Ehem,
According to you, because it is dino based, it does not protect as well. A quality dino PCMO with a quality add pack will protect as well as any quality synthetic the first 5K miles. The differences are longevity and extreme cold performance.

 

thats the point.. no sense in using synthetic if youre a 3k OC type of guy.. although some people do..

 

Yup. Here's a BITOG thread of a 3k mile OCI kind of guy worried about forgetting to change his dino fill and going almost 6k miles on it, and the advise he got. Consensus is foggedaboutta.

 

Hey Guys. Justed started using German Castrol in my 04G35X with Pure One filter. How often should I change it? 3K or 5K miles or even 7K miles? The car has 38,xxx miles on it.

Thanks in advance.

 

I'd do a filter change at 5k and run 10k between oil changes.

 

5K mile Filter and 10K mile Oil Change?

That's a long interval.

I do about 400 miles a week on my car, mainly highway, but some city driving too.

I was thinking b/w 6,000 to 7,500 miles. Any personal experience with such a long oil change interval with GC?

 

Question: how do you change the filter without losing oil (i.e. if you wanted to change the filter but not the oil)? Just do it quickly before much drains out? That sounds messy.

 

You'll always lose some oil. There's no way around it.

 

Don't worry. GC is a damn good oil with incredible stability and uncanny tolerance for the contaminants (e.g. fuel) that inevitably build up with mileage. It's certified by BMW and Mercedes for their 10k-15k between changes, even in many of their high-performance engines. The Maxima engine has a smaller sump than most of those cars, but it's not really a strenuous application. It should do just fine with GC at 10k intervals, especially if you're using a good filter (PureOne = good) and changing it every 5k.

Hell, you could probably run 10k on the filter as well. I'm really only suggesting 5k because PureOne filters are not expensive.

 

Where is everyone getting GC nowadays? Thought production ended and were hard to find nowadays?

 

Autozone. The ones near me still have it...

 

Thanks D. I will consult my mechanic/best friend. I will closely monitor the oil level and color as usual.

 

I've worked at Autozone for a long time now and since the time being there, we've always carried the GC. I use it myself but recently was hit by some bad news. Autozone will not be carrying GC anymore, hence the $4.99 a quart sale price. So the possibilities of getting it from now on are very narrow. What other oil works best for VQ35?

 

question: did they do away with the regular mobil m1-105 filters and just introduced the new mobil extended performance filters?

The dude at Advanced Auto Parts gave me the model # M1-108 and that filter is TINY compared to my M1-105. Did they discontinue the M1-105 or is it just renamed?

Oh BTW whats GC?

 

GC = "German Castrol", a.k.a. Castrol Syntec 0w-30 European Formula, made in Germany. One of the best automotive lubricants ever made.

Note that the bottle HAS to say "made in Germany" on the back. If it doesn't, it's not GC and it's not as good.

 

o i c, thanks a lot. Ill keep an eye out for some GC. Ive been using Mobil 1 Synthetic and Penzoil Synthetic. Should give this a try.

So back to my original post, with the new Mobil 1 Extended Performance Filters, do they have the M1-105 model or was it renamed?

 

so my car's at 160k right now for the mileage. i'm wondering what i'm supposed to use. i read the first post and it's saying Mobil 1 would be a good option.. is it?

 

my friend who work at honda gave me some accord oil filters, saying that they fit the maxima. is that true?

 

[COLOR="Black"][COLOR="Navy"]Hello guys, need your help. Just got a 98 Max. SE 5 spd. with 165,000 Miles, my Mechanic said it has a little minor oil leak under the engine. He said '' It's normal because of the Mileage it has''. So I got it. My question to you guys is what Oil should I start using and of course with the Nissan OEM Filter. Should I go Syn***ic?If "NO" why? And what do you guys might think my oil Leakage under the Engine Might be? Thank you so much in advance.

