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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum
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Why is Oil "Blackish" in less than 1000 miles
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05-01-2014, 01:01 PM | #1 |
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Why is Oil "Blackish" in less than 1000 miles
understood turbos cooks the heck out of it but it should still look honeyish for 2500 miles no ?
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05-01-2014, 01:06 PM | #2 |
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No...the color of the oil has little to do with its lubricating properties. One of the big things an oil does is hold things in suspension, and if they are big enough, the filter will take them out as the oil passes through. Especially with a turbocharged engine, things can get into the oil fairly rapidly, but until the additives wear out and can't do their job, the color of it is mostly irrelevant. Now, if it spelled burnt or felt gritty, that would be a totally different issue, but color? Not an issue. Now, with a diesel engine, it will get looking nasty quicker, but still works fine.
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05-01-2014, 01:20 PM | #4 | |
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Quote:
Actually at the bmw westmont's parts department today I saw they're selling Amsoil Engine/ Transmission Flush - says put in 10 - 15 mins before oil change .. I was really surprized to see Amsoil in a BMW dealership Last edited by 007_e350; 05-01-2014 at 01:28 PM.. |
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05-01-2014, 06:02 PM | #7 | ||
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05-01-2014, 06:46 PM | #8 |
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If you have a car from say before 2000, you probably do want to change your oil fairly frequently...the state of the art in machine tools, computer controls, alloys and the actual oil itself available and used in today's vehicles means that those old 3K intervals for oil changes are a major waste of time and money on a new car unless it sits at idle all the time or maybe used on the track. Even in Germany, where you can, on occasion reach the rev limiter on the Autobahn, the longer timeframes work and the engines last. What your father had to do and his father before him had none of these advances in technology. Today's oil is so much better than even stuff from 5-years ago. On my last car, I regularly had the oil analyzed, and it easily lasted over 10K and that engine ran probably twice the average revs of the new one and had 30% less oil in the sump to work with.
The only way to know for sure is to have the oil tested, but it is DESIGNED to help keep the insides clean and hold the stuff in suspension. It's only when the stabilizers get used up and it cannot keep the pH in check, and the detergents can no longer hold any more crud in suspension that things start to get bad. The oil itself doesn't wear out...it's the additives. That's one reason why they can recycle the oil...super filter it to take out the crud, light refining to get rid of the metals and other contaminants, then put in a new dose of additives, and it's ready to go around again. BMWs specify a very good oil, and have a decent filter, and a larger sump than most. SPend the money if you want, but unless a test comes back saying the oil is shot, using the factory recommended intervals for most people is not going to harm your engine or its performance. |
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