Have I been scammed?!

Stevie Dakota

My car had its first service last 2 weeks ago. Just oil and filter and billed accordingly. I just checked the oil and it is black and thin. This is my first diesel so the question is can the oil blacken in just 2 weeks, and do diesels run a low viscosity oil, or did they simply not change it...

Car is Ford Focus 2.0TDci, serviced at a main dealer.

I am used to petrols, and in my old car the oil stayed golden for months.

Alun

Perfectly normal.

Voodoomelon

Very normal. Without going into much detail, I recently did an oil change, had to drain the oil again immediately and it came out black. So it happens pretty much as soon as the oil is put in. You could check the filter to see if it's a new one.

L-M

Aye as said, if you took it out straight away it would be black.

Stevie Dakota

Good to know, many thanks.

Is this a diesel characteristic? As I mentioned the oil in my old (petrol) car stayed pristine for ages.

Seanieke

Yup, its how diesels are!! No need to worry, just check the filter's new for peace of mind!

Stevie Dakota

Seanieke wrote: »

Yup, its how diesels are!! No need to worry, just check the filter's new for peace of mind!

Will do, if I can find the shagging thing, the whole engine is shrouded in plastic!

Plug

Stevie Dakota wrote: »

My car had its first service last 2 weeks ago. Just oil and filter and billed accordingly. I just checked the oil and it is black and thin. This is my first diesel so the question is can the oil blacken in just 2 weeks, and do diesels run a low viscosity oil, or did they simply not change it...

Car is Ford Focus 2.0TDci, serviced at a main dealer.

I am used to petrols, and in my old car the oil stayed golden for months.

Im a mechanic with ford and this happens with all deisals!
I actually said to myself while doing one the other, i bet someone on boards will make a topic on this someday, how right was I?:D

As soon as you put the oil in, start it, stop it and dip it for oil its gone black from the older oil.

Stevie Dakota

Plug wrote: »

Im a mechanic with ford and this happens with all deisals!
I actually said to myself while doing one the other, i bet someone on boards will make a topic on this someday, how right was I?:D

As soon as you put the oil in, start it, stop it and dip it for oil its gone black from the older oil.

Mechanic you say, can you tell me where my oil filter is?!

Seanieke

Just pull 2 wheels of your car up onto the path n slide yourself under n have a look up the the back of the engine

Darragh29

Stevie Dakota wrote: »

My car had its first service last 2 weeks ago. Just oil and filter and billed accordingly. I just checked the oil and it is black and thin. This is my first diesel so the question is can the oil blacken in just 2 weeks, and do diesels run a low viscosity oil, or did they simply not change it...

Car is Ford Focus 2.0TDci, serviced at a main dealer.

I am used to petrols, and in my old car the oil stayed golden for months.

The engine oil is black again within 20 minutes of your oil change. :rolleyes:

Voodoomelon

Mines a petrol and it came out black straight away, cause for concern? I doubt it though. Does anyone have experience of using a cheap-ass (but compatible) oil to flush the engine out and then replace it with proper expensive oil after?

I've heard some people do this, i'm not sure if there's a lot of point?

Plug

Stevie Dakota wrote: »

Mechanic you say, can you tell me where my oil filter is?!

Its a paper filter. It'll be gone black already and plus you'll need a 27mm socket to remove it:D

Its not visible.

Plug

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Mines a petrol and it came out black straight away, cause for concern? I doubt it though. Does anyone have experience of using a cheap-ass (but compatible) oil to flush the engine out and then replace it with proper expensive oil after?

I've heard some people do this, i'm not sure if there's a lot of point?

Just a waste really, maybe a high performance engine like M powered or ferrari but for everyday car don't bother;)

seanybiker

id find it weird that your last car kept the oil golden for months. Ride about 10 foot on a bike and the oil is gone black.

Stevie Dakota

seanybiker wrote: »

id find it weird that your last car kept the oil golden for months. Ride about 10 foot on a bike and the oil is gone black.

It was a straight 6 BMW, run like honey and had oil to match.

andy2854

normal

Kristopherus

seanybiker wrote: »

id find it weird that your last car kept the oil golden for months. Ride about 10 foot on a bike and the oil is gone black.

He had petrol cars previously. Petrol cars will have clear oil for weeks after a service.

mickdw

anytime I changed the oil in my cars (petrol engined) the oil would be clear for weeks after and hard to actually see on the dipstick (No smart repies asking did I put enough oil in). I figured this was down to me pouring some new oil in until the oil draining from the sump became clear.

Surely even in a diesel, if more effort was made to wash out the remains of the old oil, the new oil would be clearer to look at.
Are garages sucking out oil now? This would certainly result in blacker oil after service as it is never going to get out as much of the oil as letting it drain.

Voodoomelon

I like that idea, I might do that for my next change; just buy a litre or 2 of cheap oil and pour it through whilst letting it drain out of the sump at the same time. I ain't doin it with Mobil 1 0w40!

galwaytt

Voodoomelon wrote: »

I like that idea, I might do that for my next change; just buy a litre or 2 of cheap oil and pour it through whilst letting it drain out of the sump at the same time. I ain't doin it with Mobil 1 0w40!

So, old oil, black. Drain, add 2 litres of Brand X. If you don't run the car, it won't get pumped, or splashed anywhere. And oil might run out, kinda clear. Or black.

So, drain. Again. Add expensive Mobil and then 10 minutes later it's black from the..........dirty Brand X.

So, how does that help, btw. ?

Finally, if you do intend to run it, to 'flush' it.........you'll be wasting more than 2 litres of Brand X. You'll have to fill it, or risk the engine.......'doing a Mazda' © ® 2009

Voodoomelon

I was just thinking of running a litre or two through, it would at least take some of the filth out with it. You don't even have to start the engine. The time I drained the oil immediately after I had just filled it (bung snapped), it came out black and I didn't even start the engine.

Del2005

Voodoomelon wrote: »

I was just thinking of running a litre or two through, it would at least take some of the filth out with it. You don't even have to start the engine. The time I drained the oil immediately after I had just filled it (bung snapped), it came out black and I didn't even start the engine.

Only way of getting clear oil would be to change the oil 2 or 3 times with the cheap stuff, which will be 15+ litres of oil, running the engine between each change and you'll get most of the dirty oil out. Then when you put you expensive oil in it'll stay clear for a few days and then go black, as thats what diesels do. So you'll have wasted ~15l of oil for about a week of clear oil on the dipstick. While black oil still does a perfect job of protecting you engine as it's only soot it in.

galwaytt

...Del, true. That's be an expensive oil change !

conlonbmw

Next time go to a garage that uses topsider oil suction machine.

Some new cars do not have a drain plug.

Voodoomelon

Del2005 wrote: »

Only way of getting clear oil would be to change the oil 2 or 3 times with the cheap stuff, which will be 15+ litres of oil, running the engine between each change and you'll get most of the dirty oil out. Then when you put you expensive oil in it'll stay clear for a few days and then go black, as thats what diesels do. So you'll have wasted ~15l of oil for about a week of clear oil on the dipstick. While black oil still does a perfect job of protecting you engine as it's only soot it in.

Mines a petrol, but i get your point.

galwaytt

Update ! I was in a motor factors today, and I saw a product on the shelf: Comma Oil Flush.

Now, I thought it was normal 'flushing oil', but no. It's an additive you put in the oil, just before you drain it, and it helps clean the galley's/sump etc.

Allegedly.

Now that sounds like a reasonable alternative, only adding 500 ml of cleaner, just before your regular change. No idea how good it is, though, but 1 x try wouldn't hurt.