Originally posted by 2X95SEs:
My job changed a little so I am in the office most of the time. Only have 73,000 or so miles now on mine. Never see any loss on the stick but once in a while there is a drop on the ground. It leaked a lot from the pan years ago while under warranty, the dealer installed a new pan gasket. I expermented with my wife's tour. Used Mobil 1 and switched back to regular oil, still 5w-30. The synthetic leaked a little. When I used Mobil 1 on previous cars it would do the same. I use the rag test after the oil gets near and over 3k miles. Place a drop of oil from the dipstick on a clean rag or paper towel. If it stays the same color as it moves out from center the detergent additive is still OK. If it leaves rings of dirt, it's done for. Reach inside the oil filler cap and see if you get a finger full of gunk or dirt. If you do, you are not changing the oil often enough. The dirt is no longer being held by the oil and is deposited on the interior. This is a good way to check an engine when looking for a used car.



At face value, that seems to make sense -- especially when using a generic, no dyes, no nothing paper towel. Basically, a paper towel acts as a low-grade filtering medium ...

Gonna have to try that, then get the oil tested as a control.