Volkswagen Golf V (2004 - 2008) - 05 1.9 Advice Engine oil colour on a diesel

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Tue 1 Jul 2008 23:04
05 1.9 Advice Engine oil colour on a diesel - Rodger
My in-laws bought a Golf deisel six months ago from a main dealer who did the 36k service including the oil change. This is the first deisel they have owned, i have never owned a deisel. In-laws are concerned that the oil is now black after only 6 months and about 3k miles. I looked at the dip stick and it is the blackest sootiest oil i have seen in 30 years!
Do deisels blacken their oil because of the fuel pollutants and so this is normal after such a short time?
Any advice appreciated.

Edited by Dynamic Dave on 02/07/2008 at 01:03

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Tue 1 Jul 2008 23:07
05 1.9 Advice Engine oil colour on a deisel - Armitage Shanks {p}
It would be black in ten miles, never mind 6 months, in my experience with a 307 over the last 4 years.
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Tue 1 Jul 2008 23:19
05 1.9 Advice Engine oil colour on a deisel - Screwloose

AS has it spot-on; the suspended soot level in a diesel's oil bears no comparison to a petrol's.

There's enough stuck to the block to blacken the new oil in no time.
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Wed 2 Jul 2008 00:04
05 1.9 Advice Engine oil colour on a deisel - DP
On my old Mondeo, the simple act of running the engine to fill the new filter with oil was enough to blacken it noticeably. After the first drive, it looked the same as the old stuff.

Cheers
DP
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Wed 2 Jul 2008 08:16
05 1.9 Advice Engine oil colour on a diesel - Armitage Shanks {p}
Rodger, just as a polite aside, does your post imply that nobody checked the oil level for 6 months?
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Wed 2 Jul 2008 10:48
05 1.9 Advice Engine oil colour on a diesel - Rodger
Thanks for replies, they are reassuring. AS - Father-in-law is down on a visit and has been checking his oil(religiously) he just asked me my opinion as he was puzzled by the blackness. It surprised me too but having never dipped the oil on a diesel i sought the input of the helpful and expert folks on the HJ forum.
As an aside i am surprised the manufacturers do not put this colouration issue in the manual.
I would be horrified to see this colour oil on a petrol car and run a mile if i was looking to buy it!
The Golf manual goes on at length in a tortuous and confusing way about service intervals and oil changes that i find very difficult to understand.
It seems the car will indicate an oil change at about 18k if they set it to longlife oil program or the owner can choose? I would assume a low mileage car should be changed at least annually (i know LOTS of people on here change at 5/6k).
Do not ask me why F-i-Law bought a diesel when he does about 6k a year, it sounds like a tractor on the drive but he does get umpteen mpg.

An even further aside to AS i bet millions of drivers NEVER check their oil, a car is like a desk with wheels- you answer the phone ,text, read, shave, do the makeup, eat and even take a catnap!!!
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Wed 2 Jul 2008 12:45
05 1.9 Advice Engine oil colour on a diesel - Armitage Shanks {p}
I agree Rodger! I speak only as someone who was lucky enough to spend a lot of his life flying around in things with only one engine! This concenrates the mind marvellously with regard to pre-flight checks and neurotic scanning of engine intruments in flight. No slight intended on you or your FIL - I was reading between the lines and getting it wrong!
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Wed 2 Jul 2008 14:09
05 1.9 Advice Engine oil colour on a diesel - Screwloose
Rodger

NOBODY can understand the service interval instructions in a Golf handbook - they must have employed a dyslexic illiterate to write them.

You have it quite right; an annual change with the special PD-only oil.
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