has anyone tried the extended protection ? did you wait for 15,000miles for oil change ? would you recommend ?

thx for the info.

cheers

 

i havent tried it, but i wouldnt wait 15,000 miles even if i were to get it.. i use mobil 1 synthetic and a mobil 1 filter, and i still change it every 3,000-4,000.. call it wasteful, but.. lol.. i like to have a clean engine

 

AMSOIL FOR THE WIN

 

That's what i use... BUT... I never make it 15k before i burn down a quart or 2 and need to add a little more

Usually after 3k i give it a little top-off.
Then by about 7k-9k i go ahead and change it

Always use a QUALITY filter (Mobil 1)

 

How long does it take you to put 3,000 to 4,000 miles on your car?

It strikes me that OCI is more than a tad ****!

 

dont wait the 15k interval....

use BMWs as an example... they market their 15k OCI to everyone... to lure them into the cheaper maintance scheme.... everyone does it... the smart ones dont...

at the end... bmws with the 15k OCI have sludge covered valvetrains.... its horrific... while the smart ones that did 5-7k OCI have squeaky clean.

im sure bmw synthetic oil is just like other brands like mobile one and stuff....

 

You got a link that verifies this? I'd be seriously interested in seeing that.

 

it takes maybe a couple months.. is that ****? lol.. i didnt think so.. it starts to get a little dark at 3k, so i change it

 

Just because oil is dark doesn't mean it needs changing. M1 has a great cleaning affect and is getting brown from removing the crud in the engine. Your filter should catch any particles.

 

If you are not getting a lab test of your used motor oil, you are wasting money and resources. And changing synthetic motor oil at 3 to 4 K miles (every 2-3 months) is not very smart. If you changed oil every 6 months or so, your OCI would be between about 5 K and 8 K miles. Nissan says than an OCI of 7.5 K miles is acceptable to retain their warranty coverage. So I would not exceet that limit (until your powertrain warranty expires).

Do a lab test on your next oil change and see how much you are throwing away with that change. Certainly the oil's color is no indication of the protecting ability that remains in that oil.

 

gimme a few min.. its all over the bmw boards....

 

http://bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/314657

^ those are pictures of one car that did the 15k interval on his BMW... .



and one persons view on the 15k thing...
First post... 4th paragraph...
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...ight=15+sludge

 

wtf? no way thats from just 15k...

 

thats from a life of 15k changes..... not just one.


what most of the people on that board are saying is.... if u do the 15k changes, by the time ur car hits 60k miles... u are looking at sludged valvetrains.

 

Couple comments here:

First, "Buck's" car is a '99 model with 136 K on it. He stated that he had been using "synthetics" since the 107K point (so for the past 29K) and that he did not know what had been used in the engine prior to that. I didn't find in there that he had been practicing 15K drain intervals. My guess is that the previous owner(s) had used petroleum oil (and/or a an inexpensive synthetic); they had neglected the maintenance on it; and/or there was some issue with the cooling system, the emission control system, or even a blown head gasket. As we know, heat causes oil to break down and that process results in sludge and varnish...that sludge and varnish further degrades the oil's ability to dissipate heat, causing the engine to run even hotter and the oil to break down even faster...it's a downward sprial from there. Once an engine is that sludged, no amount of good oil will correct the problem.

Not all oils are created equal. Generally speaking, synthetics resist the harmful effects of heat better than a petroleum oil does; but one can not arbitrarily assume any synthetic will protect an engine for extended drain intervals. Even if this engine had been run on sythetics (which I doubt), most synthetics on the market are not formulated for extended drain intervals. Additionally, the oils sold in Europe must meet higher specs than those sold in the US, and most of the oils commonly sold here (particularly ~10 years ago when his car was new) do not meet the requirements of European engines. And that's why I also sell a lot of AMSOIL to owners of these cars...because it does.

Mercedes Benz also recommends extended drains on their cars; and if the owner is going to rely on the car's oil life monitoring system, Mercedes requires they use a synthetic that meets their spec. Again, only a very few sythetics on the US market meet this requirement. A few years back, many MB owners were experiencing engine problems...the issue was traced back to owners using petroleum oil in the cars AND relying on the oil life monitoring system, resulting in drain intervals way beyond the capability of the oil. If I remember correctly, there was a class action suit against MB and they had to pay-up as the owners manual did not clearly specify the proper oil when relying on the oil life monitoring system.

