Nissan Consumer Affairs just called and indeed says that the Ester Oil is included with the Bronze care package.. Now the question will be , why the heck did the original dealer put ENEOS in it..and charge me extra?? Interesting!

 

I had the same problem, bought the car with a maintenance plan, was told the maintenance plan covers the ester oil for the 09 Maxima, I move from NY to Georgia and have to get my oil changed so I go to Marietta Team Nissan, and they put regular 10w30 in my car.

Seriously it pissed me off cause 1, it's not the oil I paid for, Nissan Ester Oil is 100 bucks, basic bulk dino off the shelf is 30 bucks, the dealer owes me 70 dollars, and 2, they used 10w30, Nissan does not recommend that weight, and 3, I took my car in for the 7500mi service and they only changed the oil, they did not rotate my tires until I told them to, bunch of ****ing idiots in that dealer.

My next visit to get my car serviced will be at Nalley Infiniti, overall im not impressed with Nissan in Georgia at least the ones I've been to, the dealerships are lacking, they look like they are 10 years behind where they should be.

 

In your earlier post, you said you told that first dealer you wanted the SYNTHETIC oil used. Nissan's Ester oil is NOT a synthetic oil; it is a DINO oil with special additives to ostensibly give additional protection to the molybdenum-reinforced steel surfaces of the moving parts in the Maxima's engine.

 

I agree with Light word for word. ENOEOS is a synthetic oil by Nippon. It is one of the most expensive and high quality synthetics out there. If I read correctly, synthetic is what you asked for.

 

Okay, so to be clear we are saying that Ester Oil is NOT a synthetic? I have been told and have read otherwise before. Only reason I asked for the synthetic was because my understanding was that the recommended Ester in the manual was a synthetic... I can admit ignorance here

 

This is what I read from mobile oils site before I talked with Nissan and posted here,What is Ester Oil?
What is ester oil and how is it different than conventional oil?
--*Randy Drier,*Atlanta,*GA

Answer:
Ester oil is synthetic base oil that has been chemically synthesized. Typically ester oils are used in passenger car air conditioning compressors, refrigerators, and other industrial applications. Esters are one of the classes of synthetics that have been used in Mobil 1 products as well. Esters are stable molecules, provide good solvency, and provide very good low temperature and high temperature performance in engine oils.

 

That is Mobil's answer, and that may be the case with Mobil oils. But we have been told here several times that Nissan uses a dino oil as the base for their ester oil. The word 'ester' is not restricted to either synthetic oil or dino oil, but is referring to ethyl acetate.

I remain in the camp that feels Nissan has not been totally open, clear or fair with Maxima owners in this area. At first, they indicated the Nissan ester oil was part of the recommended maintenance plan for warranty purposes. Then it gradually became sort of 'optional'. At the same time, some Nissan dealers were pushing the Nissan ester oil very hard (and charging over $100 for an oil change), while others simply used a 5W-30 name-brand dino oil without even mentioning the ester option.

Same with octane. For '09s, 91 (or higher) octane was not just 'recommended', but MANDATORY. But for what seems to be the same engine/fuel system in the '10, Nissan RECOMMENDS 91 (or higher) octane. This does not seem to me as an honest or fair way to treat customers.

As info, the Shell station on Glenn Ave in Fayetteville GA on Wednesday was charging:

Regular --- $2.39
Midgrade - $2.69
Premium - $2.99

I filled with premium. For 17 gallons, that meant it cost me $10.20 more for a tank of gas than regular. For a retired person on a fixed income, that is a significant difference.

In these economic times, car manufacturers that make vehicles that require premium are WAY behind the times. It is VERY FOOLISH to promote a product that is more costly and less environmentally friendly to produce, and which makes a difference in driving by only a tenth of a second or so to 60 mph at all-out acelleration. Except for race cars and misguided teeny-boppers (and those who have money to burn), that serves no constructive purpose. If you want the car to acellerate faster, put in a larger engine. Yet car manufacturers still seem to cater to those folks still living in the roaring sixties. We need to move into the third millenium and let the egotistical extravagances of the past rest in peace.

 

60 cents a gallon differential between regular and premium is a rip-off. We pay 30 cents a gallon (.15 for midgrade/another .15 for premium) here in central Arkansas and I think that is excessive. In south Louisiana, where I moved from several years ago, it is still 20 cents a gallon between regular and premium. .10/.10. But the price is always what the market will bear, if they can get it, they will.

Has anyone tried octane boosters? At a $10 differential between regular and premium the boosters may be a viable option.

 

Here is my ester oil analysis I got in the mail today:

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....46#post7408246

Haven't had a chance to really review in-depth at work.

 

 

Did you send a virgin oil sample for comparison?
Why is the total acid number (TAN) blank?

 

That is an extra $10.00 option, same for TBN which I opted for. No need to test for acidity no enough time on this sample. No virgin sample submitted waste of money doing that if you ask me.

 

i just got my 1st oil change today. The dealership i bought the car from offers 1st oil changes for free. They gave me the ester oil. It was almost 85 bucks for the change. I also got a free tank of gas, part of my deal.

Thinking about going to full synthetic next time car will have 7500 to 8000 miles on it by the next change any thoughts?

 

Talk about someone who loves to re-open a can of worms. This dino-synthetic thing has been beaten into the ground weekly since the '09s arrived back on June 25, 2008. Actually, this has also been beaten into the ground weekly on the 6th generation Maxima board for six years, and on the 5th generation Maxima board for ten years.

All of which suggests there is no wrong answer here. Simply a matter of personal preference. Either dino or synthetic or ester will protect our cars very well. I personally would probably wait until after 10K to switch, but I see absolutely no problem switching to synthetic around 8K if that is your preference.

 

i am using red line oil as it is synthetic and ethylated. I also used a good oil filter which is as importatnt as the oil. I'm using mobil1 oil filter its expensive but I think its worth it. It uses sythetic media which filters smaller particles. It cost me around $60 to change myself but I change my oil every 10,000 miles

 

It's been proven with several UOA's that redline and the VQ35DE don't perform very well, it's shear resistance is poor with the VQ. Redline isn't API certified not sure if you knew that.

If you want real world results and not fan boy opinions read this thread:

http://my350z.com/forum/engine-and-d...-and-info.html

 

What kind of synthetic oil do you guys recommend. I hear that Amsoil is the best but I can only find it online and I don't do my own oil changes anymore, due to back surgeries, but I don't know of any oil and tire place around me that uses Amsoil. My local Goodyear place uses Valvoline Super Syn which I've been using on my Acura with no problem. I've heard that Mobil 1 Super Syn is good as well but I don't know which chain stores offer that. What are your guys opinions on the best syn oil to use?

 

Some ppl have been having success w/ Amsoil SSO. I just ordered a case from talkinghorse. He is on the forum and provides great service and excellent prices!! I haven't put the SSO in my Max yet, Ester has only been in for 1000 miles. Gonna throw it in during my next oil change and see what it's all about!! I have heard that you can take your own oil & filter to a dealership/lube shop and have them charge you only the labor, if you choose to do so. Good luck!