I am due to an oil change by next week and the oil change will be done by the dealer since the car is under the warranty for 3 years, the oil change interval is 5000 km (3000 mile) but the first oil change will be at 1000 km (600 mile).

Here are Q/As you might need to know:

1. What kind of vehicle you have?
2. What your owner's manual says about the viscosity?
3. What your owner's manual says about certifications (look for acronyms like API SM, ILSAC GF-4, etc.)
4. What your owner's manual says about oil change intervals?
5. Where you live?
6. How you drive (easy? hard? fast? slow?).
7. What your daily drive is like (short trips? long trips? city? highway?)
8. Whether your car has any known problems?

1. 2011 Nissan Maxima 3.5 VQ35 - 800 km (500 mile) did so far.
2. As per the owner manual, the prefered viscosity is 5W-30. If 5W-30 is not available, select the viscosity from the chart that is suitable for the outside temp range. The chart is given below.
3. As per the owner manual, API grade SJ, SL or SM, ILSAC grade GF-2, GF-3 or GF-4 and SAE certifications.
4. As per the owner manual, the OCI is every 5000 km (3000 mile).
5. Bahrain, Persian Gulf. Temp range during summer is 25~50 C (77~122 F). The weather during summer is very humid, dusty, gritty...
6. Easy and rarely driving it fast, hardly boosting it to 160 km/h (100 m/h).
7. Mostly City and short trips and too much idling.
8. No. The car is brand new and still under the warranty.

Thank you for your great cooperation.

 

City and short trip driving are harder on an engine than highway driving, so you need good oil.

There are three types of oil:

1 - Regular oil (called 'dino' oil)
2 - Synthetic-blend oil (partly regular oil and partly synthetic oil)
3 - Full synthetic oil.

Any of those three types will work fine.

The normal viscosity recommended for the Maxima is 5W30, but in your extremely hot driving conditions, I think 10W40 might be a better choice.

The recommended oil change interval for Maximas sold in the United states is 3,750 miles.

Most folks that use either synthetic blend oil or full synthetic oil usually change every 6,000 or 7,000 miles instead of 3,750. But since you are in a very dry, dusty area, and gritty sand tends to get into everything, it might be best to change more often. Maybe change every 3,000 miles if you use regular oil, every 4,000 miles if you use a synthetic blend, or every 5,000 miles if you use a full synthetic.

Be careful out there, and don't run into any camels.

 

Helpful post, didn't know "dino" meant regular. Also the OP has a great first post with lots of info that really made it easy for you to help him.

 

Of course 'dino' comes from the word 'dinosaur', and regular oil is lightly processed oil from right out of the ground, where it was formed by decomposition of the bodies of dead dinosaurs millions of years ago.

At least the terrible heat where iMAK lives is a dry heat. If the humidity was high there, life would be unbearable. I lived in Arizona for several years, and walked the streets of Tucson when the temp was 115 degrees with little discomfort because the low humidity takes the sweat away immediately. I did have to wear a hat to keep my noggin from frying.

But the low humidity aspect doesn't help cars. A cooling system must be it top working order to operate in the 120+ degree mid-east and also run the car's air conditioner.

 

@lightonthehill
I appreciate your input, it's really helpful. It seems that the dealer is using 20w50 and this oil grade is very common in my country and many don't recommend it because it's too heavy for new cars. I am going to meet the dealer maintainance supervisor and will ask him for a clarification and the reason why they use that type of oil while the car manual is recommending a different grade. I will report back.

Hehehe, regarding the camels, they are very far from where I live and travel ;-)

 

@danielevans83
Thanks for your kind input, fact is I tried to put as much info as I can to get the fastest reply

 

BTW, the humidity is high here during the summer and the weather is killing and sticky I can not explain the weather with letters...

 

Sorry about the humidity. Heat and humidity together can be very bad.

