When I purchased my '10 my salesman said that on the new Max they are requiring synthetic oil for oil changes at about $106. Does this sound right? seems a bit high to me but my 07 only needed regular oil. Changes were about $26. Any thoughts?

 

Do a search for "ester oil" and you will find a lot written about this subject. I think the facts support the thesis that the 09+ Maxima needs only ordinary oil changes with dino or synthetic oils done anywhere. However, the perception is that the warranty is at risk of ester oil is not used, and of course, only the dealer has it.

 

Yes please search, hundred million of these threads on Ester Oil and Synthetics.

 

Smart salesman, he mentioned the 120 dollar 09+ Maxima oil changes, for most people it's a surprise to find out the price

 

When I got the first oil change at the dealer (free) they used 5-30W Quaker State Synthetic Blend. I plan on using full synthetic 5-30W from now on. If I ever have an oil related engine problem at least I will have documentation that the ester based oil was not used by the dealer

 

keep those receipts

 

What do you use for your maxima and how often u change oil? It looks like u done ur research

 

come on man, search using his name

 

I could give you a hundred links here, but no two will agree. My Nissan dealer simply changes mine every 3750 miles using Shell 5W-30. Costs $29, or $21 with coupon (and includes a multi-point check of lots of things). He says that meets all warranty requirements.

If I were an aggressive driver, or driving in tough traffic, I would switch to synthetic somewhere between the 10K and 20K mile mark, and probably change oil every 5K miles from that point on. But everyone here has a different approach with oil/changes.

 

I'm letting everything in the engine "seat" properly in the higher friction regular oil until the third oil change at which time I will go to full synthetic. Worked on my Saab 900 (had 330,000 klics on it) and my Blazer (170,000 klics) My Nissan dealer has two kinds of oil. Regular 5W-30 and Mobil One 5W-30. I'm beginning to think this "ester" additive must come from all the dead horses that have been flogged over the issue.

 

No two will agree with oil issues, but I feel your logic is exactly the same as mine, and agrees with what Nissan techs told me about six years ago. This is PRECISELY why I wait until between 10K and 20K to switch to synthetic.

 

I just wait for the original factory oil to evaporate/burn from the crankcase, then I change the filter and fill with synthetic. This usually happens around 10-20k miles. That way I do not need to mess with recycling the oil and mess. I also know that things are as "seated" as they are going to get.

 

Yes six years ago that was something to abide by but today the engines are designed to use Synthetic as factory fill from day one. My dealer installed Synthetic on my first oil change and my Z also got the same treatment. Most Synthetic oil companies will even tell you that it's no longer an issue.

 

thank you

 

I guess enough used oil Analysis have been done to prove synthetic form the start is OK

 

So the march of time has now trashed another of my long-time bits of wisdom.

I would no more listen the the companies that sell synthetic than I would listen to a Wall street stockbroker. But if your dealer installed synthetic on your first change, then what you say is probably true. The fact many new Teutonic cars arrive from Das Deutchland with synthetic is yet another clue you are (unlike me) probably right up to date. You almost always are.

Thanks for the update.

 

im actually due for my second oil change now, and i refuse to bring my car to the dealer, there very careless and all since its not there car but my question is and sorry if this is a repeat question, Is it safe to use sythentic oil since the manufactor recomends that ester oil?

 

I recently did my first oil change on my '10 Max at 1k mi and put in mobile 1. I haven't had any issues in the 500 mi since and I'll run synthetic for as long as I own it and change the oil every 5k mi. I did the same with my Z and bike and both have been running strong and the Z has over 100k mi. There's no need to baby modern engines. Nissan recommends ester but it's not required. If ester was required there would be warning labels plastered all over the engine bay.

 

German Castrol > *

 

Thread after thread, everyone agrees that it's ok to use synthetic but nobody says anything about why Nissan wants you to use the ester product. We all know about how well synthetics protect a regular engines internals, but we don't know how it effects the DLC coating in our engine. The ester product is recommended in order to preserve the DLC coating itself because it lacks a couple of the additives which do degrade the coating. I totally believe in synthetics protective qualities, but I personally, will stick with the ester product until more data is collected on synthetic oil additives effect on the DLC coating.

 

I heard that Nissan was having noisy valvetrain problems with the G35 engine so they specified ester oil to cure this issue. How the "recommendation" got over to the Maxima is unknown. It is now generally known that ester oil is not needed for the Maxima. But Nissan does a bad job of communicating this message to all concerned.

Dealers that push the use of ester oil have the oil in inventory. Ones that use dino oil do not carry ester oil. This should tell you what is going on.

 

Ester can be purchased cheap in bulk at sites like Courtesy Parts. I have always been baffled at people who BUY the oil at the dealership. Just buy your own and use the dealer merely as a service station. There's no need to buy stuff at the dealer's price. The same goes with filters and aftermarket parts. Unless you know your dealer is an aftermarket friendly place, you most likely will be paying more...

 

just gave my dealer a call and the ester oil is 12 bucks a quart at my dealer....what a rip off

 

Guys let me just say this before i forget. When i was in the waiting area getting my first oil change done , a lady walks in with her new maxima and wanted an oil change, so the guys tells her it was gonna cost 90+. So the lady was like forget it, and i remember the service guy telling her if she doesnt use the ester oil in her car, they will not cover any engine problem under warranty. So this is why i might stick with the ester oil for now

 

I took my Maxima to the dealer for the first oil change and they put
Dino oil in it. Then at 10k miles I put Mobile 1 in it myself.

