How dark should the oil get?

[deven]

My oil gets really dark because I do a lot of short trips and fuel dilution is a problem. I just checked my oil on a brand new Acura TL with 1000 miles so obviously the engine has to be clean but it is chocolate brown in color. I checked the oil when it had 3 miles total and it was golden brown. It stayed this color for maybe 100 miles and started to get darker after that. FWIW.

 

[exranger06]

Originally Posted By: mjoekingz28

I always thought color = condition, since I dont write my mileage on the windshield or keep it in a log I thought I could just 'feel' my way through to the next oil change.

That's a very bad habit. You should always keep records of oil changes and other maintenance. Not only for yourself, but for a future buyer. I know I would be very leery of buying a car with no maintenance records. Whenever I do ANYTHING to my vehicles, even something as simple as changing the wiper blades, I write down the date and mileage it was done, along with the part number.

 

[Corvette Owner]

Depends on car. In all aluminum engines, oil generally stays lighter in color. In an iron block it will usually darken more.