I know this has been beaten to death but I wanted to see about our gen car...

So I have a new 7th gen and I'm so overloaded by the info. I'm not sure what to use. I changed the oil at 1200 miles with Dino as most people say but I'm coming up on 5000 miles and I'm thinking of going to synthetic amsoil. What is a reasonable amount of time or miles to leave this in? Also, it sounds like filters are a bigger deal than I previously thought. I would love a good recommendation on one of these too? I will probably do this for both my 2012 and 2014 maximas. Thanks.

 

You are right about getting a lot of suggestions. I would run dino in your new car for one more change cycle, as 7500 miles is about right to change over to the synthetic of your choice. My choice of filter would be Nissan OEM. As for your other max you can switch to synthetic at anytime now.

I use Mobile one in my vehicles and change every5-6K miles. My Max gets it service done at the dealership and they use Castro Syn blend changes every 5K miles. When I run out of free oil changes at the dealership I will change over to Mobile 1.

 

I use mobil1 and the oem filter supplied by the dealership. I do this every 5k miles or 6 months or so. Whichever comes first.

 

Mobil 1 filters M1-108 and Mobil1 Syn EP 5w30 oil, changes at 7500miles.
I cut filters apart after using them. M1 and K&N are basically the same filter.
One of the best filters I have seen is OEM Mazda SkyActiv filter. It cross
references to our small filter, but quality is just outstanding.
Purolator has let me down big time, I have cut up multiple filters to find out
that element ripped next to the splice seam. Check out BITOG for reports on Puro.
I think I cut up a Nissan oem filter, it did not stick with me as especially well made filter.
good luck,
Max

 

Thanks all. So this made me think of filter capacity. My dad taught us how to do everything as he was an auto mechanic and then an aircraft mechanic in the military. He would always find a bigger capacity filter for his car with the same thread dimensions. Are there any pros to this and if so what filters are bigger or longer than the recommended one?

 

Years ago large capacity oil filters were a good idea, but as engines evolved being built with closer tolerances, better materials and higher compression ratios using premium gas, coupled with the emergence of synthetic oils, the need for large filters are not necessary. Even the filters has radically changed over the years, being able to filter out more contaminants using less material. You could put on a bigger filter but the effect you are looking for probably will not show up especially since most oil changes are done at 5000 mileage intervals.

 

if you search the forum, you will see that some people are using larger filters. From memory M1-108 is current Maxima, M1-110 is what my 95 Maxima called for. They are identical diameter and thread and relief valve pressure. 110 is slightly longer (about 0.6").

the issue with Maxima is clearance for the filter, its location is nothing if not awkward.

by using larger filter you are going to put slightly more oil into the system and the filter will have slightly larger filtering media amount.
Both of those are good things, so it should not be an issue.

Of course while the car is under warranty, I would recommend using what
Nissan recommends, otherwise they can always blame your filter for any
engine/oil issues.

Its more important to make sure you do timely oil changes, vs the filter you put during oil change.
Max

 

Thanks MaxUD

 

I have 135,000 miles on my 2009. I've always changed the oil at 10,000 mile oil change intervals and have had good oil analyses. If you go that long, though, you need a synthetic media filter (such as Mobile 1 or K&N). Otherwise, the oil filter needs to be changed at 5000mi intervals.

Changing at 5K with full synthetic oil is kind of overkill. Not going to hurt anything, obviously, but it's just not really necessary with a good synthetic oil.

 

I would also like to extend my intervals but I have a 14 Max and it would void the warranty if I went that long, so I have to stick with 5k/6mo. for now. Mobil 1 syn is what I use. I live in Florida so it makes me feel better using it with all the heat down here.

 

That's what I was looking for. I have heard the Mobil and the KN are basically the same. That sounds like my plan. All Mobil oil changes every 10k. How or who do you send oil to get an analysis? Would like to try on each car after first change to monitor it.

 

www.blackstone-labs.com - that's who I've always used. If you're interested in extending oil changes, you let them know on the return slip and they run another test on it (TBN) to measure active additive left. You CAN also buy a little syringe so sucks a sample from the dipstick hole if you don't actually change it when you take sample.

Late,
Trav

 

Thanks for the feedback. I'm being told to hold off on synthetic till 10k or more so I won't dive into this rabbit hole yet. Thanks again fellas.

 

I have a 2010 Maxima with 79,000 And been told by The dealership to change the oil every 3,750 even with Mobil 1 full synthetic. So are they screwing me over? So should I change the oil every 5k?

 

^^^ yes. The whole point of synthetic besides its viscosity and lubricity is longer intervals. As long as you're not tracking it!

 

I asked the Service Manager at the dealer about using Mobil 1 and he said there isn't any reason why you can't use synthetic whenever you want. I started using it on my first oil change on my 14 Max and also on my previous 04 Max from day one and never had a problem.

 

Glad im not the only one who has used synthetic since the first oil change lol. Ive been using Pennzoil synthetic ultra platinum with Mobil 1 filter no issues so far.

 

In addition to my 2012 Maxima I also own a BMW 535i which is a high performance engine with twin turbo's requiring 93 Octane. The car only recommended oil is synthetic oil as is the case for other high performance cars like Mercedes, Audi, Ferrari and Maseratti. The service intervals for these cars is 12,000 miles or 1 year whichever comes first. Anyone that tells you to change synthetic oil at 3,750 miles does not have a clue on engine maintenance except to tow the Nissan recommendation which applies to Dino oil.

 

I use Pennzoil Ultra 5W-40 (Summer) and Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5W-30 (Colder times) and run whichever I use for about 6000-7500 miles. I also use the K&N HP-1010 filter because it is the bigger capacity filter that is compatible with our cars and for the past year of doing this I have had nothing bad to say about either mix. Pennzoil makes some great oils.

But for VQ engines that tend to be hard on oil, Mobil1 has never done particularly well with. Mobil1 is not a bad choice though because they still get the job done!