And that brings up one of my hot buttons...people buy these very expensive cars, and either they don't know any better, or they deliberately shop for the cheapest crap they can to put in it. Many of the Nissan engines hold ~4 quarts of oil...next time you open your refrigerator, take a look at a gallon of milk...that's all the oil that's protecting your engine. Maybe it's just me, but it just doesn't make any sense to scrimp when it comes to oil..

 

Just turned 100,000 miles on my 01max..Thinking about switching to synthetic mobil 1..Is this a good idea or will it cause more harm than good???I have my nissan mechanic telling me to stay with conventional oil since that is the only thing my car has seen and other org members telling me to switch??? I just don't want my engine to all of a sudden have an oil leak or start to use oil with synthetics....

 

Interesting thread, a topic that has been haunting me for years the 15k stuff is actually for the German cars with the extended intervals look into how many quarts of oil the Germans (BMW/MB) take, on average 8, I know Audi recommends 5k changes but they have the turbos, I wonder how the 335/535 is gonna hold up to 15k changes with increased heat from TT

 

I bought the extended life for one oil change but got too scared to really go for 15k. I changed it at 7k and went back to regular mobil 1. And after i changed it the car was running much smoother. I wouldnt trust 15k oil change intervals but thats just me.

 

You shouldn't have any issues in changing at this point as long as the engine has been well maintained and is not sludged/varnished/already leaking. Some mfgrs of synthetics recommend the use of an engine flush prior to changing over...and some folks on this board would recommend using AutoRX (a multi-step process) to clean the engine prior to changing. I have no personal experience with the AutoRX product. If you just make the switch to synthetics without any flushing, I would recommend you stay with conservative drain intervals for the first few changes because (generally speaking) synthetics have a higher detergency than petroleum oils do and it will pick up some of the deposits left behind by the petroleum. If the new oil becomes prematurely dirty, it may result in some consumption since dirty oil does not seal as well as clean oil does. You just have to do what you are comfortable with.

 

Data sheets for the Mobil-1 EP do not indicate the oils meet the European specs required by BMW, M-B, Porsche, VW and others.

Mobil offers a European Formula 0w-40 that's labeled as meeting some of the European requirements, but they make no mention of drain intervals. One might assume that if you are using an oil that meets the required spec, that you could follow the OEM's recommended OCI's...but that's an assumption.

By comparison, another manufacturer of synthetic European formula oils publishes the spec the oil meets and clearly states that their oils are specifically recommended for the extended drain intervals established by the vehicle manufacturer.

Agree that capacity is good. Most people don't realize it, but the motor oil is responsible for most of the engine's cooling. Not only does the oil reduce friction/heat, but it picks up heat and carries it away to be dissipated. We just bought a new Subaru Tribeca to replace our Honda van and the H-6 engine holds ~7 quarts of oil...that's goodness! As soon as I get it broken in, I'm going to install (AMSOIL) synthetics from nose to tail.

 

How many miles would you suggest to wait to switch a 08 maxima over to amsoil 0w30? I have read on the g35 forums and BITOG that the 3.5 needs to be well broken in on dino oil(15k) to prevent seal leeching that caused oil consumption down the road. Thanks for any input

 

10k-15k, I've done lots of reading on the subject and just do regular oil changes and then switch to synthetic, I don't understand the theory behind switching to synthetic after the 1st oil change and the engine does not even have 5k on it.

 

I switched to synthetic at 7.5K miles and now believe that I should have waited until at least 10 K miles and probably even 15 K miles. But I did what I did (and the VQ still burns some oil between changes even though I now have 66 K miles on the car).

 

Every engine is different (and there's a lot of opinions out there), but AMSOIL states their oil can be used during the break-in period (as evidenced by the fact that many high-performance engines come factory filled with synthetics). However, they recommend waiting for the first scheduled service to rid the engine of wear metals generated by the break-in process and so as not to be wasteful. There's many documented instances of several late-model Nissan engines, including 3.5, consuming oil even when using nothing but petroleum. So I'm not convinced that premature conversion to a synthetic is to blame.

Based on my experience, albeit with different engines, I have converted all of my new cars (a Ford, 2 Nissans, a Honda and a Subaru) for the past 15 years to AMSOIL very early in their lives (at the 1,000-mile point) with no adverse effects. The '93 Nissan currently has in excess of 200k with still no oil consumption, leaks, seepage...nothing. My '98 Max doesn't use any oil with 106K on it, 10K drain intervals, south-texas heat. AMSOIL 0w-30 in both engines. More relevant to your situation, a co-worker of mine changed his '07 Max to AMSOIL 0w-30 at the 3,000 mile point and he is not having any oil consumption issues.

