I dunno if its specifically for the 3.7 engine as the 09/10 Maxima's manual say the same exact thing as Vcuomo posted, it still uses a variation of the 3.5 engine!

See, I don't think that's it. What concerns me is the "nanoparticles" they're specifying for their oil. So, regardless of the base oil, they're putting a friction modifier in it.

It wouldn't bother me so much if it was a dino/ester/PAO discussion...whatever, pick one. But the lack of these special friction modifiers they spec bothers me. I wish you could just buy that and add it to your oil.

I can't believe you people opened this can of worms again.

REDLINE > ALL!!! :wtf2:

Don't be ashamed. Don't run and hide. Stand by your statement.

Redline is all I have used in my last 4 cars, NA and FI.

Only time will tell but I usually move on after about 50K miles anyway. :tiphat:

I just switched to Red Line.
I will see if it's quieter than the Ester....

i agree. it's already been mentioned that there are many other synthetic ester based oils that are just as good and even cheaper than the nissan oil. but the critical issue like you said is the whole nanoparticle thing that nissan is trying to patent. no other oil or oil additive claims to have anything like it and no one seems to know exactly what those nanoparticles do and how important they are. of course it is possible the whole thing is just a gimmick to make a lot of $$$ by selling their overpriced oil, but like other ppl said, its a new car, new engine, new design that likely has a few unfixed bugs, and has a warranty, and nissan created this oil specifically for their engine.

nissan's oil is GUARANTEED to work in our engines, or at the very least guaranteed not to give nissan an excuse should something happen to the engine. other oils mentioned in this thread may or may not be inferior to the nissan oil, no one seems to know for sure, but no one is claiming that any other oil is superior to or works better than the nissan oil. the other reason for switching is cost. but any other good ester based synthetic (as opposed to crap dino oil) still costs a good buck, and these oils are only slightly cheaper than the nissan oil. cost savings for the 3-4 oil changes over a year are very negligible. on the other hand there is the risk that they may damage the engine, or at the very least give nissan the ability to claim they damaged the engine if something happens in the future.

ill stick to the ester oil. the benefits of it far outweigh the costs

I found that it was.

I switched from Red Line to Nissan Ester and did not notice any difference in engine noise.

The other consideration for me, in addition to the cost and the nanoparticles...is the name. I don't know if I can use an oil named Ester. I never liked that name. Wasn't that the crazy old woman on Sanford & Son?

Yea, I agree, they should've called it "Alessandra" or something like that. :)

Guys, no offense, but this discussion is kinda silly. I haven't seen anyone mention UOAs ever since this thread was brought back from the dead. So FWIW, here's my take. Use whatever oil floats your boat. If you don't hear any valve ticking, then so far so good. Next step is to send a sample of your used oil off to Blackstone Labs for a UOA (used oil analysis). If the results come back and everything is to your liking, awesome -- keep using whatever you're using. If you're not satisfied with your results or think you can get better results with a different oil, then switch out to said different oil. Repeat steps above until fully satisfied with the results (i.e., no valve ticking and good UOA numbers). Again, this is just my own take on things, but I don't see the need to overthink this as some people are prone to do. Neither do I see the need to take some 'this oil is the best and you'd be crazy to use anything else' position as I've seen some people (*cough**cough*Amsoil fans*cough**cough*) do. ;)

:iagree: Totally

Everyone wants the best for their cars, but the hype and BS obscures the facts.

Agreed - without actual field data, it simply comes down to personal preference. But it's fun to watch the fireworks. ;)

The only flaw with a UOA is that the oil may not be the cause of high metal concentrations. So changing your oil will not fix the problem causing the wear such as an imbalance in the rotaing assembly. A long time ago, I did this type of oil analysis in the navy labs for our destroyers. When an abnormally high concentration of a particular metal was detected, say Pb (lead), a vibration analysis may be recommended on the component the oil sample was taken from. However, not once was it recommended to change the brand of oil but rather just change the oil and perform the trouble shooting e.g vibration analysis. So, be warned that changing to a different brand of oil most likely will not fix the problem. You will need to diagnose the cause and make the repair.

.... but usually its testing for microbes in the fuel ;P You know when we get some skanky fuel in a foreign port - never know what you're gonna pick up overseas ;)