Nissan Ester Oil

molamann

Isn't Mobil 1 also considered ester oil?

SoCal 370Z

Yes, as is Castrol Edge.

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Zless@arizona

socal: I must, respectfully, disagree. Mobil1 used to state in their literature that they were a PAO ( GroupIV). Never did they identify Mobil1 as an ester base (GroupV). They have recently, from all research and posts that I have reviewed, changed to Group-III base, which is only processed petroleum oil, NOT A SYNTHETIC! Castrol won a lawsuit that enabled them to call their Syntec crap "synthetic," despite it being only processed petroleum-based oil. It is a travesty that Mobil decided to follow their lead. Mobil1 may have ester additives, but it is not predominantly ester. R/S, Greg

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The only U.S.A.-available Mobil1 oil that is BMW LL01 is 0W-40...most of M1's engine oil is hydrocracked/GIII junk.

wstar

It seems regular Mobil 1 does not contain the esters we want, but Mobil 1 Extended Performance may, although the details are fuzzy. Most oil manufacturers aren't very transparent on these issues, unfortunately.

Also, it's interesting to note that the patent Nissan got on their Ester Oil mostly isn't about the actual esters, it's about suspended metallic nano-particles added to their formula to help properly lubricate the Diamond-Like Coating (DLC) on the VVEL parts. Apparently some in-the-know types think this isn't very innovative anyways (the suspended particle thing), and any good quality synthetic with clingy esters is going to work just as well as their special sauce.

I'm mostly going with the Motul 300V because (a) they're one of the only ones that come right out and claim that their base oil is ester (not just some mixed in additive), (b) 300V is their flagship/premium product, and (c) it's a very large and well-respected brand, compared to some of the other boutique oils out there that make claims of being on par with this stuff.

Between the 300V and the K&N filter, I'm looking at somewhere around $95 cost per oil change DIY (no labor charges), but it's worth it to me. I want this engine to turn out like my last one (an LS1): 100K miles of hard-*** abusive driving, and not a single internal problem or leak developed, thanks to overzealous maintenance practices. That engine's getting moved to another vehicle soon where I suspect it will continue to have many more thousands of miles without issue.

ETA: I should note that LS1 used Mobil One its whole life, so I am a fan of that oil. I just feel safer with an ester-based oil in the VQ37VHR after reading up on all of this stuff.

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