I have a 2002 SE with 6 speed. I bought it new with 11 miles on it. My current mileage is 7,300. Break in schedule was adhered to and oil was changed at 1,000 miles and 3,900 miles. I drive mixed highway and stop and go city, but don't get crazy with the car.

I noticed that the oil level was about a quart low since the last oil change (about 30 ounces used in 3,400 miles). I spoke to the service department at my dealer (I've been using these guys for 12 years) who assured me that this is within normal range for the Maxima and that the oil use would decline as I got more miles on the engine.

This amount of oil consumption seems awfully high to me, and means that the Maxima is using more oil than my 91 Sentra with 210,000 miles on it! It goes in for service in 2 weeks, so I'm going to have them check for leaks, etc -- I see no evidence on the driveway, but really want to get my concerns on the record early in the life of this car.

Is this normal for the Maxima and what is the next step to take? I'd appreciate any insights from the group.

 

it is in normal range, but not all VQ's use oil. No complications have been reported from anyone who has a oil using VQ. It never gets better or worse.. just uses a qt between changes. It annoys more than anything else.

My '00 Pathfinder (has the VG) was using alittle, switched to Mobil1 and now it doesnt. But I have no proof it was the syn. I know syn has a higher flash point, maybe that kept it from burning some of it off, but that makes no real sense

As far as the VQs go, aside from a leak, up to a quart is ok. You should find that you dont have to worry about it and constantly check it every fillup, as I'm sure you are doing now. that would annoy.

 

I bought my 2K new with 55 miles on it. Ever since my first oil change it's been using 1 to 1.5 quarts between changes at 3500 to 4000 mile intervals, depending on the type of driving I do.

My advice to you is just to keep monitoring it and make sure it doesn't get worse over time. Check the level monthly and add oil as necessary. Never let it get too low unless it's almost time for a change anyway.

 

About two years ago, my gle consumed 3/4 of a quart in less than 3,000 miles. I was using petroleum 5w-30 at the time with less than 10,000 miles on the vehicle. Dino 5w-30 will evaporate overtime.

After burning oil, that was the final straw and I went the synthetic route after 12,000 miles and have been happier ever since.

 

Well, its flashpoint gets lower due to breakdown and fuel contamination.

 

Thanks for the quick replies. This truly is disheartening - I've owned Nissans since 1984, and have loved them - there was no bigger Nissan proponent than me. I finally must admit to myself that I'm very disappointed with this Maxima and that it is probably my last Nissan.

I have to laugh when I see this advertised as Nissan's Flagship. Since I bought it in February, there have been many issues. Granted, the car is a fun driver's car and the problems are mostly minor and since fixed. Its still troubling because they show sloppy design and a decline in build quality, based on my 20 years of Nissan ownership. (Two people at work bought Hyundai Sonatas at the same time and have had zero problems - go figure!)

Here's the list:

- Hood flutter and vibration (fixed per TSB)
- Accelerator pedal stop recall (recall completed)
- Loose shifter (replaced)
- Distorted speaker (replaced)
- Suspension recall (recall completed)
- Chipping paint
- Clicking in steering column (replacement column to be installed - on order for 2 months)
- Numerous squeaks and rattles (some fixed by me, others unresolved)
- Speedometer/tachometer impossible to read in twilight with headlights on (design problem)

Because I have a good relationship with my local dealer, all of this is OK because it can and was easily fixed without a fight. All the while, I was telling myself that "at least the engine and powertrain are solid". But now, add burning oil to the top of the list, and there goes that little rationalization.

The car is fun to drive, but I'm tired of driving it back to the dealer for service. I'll probably keep this car no longer than the factory warranty and then say goodbye to Nissan forever after 20 years. I now understand why Nissan was near the bottom in the JD Power customer satisfaction survey.

 

A friend of mine also has a Sonata and he laughs when I whimper when I have to take my car in (although I have swapped dealers and this one seems much better but we will see).

He has had 3 issues:
1) tape deck eats tapes. Swapped onsite, WHILE he waited. Total time 40 minutes and they washed his car. Given priority service.
2) the clicky thing on a storage bin broke, replaced had to come back for car. Car washed. Given a ticket for a free oil change because they did not meet the service deadline.
3) Sent a notification in mail that the HP on his V6 Sonata was mis-advertised and he is like 4hp short than expected. Givin a choice of either one more year of bumper to bumper, 1 year on drivetrain (remember 10/100 on that anyway) or 1 more year roadside assistance. This was to rememdy the "bad publicity".
He has not had to fill out any "how did we do" surveys.

Then you have Nissan....well we all know so whats the point. We know they just dont compete. In my mind they are becoming like the Chrysler of imports. Great designs/looks and inovation. Crappy follow through. I.E. bad service and customer care AFTER the sale for the Nissan reps that read this.

BTW, Have you been in a VW with the "purple" dash lights? Now THATS impossible to read at night. Max's are hard VW are impossible.

 

I'm on my 5th Nissan and it's been an extremely reliable vehicle so far. The only issues I've had a few rock chips (common to many new cars) and some faint rattles). I will have to admit that it is not as solid as my old I30t but it is good enough. I buy reliable cars so I don't have to know the first names of my service advisor and mechanic, plus I can do almost all required maintenance myself. Out of curiosity, what are you going to buy next?

 

That decision is a year or two away so it's difficult to say. At worst, not another Nissan. At best, I now view Nissan as no better or worse than any other car brand - domestic, Japanese, or Korean.

What's certain is that my loyalty to Nissan is gone.

 

Are you certain it wasn't low immediately after the oil change? You've checked afterwards and then again before the next service? Did you wait awhile b4 checking or immediately after turning off car? Is level still low after sitting all night?

