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Got an oil change done on my 07 E63 about three weeks ago and have added roughly 1,000 miles since. Checked the oil today and was curious if the color appears to be normal? I know when the head bolts fail it can cause coolant to get into the oil and change the color; the head bolts were done on the car according to the previous owner however that was 65k miles ago. I am in no way mechanically inclined and come from a background of primarily old American small blocks where after 30 miles the oil is dark. I have attached a photo below of the oil off the dipstick on a paper towel and my hand. Thank you all for the help.
Last edited by W2116.3; Dec 3, 2023 at 02:40 PM.
Reason: more descriptive title
Realistically you need more oil to tell. Small amounts of coolant and that much oil usually doesn’t tell much unless there are copious amounts of coolant in the oil.
If you are using coolant and suspect a problem, I would at the minimum drain the oil into a clear quart container to look at it. You would think it would be easy to see in the dipstick, but it’s a different story when it goes in a container.
the best way is to inspect your spark plugs. if a few of them are clean as if they've been steam cleaned, same with piston tops, then you have water leaking in. alternatively, when an engine is parked after being run to full operating temperature, if you have a failed head bolt, you'll actually see coolant puddle up on the piston if you remove your spark plug and inspect.
if you're worried about head studs and know you have originals, just change them for piece of mind.
Some oils are darker than others right out of the bottle.
Also, not every shop makes sure all of the old oil is removed in a service. If they are sticking a tube into the dipstick instead of an air-tight rubber fitting, for instance, there will be a good bit of old oil still left in there.
I wouldn't assume head bolts (coolant mixing) right out the gate.
If you really want to know what's going on with the oil, you can take a sample and send it to Blackstone Labs. They sell a convenient pump that makes it easy to draw a small sample right out of the dipstick, so you have the option of doing this in between oil changes.
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