Hi,

Last month just had my 1st service on my Fabia 2 TDI 1.4 PDI

The oil was quite dark when I checked it but full - after only 700 miles its the colour of ink. I take it this is correct and an oil change took place rather than just a top up of oil.

On previous cars its always been clear or brown in colour not jet ink black. They gave me a chit which said what VW oil was put in.

George

Hi

Yes it is normal for the oil to go dark after 700 miles. Its nothing to worry about.

In effect the engine oil is doing its job of keeping the engine clean, washing away the by products of the compression of the diesel fuel.

You might like to try some Millers diesel additive (if you dont already use it, many do on here) and when added to the fuel it helps keep the engine clean and the pump lubricated. Ive found that regular use of Millers and Shell Diesel Extra helped the engine oil stay cleaner for longer, after it was changed.

Hi,

Last month just had my 1st service on my Fabia 2 TDI 1.4 PDI

The oil was quite dark when I checked it but full - after only 700 miles its the colour of ink. I take it this is correct and an oil change took place rather than just a top up of oil.

On previous cars its always been clear or brown in colour not jet ink black. They gave me a chit which said what VW oil was put in.

George

Hi George

It's perfectly normal

Diesel produces far greater amounts of soot when it combusts than petrol, by your description i would say you are comparing it to petrol cars you've had in the past.

The darkness of the oil just means that it's doing it's job properly by keeping the by products of combustion is suspension in the oil rather than letting it attach itself to the engine.

The oil filter will be catching the big bits whilst the smaller particles are what you are seeing in the oil.

Many thanks

It would look like that after 100 miles.

Zebra. I assume that your maxidot told you it required a service? MY 1.4 tdi Is on 7000 @ 16 Months old and still indicates no service requirement till 8700 miles. I assume that this is normal as I was always under the impression that diesel cars were a year about?

George...the guys are right. One other thing to ease your mind, the carbon produced in your diesel engine and some of which ends up in your oil making it look black, is not like the carbon produced in a petrol engine. Petrol engine carbon particules are hard and gritty and can wear and damage your engine when found in large quantities in the oil. However, the carbon produced in a diesel engine is of a different nature. The particules are smaller and very soft. At the size and concentrations you will find them in your oil, they do no harm whatsoever...as long as your oil service intervals are adhered to! Enjoy your Skoda.

Many thanks one and all for your 1st class advice:

"Zebra. I assume that your maxidot told you it required a service? MY 1.4 tdi Is on 7000 @ 16 Months old and still indicates no service requirement till 8700 miles. I assume that this is normal as I was always under the impression that diesel cars were a year about?"

Yes the maxidot (which is most helpful because I now drive to conserve fuil only whish it was standard on all cars and versions of Skoda's) told me leading up to the year - didnt quite get to the 10,000 miles around 9,400. Actualy the reminders became a little anoying but I expect that is what it is ment to happen.