G37 Owners Must Read!!!

[awdjdmtalon]

Steve. I just priced the oil. Man am I glad I work at dealer. I only got the list price. I'd hate to see what retail cost is. Still going to make the change over tho. The price is worth the protection IMHO.

[SteveTheTech]

Search around I have found varying prices at many dealers. It is not cheap by any means and I really hope the price will drop to get more people on board if it is the right stuff to use and I feel it is (although I have yet to see published proof of this, on Infiniti vehicles)

Just a hint- Nissan dealers use the same oil and have a different price matrix

[G37 Man]

okay I got a couple of questions for my G37S

1. Going with this Ester oil does it make the car run faster?2. I got a little over 6,000 miles on the G37 good time to switch?3. long term impact for the engine?4. I got no noise but using conventional oil to break in the engine,ready for a switch if this is called for the G37.5. What is the average cost per quart?

ThanksG37 Man

[awdjdmtalon]

Search around I have found varying prices at many dealers. It is not cheap by any means and I really hope the price will drop to get more people on board if it is the right stuff to use and I feel it is (although I have yet to see published proof of this, on Infiniti vehicles)

Just a hint- Nissan dealers use the same oil and have a different price matrix

I would shop areound. But the Nissan dealer in town is the only one for 45+ miles in any direction. And no Infiniti dealers for over 100+ miles. So I quess I'm stuck paying the price I get at the local Nissan dealer.

[Focusedintntions]

Steve!! Which dealership do you work at?? I live in Fairfax and will be due for a oil change in about 1500 miles....what can you hook me up with haha

[G37 Man]

In reading further about Ester oil,the price is anywhere from $12-$17 a Qt.I'll stick with conventional oil and if there is a problem let Infiniti correct it.

[awdjdmtalon]

In reading further about Ester oil,the price is anywhere from $12-$17 a Qt.I'll stick with conventional oil and if there is a problem let Infiniti correct it.

You need to make friends w/ the parts department

[SteveTheTech]

Most of the places (at least around here) have little to no profit on that, at this point they are just trying to get people to use it. The supply cost is really high on it. I really wonder if the company actually expects people to shell out that kind of money and still stick to 3750 intervals. I would like to find a replacment for it from the same manufacturer. Well see maybe it's just because it's new.

[G37 Man]

You need to make friends w/ the parts department

With friends like that,I might as well hand over the keys to the G37 because it will get to the point that the oil changes will cost more than the car over time!

[SteveTheTech]

Here it is, the science behind it!

I was skeptical about this until I saw that Nissan was registered under the patent holder. This is pretty long but it is a worth while read.

Nissan Ester Oil Patent

[jhmcastle]

i just bought a 05 G35X and had an oil change done at my local nissan dealer. they put in mobil1 synthetic into my car. that was what they recommended to use now in the winter. I live in canada by the way and for the last week its been like -30 to -35 degrees celsius. i wud be interested to know if i could run the oil you guys are talking about or if its even available up here. my car has 24000 miles on it rite now so would it be a good idea to switch?

[Focusedintntions]

I just bought 5 quarts of this stuff...i'll let you know how it works after i get it in tomorrow.

[johne68]

we live over 100 miles from the nearest nissan dealership; we found out about the "need" to use this oil after taking our 6 months old g37 back to the dealership to correct some minor glitches and get our "first oil change is free" oil change; note... we had one oil change performed using normal pennzoil motor oil between purchase & this oil change;

there was no mention of this "use only this oil" situation when we purchased the vehicle.

now i'm in the predicament of how best to deal w/ the situation.taking the car back & forth to st. louis for oil changes will be a pain in the a**;NOT using the recommended oil is not something i care to do.

am trying to get in touch w/ the service department of the dealership to see if i can order a supply of oil from them.

does anyone else know where i can purchase a supply of this oil?

[SteveTheTech]

jhmcastle- I tried to send you an email about this but your email in your profile doesn't work???

Johne68- If you cannot get it online as I have not been able to find any at this point, try a premium synthetic. In lue of driving extremely out of your way for an oil change, you should be able to get away with using a high quality synthetic. Something along the lines on Mobil 1 without any noise. There are a few instances of noise from using dyno/regular synthetic but from what I have seen over the past few months of regularly servicing 3.7s those who use M1 and other high quality synthetics have had minimal to no noticeable noise, or performance loss from the drivers point of view. I don't know about long term concerns at this point it may be too soon to make a call.

