Picked my Octavia TDI up from a Skoda authorised serive garage today following an oil service - except I don't think they've actually changed the oil. I checked the level and the oil is SO black it's ridiculous. Now this is my first diesel and I'm assuming new oil should be "oil coloured" rather than jet black....

Assuming I'm right, I'm going to ring the garage first thing in the morning and complain - then it's name and shame time

is it still black if you wipe the dipstick clean and dip it again? if so then they may have missed the oil change?

they do go black very quickly, not sure about in 5 miles though

Oil will go black very quickly if not as soon as you turn the key, what you should do is check the consistency and the smell,it has a terrible burnt smell when its old.

yep, still black when re-dipped the dip stick.

I'll have a sniff in the morning

New oil is black by the time it hits the sump after being poured in the top Don't worry about it.

Dunno about you lot, but when I do an oil change in my car, the oil stays clean looking for a few thousand miles.

I changed my oil a little over 4000 miles ago, and it's still straw coloured now when I check the level. By the time it comes to changing it at 10k, it's fully black.

It depends on the driving though. Lots of short town trips seem to make it go black quicker. But when I use the car just for medium/long drives (like I am now), the oil stays in good condition for a while.

Then again mines a petrol engine, so might not be as bad as a smelly diesel But still, 5 miles seems a bit quick for it to have gone jet black. Sounds like they didn't change it to me. Or they drained it cold/quickly, and left a load of sludge behind.

diesel and petrol are two different kettles of fish!

Dunno about you lot, but when I do an oil change in my car, the oil stays clean looking for a few thousand miles.

I changed my oil a little over 4000 miles ago, and it's still straw coloured now when I check the level. By the time it comes to changing it at 10k, it's fully black.

It depends on the driving though. Lots of short town trips seem to make it go black quicker. But when I use the car just for medium/long drives (like I am now), the oil stays in good condition for a while.

Then again mines a petrol engine, so might not be as bad as a smelly diesel But still, 5 miles seems a bit quick for it to have gone jet black. Sounds like they didn't change it to me. Or they drained it cold/quickly, and left a load of sludge behind.

Yep me too. I change my oil every 4000 miles regardless of how clean it looks, but it does stay a good colour for at least 2000 miles.

But also diesel oil to me looks black when pouring it in..

Derv oil will be black within a mile or so, but as long as it's not powdery or smelling badly as above, you're probably fine.

If you're worried ask the garage who can confirm the oil used.

Confuses a lot of people with diesels. Petrol car oil looks clean for ages. But like a garage would fess up to forgetting an oil change anyway!

diesel and petrol are two different kettles of fish!

Ahh right. I've never owned a diesel car before so I know nothing about running them! You clearly do!

As everyone else has said, Diesel oil will be black

Like others have said, diesel engine oil will go black more-or-less immediately because it gathers soot. Petrol engine oil looks clean for a long time in comparison.

Are you running the variable service scheme? If so, check how long before the next service is due, because the oil condition is measured to get this figure. If they haven't changed the oil then this figure will probably be low. Bear in mind that for a while following a service, there might not be a figure available (not sure what happens if the engine oil ISN'T changed though).