Oil change, yes or no?

Fortyfoot

My car was brought back last night after a service. As far as I can tell there is a new oil filter on or the old one has been cleaned.

I dipped the oil and checked the oil filler cap and the oil colour was black. It had done 15 miles back to my home after the oil change, the oil was charged at £34. Has it had an oil change, dip stick has been wiped on white paper, see below, thanks, Fortyfoot.
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Browntoa

Vote for same oil as beforehand

Unchanged

bertiewhite

Is the oil filter a traditional "screw on from underneath" sump affair, or is it a "drop in cartridge" one?

If it's a sump one, I think it'd be pretty hard to change without changing the oil as well, unless they put the old oil back in?

In any case, new oil should be slightly translucent.

esmerobbo

Looks dirty but has the car had regular services? Put new oil in a sump full of crud and it will be dirty.

Fortyfoot

It's a Nissan Xtrail, the filter is underneath the engine. I do about 5000 miles a year and have it serviced annually for the MOT.

Thanks,

Fortyfoot

Goudy

I presume by the colour of the oil this is a diesel car yes?
If, so this is quite normal, soot will instantly find it's way into the engine oil and blacken it as soon as the engine is started.

What you need to do is "feel" the oil.
Put a drop on you finger, you should be able see the soot particles suspended in the new oil.
If it's old, it will be too saturated to see, it will just look completely black.

By the looks of the oil on that paper, it looks like there's little soot in it at the moment as you can see the cleaner oil wicking into the paper and the soot stuck to the surface, so I would risk saying it's quite new oil.

oldagetraveller

"If, so this is quite normal, soot will instantly find it's way into the engine oil and blacken it as soon as the engine is started."
Not after only 15 miles it isn't.

AdrianC

oldagetraveller wrote: »

"If, so this is quite normal, soot will instantly find it's way into the engine oil and blacken it as soon as the engine is started."
Not after only 15 miles it isn't.

'course it is.

The oil starts to circulate the instant the engine's started. Not all the old oil got drained out - it's impossible - and the bottom of the sump would have had a fair bit of grot on.

Wipe the dipstick just before the oil change next time, and I bet it's a LOT filthier than that.

esmerobbo

A lot of places now use vacuum extraction which doesn't always get all the old oil out.

Mr.Generous

When I do an oil change on a diesel I fill it up, start and run the engine, then dip it a couple of times more as I top it up. The new oil can be dirty straight away, and I drain it for several hours while I do other bits. You can see clean oil mixed with sooty oil, and that's after a 60 second engine run. Most dealers would have started the motor a couple of times at the end of your service, once to test and top up and once to drive it out of the service bay. That's before your trip home.

If you don't trust the dealer dip the oil before you drive home and mark the oil filter. Alternatively do your own oil change, usually quite easy and much cheaper than a dealer doing it. Plus you can use decent oil.

LandyAndy

Another vote for completely normal for a diesel engine.