Many of the guys here use M1 and other premium oils which should provide sufficient lubrication. There are reasons to use the ester and the engines were designed to use them. However, I do not think that Nissan worked out the details and logistics of supplying enough specialty oil for several models. It's a pretty decent Fail on their part and I sincerely hope they resolve their issues as this is only the beginning of many specialty products.

Given the current trend toward alternative fuels and eco-friendly design some manufacturers are using Urea injected diesels that have a fluid injected into the exhaust stream to burn off NoX. I know nothing of the commercial availability of Urea additive but I'm thinking you can't go to Autozone and get more, when you need a refill. The same applies to Hydrogen vehicles, they don't use combustion engines and I can imagine everything on these emerging vehicles will require all kinds of specialty fluids and products, not to mention service. It seems that the days of most DIY projects may be drawing to a close.

[G37 Man]

Steve

I had my G37 in this past week and was told the Ester Oil is required and the notice was sent out in August of 08.

I was told the 08,09 G37 and FX are in that category.

What gives,are they saying if I use 5-30w oil other than Ester Oil I could have a problem if a problem arises while I am under warranty for the G37?

I told the SM,I was real ticked off that after buying the car this comes up.I knowput the Ester Oil but at $16 a QT and the fact it forces me only to go to an Infiniti dealer is just not right.

[SteveTheTech]

There is no legal way they can require you use their oil after you have already purchased the car. As this thread covers using a premium oil should suffice. I personally feel that acceleration is smoother and faster with ester, that might be in my head I have no numbers.

[Sentientbydesign]

Steve,

Regarding the Urea, just pee in a cup and separate the Urea from the rest of the urine . It's interesting to note that Urea is a natural byproduct of urine. The cosmetic industry has been using a synthetic form of it for "softening skin". Now the auto industry uses it to satisfy the EPA. What's next?

I'll be doing some research in the coming week to find out which mainstream synthetics are Ester based and what the general concensus is. I'll also start doing oil analysis with one of the reputable labs to see what's really going to be helping out our Niconaughts and what's just a 5 qt jug of ...

[Poyzinous]

Ester oil should be $12 or $13 a quart at every dealer. And they will do a standard oil change unless you request Ester. If you plan on keeping your car for more than 8 oil changes, use ester oil.

[G37 Man]

are

Ester oil should be $12 or $13 a quart at every dealer. And they will do a standard oil change unless you request Ester. If you plan on keeping your car for more than 8 oil changes, use ester oil.

are you saying Synthetic Motor oil is not as good as Ester oil and that you should get rid of the car after 8 oil changes?

Because if that is the case,that should have been discussed before buy the car.

[SteveTheTech]

Not to sound snappy but that's pretty much what the thread was about. I was advising owners who want to take the best care of their 37 that there is a new product that the engine was designed to use. Poyzinous is just giving you some more information.

NO your car will not blow up, and no we are not having this debate again.

It's something each owner will have to make a decision on. Some people find the price unacceptable, others realize that the tires average $300+/ea and air filters are ~$20/ea, it is not really a budget ride.

[Poyzinous]

Touche, salesman.

Steve makes a necessary point. You can use whatever oil you want in your G35 or G37. Mobil 1. Quaker State Q. Castrol Syntec. Canola(although its better suited for bakery fresh products). The main thing is, does your car deserve $13 a quart oil? That depends. Did you pay nearly 40 G's for something you plan to cherish and drive? Or did you pay that money for a car you want to use to show less fortunate people you're an undeserving j@ckhole who likes glitter in his hair and caviar in his ranch dressing? If I had a G, I wouldn't think twice about using Ester Oil. Get it together. Want another comparison? (some people apparently like them) If you have an HDTV decorating your wall, do you pay a little extra for HD programming? And pay a little extra for Blu Ray? Or do you have it connected to rabbit ears and wadded up balls of aluminum with a VCR?

[Jacko3]

Poyzinous:

Another interesting response! Well said!

[G37 Man]

Not to sound snappy but that's pretty much what the thread was about. I was advising owners who want to take the best care of their 37 that there is a new product that the engine was designed to use. Poyzinous is just giving you some more information.

NO your car will not blow up, and no we are not having this debate again.

It's something each owner will have to make a decision on. Some people find the price unacceptable, others realize that the tires average $300+/ea and air filters are ~$20/ea, it is not really a budget ride.

Steve

I appreciate your comments on this issue,but my question is one of did the early production G37's shipped before 08 have the Ester oil in them or not?

If not why? I can accept the fact when a Mfg tells me the car was shipped with Synthetic oil say Mobil 1 and that is what you should use,I don't mind paying the money.High end cars demand high end expenses,no problem!

