Originally Posted by Noc (Post 1091116)

So i was at the dealer earlier to get some parts i order and i decided to go to the supply department and get some copper washer for my first oil change. The sales personnel told me that using other oil filters instead of the nissan factory filters will void my warrenty.

I was shocked but i didnt wanna argue. Anyone know if it is true? I swear i read about this somewhere and the conclusion was using other branded oil filters will not void any warrenties..

Originally Posted by Noc (Post 1091116)

So i was at the dealer earlier to get some parts i order and i decided to go to the supply department and get some copper washer for my first oil change. The sales personnel told me that using other oil filters instead of the nissan factory filters will void my warranty.

I was shocked but i didnt wanna argue. Anyone know if it is true? I swear i read about this somewhere and the conclusion was using other branded oil filters will not void any warranties..

Originally Posted by Noc (Post 1091116)

So i was at the dealer earlier to get some parts i order and i decided to go to the supply department and get some copper washer for my first oil change. The sales personnel told me that using other oil filters instead of the nissan factory filters will void my warranty.

I was shocked but i didnt wanna argue. Anyone know if it is true? I swear i read about this somewhere and the conclusion was using other branded oil filters will not void any warranties..

Originally Posted by 6MT (Post 1091326)

That dealer just broke a federal law. There was a US supreme court ruling (can't remember the reference), that turned the whole "you must use OEM filters" lie from manufacturers on its ear.

If they say that it will void any warranty, they can and have been successfully sued. It's garbage what they're saying. Part of the reason is that ALL car manufacturers DON'T make their own filters. Aftermarket companies do. And to say that not using OEM filters voids a warranty is like saying that there is no filters made that will. (Part of the ruling from the courts.)

I suggest you go elsewhere. They're telling you a lie (and they should know it).

Originally Posted by 6MT (Post 1091326)

That dealer just broke a federal law. There was a US supreme court ruling (can't remember the reference), that turned the whole "you must use OEM filters" lie from manufacturers on its ear.

If they say that it will void any warranty, they can and have been successfully sued. It's garbage what they're saying. Part of the reason is that ALL car manufacturers DON'T make their own filters. Aftermarket companies do. And to say that not using OEM filters voids a warranty is like saying that there is no filters made that will. (Part of the ruling from the courts.)

I suggest you go elsewhere. They're telling you a lie (and they should know it).

Originally Posted by TreeSemdyZee (Post 1091342)

Man, if you could find that ruling, I'd love a link to it. I'm kind of a d*** and like to shove a paper in someone's face when they're trying to throw b.s. in my face.

It cracks me up that they try to make people think that they make their own filters and oil. They don't even make all of the moving parts in their cars. No one does anymore.

Originally Posted by USMCASA (Post 1091420)

i have ran k&n oil filters since i bought the car and mobil 1 oil for every oil change. never had an issue, never had the dealer say my warranty was voided. screw that dealer.

Originally Posted by ImportConvert (Post 1091127)

Doesn't matter if it's true or not. If you plan on having your car serviced at that dealership if a warranty issue arises, it matters.

Sure, Nissan will probably make it right in the end, but I PROMISE you will have an easier time of it if the service-manager is in your corner going to bat for you instead of hamstringing you.

No, OEM filter is not TECHNICALLY required for warranty, but in YOUR case, it makes things better.

I would just run it. It can't be that expensive and I'm sure it works just fine.

Originally Posted by MyZ4U2C (Post 1091561)

Keep in mind if you use aftermarket filters and the engine goes bad, it makes it easier to point out that the filter used caused the damage, thus voiding the warranty, I work for a warranty service center for a crappy American car company and I have spoken with dealers who will say the aftermarket filter caused sludge buildup or dirt to get in from a aftermarket air filter, basically..dealers are not going to go to bat for you if you dont service with them and just take the car in to try and get warranty work done, they hate it. However if you just use their parts and do routine services they will stand behind you, If you dont go to them for work, then they are going to find reasons to not help vs if you are a good customer they will stand by you. Usually the warranty service center is going to stand by what the dealers diagnosis is

Originally Posted by houkouonchi (Post 1091585)

This is exactly why I get all my oil changes at the dealer.

Originally Posted by 6MT (Post 1091587)

I'm not sure what "crappy" American company you work for. But, many of my customers are Manufacturer Dealers (ie: GM, Ford, Honda, etc.). To them, warranty work is where they make their money in their service bays. If it wasn't for the warranty work, their service departmants would be out of business. And it has happened that some have closed their service bays because they aren't getting enough warranty work. So I'm not sure your explanation above holds water with a lot of dealers.