Notwithstanding the above, I would recommend following AMSOIL's recommendations and wait at least until the first service before converting. As STARR recommends, it certainly won't hurt and might be advisable to go longer before changing over....my thought process in changing over early was to prevent any deposits from occurring. But you have to do what you're comfortable with.

I'm wrestling with the same decision...I also have a new car at home and I'm contemplating running it on petroleum for the first 3K, switching to AMSOIL XL at the 3,000-mile point and then installing 0w-30 at 7,500 miles or so. The owner's manual for this vehicle states that it will take "several thousand miles" for oil consumption to stabilize. Despite my previous success/experience with an early conversion, I'm not going to rush it...I'm going to keep an eye on it and see how things go.

Just my two cents...

 

That's actually not a bad thing. Top-off oil partially renews the oil, allowing you to run it longer.

 

You are so freakin' wrong, it's ridiculous. You are making categorical statements based on one or two horror stories. If it were even remotely that bad, it would have been addressed and fixed by now. An insufficient dealer maintenance schedule is death for a premium car manufacturer.

If your car sees a lot of abuse (stop-and-go, hard driving, no gentle warm-ups, etc.) and doesn't burn any oil, and if you don't bother to use the best oil you can, then yes, you are asking for trouble. Otherwise, you'll be fine.

 

To the OP:

Mobil 1 EP is... okay. It MIGHT be okay for 15k miles between changes, but I wouldn't count on it unless your car sees NOTHING but highway miles and you drive it like a granny.

Amsoil oils are way way way better for long drains. Their 5w-30 (regular, not the XL series) and 0w-30 are made with better basestocks and have vastly superior additive packages. Their filters are also pretty much the best in the business. With those, 15k change intervals are easily possible.

About the only possible alternative is the old European-made Castrol Syntec 0w-30, but that is extremely rare nowadays and still isn't quite as good a fit for a Maxima as Amsoil's stuff.

 

well im just relaying what i have been reading.... none of the 'enthusiasts' on the boards will ever do the 15k OCI... because they fear of sludging up the motor


and its not that big of a problem.... not like cars are breaking down because of it..... so BMW has nothing to fix... or address.... and they will continue to make a killing off that marketing advantage they have with that 15k OCI

 

Looks like me and you are in the same boat. We have some harsh weather up ahead -temps and I want o treat the new baby right. It gets alot of stop and go and idling. We live cose to work and the car probably get 25 miles in town driving total a day. I got 900 on the clock and was seriously thinking about putting the the Amsoil 0w30 in their at the 1k mark. I really wanted to wait till 5-15 k and run dino but the harsh temps in alaska has got be considering switcing ealier. What would you guys do? Do you think there's any merit in the 3.5's liking dino oil untill the 10-15 k mark. I appreciate the good info here. Nice write up.

 

How would you break in a new 3.5 maxi?

 

oil change starting at 1000miles to get the initial metal shavings out, then change the oil at 4000, 7000 and at 10000 I switched to synthetic and have been changing between 5000-7500 depending on driving conditions, Im at 42500 and never burned anything that I can tell and I drive pretty hard.

 

I does really come-down to a personal choice on this....

When mine was new - I did the first change @ 1800 from dino to Castrol Syntec Blend. Again, @ 5k, 9k - and then switched to Mobil1 @ 13k.
I don't recall making a REAL plan of this, it's just what I decided to do at the time -- I'd never run synthetic in my cars before.

If my car wasn't burning so much oil right now - I'd DEFINITELY switch-over to AMSOIL and never look back.

gr

 

Happy Turkey Day!

Your choice if you want to switch now or not, but I understand your concern about the cold weather coming, yet wanting to make sure your engine is broken in. I assume you're stationed at Elmendorf (or Eielsen)? Big difference in the climate, as you know.

I first started using synthetics back in the mid-70's when I was at Grand Forks (North Dakota). I had a stick-shift in my car with a hydraulic clutch...the petroleum oil would get so cold that the engine would barely turn over; the gear shift was impossible to move; and the rear diff would literally howl when i started off after sitting out all day. Sometimes on the coldest of days I would also have to reach down and help the clutch return to it's normal position after shifting...I'm originally a northern boy, but that was ridiculous!

But that was then, and this is now..an advantage you have today (versus 30 years ago) is that the petroleum oils on the market today are much better today in terms of cold-flow performance (and heat tolerance)...in fact, i don't believe 5w-XX oils even came on the market until the 80's and 10w-40 or straight-weight oils were the standard fare back then. Also, if you park in a garage at night and/or have access to power for an engine block heater that would help a lot.

