Quote:
Originally Posted by rgunho
I've been to two dealerships for oil changes. The service technicians always ask what type of oil I want. I tell him I want the recommended oil or better. I happen to know that Mobil 1 oil is only partially synthetic. They do make a full synthetic that cost much more. Anyhow, I ask them about the Nissan Ester oil that is recommended. They cannot tell me the difference between ester and synthetic. I usually just tell them to use the Nissan Ester oil.
The other day I get a call from one of the dealerships asking me about my recent service. I tell them everything is fine but someone should clear up the oil situation with the service department.
Today I get a call from Nissan. They apologize for the confusion and say they are going to send out a training update to the service department. The guy informs me he knows a lot about oil blends and can answer my question.
"Tell me the difference between the Nissan recommended Ester oil and synthetics. " This is his response surmised.
Nissan Ester oil is a formulation that is like the esters used in ac compressors. They are recommended for use in the new Maxima, Z cars and GTR. Basically the Ester oil maintains a consistent viscosity at a range of temperatures and high pressures like Nissan's high performance engines produce.
The Mobil Full Synthetic is recommended in these engines as well. The Mobil full Synthetic contains the same Esters blends as the Nissan Ester oil.
"Which is the best oil for my car?" He says, " The Mobil Full Synthetic is the best oil for the high performance vehicles at this time."
There you go.  |
Firstly, Nissan Ester oil is NOT a synthetic oil. It is at best a synthetic blend with a very little ester oil thrown in. If I remember correctly, there is about 10% ester oil added to a dino base stock. But Nissan will not confirm or deny it.
Secondly, the only Nissan vehicle for which Ester oil is recommended is the 370z. Nothing else, not even the GTR requires it. The only reason the Nissan ester oil is recommended for the 370Z / G37 is to quiet down the valve train noise that may happen with some cars due to the engine's unique VVEL system.
Thirdly, you can use any full synthetic 5w30 engine oil with the "API certification seal". Chances are slim that you will get any valve train noise. From experience, I have found my engine is even quieter using Pennzoil Platinum Ultra 5W30 than the Nissan Ester oil. No other viscosity is recommended especially 0W20. But Nissan dealerships will often use 0W20 on all cars even the 370Z because that is all they have available.
Some may disagree with what I have stated but believe me, I researched it a very long time and discussed it with several Nissan specialists and it is the best information I came up with.
Hope this helps.