BBmaxi

iTrader: (1)

is the "special" oil totally mandatory ?

BBmaxi

iTrader: (1)

so according to nissan it is not mandatory...and no it will not void any warranties right ?

lightonthehill

Regular dino, synthetic blend, full synthetic and Nissan's ester oil all four meet full warranty requirements. Each one of those four types of oil is being used by at least some folks here on the ORG.

Dubl-A

Mobile1 here, if I'm going to spend over $10 a quart for the ester oil I might as well move to Synthetic

2010BlackMax

to answer this questions. I use full synthetic, not worried if i used regular oil, but i use full synthetic in all my vehicles. It cost be 10 bucks more, and that is what i want to use, that is my only reason. I like synthetic better.

medic1

So what do they use at nissan dealership for oil change and dont specify....regular oil or the nissan ester??

MaxLoverAz

iTrader: (1)

They use "dino" i.e. regular oil. Just make sure you use 5W-30 API SM or later certified oil. Your manual mentions this plus has a picture of the API seal.

lightonthehill

Exactly right. And when using dino, I am careful to stick pretty much with Nissan's recommended change interval of 3750 miles. At times in the past, I have put well over 200,000 miles on Maximas using nothing but dino oil.

With synthetics, many drivers go 5K, or even 7.5K miles between changes. Using synthetic and changing at 7.5K means you will be needing only half the oil changes dino users do.

STARR

iTrader: (1)

It's really all in how you drive, the most critical part of the engine life is at start up, and almost everyone starts their car and runs the crap out of them, look how many cars have 60-100k and burn oil, dino or synthetic does not matter, as a tech I saw plenty of Nissans with burnt out engines with relatively low mileage.

STARR

iTrader: (1)

I would check your local dealer, they vary, just for me, my 2 local NY/NJ dealers insist on Ester oil, and only Ester and want $120 for the oil change, then here in GA, the 1st dealer I went to put regular Castrol 10w30 in my car, I did not like that dealer and they are pretty crappy as far as sales and service is concerned, and the current dealer I use in GA puts Pennzoil Synthetic Blend in my car which Im happy about, so check around

lightonthehill

I am surprised a Nissan dealer would put 10W30 in a 7th gen Maxima, unless it was late spring or the beginning of summer. The two Nissan dealers nearest me both use Shell's best 5W30 dino oil year round. For my style of driving, that works perfectly. If they used the Pennzoil synthetic blend your current dealer uses, I would be very happy with that, also. I would, however, make sure they used 5W30 viscosity, especially if that oil will be in the car during the cold season.

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

Castrol GTX is one of the best oils on the market.

Go to the fluids and lubricants section on here and download the oil analysis spread sheet. The proof is in black and white.

STARR

iTrader: (1)

Thanks but my issue with the dealer was I originally bought an oil change package from Nissan and was told any Dealer I went to would put Ester oil In my car, worth 120 a change, not 29.95 bulk dino oil

Thats why I was unhappy, because I was not getting what I originally paid for, I know all about Castrol GTX, but also have not used 10w30 in any of my cars ever

shadowx3081

Ok so I'm up you 3rd oil change and I wanted to know which oil is recmended for our 7th gem cars. On my previous cars I have changed
The oil my self and the only reason I take this car to the dealer is because of the Esther oil. Now the 2 times I have gone to the dealer I ask which oil they use and there answer has always been "the recommended oil is used". I the book Esther oil is recommended but in my previous oil change which was
My second and the first I payed for was a total of $47. Now I c that people are getting quotes of $120 so I want to know which oil is best for our carsz that way I can do the work myself

lightonthehill

This is a fairly short thread - just over a dozen posts. I think the info you are looking for has been covered right here earlier in this thread.

In a nutshell, Nissan recommends their special ester oil, which is very expensive,

BUT

ANY of the four basic types of oil oil (dino, synthetic blend, full synthetic or ester) that is 5W-30 API SM or higher (this type info is on every can/container of oil) WILL MEET WARRANTY REQUIREMENTS.

And every one of those four types of oil is being used by at least several dozen posters here on the ORG.

I noticed you are in New York City. If I drove aggressively, or in heavy traffic, or in a very cold climate, or did much stop-and-go driving, I would probably step up from the dino oil to a synthetic blend or full synthetic. I wouldn't pay the high price most dealers charge for ester oil.

ArvindCpatel

I bought the car from Melbourne,Fl dealer and he told me it will need Esther and $120 per oil change. They sold me three years total nine oil change for $395. Then for my first oil change I took my car to the local dealer in Merritt Island and they told me they don't have Esther and they use Castrol 5W30 and warranty is not an issue. My Melbourne dealer still insists on Esther. Well next oil change I will go to him but I have to drive 40 miles one way.

