Ominous white deposits on dipstick (E46 3er)

[Fun Bus]

I've a 72k mile 318Ci Sport and have had it since the end of December. Each time I've checked the oil, the dipstick has had ominous looking white deposits which is a little concerning. There isn't a lot of it either - it's a small amount.
The car has full BMW service history except for an Oil service done at the specialist I bought it from which was at around a thousand miles ago. The oil filler cap has no signs of the white stuff and the car has no problems with over-heating (my commute is stop start across Nottingham each morning).

Any suggestions on why I'm getting this?

[4rephill]

E46's are prone to moisture on the dip sticks and can sometimes end up getting rusty. From your symptoms it sounds as if the moisture has reacted with oil on the dipstick. Shouldn't be anything to woorry about, it's a quirk of the model and there's no real solution for it.

The fact that you do not have any white deposit under the oil cap tends to rule out excessive moisture in the rest of the engine, but at this time of the year it's a good idea to take the car out for a good long run once a week to get moisture and condensation out of the engine and exhaust system.

Hope that's of some help/comfort for you.

[Fun Bus]

Great, thanks for putting my mind at rest. I had read after worrying about the condition of my dipstick the first time I checked the oil that moisture is an issue. I just had'nt associated the two when seeing the white deposits.

[Tango13]

What sort of journeys are you doing? short start/stop stuff will cause condensation and the white gloop but working it hard once it's up to temprature will ensure the engine lasts forever.

[confused_buyer]

The question is where is the moisture coming from. If you are not losing any coolant and there is no sign of oil in the coolant then it is not coming from there, if you are then it possibly is and you might have a major issue.

Mayo on dipstick and under the oil filler cap is not uncommon this time of year if doing lots of cold starts and no long runs. It is most probably just condensation in the crank case or it could be the crank case ventilation (CCV) valve could so with replacement.

Personally, I'd just keep and eye on it and levels and see if it goes away in Spring.