Many have heard of this amateur way of checking the quality of motor oil. Such a check is often addressed by those who do not change the oil after the period specified by the manufacturer or at a certain mileage.
What is the point? It is suggested to run the engine for 5-10 minutes, turn off the ignition, open the hood and drip a few drops of oil from the dipstick onto a piece of paper. If the stain is uniform, light with smooth edges, there is no water, the oil is good. If the center is dark, the oil is too dirty, it’s time to change it.
Traces of oil paint on paper. On the right – fresh oil
Expert opinion
Alexey Revinexpert “Behind the wheel”:
This method has been known for a long time. But it can give on modern oils answers just one question: the oil is black or not. At the same time, it should be remembered that modern oils with good cleansing properties quickly darken, indicating their effective work. And above all quickly, counting from the first minute, the oil turns black in a diesel engine.
Attempts to assess the degree of engine wear on the metal sparks in the oil are doomed to fail in my opinion. Metal particles, which have a much higher density than oil, will quickly “drown” and will not fall on the dipstick. The same will happen with water, whose density is also higher than that of oil.
You can only judge the quality of the oil if you run it through the hole in the pan. Then both metal particles and water are visible. But the oil has already been drained! You still have to put it in fresh.
Instead of all this shamanism, I recommend that you just change your engine oil regularly. — and more often than recommended by the manufacturer. That is, after 7500 km. At the same time, fill in oils from well-known manufacturers. If you are afraid of counterfeits, buy oil at branded gas stations or from official distributors: their list is always on the oil manufacturer’s website.
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Our verdict: This advice was once helpful, but is sadly outdated. That’s why we recommend that you don’t look for troublesome ways to delay an oil change. Follow the instructions (or shorten the prescribed change interval) and buy oil from trusted places.