 

[COLOR="Black"][COLOR="Navy"]Hello guys, need your help. Just got a 98 Max. SE 5 spd. with 165,000 Miles, my Mechanic said it has a little minor oil leak under the engine. He said '' It's normal because of the Mileage it has''. So I got it. My question to you guys is what Oil should I start using and of course with the Nissan OEM Filter. Should I go Syn?If "NO" why? And what do you guys might think my oil Leakage under the Engine Might be? Thank you so much in advance.

 

I'm not an expert but synthetic oil usually makes leaks worse because it dissolves build-ups that may be partially blocking a leak. There is an oil additive called Auto-RX that many people swear by. You do one or two treatments and drive 2500+ miles with the additive and then change the oil. It's supposed to stop a lot of leaks. I used it and haven't noticed a leak since although I haven't looked very closely....

 

I recommend AMSOIL. They've made synthetic oil longer than anyone and it is good for up to 35,000 miles depending on the formulation. Check out AMSOIL.com. I use it in my '03 along with their synthetic ATF. They also make an oil filter good for extended drain intervals. I am biased because I am a dealer; however, it really is the superior brand.

 

Just my two cents. Synthetics will leak less because they are less volatile and don't break down nearly as soon as a conventional oil. They are also the way to go in engines that burn oil for the same reasons.

 

Digest of information on this Sticky::

1) OIL:: (use the reccomended grade of 5w-30 unless you live in a constantly hot part of the world)
a) Amsoil
b) Mobil1 Syn.
c) Castrol Syntec ("German Castrol" make sure the bottle reads 'made in germany")
d) Royal Purple (tends to be thinner though)
e) Redline
-almost any synthetic will let you extend drain intervals & afford better protection than "dead Dino" oil, however the above listed are considered the best commonly here and elsewhere

2) FILTER::
a) WIX/Napa brand
b) Amsoil brand
c) Purolator PureOne
d) Mobil1; M1-108 or M1-110 is generally recommended, the M1-108 is a 'reduced clearance' version of the M1-110. Some people are touting the M1-105 for 'superior bypass configuration' although there is yet to be seen specifications to illustrate this on this thread. there's also been some reported clearance issues with the 105.

ME? I personally like Mobil1 and/or Amsoil w/ matching filters. my drain interval is typically around 7,000mi which is conservative by some mfg. claimed interval times, but it is more than 2x the old 3k change motto. I personally believe this area of OCI(6,000-9,000mi) is the best balance between going nutzo and wasting your money, and potential neglect. I -always- change the filter with the oil at this interval.

I have run Lucas Oil Stabilizer, and what I can tell you is that it's nothing special that will clean out your motor. this is not it's intended purpose. It's specifically for letting oil climb up into the engine more quickly, and will significantly increase the viscosity of your oil. VOA of this stuff shows that it's pretty much nothing but super-thick basestock. Don't run this stuff expecting anything other that what I've described,

ALOT of people tout Auto-RX to flush out your car prior to switching to Synthetic. Most synthetics already do an excellent job of freeing up gunk, so this step is really up to you. Probably best if you've bought your max used and it has had questionable maintenance history. the alternative is run your first Synthetic change at a reduced interval, such as 1500-2500mi, then do a full oil/filter change after that. I personally have not had any issues crop up from not performing either of these steps between a dead dino and a synthetic change... then again I've owned my car since it's had 86mi on it and take care to not put crap in it.

 

So is the best thing for me to use 10-30w since i live in Cali and i have about 135,000 .. Is Castro Syn high mileage good to get? and i guess what weight.. Thanks guys !!!

 

I wouldn't go thicker than stock-grade unless your coldest day is in the 60s. 10w30 is just fine, as it is only slightly thicker at it's base. you may loose up to 10 deg of pour temp and a little speed at which the oil will circulate initially but otherwise you won't really see any diff in performance. exactly why i say just stick with the recc grade. if you feel you need the additional hot-weather protection, you may want to think about 10w40 or a non-multiweight oil. Keep in mind though that this is not reccomended by nissan, could void warranties, service agreements, and the simple fact that 70% of an engine's wear is from initial startup, should steer you away from anything that's thicker than SAE30 at its base.

