and water levels.
- Turbine Oils: Measures oxidation stability, water separability, and more.
This flexibility means you get the exact information you need to keep your machines running at their best, tailored to how your equipment is used and the conditions it operates in. The test results provide clear, specific insights, so the recommendations you receive aren’t generic. They’re personalized for your equipment. That’s what makes LubeWatch® so effective at preventing problems and keeping your operations running smoothly.
Smarter, faster, easier: New features in the LubeWatch® program
To make this program as effective as possible, Chevron has invested in strategic updates that we believe will significantly benefit our customers. These upgrades will save time, improve accuracy, and speed up results.
- The LubeWatch Mobile App
Instead of managing your results on a computer or with paper records, you can now use your phone. The new mobile app is a welcome addition, especially for businesses that are always on the go. Now you have access to your analysis results, whether you’re on the jobsite, in the shop, or out in the field. Everything you need to manage your fluid analysis program can be accessed right from your phone or tablet. With this app, you can now:
- Submit samples digitally
- Track results as soon as they’re processed
- Monitor equipment trends over time
- Get maintenance recommendations immediately
You don’t need to wait until you’re back in the office to act. The app even works offline so that you can submit samples from remote locations without reliable Wi-Fi. For our customers who operate in remote areas that don’t always have reliable reception, this is a welcome feature!
- Online and app-based sample submission
Not only can you check your analysis results on the go, but you can also submit samples online and through the app. This feature improves accuracy and speeds up processing for:
- Faster results: Samples are added to the lab queue as soon as they arrive.
- Fewer errors: No more worrying about misreading handwriting or mixing up forms.
- Better timing: Get notified when it’s really time to change fluids instead of guessing.
- Less downtime: Real-time recommendations mean you can prevent expensive, unexpected failures.
- QR label codes
This is one of the most exciting updates to the program. Now each sampling kit includes unique QR code labels. This feature will ensure that:
- Each label is unique and ties directly to your component, eliminating mix-ups.
- Scanning a QR code in the app fills in sample information automatically, speeding up submission.
- Component ID tags make it easy to find and identify the right machine in the field.
- Paperwork is no longer needed, helping you streamline operations and reduce your carbon footprint.
- By combining the app and QR codes, you can collect, label, and submit samples in minutes right from the equipment being tested.
We’re excited about the new updates to the Lubewatch program, as we know they will make it easier for businesses to participate and see the benefits of regular oil analysis.
The bottom line: Preventive maintenance pays off
Preventive maintenance isn’t just about protecting your machines. It’s about protecting your business, and you need the right tools to help you do it. Joining Chevron’s LubeWatch® Fluid Analysis Program gives you the insights you need to make smarter decisions, prevent costly breakdowns, and save money over the long run.
With the new mobile app, online tools, and QR code system, LubeWatch® is faster, easier, and more reliable than ever. Whether you manage a fleet, run a construction business, or operate heavy equipment, this program gives you the edge to stay ahead of problems and keep your operations running smoothly.
So don’t wait for a breakdown to remind you why maintenance matters. Reach out to your Greg’s Petroleum Service representative today to ask about joining the LubeWatch® oil analysis program and start protecting your equipment, saving time, and reducing costs. We’ll walk you through the whole process and be right there to help you implement it for yourself and see the benefits it can offer your business. Contact us today.