A question about oil in diesel engines

[vwcabriolet1971]

19,000 miles in 6 years is a very low mileage. The engine oil should be changed at least once a year but preferably every 6 months at this rate of usage. Many short journeys lead to severe sludging as the oil rarely reaches full working temperature in these conditions and combustion byproducts are not burnt off..

[Cavanmick]

Diesel engines will turn the oil black almost the first time they are started, it's the soot and carbon etc that doesn't build up as much in petrol. Nothing to worry about buddy.

Mick

[Crasher]

Useful also for reading the (stupid black) dipstick.

Ergghh, the knob that designed that, I would would ohhhh

[zollaf]

Ergghh, the knob that designed that, I would would ohhhh

let me guess, dunk his dipstick in a tub of hot white paint..

[Doctle Odd]

let me guess, dunk his dipstick in a tub of hot white paint..

In my day you dipped your wick in pink not cheap brittle plastic

[stevegrass777]

Also it doesn't help when the egr valve sends sooty smoke back into the intake for another go around and that's where most of it comes from,it gets on the rings and down to the sump and blackens the oil

[Crasher]

But if we do not have EGR, NOX emissions shoot up and asthma suffers like me and around 20000 others every year, die of illnesses directly related to the use of Diesel engines, those by the way are lower figures than those quoted by the World Health Authority.

Anyway, in the next few years, public opinion will be turned so hard against the Diesel engine that anyone driving one will be seen as a baby killer.........

[JimC64]

19,000 miles in 6 years is a very low mileage. The engine oil should be changed at least once a year but preferably every 6 months at this rate of usage. Many short journeys lead to severe sludging as the oil rarely reaches full working temperature in these conditions and combustion byproducts are not burnt off..

I do low mileage now in both the A6 and the *** XJ, probably around 8k in the Audi and perhaps 12k in the ***

The Audi gets at least one oil change per year, sometimes two depending on circumstances and new air filter as well.....very cheap maintenance imo

The *** due to its annoying habit of dumping fuel into the oil if too many short stop / start journeys are made gets an oil change around 3 times per year........again, cheap maintenance imo, but each to their own

[Quatrelle]

"baby killer" ....must try to remember that the next time I go chugging down the road in my 19-year-old diesel Laguna

[Crasher]

It has been shown that the particulate matter from diesel engines hangs around in the street at about 2 feet from the ground, perfect for a young child or baby in a pram to inhale.