Newbie questions

I've had my 2001 Td4 ES for 4 days and have a couple of newbie questions.

First, and I know this is a frequent cause for concern - the often discussed VCU. I can feel the resistance when driving slowly and steering hard, which is to be expected, but how much is too much? Any guidelines.

Second, I am new to diesel ownership so was surprised to see black oil on the dipstick even though it was supposed to have been serviced before I got it. I have since found via google that this is quite normal for diesel engines. I first checked it after a couple of days and only a few tens of miles (certainly less than 100). Does the oil in a Td4 turn black that quickly, or did they forget to change the oil?

THanks

how many miles has it done?

if its a 2001 - then it is likely to have done circa 60K miles and the oil will be permanently black within a very few miles, because the "new" oil will pick up the contaminants and residue left behind with the old oil.

Yeah, that makes sense. It has done a little over 50k miles.

Crikey!