oil change

ddvette9 · 12-28-2009, 10:10 AM

not searching through hundreds of pages to find a quick answer... At 7,000 miles, called the dealership and they want 95 for an oil change. Does our car have to have the ester? Why not go to a trusted shop and watch as they put something like castrol, mobil 1 etc for 20 bucks. Also, does it matter what kind of oil is in the car now (for example if the car had ester in it now vs something else). What would you guys do in my situation...aka low on money and dont want to do it yourself

ddvette9 · 12-28-2009, 10:13 AM

service guy just called me back and said he will not service my car unless they use ester..all Z cars have ester. Now to rephrase the question...has anyone gone from ester to non ester after their 3,500-7,000 oil change. I cant afford 100 dollars

kannibul · 12-28-2009, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ddvette9

service guy just called me back and said he will not service my car unless they use ester..all Z cars have ester. Now to rephrase the question...has anyone gone from ester to non ester after their 3,500-7,000 oil change. I cant afford 100 dollars

Find another service guy or DIY. In any case, as long as you use oil that meets the API requirement listed in the manual...you're fine. They can't void the warranty for using oil that isn't Nissan's oil.

That *is* in direct conflict with the Fergusson-Moss Act, and it's intended use...to prevent dealer tie-in sales and requirements to keep a warranty.

Ford Truck requries Ford Oil, and must be performed at a Ford Dealership to maintain warranty.....for example

vipor · 12-28-2009, 10:15 AM

very few people on here use the ester oil. the dealer saying that's the only oil they will put in the car is very dumb. i would avoid them. i use mobil 1 and it works great.

ddvette9 · 12-28-2009, 10:16 AM

"The Ester oil is a required oil for that engine. Failure to use it could void engine warranty. Nissan only allows 2 types of oils. Ester oil and Mobil 1. They are both bonding type of synthetic oils. Using those 2 types of oils will keep the warranty from being voided"

found this on google...its from a 19 year tech at Nissan

Modshack · 12-28-2009, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ddvette9

"The Ester oil is a required oil for that engine. Failure to use it could void engine warranty. Nissan only allows 2 types of oils. Ester oil and Mobil 1. They are both bonding type of synthetic oils. Using those 2 types of oils will keep the warranty from being voided"

found this on google...its from a 19 year tech at Nissan

That's a totally BS statement.....If that were the case it would be spelled out in the Owners manual. Nissan Ester is "Recommended" but hardly required.

FricFrac · 12-28-2009, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ddvette9

"The Ester oil is a required oil for that engine. Failure to use it could void engine warranty. Nissan only allows 2 types of oils. Ester oil and Mobil 1. They are both bonding type of synthetic oils. Using those 2 types of oils will keep the warranty from being voided"

found this on google...its from a 19 year tech at Nissan

That's a load - and totaly contrary to the Owner's Manual. I have my mechanic do my oil changes (for warranty documentation pourposes - do the oil changes myself on the other Z's) although that's not required. I have no idea where he got the idea of Mobil 1 as being the "other" acceptable oil since it doesn't have any Ester at all in it (Class III only).

I talked to my dealership and they said in all the G37's (our VQ37HR engine) the only time they've used the Ester oil is for the TSBs - never had a single client do an Ester oil change in the last two years.

vipor · 12-28-2009, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FricFrac

That's a load - and totaly contrary to the Owner's Manual. I have my mechanic do my oil changes (for warranty documentation pourposes - do the oil changes myself on the other Z's) although that's not required. I have no idea where he got the idea of Mobil 1 as being the "other" acceptable oil since it doesn't have any Ester at all in it (Class III only).

I talked to my dealership and they said in all the G37's (our VQ37HR engine) the only time they've used the Ester oil is for the TSBs - never had a single client do an Ester oil change in the last two years.

Mobil 1 jumped to a Class 4 a lil while back AFIK

kannibul · 12-28-2009, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FricFrac

That's a load - and totaly contrary to the Owner's Manual. I have my mechanic do my oil changes (for warranty documentation pourposes - do the oil changes myself on the other Z's) although that's not required. I have no idea where he got the idea of Mobil 1 as being the "other" acceptable oil since it doesn't have any Ester at all in it (Class III only).

I talked to my dealership and they said in all the G37's (our VQ37HR engine) the only time they've used the Ester oil is for the TSBs - never had a single client do an Ester oil change in the last two years.

Keep the reciepts if you must for warranty, and DIY.

They can't hold you responsible for DIY oil changes short of it being obvious, such as not putting in a drain plug or too much oil.

Also, Ester is not a requirement.

vipor · 12-28-2009, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kannibul

Keep the reciepts if you must for warranty, and DIY.

They can't hold you responsible for DIY oil changes short of it being obvious, such as not putting in a drain plug or too much oil.

Also, Ester is not a requirement.

I use an iPhone app called GasCubby to keep track of all of my maintenance. easy to use, exportable to Excel, etc etc etc.

