Originally Posted by duxthe1

If you are using the recommended synthetic oil (Mobil 1) then it will be darker than conventional dino oil. It's the nature of synthetic oil to turn darker sooner than conventional oil. Considering that you cannot use the color of the oil to make judgments on. The best thing to do is open your oil cap and look for the presence of sludge. Look down into the engine, if the parts are still metal looking it's good. If maintenance has been lacking then the metal parts will have a reddish brown buildup. Consider having an engine flush done if you find the latter.