Synthetic Oil

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ben54

New member
This question is off the detailing track, but members seem very knowledgeable on general car topics, so I thought I'd ask: Is there any benefit to using a synthetic oil when oil changes are once every 3,500 miles?



To maintain my warranty, Nissan requires an oil change every 3,500 miles. I liked using synthetic (Mobil 1) in my 5.0 (15 years old) and in my Honda (12 years old), but if I'm gonna change my oil every 3,500 miles in my Nissan (6 months old) I'm considering using a regular oil instead unless there really is a benefit to synthetic besides its ability to withstand thermal breakdown over a long period of time.
 
ben54 said:
This question is off the detailing track, but members seem very knowledgeable on general car topics, so I thought I'd ask: Is there any benefit to using a synthetic oil when oil changes are once every 3,500 miles?



To maintain my warranty, Nissan requires an oil change every 3,500 miles. I liked using synthetic (Mobil 1) in my 5.0 (15 years old) and in my Honda (12 years old), but if I'm gonna change my oil every 3,500 miles in my Nissan (6 months old) I'm considering using a regular oil instead unless there really is a benefit to synthetic besides its ability to withstand thermal breakdown over a long period of time.
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You will be fine using a dino based oil. I prefer Chevron as I work for a distributor, but Castrol comes very highly recommended also. I have over 100,000 miles on my Navigator and have never had a problem. Oil related problems are very rare these days as most the major brand oils are of very good quality.:D
 
I would open up the Owner's Manual and carefully review the mfr's oil recommendation for grade and required spec....you can never get in trouble, from a warranty perspective, using the oil Nissan recommends.
 
I guess it could also depend on what are the normal driving conditions for your car.



If the journeys are mainly short and therefore the engine does not get fully warmed up, I would use synthetic. For normal ie longer distances I would use dino.



It has been a while since I last visited Bobistheoilguy but those guys are very knowledgeable :up
 
I'd go with synthetic, even if it's more money, especially if you plan on keeping this vehicle for a long time. Also, synthetic will keep the internals of the engine much cleaner, and might give you a slight mileage increase as well.
 
tom p. said:
I would open up the Owner's Manual and carefully review the mfr's oil recommendation for grade and required spec....you can never get in trouble, from a warranty perspective, using the oil Nissan recommends.
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The Honda says 7500 miles:eek:



I find it hard to adhere to that schedule, so I stay with AMSoil every 5K. Be warned that a switch to AMSoil will scare you the first time because it goes in like honey and comes out like crude. M1 is honey-->honey.
 
thinksnow said:
The Honda says 7500 miles:eek:



I find it hard to adhere to that schedule, so I stay with AMSoil every 5K. Be warned that a switch to AMSoil will scare you the first time because it goes in like honey and comes out like crude. M1 is honey-->honey.
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You think 7,500 is bad, the computer in my E55 AMG will go for 10,000 miles between oil changes :eek: I've always split the difference and change it at 5K. Service is included w/ the car, so I have to pay for every other change. small price to pay. I think with today's cars 3K oil changes is overkill.
 
Does the E55 take a MASSIVE amount of oil like newer Bimmers? That may be one reason for the extra-long interval. The Honda takes just under 3 and a half quarts so I don't put a lot of faith in 7500 mile intervals:D



cte500 said:
You think 7,500 is bad, the computer in my E55 AMG will go for 10,000 miles between oil changes :eek: I've always split the difference and change it at 5K. Service is included w/ the car, so I have to pay for every other change. small price to pay. I think with today's cars 3K oil changes is overkill.
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I changed the oil in my old Explorer every 7,500 miles with dino oil (just like the manual recommended) and got 156K trouble free miles out of it before I sold it. Well, out of the engine at least. The transmission was a different story. :rolleyes: So I don't necessarily think that the longer intervals are bad. Of course, a lot depends on the type of driving you do. Lots of shorter trips means changing the oil sooner, although with synthetic I'd bet you could go 7,500 miles no problem even with "severe duty" driving.





Mike
 
Most motor oils & filters work fine in modern engines up to say 5-7.5k miles for sure & synthetics will likely last longer all things being equal. The problem is not that the oil breaks down, it's that air & gas blow by the pistons (since the firing chamber is not hermetically sealed) & into the oil. The oil soaks up most if not all of this, but if you leave the oil in too long it becomes saturated w/ this stuff & you get varnish build-up. Many people, for peace of mind, cut the oil service interval in half for this reason, particularly for some cars with 15k oil change interval recs in the owner's manual.
 
Go with syns. I change twice a year(mobil 1 0w20), or about every 6000 miles on my 02 civic ex 5spd. I seen an increase in gas mileage(about 3mpg, so about 37-39. and it stays cooler than with conventional. One thing conventional sucks at is cleanilness, and no matter how much you change it, conventional isn't seal friendly after 100k because it weras them out.
 
If its a new car (in this case yours) I would say def, but imo, switching to synthetic @ 50,000 (me) doesnt have any affect. Another factor is how good of an oil filter you have. Some people over on tundra solutions have run mobil 1 10,000 miles with one new oil filter, and the oil analysis was still within spec. (i would NEVER do this, but just so you know;) ) How long do you want to keep your nissan?
 
What is wrong with Kendall?I have used their GT1 in all manner of cars for 20 years and have never ever had even a hint of an oil related problem.

It is absolutely magnificent IMHO!
 
Have you considered a synthetic blend? Some have put one quart of synthetic along with petroleum to make their own blend.



As some have mentioned here, Change your oil and filter every 3000 miles and you'll do just fine, regardless of what kind of oil you use.
 
Boy, haven't seen this thread in some time. Thanks for all of the advice. I guess like detailing, it's all about preferences. Not sure yet what I'm going to do, but I have several more quarts of Mobil 1 so I may do at least one more oil change with synthetic then decide on reg., blend or synthetic thereafter.



As for the filter, I tried the Fram oil filter that comes in the sealed can. I'm pretty ignorant about what oil filter is best, but figured that if I change it every 3,500 miles, most will do the trick.
 
I have always changed oil every 5000KM and filter every 10000KM,so maybe that's true.However I have had friends with oil troubles with other stuff ie exccssive consumption,no pressure etc who switched and 9 times out of 10,problems disappear.

I won't be leaving Kendall.I also have two GM Gen III (Chevrolet Heritage) which are notorious over here for oil consumption,rattles,failures and both have run for three years almost, on Kendall GT1 10W-40 without an ounce of bother.Even the service centre which is obliged to use Mobil 1,comment on my apparent lack of trouble.
 
Every car and every driver is different. The only way you will ever know the proper oil change interval and/or the best oil (dino or synthetic) for your particular application is to do a few Used Oil Analysis and see what is actually happening within your engine. The climate, distance you drive, your particular driving habits, and your engine type all have tremendous influences on your oil. Spend a little time at bobistheoilguy (those guys are just as anal about oil as Autopians are about detailing) and you can learn a lot.



I have two Hondas and after spending some time researching I use Honda filters (the larger one used by the S2000) and Schaeffers 5W-30 with 10K oil change interval for my wife's 2002 CRV-EX which is 80/20 highway miles and 6K for my 2003 Accord LX which is 30/70 highway miles. After using a products named Auto RX, Lube Control, and Fuel Power I may be able to extend these oil change intervals (at least on the Accord) but I will need more Used Oil Analysis before doing this.
 
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