I'll make a thread about it tomorrow or something.

m4a1mustang · 12-28-2009, 10:15 AM

Did you research maintenance costs before you bought the car?

There are a number of people here who have used non-ester synthetic oils that seem to be ok.

nicknick · 12-28-2009, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m4a1mustang

Did you research maintenance costs before you bought the car?

There are a number of people here who have used non-ester synthetic oils that seem to be ok.

"Seem to be ok".. That is the issue. How do these people know if all is ok without tearing down the engine ans using a micrometer etc to determine if all is truly ok. I think Ester oils have a higher heat stability than other synth oils and that iswhy nissan specs them.
BTW, you buy approx 35,000 dollar car and $100 is going to break you? that is stretching the budget?

kannibul · 12-28-2009, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nicknick

"Seem to be ok".. That is the issue. How do these people know if all is ok without tearing down the engine ans using a micrometer etc to determine if all is truly ok. I think Ester oils have a higher heat stability than other synth oils and that iswhy nissan specs them.
BTW, you buy approx 35,000 dollar car and $100 is going to break you? that is stretching the budget?

No, Nissan spec's *their* special oil, which has esters added, and some nano-carbon particles that they think makes it work better with the coatings on the eccentric shafts, and charges $11-$14/qt for it. Actually, they don't spec it, they recommend but do not require it. Just like Ford will recommend you put in Ford oil (if they still have it)...

Mobil1 is good up to 400F. Our cars are well beyond limp mode at 400F.

m4a1mustang · 12-28-2009, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nicknick

"Seem to be ok".. That is the issue. How do these people know if all is ok without tearing down the engine ans using a micrometer etc to determine if all is truly ok. I think Ester oils have a higher heat stability than other synth oils and that iswhy nissan specs them.
BTW, you buy approx 35,000 dollar car and $100 is going to break you? that is stretching the budget?

Well, if it wasn't OK Nissan would explicitly state in the owner's manual to only use approved Ester oils. It doesn't, and to my knowledge there are no TSBs recommending only Ester oils.

kannibul · 12-28-2009, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m4a1mustang

Well, if it wasn't OK Nissan would explicitly state in the owner's manual to only use approved Ester oils. It doesn't, and to my knowledge there are no TSBs recommending only Ester oils.

There is one regarding replacement of the VVEL system components...or maybe it was the ECU - or something to that effect. It requires the techs to remove the customer oil and replace it with Nissan's oil.

That, I'm sure is related to their testing, and establishing a very common foundation between their test environment, and what the mechanic will do - in otherwords, if they don't do it, they can't guarantee the results simply because they haven't tested it with other oils.

Makes sense...from a scientific standpoint.

12-28-2009, 10:10 AM	#1 (permalink)
ddvette9 Track Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 823 Drives: 2013 Scion FRS Rep Power: 17	oil change not searching through hundreds of pages to find a quick answer... At 7,000 miles, called the dealership and they want 95 for an oil change. Does our car have to have the ester? Why not go to a trusted shop and watch as they put something like castrol, mobil 1 etc for 20 bucks. Also, does it matter what kind of oil is in the car now (for example if the car had ester in it now vs something else). What would you guys do in my situation...aka low on money and dont want to do it yourself

12-28-2009, 10:15 AM	#4 (permalink)
vipor A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Euless, TX [ DFW ] Age: 42 Posts: 13,531 Drives: Nismo 09-0183 QAB Rep Power: 49	very few people on here use the ester oil. the dealer saying that's the only oil they will put in the car is very dumb. i would avoid them. i use mobil 1 and it works great. __________________ 2009 NISMO # 0193 \| QAB \| Albums! \| 05.04.10 (Dynojet) 291.94hp/248.28tq Oil Cooler (DIY) \| Custom Headlights \| GTSPEC Braces \| F.I. Long Tube Headers

12-28-2009, 10:15 AM	#11 (permalink)
m4a1mustang A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Northern VA Posts: 55,385 Drives: on two wheels Rep Power: 6963	Did you research maintenance costs before you bought the car? There are a number of people here who have used non-ester synthetic oils that seem to be ok. __________________ - Steve Zs & Coffee - Saturdays at 10AM in Fairfax, VA and Columbia, MD (Click the banner!) LIKE us on Facebook!

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12-28-2009, 10:13 AM	#2 (permalink)
ddvette9 Track Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 823 Drives: 2013 Scion FRS Rep Power: 17	service guy just called me back and said he will not service my car unless they use ester..all Z cars have ester. Now to rephrase the question...has anyone gone from ester to non ester after their 3,500-7,000 oil change. I cant afford 100 dollars

12-28-2009, 10:16 AM	#5 (permalink)
ddvette9 Track Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 823 Drives: 2013 Scion FRS Rep Power: 17	"The Ester oil is a required oil for that engine. Failure to use it could void engine warranty. Nissan only allows 2 types of oils. Ester oil and Mobil 1. They are both bonding type of synthetic oils. Using those 2 types of oils will keep the warranty from being voided" found this on google...its from a 19 year tech at Nissan