I haven't used 20W50 oil since the 1970s. That would be the best oil in your high heat for older cars with looser fit between engine parts, but I would be a little hesitant to use it in a modern precision (tight-fitting) engine such as we have in the Maxima. You could probably get by with 20W50 because you never have cold weather there. But I would think 10W40 would be best for your situation.

 

As lightonthehill wrote, 20w-50 really is too viscous for most modern engines. On short trips the oil does not reach normal operating temperature, and you know how viscosity relates to temperature. What does Nissan recommend over there?

I don't know what lubricant standards exist over there, but the European ACEA standards may be a good criteria to look for. Particularly, ACEA A3 serves European cars driven on the autobahn (hot engine and oil), as well as during cold weather, so it should serve you well.

 

As I told you earlier that the dealer is using Mobil 20w50 for all Nissan cars including the Infinities andy they admitted they didn't had any problem by using this type of viscosity. I asked them If I bring the oil myself would you change it under your supervision for the sake of the warranty, they said it should be OK but they will check the type of the oil before that.

At the end I had no choice today but to allow them changing the oil of the first 1K with what they have "20w50" till I reach 5K and from then I will be bring the oil best for the car.

My question, is it OK to run the car with 20w50 for the first 3K? I hope it's OK
BTW, the weather will be on its peak for the next 6 moths 115+...

 

I know that we are not as hot as you when it comes to length of time but I do feel you in regards to heat. Arizona gets 100+ for 5 months out of the year and 115+ for about 1 to 1.5 months. I use a synthetic blend and it seems to be ok. Every 4K change here.

 

If this Nissan/Infiniti dealer is doing this for all the cars they service Im sure this was approved by Nissan Corporate, I remember when I was a tech, all fluids had to be approved by the manufacture/corporate with extensive test.

20w50 is essentially a 5w30, except with extreme heat you don't need the cold start up oil protection of less then 20, the 50 obviously surpasses the 30 on the heat scale, it has been a while since I read up on oil weights but as long as you don't gets abnormally cold weather you should be fine

 

Also, it probably is not relevant, but I used nothing but 20W50 during summer months in my Datsun 200SX from 1978 until 1984. And I lived in Atlanta, where the high in summer is usually only in the 90s. Datsun was the name Nissan used for all their vehicles until around 1983-1984. I never had any trouble with the engine in that 200SX.

The oil recommended for the 7th gen Maxima in the U.S. is 5W30, and the 5W is important when the weather is very cold. But in places where the the weather is never cold, 20W50 should work fine, and will give added protection in extremely hot temperatures.

If I lived in the southern half of Arizona, I would probably use 10W40. After thinking about this for awhile, if I lived in the blistering heat where iMAK lives, I would consider 20W50.

 

Not at all, their viscosity is significantly different whether at freezing, 40 degrees, 100 degrees, or 150 degrees (all centigrade).

That said, while I wouldn't use it, 20w-50 won't damage the engine in hot weather. But it will waste energy, thus increasing fuel consumption and decreasing performance.

I believe all the stories about using 20w-50 in hot weather in stated vehicles. But most of today's new engines simply don't need it, and lower viscosity lubricating oils have improved a lot in the past 20 years.

 

they over lap, as most oils do, I have run synthetic in my car labeled as 0w30 and UOA came came saying the oil was more of a 10w40 or 10w50, but good for the VQ cause they tend to love a heavier oil, the performance does not fall off, but you lose a 1mpg, BMW owners seem to be running heavier weight oils

 

Agreed, the viscosities definitely overlap at different temperatures. At freezing a 5w-30 is definitely more viscous than 20w-50 at 40 degrees centigrade.

That 0w-30 you used was probably a European standard oil (perhaps ACEA A3), thus the higher viscosity. Try the US market Mobil 1 0w-30 and its viscosity will be well down in the range.

Any automotive engine oil is far more viscous than ideal when it is cold, but nature of viscosity vs temperature has it that way.