Oil Nerds Info

blackflag

Ok, now listen to me. You could use non-API oil, and you probably won't have a warranty claim for an engine problem. I suspect if you don't change your oil at all, and just keep it topped off, that you'll make it past the warranty without a failure.

The question is what is the best "preventative" maintenance in the long-term? They're telling you doing the bare minimum changes with API is good. Doing more frequent changes with their oil is better.

Does it matter? Maybe depends on how long you want to keep the car.


Ok, I listened. Now kindly listen to this: It's not magic, and it won't make 500k miles. But there's likely a difference. 150k miles versus 200k miles before valvetrain failure with the friction modifier? I don't know. But their engineers spec'ed it for a reason.


Publish what? Why? They don't care how you maintain your car after warranty. That's your business.

In fact, I'm think they would rather not publicize that their engine should have special oil...because it might turn some people off. It could be the engineers fought to get this in the manual for people smart enough to heed it. Maybe not. Who knows.


Engineers don't care about marketing oil. But I bet they're interested in making their tricked out valvetrain last. And I doubt Nissan cares about getting into the oil business.

I mean, it's kind of like the argument for using synthetic. Will your Corvette engine fail in the warranty period if you don't? No. But it's preventative. And there's not even anything so tricky on the Corvette engine, as there is on this engine. So the "nanoparticles" combined with this tricked-out engine gives me pause.


Thanks, man...I appreciate your permission.

VCuomo

Please show me where Nissan has stated that "doing more frequent changes with their oil is better."

Please show me where Nissan has ever said that "there's likely a difference". The only technical reason I've ever seen from Nissan regarding the use of their ester oil is that in some 370Z engines valvetrain noise may be reduced with use of the ester oil - and reduced valvetrain noise does not equate to longer engine life.

Again, if their ester oil is proven to extend engine life, they would have hard data to that effect. And since everyone (even non-Nissan owners) would be beating their doors down to purchase this miracle oil that signifcantly extends engine life, they would (1) make such a claim and (2) publish the objective evidence to back the claim up. They have done neither.

Or for people dumb enough to believe it will extend their engine life even though Nissan has made no such claims and there is no evidence to suggest that it does. Maybe not. Who knows?

It's true that the engineers don't care about marketing oil, but Nissan surely does (because they have the Ester oil product and make money off of it).

Anytime!

blackflag

That's my own rule, but let's not muddy the water. They have said, in terms of maintenance, that their oil spec is better. I mean, do you think they added a friction modifier to this oil for no reason?

In my world noise means wear - especially in valvetrains.

This engine hasn't been out long enough to have a bunch of owners over 100k miles, has it? And reducing friction in their high stress valvetrain does not equate to extending life in all engines.

It's in the maintenance section saying it's the recommended lubricant...you think it's there because it has no effect on maintenance of the engine?

I don't know that they're making much money on a $12 quart of oil that nobody's buying. The markup on their parts is way higher than that, percentage wise.

Wrd.