devhan

Short trips will ruin the motor in time and it is a good idea to get the oil Temps over 200 degrees to boil the water from the oil. Fortunately the BMW specified oil has a high TBN to buffer the acid formation from the condensation and blowby gases.

pauliehcfr

Ignore the hype of stop driving the car and short trips ruin engines. Engines now are sooooo advanced . Doesn't anyone think that the engineers designed engines with this in mind? yes condensation in the oil can cause damage if it sits in the engine without being circulated for a long time such as corroded/pitting of bearings and such that is why you are supposed to change your oil with fresh oil if you plan on storing the car for a long time. if the head gasket were leaking, then I would say yes, get the car chcked out ASAP or if you drove through a deep puddle but condensation from short trips? lets get real everyone.

E92-Lighting

+1 on the dipstick

BADiNfLuEnCe

Dont know as much as half these dudes.. but i will just say pay close attention... And make sure you warm up the car properly.. get a autostart or something

jes0331

As others have said before - this is not uncommon - particularly in very cold months - as crankcase water vapor will condense and emulsify with oil in the cooler areas of the engine when only short trips are taken and the engine doesn't reach full operating temperature. This condensate often appears as a tan to brownish/amber goo stuck to oil dipsticks (a particularly cold area if the dipstick tube extends outside the engine block) and on the inside of oil filler caps, valve covers, etc. As long as the oil on the measurement area of the dipstick is not this gooey mess, and looks normal for the age of the oil, nothing to worry about. Just be sure to drive long enough for the engine to fully reach operating temps to minimize the effects.

One of the reasons modern oils have additives in them is to neutralize the acids formed by the moisture and combustion byproducts that remain in the crankcase. These acids can damage internal engine components. That is one reason I generally do an oil change after the cold winter months - as the winter driving can be particularly rough on oil. If the gooey sludge is particularly bad or annoying, you can do an engine flush with something like Auto-RX to help clean it out before your next oil change.

wasupdu

Great post, jes0331. Very informative! I think I'll bump up my oil change schedule and do another one at the end of the month once the temps begin to get warmer. Come to think of it, both the Z4 and R1 could use changes in the near future.