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a garage gave my subaru outback 2009 model diesel an oil change, the dipstick shows black oil unlike what I saw before the change. the mechanic told me that because my car is diesel it makes the oil black. is this right ?

Hi there,
Yes this is a common scenario with diesel vehicles, the oil gets quite black over time, and also new oil goes black very quickly after running. More so than a petrol engine that burns much cleaner and the oil will at least stay brown for a few weeks after servicing.
If you wipe some of the oil onto your finger or rag it should reflect a brown tinge, where old oil will just stay jet black.