Originally Posted by MyZ4U2C (Post 1091618)

Believe me, Dealers do not like to help customers who dont service through their dealer..why would they? When I talk to Service Managers the first thing that usually comes up is the customers loyalty to the dealer and I may push to help some customers but the dealer plays a part in assistance and I am talking about customers who call in when they are out of warranty looking for help or were denied warranty due to lack of maintaining vehicle, the dealer is going to push for a customer who is loyal vs someone who doesnt service through them and all receipts for oil changes ect will be needed, If you are not loyal and use aftermarket parts and IRF's you are going to have a much harder time.

Originally Posted by 6MT (Post 1091630)

It's been my experience (25 years) that dealers are quite happy to get money from where ever they can. Loyalty, while on the surface "looks" important, is not the be-all/end-all of business practices. Especially when dealers charge outrageous prices for their services. People stay away from them. So warranty work can, and is, the bread & butter of a lot of dealership service departments.

Originally Posted by MyZ4U2C (Post 1091650)

Warranty work is done at less of a cost vs a normal repair where warranty prices are not used, the Manufacturing company pays lower labor and the part is paid at warranty cost without the markup, sure it is part of doing business, but dealers do not rely on just warranty work, the point here is, If you dont service through a dealer and only bring warranty work, the dealer most likely wont stand behind you. period! I should know, I do work for a warranty claims center lol

Originally Posted by 6MT (Post 1091663)

That's not right! Warranty work is charged to the manufacturer at full cost (labour & parts). My local GM dealewrship absolutely loves warranty work. They make the most profit on it. Now the Manufacturer.... they are the big losers.

Originally Posted by modme (Post 1091776)

All I can say is the Nissan OEM filter is one of the worse oil filters you can ever use for your car.

Originally Posted by modme (Post 1091776)

All I can say is the Nissan OEM filter is one of the worse oil filters you can ever use for your car.

Originally Posted by kenchan (Post 1091788)

really? why in the world would Nissan use it then considering all the potential warranty costs? :confused:

Originally Posted by Motor25 (Post 2235201)

I have about 750 miles on my G37 now and I was thinking of changing the oil for the first time. I've always wondered what an OEM filter looked like inside. I had some free time today and decided to find out.

I visited my local dealer today and bought myself a 15208-65F0C, the stock-sized filter specified for a 2008 G37. The guy at the counter said it's the same filter used for the G35. It costs about $7/ea.

I had an extra Purolator oil filter at home. It costs about $3 (sometimes $0.01 after rebate) and is readily available at PepBoys.
NOTE: The Purolator oil filter I used is L14610. It's the longer version of the L14612 which is listed on the Purolator website as the oil filter for G37s.

Here's some pics:

Nissan OEM oil filter
http://mysite.verizon.net/michael_ca...s/filter_1.jpg

Purolator oil filter
http://mysite.verizon.net/michael_ca...s/filter_2.jpg

The Purolator filter is larger than the OEM filter
http://mysite.verizon.net/michael_ca...s/filter_3.jpg

Now it's time to cut these open! Prepare to be shocked and disappointed.

NOTE: For those of you who've read about oil filters, you probably know that Fram has the worst reputation amongst widely available oil filters. They tend to have flimsy cans and, most disturbingly, their filter elements are made with weak cardboard end caps that can collapse or fragment in hot oil. Good filters, like Mobil 1, Purolator PureONE, and K&N are made with heavy metal "skeletons" that will neither collapse nor break down in hot oil.

OEM filter bottom
http://mysite.verizon.net/michael_ca...s/filter_4.jpg

OEM filter cut open (I immediately noticed the cardboard endpiece)
http://mysite.verizon.net/michael_ca...s/filter_5.jpg

Everything inside the OEM filter laid out
http://mysite.verizon.net/michael_ca...s/filter_6.jpg

Close up of the OEM filter's cardboard endpiece
http://mysite.verizon.net/michael_ca...s/filter_7.jpg

Time to open up the Purolator

Purolator filter bottom
http://mysite.verizon.net/michael_ca...s/filter_8.jpg

Purolator filter cut open (Metal endpieces)
http://mysite.verizon.net/michael_ca...s/filter_9.jpg

Everything inside the Purolator filter laid out
http://mysite.verizon.net/michael_ca.../filter_10.jpg

