Well, there is a bit of sludge on the dipstick and the dipstick has some corrosion on it.

However, looking at the service records, I would not say that the car was abused, although the engine may have had a tough operating environment. The car has been serviced at a Mercedes dealer all its life, the previous owner appears to have followed the FSS schedule, and synthetic oil was always used. This leads me to believe that the car was probably not warmed up enough and frequently enough to burn out any condensation inside the crankcase.

Wouldn't the FSS detect this style of driving and indicate something?

Pulling the valve cover makes sense and I'll do this in warmer weather. If I do find more sludge - what would be the most sensible and economical response?

Thanks,
Paul

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1989 300E
1999 C230 Kompressor
2005 Toyota Highlander AWD

Also owned:
1964 Chevrolet Impala (first car)
1972 Fiat 124 Sport Spider (first sports car)
1976 VW Scirocco (first new car)
1970 Pontiac Parisienne (epitome of bland)
1980 VW Scirocco (last new car)
1953 GMC 6x6 (amazingly well engineered)
1967 Austin Healey 3000
1987 F150 4x4
1978 F150
1987 VW Jetta
1992 Toyota Previa AWD
2003 Toyota Sienna
2001 Nissan Pathfinder 4WD
1949 John Deere Model M