Oil change annoyance story

[Towncivilian]

So, my parents recently leased a 2012 G37 w/ the 7 speed A/T.

~4000 miles rolls around, oil change time. I open the hood, remove the oil filler cap, apply the parking brake, place wheel chocks, jack up the car, put jack stands, easy peasy.

Who's idea was it to secure the engine undercover by what, 20 10mm bolts and the 3 characteristic clips that break after 3 reuses? That took me 20 minutes to remove without power tools. What's worse, there were ants crawling all over the passenger side of it - there turned out to be a large dead dragonfly above the undercover.

Next, I try to loosen the oil filter, which I always do before proceeding further. I can't get the thing to budge after 30 minutes (maybe I'm just a weakling). Some gorilla tightened it to 80,000 hojillion foot-pounds. Unfortunately, I don't have a strap wrench or anything, so I give up. I put the car back in the garage to finish another day.

I acquire an oil filter wrench. I changed the oil just now. The filter wrench successfully loosens the oil filter. Yay. Everything proceeds as normal.

Of course, my worst nemesis returns for revenge. I have to put the engine undercover back up. I managed to align all the bolt holes after a little fidgeting, but once I've got them all in, the middle clip's hole does not line up enough for me to install the clip. I loosen the front and side bolts to move the damn undercover enough to align the clip hole.

This wasn't quite a horror story, but I certainly could have benefited from a power tool (which I will acquire some sort of at some point to deal with engine undercovers; my Pathfinder has one too, but it's only secured by 6 bolts, so I can live without a power tool) and a cap wrench... just a story of irritation caused by improper preparation.

I used SuperTech 5W-30 API SN engine oil and a Purolator PL14612 oil filter. I also siphoned & filled the power steering fluid reservoir using SuperTech Dexron VI to remove break-in wear. I will do this every oil change; a quart of said fluid is $4.50 with tax. I can surely stomach the cost. I will probably change the rear differential fluid at the next oil change as well to evacuate break-in wear very early.

[telcoman]

So, my parents recently leased a 2012 G37 w/ the 7 speed A/T.

~4000 miles rolls around, oil change time. I open the hood, remove the oil filler cap, apply the parking brake, place wheel chocks, jack up the car, put jack stands, easy peasy.

Who's idea was it to secure the engine undercover by what, 20 10mm bolts and the 3 characteristic clips that break after 3 reuses? That took me 20 minutes to remove without power tools. What's worse, there were ants crawling all over the passenger side of it - there turned out to be a large dead dragonfly above the undercover.

Next, I try to loosen the oil filter, which I always do before proceeding further. I can't get the thing to budge after 30 minutes (maybe I'm just a weakling). Some gorilla tightened it to 80,000 hojillion foot-pounds. Unfortunately, I don't have a strap wrench or anything, so I give up. I put the car back in the garage to finish another day.

I acquire an oil filter wrench. I changed the oil just now. The filter wrench successfully loosens the oil filter. Yay. Everything proceeds as normal.

Of course, my worst nemesis returns for revenge. I have to put the engine undercover back up. I managed to align all the bolt holes after a little fidgeting, but once I've got them all in, the middle clip's hole does not line up enough for me to install the clip. I loosen the front and side bolts to move the damn undercover enough to align the clip hole.

This wasn't quite a horror story, but I certainly could have benefited from a power tool (which I will acquire some sort of at some point to deal with engine undercovers; my Pathfinder has one too, but it's only secured by 6 bolts, so I can live without a power tool) and a cap wrench... just a story of irritation caused by improper preparation.

I used SuperTech 5W-30 API SN engine oil and a Purolator PL14612 oil filter. I also siphoned & filled the power steering fluid reservoir using SuperTech Dexron VI to remove break-in wear. I will do this every oil change; a quart of said fluid is $4.50 with tax. I can surely stomach the cost. I will probably change the rear differential fluid at the next oil change as well to evacuate break-in wear very early.

Hmmm

Not sure why anyone would attempt to do any type of mechanical work on a vehicle without assembling all the necessary tools to complete the job?



The first thing you need to acquire is a complete set of sockets, and a necessary assortment of oil filter wrenches.

With a new Infiniti I'm wondering why your parents just didn't take a new vehicle to the dealer for the first oil change?

My local dealer charges $46.00 but they also vacuum the inside and wash the car. I also got a free bottle of water and a few chocolate chip cookies for the next mornings drive to work with my coffee,

BTW I took my 2012 Infiniti in to the dealer for its first oil change at 2200 miles.

Of the total 53 oil changes on my recently traded in 06 G 35 I did 48 of them. The fiberboard shroud underneath the car is a good idea and keeps water from splashing up on belts. My 06 had 14 10mm bolts and one plastic clip that took me all of a minute or two to remove usuing a cordless drill with a small 3/8 extension bar and a 10 mm 3/8 drive socket.



My oil filter removal tool and the filter cap wrench used for tightening 1/8 turn after making the filter hand tight shown below.

I use an old plastic shower curtain that the wife was going to throw out to catch any oil spillls that are easy to wipe up



Telcoman

[Towncivilian]

The Infiniti dealer they bought it from is two hours away. Could go to Nissan, but meh. I'd rather do it.

I've never needed to use an oil filter wrench before, I've always been able to remove the filter by hand even on friends' Nissans that get serviced at the dealer or quick lube. I've got enough tools, torque wrenches, etc for most simpler jobs. I also didn't spill a drop of oil during the change.

I just ran out of my 10pk of crush washers from Nissan, gotta go get another.

[kmckis1029]

yeah the oil system is pressurized good... always takes a oil filter wrench for me too.

i agree if it wasnt for the under car protector an oil change on a G37 would be cake. but that under car protector actually helped when my girl friend ran over a tire tread with my car.

[biggie]

Hated oil changes with the oem lower cover, the TollBoothWiley alum cover is perfect with 2 10mm bolts to open the panel. But wouldn't want to buy a cover for a leased car.

Did oil change last Friday, would only take me 15-20mins for everything if I wasn't so anal about things, and having to drive up on wood ramps to still only have the jack clear the bumper by 1/2" (takes for ever to jack it up starting a 1/2" at a time).


And I have 2 strap wrenches around just for things like oil filters.

[MoonRivertttt]

07 G35's engine shroud have a rectangular cutout near the rear edge as in telcoman's pic below. It's oil filter is assessable through the cutout, that's what the cutout for, but you have to extend your arm to reach the filter. I only had to take off the shroud once as I did my own first oil change, while it's out of the way I had a clear view of the filter location. Ever since then I can get the filter through the cutout, never have to take it off. I would imagine G37 has the similar cutout for the convenience. It's hard to imagine Nissan would make it so tough just to get such a simple oil change done.

If I were you I would take it to the dealership for next oil change, while it's on their lift look closely for the location of the filter, then you will know how to get to it from then on, without ever having to take that big shroud off again.

Btw I use a stubby ratchet and a cap oil wrench for the job, 'cause there not much room in there.

[Towncivilian]

Thanks for the info, I'll look for that next time I do an oil change. I'm fairly sure there is no such window on my parents' G37, but then again I did not examine the undercover very closely. It does not have those metal back plates either as seen in your photo.

[MoonRivertttt]

It's the pic in Telcoman's reply but looks the same as mine 07 G35. I don't see any reason why Nissan doesn't make a such window for G37. Maybe you can make one yourself?

Sorry to hear that it doesn't have one.