Sorry, I have more important things to do than wait around 15 minutes to check the oil every time I gas up...as do most people.

well if you are constantly at redline then that maay explain it. Btw, what is wrong with you that you have to have your car constantly at redline?

wow...you get really defensive for someone that posts the stuff you do...

Ok, maybe you didn't understand my post (probably not likely... I think you're just upset that you have to expend effort to keep your car from blowing up). Drive the car home (which you're doing anyway), stop the car (which you're doing anyway), go watch TV for 15 minutes (optional), and come back.

No you should'nt have to top off your oil this often. My MX5 is a "revvy" motor but it does not consume anyoil, of course I don't rev to redline some here do all the time.

Totqally agree.

You shouldn't have to check your oil every fillup. My $50000 tahoe burns no oil, my $50000 vette burns no oil outside of track days, my wife's $40000 Z4 burns no oil (the new Z4 doesn't even have a dipstick!), heck, most 15000 cars don't burn oil. Now that the VQ37 seems to have a potential issue I will, but when I know the car doesn't burn oil, there is no reason to check it so often.

I did my oil change at 1800mi. And im at 3400mi right now. My oil level is still at the high level mark. I've been using redline oil and been aggressively reving the engine frequently.
Although when I first bought the car I did check the oil level when I brought it home and it was at the high level mark with about 60mi on the car. When I did change it at 1800mi the oil level was almost below the low level mark. It did worry me, but the car was still going through it's break in period.
So far everything is in the norm.

What I mean by constantly is at least once a day close to or at redline.
BTW I just check my oil and it's back to normal levels after adding 1 quart. I suggest having a spare quart in the house just to be safe.

Ok so maybe I shouldn't have to check my oil because my other brand X car doesn't burn oil and my other brand Y car doesn't burn oil and my chain saw doesn't use any oil either. Whatever the case I'm going to check my Z's oil more often now that I've heard about this. For me the extra risk isn't worth it regardless of whether I shouldn't have to or not. PITA but what else to do until more data is logged. So on that note I'm gonna stop typing and go check it right now.

hrmm, maybe it'd help a bit for people to describe their oil usage over mileage, along with what kind of break-in was given.

I'm at 6100 miles, 150 from next dealer oil change, over the H mark on the stick still.
Normal driving for the break-in, no fear of revs... same way I've seated in other nissan engines that I've built.
See the blinky red light on the dash often enough.

Whew. I'm at 3050 mi and the oil level is within a hair of when I last changed it about 1300 miles ago.

Right because fractions of an inch are smaller/different than fractions of a milimeter? So a tolerance of 1/10th of a mm is better than 1/10000 of an inch? I know what you are trying to say but it didn't quite come out right....

Does it seriously hurt to check your oil frequently? You do realize this is a mechanical device that can from time to time fail. If you observe normal and not normal behaviour you can prevent sometimes catastrophic failure. A little time invested is worth the grief it can prevent you.

:iagree: Plus you can lick the oil off of the dipstick. The Omega-3's are good for you. :tup:

Honestly, no, it doesn't - just it is a major disappointment if this is common to the VQ37VHR engine, and it's just now being made aware.

A lot of people (including myself), would have looked at a number of other vehicles had they known this one has these kinds of issues.

Some people on here say it's not a big deal - maybe it isn't to THEM...and I think those people are very, very few...


And to those who say "just sell it" - sure, and take what, a $10,000 loss - are you serious?

I don't believe this engine has any issue with regard to oil consumption. All cars will consume oil at some rate, and high compression engines that are driven hard have a good chance of doing it more than others. I haven't seen any real evidence that our car has any abnormal problem with it though. On all cars, checking the oil level on a regular basis is just part and parcel of normal preventative maintenance. There's nothing wrong with the car in this respect.

OK I'm trying to say this in a non-offensive way.... this is a high performance engine with a high compression ratio. All high compression engines are prone to burning some oil. A liter of oil every two tanks of gas is excessive but myself I've burnt a single liter in 6000KM and that is including break in. Someone mentioned the Corvette with a more than 500 miles/liter of oil being within the normal range. We are no where near that.

I just don't understand how a liter of oil every couple of months is an issue. Its super cheap to add a liter. Checking your oil every fill up is so minor as well - its not like we are saying check it every time you start the car. Its the most basic car maintainance. Checking your rear view mirrors isn't required either but I check mine all the time just so I know what's going on and what's changing then there are no surprises.

Oil consumption on the VQ engines would be very easy to inform yourself about before buying this vehicle - its not the Universe's fault that you didn't do your homework before you bought the vehicle. Its not new info and neither is the VQ37HR - its been out for years. Again no offense but the info is readily available....

Readily available? Where?

And it's going, going, going... look, folks, he's hit it all the way out of the park!

:owned:

After all, this is an auto enthusiast website, correct? As in enthusiastic about taking care of your car? Are there actually people out there who will spend hours adding bolt-on parts to get a few extra horses but can't be bothered to spend a few extra minutes a month to keep the engine running? What else are you guys not checking? Are you the people I see here in Los Angeles driving a Ferrari with half-inflated tires?

