Engine Oil Colour in Vectra

No, the oil in a new engine should not be black, but an engine with 4800 miles on it is not new. Your Cavalier hasn't done 102000 miles on its original oil has it?

Diesels can blacken their oil within the space of a few miles but still maintain its viscosity, you don't say whether this Vectra is Petrol or Diesel.

I think modern engines tend to be harder on their oil, perhaps because in the olden days, manufacturers were allowed to let more pollutants out through the exhaust rather than trap them in the engine oil.

Douglas

Thanks for that Douglas. The Vectra is a 2.2 petrol. What I should have made plain is that the oil in my old Cavalier tends to stay clean between the 9000 mile services when the engine is flushed and the oil is changed. The salesman did say something like you say above but I did not fully understand.

Regards.

Dave

But the colour of the oil isn't a true reflection on the life remaining or the quality of it...

I think that was the moral of the story I was trying to put across but didn't quite manage. (c:

Douglas

If this is putting doubts in your mind about buying the car - simply walk away, there are plenty about.

Check the dipstick of lots of other cars with similar mileage to get a feel for what it should look like.

It's certainly possible the initial fill is with a high detergent oil which will turn black more quickly - or has other properties to help with long term storage in case production exceeds demand.

Thankyou one and all. You have given answers to my concerns. Apart from the black oil the car is beautiful and is the right price. I have been dealing with this garage continuously for over twenty years and they have never let me down. I was just unaware of things like detergent oils and was surprised to see the oil was a black colour.

Regards.

Dave.

The message from Douglas Payne contains these words:

They also run a lot hotter.