Oil Level and Fuel Economy

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by Yaris Hilton

Whether oil's black or not doesn't correlate very well with how contaminated it is with acids, fuel and junk or how the additives may have broken down. Black oil can be good oil that's got combustion soot in suspension. If you want to be precise about changing oil by its condition you should subscribe to an oil analysis service. Not wanting to spend the money and energy on that, I'll just change at the factory recommended intervals.

Excellent point, Yaris. Sometimes people forget these points. Oil color is NOT a reliable indicator of the condition of an oil or its suitability for continued service.