Oil Change at dealership
 

Hey guys just a quick question if anyone has run into this. When I purchased my Z in Feb I got some type of maintenance deal with it. For 45k miles they take care of all my service for free. Everything has been going great taking it to them, when I get my slip back at the end it always says they put in the 09 370z/altima ester oil.

This time I did not get the same slip as usual because I brought it in late Saturday, they just gave me kind of a checklist of everything they did. Anyway on to the question, the car oil temp has been sticking around 220 majority of the time when driving around here in the Mississippi heat. Yesterday I took it home and the temp never went above around 180. I even hit the interstate and took the long way home an extra 8 or so miles out of the way (prolly 25 miles in total). Any idea why the sudden drop in oil temps?

-William

A different oil was used, or perhaps the old oil had a lot of micro-particles in it. With the oil change they were removed, or perhaps they lied and the last oil change was not really done! ;)

How many miles in your car?

Just passed the 10k marker

-William

I stay away from dealers and only go to them if I have an issue under warranty.Not saying all are bad but the majority all they want to do is get in your pocket.Do we really know if they do any of the maintenance they are supposed to and other work that they charge you for?
If you are a woman and the old folks they really try and take advantage.No offense to any women but some don't know and they rip them off something terrible.
To many stories and bad experiences over the years so I stay clear of them.

Before leaving the dealer pull the stick and look to see if the oil has transparency. That'll tell right away if the dealer actually changed the oil or not. If it is new oil it will have a high grade of clearness to it.

I am a guy, 26 years old. As for getting what I paid for, since I paid at the time of purchase and all the maintenance is free for 45,000 miles I guess I am. Are they doing everything they are supposed to, that's a good question. I guess I need to pull out my manual and see what they should be doing at certain miles. I will go check my oil now and see if there is any transparency. I haven't driven anywhere since I brought the car home yesterday.

-William

Where in MS are you located?
And I agree with ZKindaGuy. Just check the oil right after you leave the dealership. Should be pretty obvious if it got changed or not.

What zkindaguy said. :)

Btw, how much did you pay for this 45K mile service deal? Gotta be a rip-off, I would imagine.

Honestly I want to say it was only $800, the sales guy told me the oil changes would be $140+ so it sounded like a no brainer at the time.

Speedoflife: I'm in the Jackson, MS area.. I live in Brandon though.

-William

My dealer offers free oil changes for life as a part of every deal he does. Not that I will be taking advantage of it, or paid extra for it (VPP deal). It's just an added value service, but you can bet he's not using $12 qt Nissan Esther oil!

Modshack- maybe you can get a free supply of oil filters and crush washers then? :D hahahaha

Wow, $140 oil change... I thought Z folks were more hands-on types. This explains why so many people here love AT's. ;)

I have been working on cars for the last 10 years or so, not as work just as a hobby. When I purchased the Z though I figured if I go to the dealer for every type of service if something happens to the car it would have to be their fault and covered. Since this is the first year of the 370 I figured there would definitely be some type of problem down the line.

Not to mention 45,000 miles = 15 oil changes
4qts at $12 each = $48 per oil change
$48 x 15 changes = $720

I figured I was saving money.

-William

Oil changes at reputable dealerships generally range from $80-90 with ester oil. My guess is you didn't get ester oil because only about 1 person working in a garage at a typical dealership knows much about cars. If you want to take care of your car, you must take matters into your own hands. Every time you are there, tell them that you want ester oil.

I believe this ester oil is a big over blown nothing.They obviously use it from the factory for break in and along the line they catch a few fish to continue using it at a ridiculous price.Just another Nissan gimmick!
Majority are probably using a good oil with frequent changes and have no problems as any other ordinary car on the market.So just use good common sense and judgement when sevicing your Z and enjoy the car.