ARFF

 

Yes, I always check the level after an oil change before I even leave the dealer's lot. I hadn't checked the oil since the oil change (didn't think I had to on a new car), but last Friday found it low after it was sitting all night. I repeated the measurement following the instructions in the manual and got the same results.

Oil use may be a characteristic of this engine and that's OK, but it bugs me that some VQ engines do and some don't. Given the choice, I'd rather mine didn't. Other than damage caused by out-and-out abuse (which is not the case with my car), it suggests a precision issue in manufacturing which brings into question engine longevity.

I'm from the old school of thought that new engines just shouldn't burn oil. Based on my past experience with my other Nissans, including the 210,000 mile Sentra sitting in the driveway next to the Maxima, they didn't.

 

The 5w-30 petroleum based oil was created for fuel mileage reasons only, not maximum protection of the engine. The burnoff and evaporation rate is awful. With your other vehicles, you probaly used 10w-30 or 10w-40.

I use synthetic 5w-30 because the level of protection between it and the 10w-30 is statiscally insignificant. Use petro-10w-30 unless the temperature gets below 0 FH.

 

It stinks that you've had so many problem, I just picked up my SE recently and knock on wood, everything seems to be OK. Back in the old days.....Oil consumption was higher for the first few thousand miles because the rings had to seat before they sealed correctly. Alot of auto makers also say anything less than a quart every thousand is considered normal, some engines are tighter than others. I do not agree with that, I, like you, feel that at most, a quart between oil changes isn't bad. My other VQ 3.0 uses about 1/2 quart every 7k-8k (Synthetic).

 

That's a really interesting point. Both of my Nissans are serviced by the dealer, so I'm actually not even sure which weight of oil that they use - I know the brand they use is Agip, but I'm not sure of the grade. Knowing them, the service department probably uses the weight that is spec'd for a particular engine (Independent, Nissan only dealership with a small town atitude. I've had the same service writer and technician for 10 years). The Sentra is a '91, so that's probably not 5W-30.

Would 10W-30 in the Maxima make a noticeable difference in oil consumption? If so, its worth a try. At the very least, it would be a relief to know that the consumption is due to some property of the oil rather than a problem with the engine.

 

This is interesting...can someone else post their prof. oil opinion about this? Curious...

ARFF

 

All this talk about oil consumption in newer engines, leads me to my favorite soapbox:

CAFE oils are too thin!

Go with a 5w-40, 10w-40 and see if your oil consumption doesn't drop.
(And I daresay you may get better protection to boot)


Fred...

 

Oil also is consumed by vaporization. Read this article.

Also keep in mind that a 5W-30 dino and a 5W-30 synthetic are entirely different animals. Where the dino 5W-30 might be a problem, the synthetic 5W-30 could be the perfect weight.

 

seriously jagolden, if you are worried about your engine, do this

http://www.blackstone-labs.com/

the kit is free.. If your engine has problems, this will tell you with a high degree of certainty. If youre making metal or losing rings or have a coolant leak or..... this will tell you. Its $18 and you can have the Dealer or service place capture the sample for you (make sure they warm the car up and take the sample in the middle of the drain as per the instructions).

Anyway, if your contemplating a trade or just not sleeping well at night, this will give you some comfort or (in the worst case) the tools for a good fight. But I personally think it will come back as average.

This is what you get
http://www.adpub.com/tim/oil_max1.jpg

they have a big database to compare with and usually have very insightful notes, the back of the sheet even details further what each measurement means.

Besides, Bill would love your results for his spreadsheet.

 

I think a 40-weight oil on a VQ is overkill, unless you are S/C or Turbo....a good quality 10W/30 is my first preference followed by 5W/30.......


iwannabmw will flame me for this......

 

Nah, on oil's, we differ on technicalities.

I don't know if you've seen it yet, but Gerhard's last analysis had some interesting wear numbers on that Prelude. It's in your email if you haven't checked it in a while.

 

I got it.....

It's a good commercial for Amsoil versus Mobil 1, but the viscosity grades do differ contributing to some of the additive package differences. The H22 definitely doesn't wear like the J-series V6s and D-series VTEC 4-bangers I have analysis results on.

Viscosity seems to high to me, but no other "trouble" spots indicates something else is contributing to the higher than expected value.......

 

What I really liked about it was that he went from M1 15W-50 to Amsoil 10W-40 and despite what most people want to think about "thinner" oils, his oil consumption was cut in half. I also really liked the fact that even after 6K miles, it still had a TBN of 13.5!!

 

Is there any hard evidence that Amsoil is a better oil than Mobil 1? Just curious cuz I'm out of Mobil 1 and was thinking about trying something else.

 

To answer your question, I believe a regular 10w-30 would consume less oil versus the regular 5w-30. Give it a try.

As iwannabmw pointed out, conventional 5w-30 and synthetic are two different animals. If you decide to go the synthetic route after 10k miles, the 5w-30 synthetic works great.

 

 

Arrrr! Thread Pirates off the starboard bow!

 

The hard evidence question saddens me.....

 

Bill, I bet you could take a bunch of oil reports and like put them on this big spreadsheet.. People could like, look at it and see cars with conditions that match theirs! Then they could make their own decisions based on the value/benefit of the added cost..

this is all hypothetical of course

 

Hmmmmm.....interesting idea.....

 

I'll leave the sarcasm to moderators

The hard evidence you're looking for is in the oil analysis spreadsheet. You can view it from the general forum or click here and form some opinions for yourself without being thrown a sales pitch. Feel free to email me with any questions or things you might want explained further.

 

Just a word of thanks to those that replied to my original post in this thread. What a great resource! Great information, and a relief to find out that my car seems to be acting normally. I'll keep a close eye on things, and I am going to have my service department note my concern when I go in for my next service. That way, if this develops into anything real, I'll have the beginnings of the paper trail.