All I can say is that I don't want to see any of you who complain about checking your fluids later complaining that Nissan wouldn't fix your engine under warranty.

I'm enthusiastic about driving and owning my car. Maintenance is just another hassle. I do however, look forward to getting my G3 intakes and putting those in, as well as when I ge the money rounded up for the HFC's and cat-back.

Until then, my car better not burn no oil! :icon14::mad:

See, I would think that this thread would encourage people to take at least some maintenance items into their own hands... but I guess not!

checking your oil is like taking a sh!t...you may not always want to do it, but it's definitely something that needs to be done on a regular basis!

Just want to throw this out here. Make sure you check your oil on a level surface and after the engine has cool down. Else you could get a false reading.

I know this is obvious and common sense, but some people might easily forget that.

:iagree:

LOL LMAO :owned:

fusz did you send out the remaning oil to blackstone?

I guess you almost need a chauffer (?)

(or someone to wipe your a$$)

No...I guess not. For an enthusiast forum I'm also shocked at those who PAY to have everything done for them...No one is taking the time to learn the car. How many have a full service Manual downloaded? Few I'd guess. Heck, Most do not even read the owners manual. You guys must all be rolling in $$.

I've had a few cars, and I can tell you that I have fully paid for my Z with the money I've saved over the years by teaching myself, reading manuals, and spinning a few wrenches to maintain and mod my vehicles....

:iagree:
Me too. I fully paid cash for mine. I do all the maintenance (don't really trust anyone to do it). And I down-loaded the service manual 2 months before I got the car.

Well for starters here is a five page thread on the topic.

If you need any help using the search function let me know....

sounds familiar...but I downloaded it the week I got the car :)

having rebuilt engines in nearly all of my previous cars, along with building old cars with my dad, I can do pretty much anything on a car myself.

For the most part I agree. I understand paying for advanced installs or if you just don't have a place to do it yourself. But refusing to check your oil?! No way!

I change my oil on my own and do all mechanical work that I know or think I can do on my own. :tup:

I do it myself on all my cars. Started on my very first V6 Mustang. Just last week I changed the spark plugs on my mom's car. Most people will take it to a shop and pay $100+ for it!!!

Well I for one appreciate it...I've spent weeks poring over all of the readily available material on here, and I'm fully aware of what I'll be getting into when I go purchase my Z in the next few weeks.

Knowledge is power, and I like to be prepared. Whether its been fixed with the later built and shipped Zs or not, at least I know what I'm getting into. I've never changed my own oil but I certainly intend to learn how with this car, and nobody can say, if you spent any time at all looking at this site, that you didn't know what you were getting into.

Whether or not it should be an issue is irrelevant. It is an issue, and as the primary driver and (presumed) owner of the car, you now own its problems as well.

I have never seen an easier vehicle to change the oil on. Really, besides the 16 bolts and 3 fasteners for the cover, it is sooooo easy!!

You can get by with just 4 bolts and folding the tray along the crease! It's easier than my Civic! :icon18:

Sorry, I didn't send it off to blackstone. I know it could help, but we are just going to pull the long block and replace it. End of story. I will look tomorrow and see if we still have it lying around.

good luck with the new engine Fusz!

Well, to be fair, maintenance is a hassle, sorta. But the way I look at it, it's a hassle in the same way that exercising is a hassle. I get up at 4am at least 4 days a week to go work out. Is it a hassle getting up that early? Yep, absolutely. But I do it anyway because I want to take care of my body, keep the blood pressure low, the muscularity high, etc. The same thing applies to car maintenance -- it may be a hassle, but I do it willingly because I want to keep my car running in peak condition. To me, that's part of what it means to be enthusiastic about owning my car, just like working out is part of what it means to be enthusiastic about being alive.

The thing is, after you get used to doing it, you actually start to enjoy it. Well, I do at least. I actually enjoy lifting weights early in the morning now, I look forward to it. Likewise, I actually enjoy doing regular car maintenance.

Just my :twocents:

Another bonus of taking care of your car is the appreciation you will get from others. The only thing I'm really qualified to do is check fluids and belts and such, but even this gets me props from my neighbors and co-workers. When I get to work in the morning, I usually spend five minutes or so with the California Car Duster and sometimes pop the hood to check a few things, and I always throw a cover on top of the car (there's no parking garage, so it's out in the open); there have been at least ten people in my building whom I would otherwise never have talked to that have started off good conversations with "I love how you take care of your car!" or something similar.

Well I feel better about getting up at 5:00 AM to go to the gym now - 4:00 - ouch ;)

Its true in a sick sort of way I look forward to detailing my car every week. I actual miss it this week with the rain....

As much as I'd love to throw a cover over the car when I get it...I work downtown at a criminal justice center...still waiting on my parking garage permit and from the looks of things, it'll be a long time to go yet before its given to me. You'd think that working at the hub, and with officers coming and going left and right it'd be safe enough...but you'd be surprised how many cars have been broken into on the lot, in the garage, and on the street.

If I cover that car up, its just begging for someone to take a closer look. Best I can do is have a state of the art alarm system ready for install on purchase, and park next to a squad car whenever possible :shakes head:

On the plus side...the contacts you make with said officers really do benefit you on the street...cough cough cough.