Ok, bought a 04 530i back in December with 40K miles. Lightly driven since. Noticed some spots on the garage floor, light brown/clear color(oily) yesterday. Went to check the oil level this morning and the dipstick was difficult to remove. Once I got it out, I noticed there was rust about midway down the shaft. The oil reading was right between the 2 marks and i-Drive says another 2200 miles until change...

Has anyone ever seen rust in this area? Any common areas for leaks to check, not even sure it is oil..

 

Whats a dipstick?

 

2004, 40,000 miles. 5,700 miles a year, not driven much. Condensation trapped in the engine, especially if driven short distances during cold months.

 

What appears to be "rust" on an oil dipstick frequently is condensation mixing with accumulated debris in the engine oil. When gasoline engine powered cars are driven more frequently and the engine is allowed to run at operating temperatures for an extended period of time these deposits will "burn off" and not settle on the dipstick or oil filler cap (another common area to see this rusty looking deposit).

In extreme cases these deposits may indicate a coolant leak into the combustion process area.To verify this is not the case, when the engine is COOL check your coolant level. In the interim I suggest a few highway drives with your car if at all possible.

 

the rust was probably caused by excesive moisture in the engine crank case....which is usually caused by light driving and short trips, due to the fact the engine doesnt fully warm up to rid the engine of moisture.

 

+1 to Luigi and turboawd. In other words, don't worry to much about this but do check engine coolant level. If low, ask your local workshop to get an oiltest done. If coolant level ok, just be sure to take the car on longer drives, let it heat up so condensation has time and temperature enough, to evaporate properly.