Nissan Ester Oil

semtex · 02-14-2010, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dalparadise

If Nissan doesn't ship 370s with ester oil in the engine, could the (equally difficult to prove and volatile to speculate) possibility exist that it isn't about cost at all, but instead that ester oil isn't good for break-in?

Why do we seem to go straight to "Nissan cheaped out" when the build and material quality of our cars is so high and doesn't indicate that mentality on the part of Nissan at all?

Because on some aspects, the build and material quality of our cars isn't high at all. Look at the quality of our paint. Do you seriously think it's high quality? I think you'll find that most on this forum consider it to be piss poor. Having said that, yes it's possible that ester isn't good for break-in. I don't know enough about conventional oils with ester additives to take a stand one way or the other though. (Here we go with a whole new can of worms! lol )

dalparadise · 02-14-2010, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by semtex

Because on some aspects, the build and material quality of our cars isn't high at all. Look at the quality of our paint. Do you seriously think it's high quality? I think you'll find that most on this forum consider it to be piss poor. Having said that, yes it's possible that ester isn't good for break-in. I don't know enough about conventional oils with ester additives to take a stand one way or the other though. (Here we go with a whole new can of worms! lol )

My paint looks like a gray pane of well polished glass -- no texture or color variations to be found. So yes, I believe it to be of high quality. If paint softness is what you're talking about, I have yet to find any car that effectively avoids rock chips. Every car in my past that put primarily a painted surface forward looked like it had been sandblasted after a year or so.

For the Z, I opted for a clear bra to protect my high quality paint job. It seems to be working.

semtex · 02-14-2010, 04:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dalparadise

My paint looks like a gray pane of well polished glass -- no texture or color variations to be found. So yes, I believe it to be of high quality. If paint softness is what you're talking about, I have yet to find any car that effectively avoids rock chips. Every car in my past that put primarily a painted surface forward looked like it had been sandblasted after a year or so.

For the Z, I opted for a clear bra to protect my high quality paint job. It seems to be working.

I'm talking about the thinness of the paint, actually. I also have a ClearBra, but what I've noticed (along with many other people on this forum if you take the time to search) is that when an unprotected surface does get a chip, it goes right down to the bare metal. I don't have too many chips thanks to my ClearBra, but where I do have them, every single one goes right down to bare metal. Not all cars are like that. Heck, even my 350 wasn't like that. Neither is my wife's Murano, now that I think about it.

In any case, let's not get too far off topic. All I stated was that most companies will choose the route that yields the greatest profits, and often time that means using or doing what is minimally required. That's just common business practice, especially in the current economic climate of heavy cost-cutting. Trust me, I'm a business analyst at IBM and see it every day. If we provide a customer with more than what's minimally required, we can actually get reprimanded for it because by doing so, we're failing to maximize company profits. (I hate my employer, btw.)

kannibul · 02-14-2010, 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by semtex

I'm talking about the thinness of the paint, actually. I also have a ClearBra, but what I've noticed (along with many other people on this forum if you take the time to search) is that when an unprotected surface does get a chip, it goes right down to the bare metal. I don't have too many chips thanks to my ClearBra, but where I do have them, every single one goes right down to bare metal. Not all cars are like that. Heck, even my 350 wasn't like that. Neither is my wife's Murano, now that I think about it.

In any case, let's not get too far off topic. All I stated was that most companies will choose the route that yields the greatest profits, and often time that means using or doing what is minimally required. That's just common business practice, especially in the current economic climate of heavy cost-cutting. Trust me, I'm a business analyst at IBM and see it every day. If we provide a customer with more than what's minimally required, we can actually get reprimanded for it because by doing so, we're failing to maximize company profits. (I hate my employer, btw.)

Thin paint is an asset - it weighs less. Look at a ferrari...same deal with what we're seeing with ours relative to orange peel. It's a byproduct of thin paint more than badly applied paint.

semtex · 02-15-2010, 07:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kannibul

Thin paint is an asset - it weighs less. Look at a ferrari...same deal with what we're seeing with ours relative to orange peel. It's a byproduct of thin paint more than badly applied paint.

I suppose with that logic, you think corrosion is an asset too, right? After all, as various parts erode away, your car will weigh less.

lovethe370z · 02-16-2010, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by semtex

I suppose with that logic, you think corrosion is an asset too, right? After all, as various parts erode away, your car will weigh less.

370Zsteve · 02-16-2010, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by semtex

Because on some aspects, the build and material quality of our cars isn't high at all. Look at the quality of our paint. Do you seriously think it's high quality? I think you'll find that most on this forum consider it to be piss poor. Having said that, yes it's possible that ester isn't good for break-in. I don't know enough about conventional oils with ester additives to take a stand one way or the other though. (Here we go with a whole new can of worms! lol )

I'll give you points for paint quality, it's thin. (although I think that many here don't take into consideration that the tendency to chip is much higher on a low-nosed sports car). The quality of the build of this car is extremely high, I don't get your comment at all.

semtex · 02-16-2010, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 370Zsteve

I'll give you points for paint quality, it's thin. (although I think that many here don't take into consideration that the tendency to chip is much higher on a low-nosed sports car). The quality of the build of this car is extremely high, I don't get your comment at all.

You're right, the build quality, overall, is quite high on this car. But it's hard to produce a car that yields so much bang for the buck without cutting at least a corner or two, that's all I'm saying. i.e., it wouldn't surprise me if they shaved some cost by using non-premium fluids for the factory fill. To be clear, I'm not claiming that I know for a fact that they did this. I'm just saying it wouldn't surprise me if they did is all. Regarding the paint, it's not so much the tendency to chip that I'm flagging. As you rightly point out, it's quite normal for such a low-nosed sports car. What I find remarkable is the tendency to chip right to bare metal so easily. Thankfully, I don't have too many chips due to my ClearBra, but where I do have chips, every single one exposes bare metal (rather than some middle layer or even primer coat). So it would appear that this is an area where Nissan shaved some cost. I don't entirely blame them though, because again, with so much bang for the buck, it's only natural that they'd take a shortcut or two where they can to keep cost down. Indeed, I think Nissan is to be commended for not taking even more shortcuts. The Z is truly an outstanding value for the money, IMO.

FricFrac · 02-16-2010, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 370Zsteve

I'll give you points for paint quality, it's thin. (although I think that many here don't take into consideration that the tendency to chip is much higher on a low-nosed sports car). The quality of the build of this car is extremely high, I don't get your comment at all.

The paint on this car has been ultrasonically measured and its average - not thin - average. NXTAZEE can give you the precise measurements if you need.

...but back on topic. Does anyone really care if the manufacture's fill is Ester? If they did it would be simple enough to do an oil analysis on it and that would be the end of the discussion. I think we'd rather have the conjecture and food fight instead.....