15951

Hi everyone,

I had the first oil change done on my 2010 G at 3 months (2,000 miles). The dealer did not use ester oil - just plain old Castol GTX. The difference in the way the car feels before/after is remarkable. The engine is idling very smooth, I stopped getting odd sounds (almost like knocking) when shifting, and the engine is just smoother at all RPMs.

Is this a typical trait of the G? I must have had some nasty stuff floating around in the factory fill for new dino oil to make this big a difference.

Thanks.

BOSS-G37

Don't know about your car, but mine hasn't had any odd problems. I am still on the first fill of oil. Maybe someone else has gone through what you said.

MOB

nothing strange here.....at 6800 now and went with the Ester at 2750. Smooth as silk from day one.

eksigned

iTrader: (1)

HAW! I hope so! I've yet to get my oil change done, but I do plan on doing it soon via the dealership (first one's included, I hear from my local dealer). Anyways, I know what you're talking about. I hear odd ended hisses here and there...valve chatter, etc. I sure as heck hope they go away after the first oil change... I'm gonna push for Mobil 1 though, no dino oil for me

15951

I'm sure they'll be glad to give you Mobil 1 if you pay the difference in cost between the two.

Regardless, the oil change smoothed things out for my engine for whatever reason. Hopefully you have the same experience.

JonfromCB

15951, I have no doubt that you noticed a difference immediately after an oil change.
Many "motorheads" have described the same things as you right after a change.
The effect you experienced can be partially explained and the depth, extent and
magnitude of the effect is exaggerated by our minds....the placebo effect.

When most of us start our engines, our cars have been sitting for a while or even
overnight. The oil "settles" out of the nooks, crannies and oil system into the
sump. When we start the engine it takes time for pressure to build and during that
time we hear noises and notice the "roughness" during warm-up. Over time, a new
oil fill gets dirty with suspended particles, some of the oil evaporates or burns off,
the viscocity changes, etc, etc, etc and we get used to it one day at a time....then
we do a oil change with new clean oil, usually in an already warm engine that in most
cases has already been started allowing the new stuff to flow to all the parts
without completely draining to the sump...then we jump in our cars and start them
before they are completely cold or the oil has had a chance to drain and we are
amazed at the huge difference we immediately notice. Don't be alarmed, it won't last,
I promise.

As to the Nissan Ester, I agree that the base oil starts shearing out of grade
between 3 and 4K depending on the driver. This doesn't mean it's not doing the
job for most up to 5 or 6K before it's exhausted, but I wouldn't run it over 3750
in my VVEL.

eksigned, and other M1 fans. You might want to study a couple of dozen UOAs
of M1 run in the VVEL before you decide to use it in your VVEL. There are
many other oils that get consistently better results in this engine than M1.
Don't take my word for it...(it's all I used to use). Take a look at several
dozen UOAs on "bitog" or subscribe to Dyson's data base and you probably
won't put M1 in your VVEL after you do the comparisons for yourself.

For what it's worth, compare the Eneos, Motul, Redline, and German Castrol
UOAs to all the others. Good Luck

15951

Nope, no placebo effect. The car starts better in the morning (a few of them now), and drives smoother. There's no post-oil change euphoric disassociation or any other odd psychological stuff going on here. The car is quieter on startup, runs smoother, and stopped making some odd sounds.


Who are you agreeing with? I don't remember even discussing oil shearing in this thread.

This engine was designed to run just fine on conventional oil. It's always your choice to run expensive synthetics, but it's completely unncessary per the manufacturer's recommendations. I can take my G to redline all day long on regular old dino oil, and if anything happens to the engine you can be sure that the dealer isn't going to point to the oil they put in it as the culprit.

mike904

My first oil change was done at the dealership with their regular oil, the 2nd one I did myself with Nissan ester oil. The engine seems to be getting smoother from day 1 (8,500 on the odometer) regardless of oil type. But the one difference I have noticed is an increase in gas mileage with the ester oil.

ualdep

I just had my 1st oil chg in my 09 G37S & had it analyzed; It was very hi with Silicon & Copper; dealer said it came with Ester oil; is the engine treated with an additional 'additive' other than the Ester oil that would cause the hi Si & Cu?