BBmaxi

iTrader: (1)

according to other members here as stated in the warranty and owners manual, esther oil and premium gas is not necessary. In fact u can use 87 octane and standard oil and it will still be under warranty.

alexdi

My dealer uses 5W30 Valvoline. Oil changes are $25. Not a synthetic, not a blend. The car doesn't seem to mind. They'll put in whatever I give them, so if I can find some discounted synthetic, that's probably next.

STARR

iTrader: (1)

be careful with the 87, cars that recommend 93 but are run on 87 eventually develop problems that are related to the fuel, and cars that are programmed to run on 93 but can fail safe to 87, will over time burn more and more 87 trying to compensate for the octane lose

my friend was running 87 in her bimmer, car could not break 17mpg, she switched to 93 and within 10 tanks she is averaging 27mpg with the same driving habits, this is like the 100th person I convinced to switch and they will see a change, the price of gas should not dictate what you run

TintNinja

Some people are cheap...for Premium average it costs $4.00 more to fill up

Here in Vegas we have 87, 89 and 91...I even used to use 91 in my 08 Altima.

And I have heard that gas consumption when using 87 is going to be more then 91 so really you have to fill up more often and end up putting out more money for 87 then 91.

My Premium gets Premium! Haha!

lightonthehill

Depends on where you are. The stations round me charge $3.09, $3.29 and $3.49 for the three grades, which means an 18 gallon fillup of premium costs $7.20 more than regular.

But you are right about 'cheap.' Those who put regular in this 7th generation Maxima are penny wise and pound foolish. Nissan CLEARLY SAYS in the owner's manual that if the only fuel available is regular, to take only the amount needed to reach the proper fuel, and to do no quick accelerating or otherwise put stress on the engine until you have the proper fuel.

There are good reasons Nissan tells us this.

Midgrade (89 octane) will work for those not into timed runs or very aggressive driving, but regular (87 octane) is outside the range of octanes this car was designed to handle, and this car cannot operate EFFICIENTLY on 87 octane.

sg1214

Why would you spend upwards of 30k + plus on a premium vehicle like this, and then dump cheap fuel into it? Thats like buying a big mansion and then furnishing it with fold out chairs. What im trying to get to is, dont buy a car like this if your not able to keep up with fuel costs.

BBmaxi

iTrader: (1)

ya 89 octane minimum would be the way to go, but are there any evidence or scientific proof or documents that support the use of higher octane gasoline.

any pics of an engine that has gone thru a lifetime of low octane vs high octane ?

and what is in the engine / or what is it diffferent about the engine that it requirres higher octane guel ? are the cylinder heads made of different metals ?

alexdi

Just as an aside, altitude and ambient temperature impact octane requirements. If it's cold out and you're a few thousand feet up, 87 may well have the same knock threshold as 91. The practical implication is that you can modify your fuel load with the season. When it's cold, octanes above mid-grade may not be of much benefit.

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/autos/gasol...section-1.html

Some notes on fuel management.

boone

iTrader: (1)

Here is the reason behind the need for higher octane fuel:"The octane rating essentially rates the fuel’s resistance to knocking.

"Knocking or pinging is a sound that an engine makes when the air-fuel mixture in the combustion chambers ignites too early. Although slight knocking or pinging won’t damage your engine, loud knocking can cause damage and should not be allowed to continue. The solution is to use a high octane fuel, which is actually more difficult to ignite, despite the misconception that high octane fuel is more powerful. When the fuel is more difficult to burn, early ignition is eliminated, and with it the knocking or pinging.

"The octane level required by an engine is determined by its compression ratio: higher-compression engines require higher-octane fuel. For example, a basic sedan generally only requires the standard octane fuel offered at gas stations, while a high-performance sports car or race car may require a high octane fuel."

STARR

iTrader: (1)

octane goes by compression ratio, the 7th gen is 10.6:1, anything that is 10 is high octane, so even if it is run on regular because the person things so, look at the engine and the compression ratio

and for damage google predetonation, the tops of the pistons get burnt and fried, plenty of info on it

BBmaxi

iTrader: (1)

ok got it, I know for a fact that my used 09 max has been through 87 octane for the whole 40k miles. It seems to ride good but who know what the internal damage it may have already done.

boone

iTrader: (1)

That is scary and sad at the same time.

STARR

iTrader: (1)

yup it is, but that is the entire used car market, it's why new cars sell

boone

iTrader: (1)

You are right. The possibility for questionable backgrounds of used cars is one of the reasons i started buying new cars.

vball_max

iTrader: (5)

Hey guys....sorry to bring up and old thread.

I bought a new 2012 recently and have just over 500 mi. on the odo. My plan for oil changes is to do the first at 750 miles, then at 3750, then switch to synthetic at 7500 and do 7500 miles OCI's after that on the synthetic (M1 EP, PP, or Penz Ultra, havent decided yet).