 

its weird how some dealers stress the ester oil and some dont

 

Had mine done yesterday. Had an argument with the dealer that Esther is required and that if anything broke on the engine, it may void my warranty. I mean, he was really fighting me. I guess because I was young I automatically was marked as being ignorant.

Had I been an ordinary customer his scare tactics would have worked. I find this absolutely deplorable business practice. Most people won't go online to educate themselves about their vehicle. Had I not known, I would have been hit up for $100+ bucks for an oil change. Route 22 Nissan, you've lost my business on the service side and now the future sales side.

This whole Esther oil use in the 7th Generation Max is ridiculous and is really turning my thoughts around into purchasing any future Nissan products.

 

HUGE profit margin

 

The whole ester oil heartache makes me sad. In my mind, there is no way Nissan can justify creating a situation where loyal customers can be charged a HUNDRED BUCKS for an oil change. If Nissan fouled up and built an engine that cannot use any normal oil, then they should cover costs of oil changes above what is normally charged. If the engine CAN use normal oil, then this ester charade should never have happened.

I know I will NOT be paying a hundred bucks for an oil change, and I absolutely WILL take Nissan to court if they say my engine failed because my dealer has been using dino oil at oil change times. I have used dino oil for sixty years, and it has never been a problem in any vehicle I ever owned during those sixty years.

 

Actually it was the VQ37HR engine in G's and 370's.

As to how the "recommendation" was applied - profit, pure and simple. Any GF-4 , SM oil in the proper viscosity will keep your warranty intact.

 

It's funny cause just how Nissan denied warranty claims on GTR transmission cause of a feature they equipped the car with, Im sure they could turn around and say, all dealerships are independent of the manufacture and we have no say in what they do, so it's your fault you have an engine problem, I highly doubt that but, in my case I purchased the maintenance package and was told I would get Ester Oil, when I was living in NY that was fine cause the dealer used it, but now living here in Marietta, I really don't want to go over to Team Nissan and have them fill my car with Quaker State or any regular oil, because I paid for the Ester Oil up front with my package.

 

Anyone who has been around knows that every company takes advantage of a brand new product when it's 1st released, here it's a simple oil change but what about those who paid more just cause the dealer marked up a new model it sucks but we all make the mistake of paying to much for something and never doing it again, but sadly the car service industry is horrible for making people believe they need every service available other wise the car will blow up, and that is why many people never do anything to their cars and then eventually end up with a huge repair bill, cause they neglected a simple service, which was confused with the engine flush and front brake service at 15k

 

Where can we find any literature stating that not using the ester iol will not void any warranty?

 

It's implied in the owners manual, see below. Note that the only "requirement" for the oil is that it has the API cert and is 5w-30 viscosity. Conversely, see note *4 regarding the trans fluid. THAT is what a requirement looks like. It's spelled out in quite clear language. If ester was required it would have a similar note stating to only use ester or the engine wouldn't be covered under warranty. Recommended is not the same as required.

 

That Nissan Tech took advantage of that woman. I would have been fuming mad. I would have taken the Tech to task in some way. Example: Then how come Straight Shooting Nissan in NextDoor Town said ester oil is not needed? And how come the the rep at Nissan customer service in TN said dino is ok? So on and so forth.

Are you going to let them push you around? You already have big time problems with the Bozo in Brooklyn with the vinyl overlay.

 

they didnt push me around at all im just implicating what the tech said to the lady, i think you have to re-read what i wrote

 

What I read is that the incident with the lady influenced your decision on using ester oil. You were not directly "pushed around", but indirectly so; the effect is the same. Your opinion on the propriety on using ester oil was influenced by witnessing a threat made to a similarly situated Maxima owner. Don't let bullying tactics have their way with your mind or your wallet. Just my 2 cents.

 

I got to say as much as I love my maxima, I have serious concerns about nissan. I have read nothing but horror stories on this board about their horrible service and tactics towards customers. As it is this warranty is only going to last my 18 months anyway as I drive 24k a year sounds like that wont matter much.

 

No matter which automotive forum you visit you will read horror stories about bad service from the dealers. The problem is that the owners that have excellent service are the "silent majority". I have had excellent service from my dealer, no problems whatsoever. The next to the last time I visited the dealer to have a part installed it turned out the wrong part had been ordered. The service manager saw I lived fifty miles or so from the dealer so he offered to fill my gas tank on the next visit to make up for the inconvenience. Some of the poor service may be self inflicted, owners go to the dealer with a chip on their shoulder and make outrageous demands and then complain when their demands are not met.

 

Very timely post. I have owned nothing but Maximas for over 25 years because they have always given me excellent service. For instance, I had 206,000 tough commuting miles on one of my two '85 Maximas when I let it go back in the '90s, and I saw that car still rolling around town a few years ago. My 2000 SE with GLE option package never needed even one repair the entire five years I owned it. My '04 SL had a few initial glitches, all fixed in one trip to my dealer, then never needed another repair the last 4 1/2 years I drove it. I have had my '09 for over nine months, and so far there has not been any problem of any kind. And the friendly, helpful treatment I have always gotten from my dealer always brings me back for another Maxima, even though I do sometimes look at, and even test drive, other cars.

Name any other make of vehicle, and I can name a relative of mine who can tell you horror stories about that brand.