“Does such occur with the electrical system of a car that sits far too long unused?”
Also, a car has a 12V battery to power the field; a portable generator does not. A home generator is, actually, an alternator (produces alternating current).
Thank you for the explanations.
Hey Caddy, not really so. The dipstick is very deceiving! Drop the oil & you’ll see what I mean 
Caddyman has not been active in this forum for close to 5 years, and that’s a shame because he was a valued contributor. With that long a lapse in posting, I somehow doubt that he will see your post.
Yeah we miss caddy and mean Joe and dagosa etc. this is really old and the place price fluctuates too. A few years ago there was a supply crisis for folks that heat with it. A couple thousand to fill your tank was a bargain but at the cabin we always fillled up in the summer.
It is really hard to find an honest dipstick these days.
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The best way is to do an oil analysis in a lab. That way there is no guessing. You might be needing a change at 10K but you might have a lot longer you can go as well. Also consider if you are driving in really dirty/dusty areas. The lab should show that too.
Blackstone is one I always hear about but there are others.
As for generators, any I have get started at least once a year to avoid the loss of magnetism in the coils. I hear some include a very small permanent magnet to get them excited as well.