I've been doing a bunch of research on the whole Ester oil thing and I know that most of the synthetics out there contain ester, so I should be fine after the 7500 miles. But would you use the nissan ester oil for the first 2 oil changes up to that point for the break in period just to be safe, or would you just use something like a castrol GTX?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

silberma

Changing oil at 750 miles, then at 3750 and switching to synthetic at 7500 is a colossal waste of money for the following reasons

Modern engines are not built like the old ones, you will not find metal chips or debris in the oil. 3750 miles changes are only for sever duty operation. Read the owner's manual, Nissan recommedns 7500 miles for normal duty operation. Synthetic costs 4 times as much as regular oil and is not worth the money. Newer grade SM oils have the proper additives to make the 3000 mile oil change obsolete. Ester oil is just Nissan hype. As long as the oil is graded SM it does not matter what brand you use.

I play it safe and use regular oil and change at 5000-6000 miles. My other cars that have engine oil monitors indicate that I can go over 7500 miles before needing to change oil and this matches Nissan's recommedation. My Honda accord has over 150,000 miles on regualr oil

However, if you have money to burn you can go with synthetic blends which is a compromise between the two oil.

PS Nissan dealer default oil for regular everyday oil unless you specify otherwise.

STARR

iTrader: (1)

Nissan engines are hard on oil, the engines shear the oil and typically minimize the oil life compared to honda or toyota engines, I would not use the theory of my past car did well on these typical oil changes so my new car will as well.

If you truly want to know how well the oil is doing, get a used oil analysis, every engine reacts to different brand oils differently, even hondas with the factory fill have gotten some horrendous oil analysis that that shocked and upset people, nothing like having your oil tested to be told that oil with 7500 miles on it, is 3000 miles past it useable life and you have high amounts of metal wear in your oil.

Synthetic only cost twice the price of regular with more added benefits overall and sometimes on sale its the same price, its worth the price and piece of mind.

Regular oil and go 3750, Synthetic and go 5000-7500 but read up on bob is the oil guy forums and get a UOA to see how your engine, brand of oil and driving style/conditions effect the longevity of your oil

STARR

iTrader: (1)

As much as I would like to say changing the oil in the 1st 1000 is a waste, I have done it on all my cars including my past 2 Maximas, but my new car ownership break/wear in is similar to yours, I changed the oil at 1000, then did 3000-3750 on each regular oil changed and at around 15000 I switched to synthetic.

If I owned a Toyota with an engine that was gentle on the oil and my UOA at 5000 miles came back saying the oil is barely used, I would not worry so much about using a higher quality synthetic

sonomamax

When i got my max I got the maint package, (oil,filter,tire rot.) and my dealer uses Pennzoil 5w30. Been using it for the 2 yrs i have the car.

silberma

Can you pleas educate me on why why a 3.5 liter engine on a Maxima is more sever duty than a comparable engine in other cars ?

STARR

iTrader: (1)

educate yourself, google certain key terms, read up on bob is the oil guy, its well know that the VQ is slightly harder on oil then competitor V6 engines, a vast amount of info is on the internet, you can read for weeks maybe more

vball_max

iTrader: (5)

Thanks for all the thoughts guys.......unfortunately its all pretty contradicting

Goes to show there really is no definitive answer on oil. The more I read the more I realize that.

Silberma, I am getting the oil change at 3750 for free at the dealer (recommended by the maintenance schedule), so I am really only adding 1 OC to the dealer recommendations. Since that will be a dino oil, it will only cost about $30 with a filter change.

The whole synthetic vs. dino debate is a whole other debate that has no definitive answer. The maintenance schedule recommends OCI's of 3750 for hard driving conditions, and 7500 for easy driving conditions for using dino oil. I am somewhere between easy and hard driving, so I will be doing 7500 with synthetic oil after the break in period.

It is true that the VQ35DE engine is hard on oil. Do some searches on bobistheoilguy.com. Its stated over and over in there. Supposedly it shears the oil more than other engines. Based on the oil analysis results, very few people are recommended to exceed the 7500 miles even on the best synthetic oils out there. The maximum recommendations are definitely 8k-10k OCI's for this engine.

I am at 750 right now.....I will likely do a change at about 1000-1250 with castrol GTX 5W-30, get the dealer change at 3750, then switch to synthetic at 7500.

sonomamax

Just got my oil chgd and ask the service advisor about the ester oil in the max, NOT required as some people think, Ester oil is only REQUIRED in the GTR and Z cars. it is a premium synthic oil, and around 120 usd for the change.

09max_sv

For people are in colder climates are using 5w 30 all year round ie 5w 30 in winter and 10w 30 in summer ?