2.0tdi serviced this morning, but black oil!!!

[Audicrazy]

I had my 2006 A3 2.0tdi serviced yesterday, a long life it's done 16k miles -

The oil change in the service book has been ticked 'no' but longlife ticked 'yes'??

I have just checked the oilon the dipstick and it's not the nice honey colour I would expect on a car that's just been serviced and done 15 miles back from the dealer.
It just doesn't look like new oil!!
How is it supposed to look!! This was my first service at Macclesfield Audi, and i paid £250!!!!!

 

[Twizzler]

I suspect it's not new oil - 'oil change - no, longlife - yes' ie they've not changed it cos its long life. I expect they kicked the tyres.

 

[Audicrazy]

My receipt says:

Oilfi Qty:1 £5.35
Fltre Qty:1 £9.13
L/Drain oil 0.1LTR Qty:38 £44.84
Screw Qty:1 £0.99
Screenwash Qty:1 £1.96

 

[Amchlolor]

Woohoo!
Another victim of the 'screenwash scam' too !

 

[motorbikez]

I queried this once when I had a golf tdi and was told oil goes black within a couple of miles on a diesel took them at their word as I had good service from them.

 

[Twizzler]

That implies they did change the oil but is still nonsensical and inconsistent with the original statement. Ask the service manager to define what exactly they did do. Servicing is one of the principal ways that dealers maximise their profits.

 

[Phil's Barber]

I queried this once when I had a golf tdi and was told oil goes black within a couple of miles on a diesel took them at their word as I had good service from them.

Yeah I can confirm that oil goes black in a diesel almost straight away. Had a similar query with my old 320d.

 

[motorbikez]

You could always ring audi UK and see what they say on the matter if you arn't happy with explanation from dealer.

 

[Audicrazy]

thanks guys. It's probably fine then but it would be hard to prove if they hadn't changed it!!

 

[Amchlolor]

Couldn't tell you about cars, but bike oil stays 'golden' for ages after an oil change.
Bikes usually have clear glass oil level sights on the cases, so it's easily seen.

 

[Amchlolor]

Out of sheer interest, Audicrazy, was your windscreen washer bottle full when you put the car in?
The 'Screenwash scam' is where Audi dealers drain and replace your wsher bottle with their own stuff you see, even if you didn't want them to.
Some report it doesn't get done either, because they know their washer soap is one colour, but the Audi stuff is another.
It's a £2 a pop scam, pure and simple.
Most don't moan because it is only £2.

 

[Audicrazy]

No it wasn't full bowfer, it hadn't been topped up since I got the car new. The oil definitely concerns me though! They really could tell you anything! there was a time when you could just check your dipstick and know for sure it had been changed!!

 

[Amchlolor]

Hard to prove, Audicrazy, but it sounds well fishy to me.
Like I said, I can drive my bike a damned sight more than 15 miles and lovely golden oil still looks lovely and golden.
Engine oil goes black by trapping and suspending all the crap in your engine.
You must have one filthy engine to turn it black in 15 miles....

 

[Amchlolor]

Mind you, maybe diesels are different...
Found this on an American synthetic oils manufacturer website.

"Most oil and especially diesel engine oil will turn black in the first few hours of operation due to contaminates generated by the combustion process and soot particles"

15 miles though.....hmmmmm.....

 

[rich1068]

^^ Nah, it's true bowfer. This always happened on diesels I've owned in the past.

 

[Twizzler]

The oil has always looked black on my TDIs following service. That's not the point. The original statement 'oil change - no' is inconsistent with the invoice.

 

[rich1068]

Well I guess some techmonkey just ticked the wrong box then.

Move along people, nothing to see here...

 

[Twizzler]

I wouldn't move along if it was my money. I would want to know what I'd paid for. Once I did know and I was satisfied then I'd move along.

 

[marms]

Check the washer on the sump plug. If it's been changed then almost certainly the oil has been too.

 

[Twizzler]

marms,
A good thought. Trouble is, by the time you've dropped the bottom shield and crawled under there you're beginning to think you may just have undone the drain plug yourself........

 

[Macduff]

My first service (longlife) resulted in the same situation. Black oil, "no" ticked for oil change and "yes" for longlife plus a charge for oil on the receipt. I was given the same explanation.

Bowfer, agree with you on the bike oil. The Castrol GPS in my VFR is still clear and red. I think this is the same on most petrol engines TBH

At my last service, Aberdeen Audi kindly drained the full screenwash reservoir and filled it with "Audi approved" screenwash

 

[AwesomeSarah]

Mmm
It is the diesels that suffer with the oil going black all but straight away
That is one of the resons why it is an idea to do oil flushes when doing oil changes to get rid of the old oil
Sarah

 

[RobinA3]

The engine oil will go black after only a few miles as the engine does not get flushed before the new oil goes in.

There will be old black oil everywhere which will make the new oil black, there will be old oil left in the head, oil filter housing, oil cooler (if fitted), turbo, bottom of the sump - where it hasn't drained properly and etc.

 

[Audicrazy]

Right boys and girls so is it normal or not haha!! I'm planning on keeping the car so do want it to be maintanined properly!

 

[Jo Sharp]

It is normal. When I had a 3.0 TDI Trooper, I used to change the oil myself, using a flushing oil after draining the engine. Even after flushing, the new oil was black after a few miles. What has happened is that they have done a longlife (variable interval) service and the new oil has gone black very quickly. Nothing to worry about. But if I was keeping a car long-term, I'm not sure I would want to let it go 16k between oil changes, no matter what oil was in it.

 

[sat1983]

Got mined serviced yesterday and the oil is black. I wouldn't worry, diesel engines are like that.

 

[Dandle]

The oil goes black in deisels pretty quickly and you may well find that they have only sucked the old oil out through the dipstick tube anyway, so a little of the old oil would be left to mix with the new.

 

[alfiejts]

Yes diesels do that. I changed my own longlife oil (halfway between longlife services at the dealer) and it was already black when checking the new oil's level on the dipstick.

I changed the oil in my wife's petrol car at the same time and it is still golden clear, two months on....

I suspect what they mean by ticking the list in the way they have is that they have not done a "normal" oil change using normal oil, but they have done a longlife oil change using the higher spec longlife oil.

I can see the logic in that, even if its confusing.