OK so I shy'd away from the piston soak. I did just run a quart of trans fluid through for about 1K miles. Then drained while hot and filled with Shell Rotella T6 5w-40. Been good ever since. Done about 1100 miles so far on the new oil n filter and it's the cleanest it's ever been. Only this weekend did it start to show signs of getting dark. I've been checking it every weekend since I changed it (weekend before Thanksgiving) and it was still that golden/yellowish color on the rag.

Oil consumption in 1100 miles has only been a smidge. Like from the top 'groove' or indentation to just below the groove/indentation.

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2006 X5 3.0L - Schwarz Black/Truffle Brown
Stock
But I keep it clean