But don't tell me almost a year later hey use this oil because we have seen some problems that the Ester oil corrects with your engine again this is for the G37 owners.

By the way I believe in changing oil at 3,000 miles synthetic or any other oilthat my car calls for and the key is calls for when I purchased the car.

By the way This is not designed to be a war amongst G owners .

[SteveTheTech]

ASIK they did indeed come factory filled with ester. They noticed the noise on a few early ones that had early oil changes and people noticed the noise from the B2 VVEL actuator. Normal operation was verified and the software adjustment adapts the idle parameters to accomodate the use of non ester type oils.

Please bear in mind that everything that I say here is merely my opinions and observations.

[G37 Man]

aga[QUOTE=SteveTheTech]ASIK they did indeed come factory filled with ester. They noticed the noise on a few early ones that had early oil changes and people noticed the noise from the B2 VVEL actuator. Normal operation was verified and the software adjustment adapts the idle parameters to accomodate the use of non ester type oils.

Please bear in mind that everything that I say here is merely my opinions and observations.

Steve

Again I appreciate your comments and opinions and that is why I joined the NICO Club to be informed on how best to care of my G.

[SloPoke4life]

Hey y'all.. new to the board.

I just got a 09 G37S and am confused here. Any help would be appreciated.

Someone posted earlier that their dealer told them not to use ester oil for the break in period. It is my understanding that ester oil is what came in the G from the factory. I plan on changing my oil with ester at 1500.. i got 600 miles to get a legit educated answer.. help me.

My buddy is a mechanic with infiniti and he said to use ester. I got another mechanic buddy who thinks I should use conventional oil for the break in period. So tell me who is right. Thanks in advance!!

[Poyzinous]

I dont know why they are telling you NOT to use ester. The engine is designed to run with ester oil. Stay with it. Ester will actually be better for break in as it will clean and collect better than regular oil, which is important during break in.

[riceqx2]

MY 0.02 cents...

I spent this entire weekend trying to buy a new G37x, and at one dealer that I visited, while I was waiting, I walked into the parts dept. and asked the parts salesperson if Ester oil was required and he indicated that it wasn't required and Ester is not what they use... FWIW; BMW requires engine oil (7qts.!) with the 'LL' designation (LL=Long life). That oil costs $7.00/qt. BMW recommends 15k miles between oil changes...

[G37 Man]

After doing the research,I am going Mobil1. I was about to go RP but noticed their API being SL the G37 calls for SM which Mobil 1 has listed as well as SL on their label.

[pfarmer]

There is no legal way they can require you use their oil after you have already purchased the car. As this thread covers using a premium oil should suffice. I personally feel that acceleration is smoother and faster with ester, that might be in my head I have no numbers.

I did an oil change using Ester at about 13500 on my 08 XS. I figured if this stuff is better lubrication wise that this may translate into better mpg.

Now it is possible that other factors (such as summer blend gas, etc) have come into play but over the last 1000 miles I am now getting 23.0 where I was getting 21.9 . My target was 1 mpg . I figured this would easily pay for the difference between a $120 oil change and one costing about $50. My plan is doing oil changes at 5k although I believe this is probably twice as often as needed. Part of this reasoning is to make sure I am ahead of the curve of a 7500 schedule for warranty purposes, part is 5k is easy to remember, and part is due to making sure the oil filter is changed often enough even if the oil chemistry is still good.

Some studies show that changing the oil filter is the key. That modern oils in modern engines can go as much as 25k without issues with the oil itself. I figured that this may be where the magic number of 15k comes into play with BMW. We of course can not easily do oil analyses so we rely on some other magic time or mileage periods.

I believe in using a filter with anti drainback features and with a bypass.

To me the issue with the bypass is that oil flow is better than no oil flow in a street car with average drivers. However because it is a street car there is no easy way to sense bypass mode so the best insurance is to do frequent enough changes using a quality filter. On a new car with average drivers 10 k is probably fine but 5 k pretty much guarantees it. Sensing bypass is actually fairly easy to do but configuration basically would require adapting something like an external oil cooler adapter for the job.

I also believe most could benefit from a partial bypass filter which will filter much finer particles. The drawback being that any failure of the engine can instantly escalate into a full blown event before an average driver senses anything occurring.

So back to the Ester, from what I have seen so far, at $12 a quart I believe it should be a break even procedure (based on standard oil change prices) and it stands to reason if what I have seen so far holds true should pay off in the long run in longevity.

Perry