oil change price... it's like, WOW!

Bobba Booey

You won't be causing any harm in changing that often, but it is a little wasteful. M1 0w-40, for example, can easily go 7,500 miles before an oil change. Even changing every 5,000 is on the conservative side. Just an FYI, BMW recommends a 15,000 mile interval. That is pretty much the opposite of the spectrum, but it does demonstrate that oils can go much longer than most people realize. If you are taking the time and money to get synthetic oil, then you might as well get the added benefit of extending the oil change interval.

On the other hand, if you are the kinda of guy who loves working on his car every chance he gets (which isn't a bad thing), then save a few bucks and get a quality dino oil and change it every 3,000 miles.

In either case your car will be fine. Enjoy it.

rackley

The service interval on my Mercedes turbo diesel (2005 E320 CDI) is 15,000 miles as well, and that's WITH a turbo.

arcticreaver

hmm so what is the recommended milage? my scion that i used to drive, i changed it every 5000 miles. is that fine with 0w-30?

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Bobba Booey

5,000 miles would be fine. It's still on the conservative side. If you truly want to know how long to extend, then get an oil analysis done. They will help you dial in the perfect change interval based on your driving habits and your particular car. If you don't feel like spending the time and money on an analysis, a conservative 5,000 mile interval will be more than adequate.

If you want to get an analysis check out Blackstone Labs.

Blackstone Laboratories - Gas Engines

m4a1mustang

I just had my first service over the weekend. When I called to schedule I confirmed that they were using the ester oil and confirmed again when I got to the dealership on Saturday morning. Of course the entire first service was free.

I do have "free" service for my first year. I pay for the oil and they do the work.

My GF drives a Mercedes, so I don't mind the service cost on the Z at all. Routine maintenance on her car is pretty pricey.

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m4a1mustang

Well, keep in mind it's a $30k + car. $12 a quart really shouldn't be an issue for the demographic that this car targets.

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arcticreaver

but seeing how nissan is the only one distrubting this oil, all i see them doing is overcharging people for oil that doesn't really have much of a difference compared to other name brand companies, who actually have lower prices for oil with just about the same result.

unless someone does a oil analysis.

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semtex

But there IS a difference. It is the only conventional ester oil on the market (that I'm aware of). If you don't care about the ester, then yeah, just go with Castrol GTX or whatever. But if you do want the ester, and it's too early to switch to synthetic, then Nissan's stuff is pretty much your only choice.

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Forrest

Okay i had my oil changed at 1200 miles the idiot in me assumed they would put in nissan ester oil. Of course after reading this thread i had my douts and i read the service sheet and they put in "5.0 Formula Shell 10w-30" Wich i am sure wont hurt the car but it still pissed me off a little.

So i called them and said we asked the same question (seems my 370z was the first to be serviced there) and they said it meets the requirements. I told him NO it does not, i am pretty dam sure it does not wich is why nissan is only recommending there own. So now they are doing research and if its "okay". It sounds like they want to keep using there cheap crap becuase they doint have nissan ester oil at there facilities becuase they wouldnt let me come in and get it changed out and pay for out of my own pocket.

Said they would get back to me. I dont drive to much so i am not to worried but now i need to do research to see if This shell crap has esters in it, i assume no it doesnt

355890

I am at 800 miles and will be changing into Royal Purple 5W30 @ the 1,000 mark. I have the K&N oil filter and the RP ready to go.

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Bobba Booey

Nissan is not wrong in this situation. The oil they gave you meets the requirements of the owner's manual and your car will fine. The ester based oil is a "recommendation", not a "requirement". You can ask for another change with the ester based oil at no cost to you, but they are in no way obligated to give you one.

Forrest

For the record its not Nissan its "North Bay Nissan" the dealership. Nissan the company it self would probably have put in the oil they recommond. Dealerships i suspect after reading this, uses what ever oil they have around from there supplyer, wich my guess also is the cheapest stuff they can get.


I made it very clear i will pay out of my own pocket. I expect nothing free. They dont even have the ester oil in stock from my understanding, wich is why they wont let me come in.

from the manual "wich is available at a NISSAN dealer." If i go in and request the nissan ester oil i am pretty dam sure they "have" to give it to me. I suspect calling "Nissan the company" would result in the dealership aquireing the oil.

The goal was to use it for a little bit until i decide what i want to put in it, normaly i use royal purple, i had no intentions of "formula shell" to ever make it into my car.

xviper

What is Ester Oil?

Every manufacturer will have you believe that their oil is the only one to use. Everybody wants your money and wants you to think their oil has some sort of magical pixie dust in it.

initialgemini

Well said. I'm sure the manual recommends using only nissan brand coolant, but does that mean if you use another equivalent brand that your radiator will corrode? Most likely not.

Using synthetic oil is considered to be better for engines because of high grade of purity for its chemical make up. Think of it this way, not all oil molecules are made equal. In you typical brand of oil, there are variations in the chemical make up of the oil. They have the same chemical formula but not the same properties, also known as isomers. As an oil, it must contain a certain percentage of specifically oriented oil molecules in order to pass quality. Synthetic oil is chemically altered to eliminate isomers and have a higher chemical purity. Isomer oil molecules affect your engine in that their chemical properties such as a reduced heat capacity before breaking down. Synthetic oil is thought to be superior because of it higher chemical purity. The addition of esters is merely a stabilizing compound which is found in many full synthetic brands.

The key to oil in the engine is providing it with a specified oil by the manufacturer and staying consistent with its recommended viscosity rating. Not only does the oil lubricate your engine, but also keeps the seals lubricated as well. its okay to go from a lower to higher viscosity such as 5w-30 to 10w-30; however, going from high to low is asking for leaky seals and oil leaks. Just to clarify, the first Xw refers to the viscosity rating at cold temperatures and the later is the viscosity at operating temperatures. As long as you are using the appropriate weight oil and preferable a full synthetic, the engine should theoretically run fine.

Bobba Booey

I wasn't trying to say the company Nissan, I thought it was obvious that I meant the stealership you went to.

They will give you what you request, but it might not be immediately. You say they don't even have it in stock, so they will have to order it. Also keep in mind that the ester oil is $12/quart, which is pretty expensive. Your car will be more than fine with the Formula Shell oil, but if you want to spend more I'm sure they will have no problem accepting your money.