Tape media lifetime statistics

On occasion, I jump into system service tools to check on media lifetime
statistics.  On our box with the 3590, I am seeing ZERO errors.  On two other
boxes I have checked so far (which are using 8mm tapes), I am seeing a LOT of
errors.  Below is an edited screen scrape of one of our boxes:

                         Work with Lifetime Statistics
 Removable media . . . . . . :   8-mm cartridge tape

Volume  -Temporary Error--   --Perm Error--  ---K Bytes--------
ID        Read      Write    Read    Write    Read     Written
             0          0       0        4       3           3
980317       0          3       0        1       2           2
122200       2     750760       0        0      10    13337765
010901       0     751551       0        0      11    13770109
110600       0     668288       0        0      10    12998628
031198       0     286039       0        1       6     6255637
041601       0     654278       0        0      11    13773693
011901       1     499286       0        0      11    14281869
031301       1     478258       0        0      11    14352116
122700       1     316330       0        0      10     9920619
                                                          More...

Before anyone offers a lecture, yes I realize that we are initializing our
tapes each time we use them to a new volume ID and, yes, I am working on
rectifying that.

We are not seeing any messages on QSYSOPR or QSYSMSG, only the occasional
"time to clean the tape drive" message that we normally respond to promptly.
The number of errors seems high enough that it would warrant either having IBM
service check out the hardware or replace all the tapes with new.  It seems
odd that something that seems to me to be fairly significant isn't reported
outside of system service tools.  Or have I missed where that is?

(pasted from the HELP:)
   Temporary Read and Write Errors:
        Read and write errors from which the system was able to
        recover.

   Permanent Read and Write Errors:
        Read and write errors from which the system was not able
        to recover.

   Media indicators:
        >> Media replacement recommended
         > Media may exceed replacement criteria

Should *any* permanent error mean it's time to retire the tape?  There are no
"media replacement" indicators anywhere in the lenghty list.

TIA.

Dan Bale
IT - AS/400
Handleman Company
248-362-4400  Ext. 4952
D.Bale@Handleman.com
  Quiquid latine dictum sit altum viditur.
  (Whatever is said in Latin seems profound.)
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