My 2008 R56S is on its 130.000 km and it was time to take it for an oil change and so i did. When i returned from the BMW service i checked the engine oil rod and the oil was black. It was like it was before the oil change. Called the service and told them about it and they said "well what did u expect? to see it clear? after so many km everything inside the engine is black". Ok that seemed kinda reasonable but i was wondering, if one lets the oil to drip completely shouldn't the engine oil area be kinda cleared up? Maybe they didn't leave it some time to drip and they just did it in a hurry to get over with... what do you think guys? Is your oil rod dirty after an oil change at the mileage like my mini?

 

My oil is always clear on the dipstick after an oil change, even on my diesel truck with 225000 miles on it.
I would find someone else to service your car after this.

 

Is your mini burning oil?

 

Your oil should be cleaner looking. That said if you look at a MINI oil pan, when it's removed from the engine, you'll see a large nut welded to the bottom of the pan. It appears that 1/2 to 3/4's of an inch is always left in the pan. If your old oil was REALLY full of carbon then it wouldn't take much to darken it quickly.

 

Ok... assuming that there is a lot of carbon in my old oil, how can it be cleaned when i make the oil change so that the new oil doesn't darken? Last time i did the oil change the new oil seemed as it was like the old oil!

 

The only way to get ALL the old oil out is with an engine flush. I've got a vacuum oil extractor and on my next oils change I'm going to see how much I can suck out after it's been emptied out the drain hole.

 

first and formost if ANYONE talked to you in that manor, and said exactly "what did you expect" i would demand right them and there to speak to their manager. that is b.s.
ive never changed oil in ANY vehicle, checked the oil within a week and had it black.
i would demand that they show you a similar oil change that day that the oil is black immediately.
$100 says they didnt change anything, and you have the same oil you came in with, or they only changed the filter. and topped off the oil

if you are able ...go drive the car for 10 minutes, come home, shut it of. remove the oil fil cap and and the dip stick and let it sit for 10.
remove the oil filter cup/cap and if that filter dont look damn near brand new you take pictures and take it right back to them and tell them you want the owner or business manager or you are calling the regional BMW/MINI rep immediately.

mine has 117k on it, i changed the oil 2 weeks ago and the Mobile 1 synthetic 5w/30 i put in is still clear-ish on the dip stick,

i have had cars with several hundred K on them and never had oil go black very quickly.
even if it burns oil it will NOT turn black the same day the oil was changed.

 

I would change the oil again & send a sample to a lab (like Blackstone) to have it analyzed. Then mystery will be solved.

 

If you go beyond the recommended service interval, your oil can stay pretty dark after an oil change. In college, i worked at a quick change and would see the same thing from time to time. I know the oil was changed, because i filled it with new. Sometimes there is just so much sludge or carbon left behind that it will take a flush or a few oil changes to get it all out. We would always show the customer the dipstick with the oil level before they pulled out and i would get that same question. Why is the oil so dark. I would ask when their last oil change was, most of them couldn't remember or would admit it was well beyond 3000 or even 5000 miles. I always told them to get back on the 3000 mile schedule (Non-synthetic oil) and it would clear up over time. We were supposed to push a snake tonic engine flush too, sometimes they would get that on the next change. I didn't believe in it, so i didn't push it very hard.

 

Just because oil is dark, doesn't mean it isn't protecting your engine. As mentioned, if you don't like the color, change it more often and it will clear up.