15951

How much did your mileage go up with ester oil? That's a great benefit if the increase is significant.

JonfromCB

No additional additives from factory. High silicone is fairly common
in FF oil. It's leftover from casting materials. High copper is not
common, but "elevated" wear metals are common in FF.

JonfromCB

Sorry, I was agreeing with the "oil threads" and UOAs on the Nissan
Ester...I was still thinking about the UOAs I was looking at this morning.

You are wrong about the manufacturer's recommendation for the VQ37.
Nissan recommends their Nissan Ester for the VQ37, and it's more expensive
than several high ester true synthetics I can think of.
Although these engines are under warranty with any API spec'd
5W30, I don't agree that they all run just fine on any 5W30....one
of the first VQ37 TSBs is proof of that!
I also agree that a dealer will not blame the oil they put in if there
is a problem....especially when they are charging $7/quart
for oil they buy @ $1.50 in bulk. Frankly, it's about profit
to the dealerships and they couldn't care less about how
long your engine lasts and they also get paid for each
and every warranty repair they make....so what do they care?

I hope noone has oil related engine problems, but the numbers of
repeated and reaccuring overheating, "limp mode" problems,
VVEL actuator motor failures and VQ37 engine replacements
combined with the many UOAs available suggest this engine is hard on oil
from heat shearing and many 5W30 oils are not up to the task, including
many being used and promoted by dealerships. Hey, it's your car
use whatever you want, but if you think it runs good on what
you changed to, just try some true synthetic high ester and
tell us all what you notice then.

Remember your original question...."is this a typical trait of the G?"
No, it's not is my answer to your question.
I don't doubt that you noticed your engine running better after
fresh oil, but if it's as noticible as you claim, one has to wonder
just how "spent" the oil in it was, if it was low, and whether you
may have also had a faulty filter that was by-passing.

RedG37SNC

Mobil 1 is probably still dino oil, the only oil I'm aware of that isn't is Reliable Lubricants. and G-oil. Everything else is CRUDE..lol. On my 3rd change of RLI.

CodeG

I have dino oil in my G and every oil change the car does seem to run better. My SUV is the same, it like fresh oil. One thing about the G is it very sensitive to oil level; I put in half quart too much and it did not run the same.
Regarding Nissan oil recommendation, I do think it is a marketing strategy more than technical necessity. When Nissan saw some engine failures due to manufacturing quality control or material issue, the easy way out is to issue a tsb promoting products that will make a bunch of money for the dealer. What kind of premium oil is shearing to an lower weight oil after just 4K miles? And there is no telling when this shearing started; at 500 miles or rpm red line? Sure maybe VVEL is hard on oil, but it is not a turbo charger. Conventional oil can sustain the inferno of a turbo charger just fine, much less VVEL. The issue I see with the VQ engine is the total lack of an oil cooler but that is another story. Seeing Nissan oil filter recommendation, I can see much better alternative, same with their oil recommendation.

eksigned

iTrader: (1)

Oh my word,

I checked out that Bob Is The Oil Guy thread, and that gave me a HUGE headache. So MUCH information. The favorite seems to be Pennzoil Ultra or Platinum, along with Redline and Amsoil. Jon, can you do me a favor? What the hell should I use? My driving habits, are NOT light. Once I really figure out how to drive this thing, I'll be on it...harder than most G drivers. LOL

I'm thinking Amsoil or Redline, but not sure if I'm willing to shell out 100+. What's your opinion on PP or PU? Full synthetic, yes? Or is it a "mobil 1 synthetic"...? Opinion on filters? I hear K&N and Mobil 1 are both top notch, but made both by champion labs.

In the mean time, I'll try my best to get through that damn long oil thread. lol thanks!!!