gordco

Without a dipstick, how can I check the cleanliness of my oil?

SMac770

Use the extractor and pull out some oil.

silver03gt

Or, better yet, buy the billet dipstick from ECS. If you change oil at 5k mile intervals you'll never need to pull it.

gordco

what's the extractor?

gordco

I just want to verify my oil is reasonably clean, and not have to spend $70+ on a fancy dipstick.

SchwarzS6

Looking at the color of your oil is not a good indicator of the oil “cleanliness”. Oil has detergents and additives which collect contaminants and suspend them. Any large particles are removed in the oil filter. A good oil in a clean engine will quickly darken. If you are looking for clean oil you will be changing oil much too often. The correct way to test your oil is to take a sample and send it to Blackstone Labs for analysis. They can tell you what containments are in the oil and if they are a problem. A few guys in this forum have had oil tested after 10k miles and it was still in good condition. Some folks on this forum like to change at 5k. Any shorter than 5k is a waste of money unless you really drive in harsh conditions.

silver03gt

Mmm. Okay. Don't buy the fancy dipstick. Buy a cheap one if you must. Fact is SchwazS6 is 100% correct. The color of the oil is meaningless in telling you how clean your oil is. An extractor is the tool we use to change our oil.

PghRich

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Acuransx

Just my 2 cents and no offense meant to OP or anyone else. Maybe best not to overthink this. Our A4 is used to run errands in the city, some trips from Michigan to Toronto and sometimes to commute to work. No mountains here, not in Alaska or in the hot, hot southwest or Florida so pretty average use. I change oil at 5K intervals and don't worry too much about its condition. I do have the ECS dipstick as I'm old school -- enjoy pulling it out from time to time. With 50K miles, car uses no detectible amount of oil between changes.

Best,
jeff