[Jim Fallston Md.]

I just did mine on my 2016, 13% oil life, 17,000 miles and 20 months since new. I put the hood up when I started it and while getting the ramps out and the car on them to warm the oil for easy drain. Every thing looked fine till I got out from under the car and the oil collection pan was in the sunlight. It was green and muddy looking not the normal tan color of the Mobil 1 specified for the car. Has any one else seen this green oil. I hope it is what they use at factory for break in.

 

[linkim]

I just did mine on my 2016, 13% oil life, 17,000 miles and 20 months since new. I put the hood up when I started it and while getting the ramps out and the car on them to warm the oil for easy drain. Every thing looked fine till I got out from under the car and the oil collection pan was in the sunlight. It was green and muddy looking not the normal tan color of the Mobil 1 specified for the car. Has any one else seen this green oil. I hope it is what they use at factory for break in.

My first two oil changes are free by the dealer, if done in the first two years. Many years ago I did my oil changes myself, but for free its not worth the effort. Aren't your first two free?

 

[Jim Fallston Md.]

Why go to the dealer , I had oil and filter here at the house. I had a zen moment with my Volt and I am positive it was done right.

 

[alfon]

I just had our 2016 Volt in for the 24,000 mile free service and oil change. The oil was reading 43% and we had 22,700 miles, and about 7,000 miles on the engine. I told the Service Manager, and he wrote it down on the work order, to use 0W20 , the sticker stated they use Mobil One oil and AC Delco oil filters. I plan on 3,000 or so gas miles and then change the oil myself with a Wix XP synthetic oil filter and Mobil One Extended Performance 0w20. Seem like the oil is pretty easy to change once you put the car up on ramps, in which I already have a pair to change our 2010 Prius oil and filter, and I use Mobil One 0w20 oil at every 10,000 miles, 4 quarts out, and 4 quarts in after nearly 160,000 miles no oil usage.

 

[DaveG]

My first two oil changes are free by the dealer, if done in the first two years.

Why would a Volt need 2 oil changes in the first two years?

Our 2013 Volt has 78K miles on it, and we've only needed 2 oil changes so far.

 

[llninja]

Why go to the dealer , I had oil and filter here at the house. I had a zen moment with my Volt and I am positive it was done right.

One reason to do it at the dealer, if by some odd chance your ICE blew, having them on the hook is better than you on the hook. I had a friend who blew a Chrysler conquest engin within the warranty period and since he could not produce consistent maintenance records (mixture of jiffy lube and DIY, they would not honor the powertrain warranty. I've had my dealership do all the oil changes so far, but as soon as I hit 100k, I'll be doing my own. Small price to pay for that tiny bit of piece of mind. My first oil change was at 22.5k miles. I've lost track since then, but I think the car is nearly ready for its 3rd oil change at 81k miles. That's just amazing considering I grew up at a time when people changed their oil every 2.5-3k miles. Just changed the CTS oil yesterday, and the Suburban gets one every 5k miles which takes years since we drive it so little.

 

[linkim]

Why would a Volt need 2 oil changes in the first two years?

Our 2013 Volt has 78K miles on it, and we've only needed 2 oil changes so far.

I suppose it depends how much you drive. I didn't need the first oil change, but I took my Volt to the dealer for some software update and tire rotation. They said the oil change was free so why not do it?

 

[Ron in Omaha]

To answer the original question, I believe what you experienced is commonly called "chocolate milk". It's not chocolate or milk, it's an emulsion of oil with more water than the oil can suspend, stirred into a froth of microscopic bubbles that makes the oil have a distinctly odd color. The most unfortunate way to get chocolate milk is a catastrophic engine failure such as a blown head gasket or a cracked block. I doubt you have that problem. It is more likely condensation caused by infrequent engine use and only running the engine for a very short period. Getting then engine completely up to operating temperature and running it for a while will evaporate out all the moisture and prevent chocolate milk. I experience this last year with an engine that runs on propane (water is the #1 combustion by-product) that was only started long enough to move it in and out of my shop about 30 times over the course of 5 months. Since then, I make a point to run the engine no less than 20 minutes under load at least once per month and the milky oil problem has not returned.

 

[llninja]

I suppose it depends how much you drive. I didn't need the first oil change, but I took my Volt to the dealer for some software update and tire rotation. They said the oil change was free so why not do it?

It was a waste of dino juice. I change the volt's oil when the oil change indicator is nearing 0%. Every drop that we don't use helps.

 

[Jim Fallston Md.]

To answer the original question, I believe what you experienced is commonly called "chocolate milk". It's not chocolate or milk, it's an emulsion of oil with more water than the oil can suspend, stirred into a froth of microscopic bubbles that makes the oil have a distinctly odd color. The most unfortunate way to get chocolate milk is a catastrophic engine failure such as a blown head gasket or a cracked block. I doubt you have that problem. It is more likely condensation caused by infrequent engine use and only running the engine for a very short period. Getting then engine completely up to operating temperature and running it for a while will evaporate out all the moisture and prevent chocolate milk. I experience this last year with an engine that runs on propane (water is the #1 combustion by-product) that was only started long enough to move it in and out of my shop about 30 times over the course of 5 months. Since then, I make a point to run the engine no less than 20 minutes under load at least once per month and the milky oil problem has not returned.

Thanks for actually answering my question, That seems like a probability but as my wife is now using the car she will use the engine a little more that I did.

 

[linkim]

It was a waste of dino juice. I change the volt's oil when the oil change indicator is nearing 0%. Every drop that we don't use helps.

I don’t disagree with you. If I had to pay for the oil change, I would have waited longer until the oil change indicator*was closer to 0%. However, the Volt was at the dealer, so guilty. This annual visit and oil change avoided another possible visit for an oil change before the second annual visit. The dino juice was not completely wasted, presumably it was recycled.

 

[JFudo]

Ron in Omaha was exactly right about the moisture in your oil. You might want to look at your commute and how you use the car, since seems like when your engine runs you don't get up to temperature. I suggest that if you are 5 miles from home and you have 4 miles of battery left, switch to hold mode to make sure that when the engine does come on it has a chance to warm up.

The same thing happens with ICE cars to people that have a 2 mile commute.

The milk color is typically most apparent on the oil filler cap, so you can easily check the oil as needed by looking at the underside of the cap.

 

[Highroller]

I suppose it depends how much you drive. I didn't need the first oil change, but I took my Volt to the dealer for some software update and tire rotation. They said the oil change was free so why not do it?

I went to the my dealer for a software update the Volt had 349 on the ice at 13 months and they talked me into changing the the oil and filter, the fact that it was free went a long way but still felt it was a wast so I told them to bottle it and I did a quick oil and filter change on my wife's Rav4 no way it was going in my Vette