Since Nissan recommends 5w-30 regardless of temperature, you should be fine running a modern 5w-30 petroleum oil throughout the winter months, even in Alaska (particularly at Elmendorf).

Let me know when you are ready to switch... http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=359745

 

Good info talking horse. I'm at Elmo and your right the temp is mild compared to eilsen. I think I will wait till 10k to change over. I have read time and time again about the 3.5 drinking a little oil when folks switched too early. Ghost rider's statement just confirms it more. I plan on keeping it for along time and dont want any oil consumption down the road. I will switch out at 1k and run some chevron supreme I have in the garage and run till 5k. I will decide then what I want to do with the rest of the break in. Happy Thanksgiving

 

AF-MEDIC
I usually just pick up a case of 12 from the local discount/wholesale chain or auto parts store running a clearance sale, even damaged bottles

I've never been to Alaska but I would think deposits would be more of a reflection of type of gas, the guy I buy my snow blower from who sells and maintains power equipment also tells me to run premium to prevent deposits in the cylinders, I don't know how oil prevents deposits (how does deposit form on metal coated with oil), you main concern is probably cold flow rate seeing how your engine never really hits and maintains the normal operating temp.

You probably know this but I also keep my RPM withing 3 to 3 1/2 after starting the car and the engine is cold.

 

You're talking/mixing two different things: Combustion chamber deposits caused primarily by inexpensive fuels; and crankcase/valve train deposits caused by inexpensive oils, mechanical problems, or neglect.

Combusion chamber deposits are primarily caused by using fuels with insufficient amounts of detergent in them. The octane rating/grade of fuel has nothing to do with the detergency....it has everything to do with the rate it burns/resistance to knock. Just like oil and other products, not all gasolines are equal. Inexpensive fuels tend to contain the least amount of detergents required by law to pass; whereas other brands such as Shell V-Power or Chevron contain a much higher dosage of detergents in their fuels designed to prevent intake valve/combustion chamber deposits. Nissan recommends premium fuel in the Maxima for maximum performance, but the electronics are such that it will adjust to lower octane fuels. I use premium (primarily Shell V-Power) in my Infinti and Maxima, but if I were to go to a lower grade gasoline, I would buy it from a brand-name retailer. However, if you arbitrarily use premium fuel in an engine designed to operate on regular grade fuel, you are wasting money, you could potentially be causing the engine to run hotter and risking mechanical damage, and you are potentially increasing emissions.

Concerning your comment Here is a link to a picture of oil deposits, a few posts up in this thread:

http://bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/314657 These deposits were likely caused by oil breakdown. A premium oil will resist breakdown longer than a poor quality oil will, and that, combined with regular maintenance program will reduce/prevent deposits from forming.

 

I only fill up at Chevron. The premium here is 90 octane. we get 87,88 and 91. The Chevron station is the same price as the No name. The premium has a higher concentration of cleaning detergents(techron). In my Titan I just put in mid grade since it's a mix out of both thanks. It only 8 cents more a gallon but I like the added amountof techron. I figure quality in for a quality vehicle. They move alot of gasoline too. It's a new station and Gives me added peace that I'm putting a quality product in a quality ride.

 

Talkinghorse is basiclly right on his posting above about gasoline and detergents in gasoline. There was a time in the 1980s when most oil companies put a higher dose of detergents in their premium gasoline than in the other grades. This may be the basis for the old mechanic recommending premium gasoline. In the lean profit times in the 1990s, most oil companies began putting only the government mandated minimum detergent treatment in all grades. There now appear to be some companies that are going back to higher detergent treat rates. Since I'm retired from the industry, I can't advise anything specific on brands or grades.

But you don't need to buy specific gasoline to get a clean-up dose of detergents. Simply put a bottle of Chevron's Techron in your gas tank from time to time. I do this just before I am ready to do an oil change. (And I did not work for Chevron, but "my oil company" bought Techron from Chevron and used it in all grades of its gasoline).

 

 

Even if the oil itself was capable of going 15,000 miles, your engine would also have to prove itself as a long change canidate. ie... if the engine is in very good working order, you might be able to get away with a long change interval.

BUT you will need to send your oil to Blackstone labs to determine this. By the time you spend the $$ to get your oil analyzed, you might as well just change it. But getting a few reports is a good way to see what your engine is doing to the oil.