3.5 Ltr Engine

I can't wait to see the comments on this one.

hi i purchased new 2004 maxima from dealer. i had him put in mobil one 5w30 synthetic with only six miles on car. of course i had to pay 65.00 for him to do it. i had both mobil one oil and filter changed. ev

advise on using

on the engine when

decision, I will use

price.

Oh course you had to pay them,

For some reason did you expect them to give you 65.00 bucks worth of oil and filter for free?

Lets put it this way Tom,

Opinions on this subject are like belly buttons, everybody has one.

and by the way, Don't waste your hard earned money on K&N products, buy the OEM parts .

You should run convential oil in your new Maxima for about 5,000 miles, just long enough to seat the rings. If you use synthetic oil on new cars you risk the chance of ring slippage. After 5,000 miles use a good synthetic oil (Castrol syntec is what I use). I change my oil and filter once a year (12,000 miles). My father goes 30,000 miles on his Nissan Quest (wow), he has over 150,000 miles on the vehicle. Synthetic oil allows the engine to run cooler, smoother, and improves gas mileage. It is easy on starters, alternators and other components. Remember synthetic oil does not break down(loose its viscosity) like convential oils. I spend $7 on a filter and $16 on oil each year (compare that to the guy who spends $20 every 3,000). Synthetic oil is the best kept secret, don't be left out.

How does synthetic oil make it 'easy' on alternators? And by the way, my wife's Nissan Altima has 175,000 non synthetic oil miles. If you don't mind changing the oil more frequently, regular oil ain't bad either.

CD

Exactly. Synthetic has nothing to do with Nissan engine longevity. It's the excellent design, quality of materials, and close tolerances that make them run forever. The whole synthetic oil thing has become a religion. Geez, it's just oil and only internally lubricated parts benefit from any oil (bearings and rings mostly). I'm sure the oil company's love it though. For me it's 167000 on a '96 Ford Explorer and

-jim

about 5,000 miles,

oil on new cars

don't be left

by the way, my

If you don't

bad either.

Exactly. Synthetic has nothing to do with Nissan engine longevity. It's the excellent design, quality of materials, and close tolerances that make them run forever. The whole synthetic oil thing has become a religion. Geez, it's just oil and only internally lubricated parts benefit from any oil (bearings and rings mostly). I'm sure the oil company's love it though. For me it's 167000 on a '96 Ford Explorer and

-jim

What are the environmental conditions you operate in? that significantly influences oil choice more than any other factor.

BuddyWh

Dude! Stop topposting. It makes your post very hard to read. kai

How so? Would I be a candidate?

I drive mostly freeway - 80+ - around 30 miles each way to and from work. Most of the drive is level ground, I don't go into the mountians often.

I currently have 68K on the car. kai

Very cold temperature makes synthetic almost essential... either that or a heated garage or/and block heaters of various sorts.

Very high temperatures coupled with hard operation (trailer towing??) also make synthetic highly desireable if not essential.

Barring that, or other special circumstances (I have one with my Rodeo) synthetic oils are mainly a personal choice.

In a practical sense, petroleum oil is just as likely to get your engine to 200k miles and beyond as synthetic. I'm curious to know if anyone has any knowledge of an oil induced failure of an engine? not maintenance induced, not design induced, not defect induced... oil induced.

As far as when to change... I thought those old wives tales about the engine needing to "break in" and older engines leaking had been pretty well debunked. Change any time you feel like it.

BuddyWh

I live in the Seattle area. (moderate temps) My commute is on I-90 about

I think topposting makes it easier to read a thread.

You can use non-synth oil and easily get to way beyond that mileage. You'll probably find by pulling the stick that even at 5,000 or 6,000 miles that oil is still in good shape. And it could probably be pushed longer due to the type of driving you do.

We drove a new Chevy Lumina van to 150,000 miles on dino oil changing it every ~5,000, and it was still running like a champ when we traded it.

I am sure many others could chime in about dino oil. European cars mostly have much longer oil change intervals for any type of driving. What does that tell you?

My BMW 528i has a very high change interval of about 15K miles depending on the driving conditions (the computer monitors it and says when to change), but it comes from the factory with synthetic. Mobil1 is approved in that car.

I use Mobil1 in my 01 Maxima and like the easy starts in the winter (reduces starter wear) and the improved mileage (I see a mpg or so). I do it myself and the extra cost is minimal.

And when I sell my cars, typically at about 120K miles, I advertise "Mobil1 since new" and it makes a big difference in selling it. Buyers are less concerned about mileage if synthetic was used, and I get more for the car, easily enough to offset the extra cost.

Matthew