 

As long as you're using a 30-weight (xxw-30), which oil you choose is far more important than its winter grade (0w, 5w, 10w).


For example:

If you're using a non-synthetic (e.g. Castrol GTX), try to stick to 10w-30.

If you're using a decent synthetic (e.g. Mobil 1, Pennzoil Platinum, USA-made Castrol Syntec, Amsoil XL-series), 5w-30 will be fine and may actually be better.

If you're using a really good synthetic (e.g. regular Amsoil, Redline,
German-made Castrol Syntec, Motul 8100 or 300V series), you can use 0w-30, 5w-30, or 10w-30.

 

I've read somewhere here that the VQ has a very tight component contact tolerance, and that for the vq30de if using non-synthetic that 5w-30 oil is best.

regular oil breaks down faster that synthetic, if u have thicker oil it will break down into thinnner oil and still be operable maybe ?!?!?

 

All 30-weight oils, synthetic or dino, will be in the same viscosity range when at operating temperature. That recommendation is just a safe-ish bet for most people who have no idea about oil. All it's saying is that you don't want something that's a lot thicker than most 30-weights.

Yes, but it won't protect optimally until it breaks down, and may leave deposits and acidic by-products when it does. In the end, it's not worth it.

 

Im printing this info out.. I want to start working on my car and do my own oil changes etc.. I just want to say thanks to those so far helping me out with my question !! MAD PROPS !!!

 

But the best bet is to use 5w-30 Synthetic in those brands like you guys been saying right? even with high mileage cars?

 

depends how high mileage the car is.

is ur engine leaking oil now ? is it burning oil ? how does the oil look like the day before the oil change?

some say high mileage vehicles may leak oil if switched to synthetic. i say if none of the questions are yes and the oil looks good then dont change a thing.

 

Well were i was taking her to get her oil change done.. They put 10-30w Synthetic,when i actually did my oil change once i used Castro High Mileage .. ANd the answer to the questions are NO .. no leaks and the oil is still brownish color then a dark Blackish color..

 

****...I just noticed Nissan used the 15208-65F00 filter on my last oil change only 250 miles ago...what should I do?!?!? What will happen if I keep it on?

Edit: oh yea I have to go back in 1k miles for an oil change and so they can monitor how the new engine is holding up

 

Tough call.

If the car has been neglected during that time ($10 Jiffy Lube oil changes at long intervals), then I'd suggest 5w-30 or 10w-30 Castrol GTX.

If it's been treated well, then 135,000 miles isn't that high at all. I'd suggest going with the best 5w-30 or 0w-30 you can get your hands on, along with some nice filters, and 10k-15k mile change intervals.

 

Well the last time i had the oil change done was in February, so its part over due.. If i were to start using Really good Synthetic oil like you mention before would that be okay or should i keep going with descent Synthetic oil and get in rotation in changing the oil change on time ..

Thank dood for the help again ..

 

Time doesn't mean much unless it's been well over 6 months (or a year with the best synthetics). How many miles since the last change?

What was your car's oil change schedule up until now (and I mean from day one)? What oil was used?

Do you drive hard? Do you always let your car warm up fully before giving it half throttle or more? How often do you use WOT or hit the redline? Do you spend most of your time in the city or on the highway?

 

Since the last change its been 5k and i notice it wasnt Synthetic oil ... it was just regular 10-30w

The schedule was every 3k miles or 3 months which ever hit first..and the oil used was 10-30w Synthetic oil (not sure what brand) but it wasnt any of what you guys mention. Except this last oil change which was NOT synthetic oil..

I drive hard on the freeways sometimes, I always let me car warm up before i ever take off morning day or night.. I never hit redline i barely got learned about what NIssan Engines can do ... (i was scared i had a POS Civic before this and i blew the engine) I spend more time on the freeway then City... I do city driving but not much of it..

BTW whats WOT ?

straight

 

WOT = wide-open throttle

 

Thanks VQuick ..