Close up of the Purolator's metal endpiece
http://mysite.verizon.net/michael_ca.../filter_11.jpg

Side-by-side comparo of both filters (Purolator on the left, OEM on the right). The Purolator filter element is approx 2 1/2" tall with 50 pleats vs the OEM filter element which is approx 1 7/8" tall with only 41 pleats. More pleat area = better filtering ability.
http://mysite.verizon.net/michael_ca.../filter_13.jpg

Filter top
http://mysite.verizon.net/michael_ca.../filter_14.jpg

Filter bottom
http://mysite.verizon.net/michael_ca.../filter_15.jpg

Anti-drainback valve (Purolator is made with a thicker, better quality rubber. OEM was thinner and felt flimsy)
http://mysite.verizon.net/michael_ca.../filter_12.jpg

Bypass valve
http://mysite.verizon.net/michael_ca.../filter_16.jpg

So what did I learn from all this? Pretty simple... the OEM oil filter is basically a Fram in disguise. Will I ever use one in my G37? Probably not.

Also note that the Purolator filter that I used was the PremiumPLUS filter. Purolator also makes their top oil filters called PureONE, which costs more ($5-$6). The PureONE filters are even better than the PremiumPLUS Purolators. I'll try and open one of those too when I get a chance.

So what's the best oil filter to use in our cars? You can't go wrong with any of these:

Purolator PureONE
Mobil 1
AMSOil
Bosch
K&N
Napa Gold

If you wanna save some money and do regular oil change intervals, any of these oil filters will suffice. Hell, anything's better than a Fram/OEM Nissan oil filter.

Purolator PremiumPLUS
SuperTech
STP
AC Delco
Valucraft (Autozone brand)

I've heard good things about the $2 SuperTech oil filters at Wal-Mart. That may be another viable option. I gotta read up some more and maybe cut one open. I plan on doing my first oil change in a couple of days.

Anyway, hope this post was informative for you guys.

Happy motoring! :driving:

Originally Posted by MyZ4U2C (Post 1091650)

Warranty work is done at less of a cost vs a normal repair where warranty prices are not used, the Manufacturing company pays lower labor and the part is paid at warranty cost without the markup, sure it is part of doing business, but dealers do not rely on just warranty work, the point here is, If you dont service through a dealer and only bring warranty work, the dealer most likely wont stand behind you. period! I should know, I do work for a warranty claims center lol

Originally Posted by trainsales (Post 1092769)

It took an Act of Congress to get dealers to stop lying about an oil change?

Originally Posted by 11Thumper (Post 1092497)

So you work for a warranty claims center and the dealer tells you "It would normally be $10,000 but since it's warranty work, we can't screw the manufacture. Let's say an even $3,000 for the job, ok Jimmy"? What first hand knowledge do you have of the actual price delta charged since you only see one side of it?

Warranty work is the bread & butter of a dealer. Most folks find a cheaper mechanic when out of warranty or do it on their own. If what you say is in-fact true, the dealers wouldn't make a profit. I think it has more to do with car reliability ratings, hence why claims can sometimes be a battle to get justified.

Originally Posted by Mike (Post 1091219)

also, if its a car you care about and are concerned with long term warranty issues, you are better off letting the dealer do your oil changes and other routine maintenance. Sure its a little costlier up front, but in the off chance something questionable happens later, or something fails just out of warranty, they are more likely to go to bat for you if you have a service history with them than if you just came when you have warranty work only.

Originally Posted by MyZ4U2C (Post 1093029)

I think you are missing the point of my post, but I will entertain you, example : customer brings vehicle in, they are 36 miles out of warranty and need tie rods for the vehicle and dealer gives quote on repair, customer is unhappy calls said warranty center and wants help, after review we decide to help, I call dealer and get service manager to agree to help, dealer can choose to not assist as dealers are independently owned and operated, we talk service manager into warranty pricing which is significantly lower than retail cost, dealer is losing money on this repair, warranty work is paid by the manufacturer and does not allow dealer to make extra money on parts markup, shop supplies and at a lower labor rate, the dealer doesn't fool the manufacturer lol....

back to the point, and this is just the facts ..not my opinion or what I like, dealers are going to stand by loyal customers ...every day I talk to service managers that tell me this customer only comes here for warranty work and decline other services, or I never seen this person in my shop before, they don't want to help those kind of customers and I myself don't service at a dealer, but that's how it works, like it or not