kerrton wrote:So does the Nissan dealer offer the synthetic option, or do they only offer the standard conventional oil? If you go to synthetic and extend your change intervals, then the other regular "check" items are not done as per the maintenance schedule, I wonder if that could have a negative effect on your warranty?
Also, I'm curious about "noticeable improvements at startup", can you be more specific? I live in a cold climate and am worried about cold starts and the wear it causes, do you feel that synthetic offers better protection for cold starts, or is all the oil in the pan regardless of type of oil and cold starts are just bad no matter what type of oil you use? Thanks!
Synthetic oils generally protect the engine better against starts - starting an engine is where the majority of wear comes in. The molecular structure of synthetic oils helps to provide better protection for the engine, and generally, you will see a smoother idle and the car will idle-off quicker than with a standard oil.
For the most part, all oils flow the same, with some advantages being given to synthetics by people. Overall, synthetic oils are much better for your engines - they would not cost more if they didn't do something more! The VQ engine in your murano is highly advanced, and a lot of people that have Z's or G's or any other model that has the VQ tend to run with synthetic oils, as the engine seems to like it better - I've also been told by my service department that it's fine to use synthetics in terms of warranty coverage. Heck, the new VQ37 in the new Z or G37's, Nissan is recommending Ester oil for those engines, and that is more advanced that even today's standard synthetics.