Synthetic or Regular oil for G37 6 MT ???

[Vinny14369]

I just bought a G37 6 MT that now has 200 miles on it. Now, the question: Synthetic or Regular oil for G37?

OK. Before posting this question, I’ve researched throughout the NICO forum for prior posts so as not to be duplicative, as I’m sure I wasn’t the first Infiniti owner with this question.

What I’ve found is justification for both, but mostly with people leaning to the use of synthetics. The debate I’ve seen is WHEN to start using synthetic oil. I am seeing people start doing this at around 1,000 miles and then continue to do so for the life of the car. I’ve also seen owners begin using synthetics at 3,750, 5,000 and 7,500 miles.

As all of you, I want to take the best care of my new investment. In light of the above, I plan on using synthetic oil, but am not sure WHEN my first oil change should be and WHEN I should use synthetic and WHICH brand. I’ve seen a lot of talk about Royal Purple, Mobil1, etc....

All of the prior posts I’ve seen were with regard to oil changes on G35s. I’m assuming that the advice is the same with a G37, but I wanted to be sure and check.

All suggestions are appreciated. Thanks very much!!

~Vinny

[joe603]

Congrats on your new car! OK, let me try and answer your question...keep in mind that when it comes to oil, everyone has their own opinions.

Since you only have 200 miles on it, it's still in the break-in process. I recommend that you change the oil at 1k miles to a fully synthetic oil (Royal Purple is a great brand), then change again at 3k miles. After that, every 3-5k or 3-4 months.

Now the only caveat is that Infiniti recently stated that OEM "ester oil" is recommended for the G37. It's expensive and I don't think it's necessary. Not using it will not void your warranty.

Forgot to mention that during that break-in process, keep the RPMs below 5k and moderate your engine speed on the highway (don't use the cruise control yet).

[Vinny14369]

Joe,

Thanks for the input. I assume you can bring in Royal Purple to the dealer and they will perform the oil change for you for a fee? If so, do you also bring in your own filter or use the factory brand they have? Lastly, do you know of a good location to purchase Royal Purple? Online? Discount Auto?

Thanks in advance,

~Vinny

[joe603]

Yup, the dealer will do it for you if you like. The OEM Nissan filters are actually pretty good, so I use those.

Check out summit racing for Royal Purple oil. Wallmart sells it too (I think).

[Jacko3]

Congrats!! Be patient and wait for the engine to break in before you start making love to it. She might feel some pain if you don't break her in.

[Vinny14369]

Joe,

I was talking with a friend today about this issue and he suggested that I run Amsoil. I called Amsoil and I can purchase 6 qts and the corresponding filter for $70.00 and I'm good for 1 year or 25,000 miles. My understanding is that this product is outstanding and the way to go, in the event you are going to go synthetic.

So, I'm now thinking that after I hit 1,000 miles, I would let Infiniti change my oil and filter (with the Amsoil product) but let them perform any additional regularly scheduled maintenance, as per the maintenance manual.

Thoughts?

Thanks again!

~Vinny

[G37 Man]

I would check with Infiniti on that for an oil change after 25,000 miles of use.

if anything goes wrong is Infiniti going to honor the warranty if you wait that long between oil change?

[marlin29311]

No way!!!!!! Do not - DO NOT do a 25,000 mile oil change! It doesn't matter what oil you are running through the engine - it will all eventually break down and there will be contaminants in the oil! The 3000 mile rule was made to help people keep fresh oil in the engine - oil that is free from contaminants. By waiting 25,000 miles, your oil is going to come out looking like sludge!

Not to mention your manual states that the longest interval for an oil change is 7,500 miles for warranty standards (at least the Nissan one does...)

Amsoil is probably the best synthetic oil out there, but don't let anyone make you believe you can go 25,000 miles with out causing any damage to your engine - we're driving on the road, not in a test tube!

[joe603]

Oil will breakdown...even a good synthetic like Amsoil or Royal Purple. I would NOT RECOMMEND you go that long between oil changes. In fact, I'm quite sure that if you admitted to Infiniti that you went that long they would not honor the warranty on the engine should anything happen to it. Look in your owners manual for the proper schedules for oil change.

4 months or 4k miles is the max I would go on any synthetic! Amsoil is good, but it will still break down or get consumed in the VQ engine.

[Vinny14369]

OK. Good point with regard to possibly voiding my warranty. I appreciate all of the input. I'm trying to find a good balance between longevity and quality of the synthetic.

Thanks again.

~V

[smockers83]

During the warranty period, you want to stick to what the warranty states for intervals. If you don't stick to the terms in the warranty, Infiniti can choose to not honor the power train warranty. After that, you're free to do what you want. However, 25,000 miles isn't going to happen on a G. It could happen on a very particular car in a very clean environment, but hardly likely to find.

Stick to with what Joe said. At 1k, change, then change again at 3k. Infiniti does changes at every 3750 miles or so many months (which ever comes first), that's the schedule. The warranty extends that a little bit (not sure on the mileage but I know it's 6 months).

[Vinny14369]

Ya, the more I think about it, the less I feel comfortable with waiting that long b/t oil changes. Thank you.

~V

[telcoman]

I just bought a G37 6 MT that now has 200 miles on it. Now, the question: Synthetic or Regular oil for G37?

OK. Before posting this question, I’ve researched throughout the NICO forum for prior posts so as not to be duplicative, as I’m sure I wasn’t the first Infiniti owner with this question.

What I’ve found is justification for both, but mostly with people leaning to the use of synthetics. The debate I’ve seen is WHEN to start using synthetic oil. I am seeing people start doing this at around 1,000 miles and then continue to do so for the life of the car. I’ve also seen owners begin using synthetics at 3,750, 5,000 and 7,500 miles.

As all of you, I want to take the best care of my new investment. In light of the above, I plan on using synthetic oil, but am not sure WHEN my first oil change should be and WHEN I should use synthetic and WHICH brand. I’ve seen a lot of talk about Royal Purple, Mobil1, etc....

All of the prior posts I’ve seen were with regard to oil changes on G35s. I’m assuming that the advice is the same with a G37, but I wanted to be sure and check.

All suggestions are appreciated. Thanks very much!!

~Vinny

Vinny

Congrats on the new vehicle

As others have written I did my first oil change at 1000 miles and every 3 to 3.5 thousand since except the last one which I did after 3900 miles after a trip to Florida. I use factory oil filters and buy my oil on sale.



I've done 24 oil changes on my G over the past three years. If you have ever seen oil come out of your crankcase after 3 to 4 thousand miles I don't think you would ever decide to wait until 25 thousand miles?That is a good way to ruin a 40k automobile in my opinion.

Every time an engine cools down an amount of condensation (water) collects in the oil. Over time this turns into sludge which looks and feels like dark thick mud. Any mechanic that works on engines can tell how often oil was changed on a vehicle just by dropping the oil pan. Doing it yourself can save you a considerable sum over the life of the vehicle.

Since frequent oil changes will prolong the life of your engine by reducing sludge buildup it is my opinion that using expensive oils are a waste of money.

As long as the oil meets API standards as recomended by the manufacturerthere is no need to waste money on expensive oils.

Just my $.02

Telcoman

[Vinny14369]

Thanks for the opinion. OK. I am now completely worried that I may damage the vehicle so I will NEVER go past 4k miles or 4 months for an oil change.

I, too, have always wondered and thought about the benefits of regular vs. synthetic oil.

I just called the dealer where I purchased my vehicle and while a regular oil change costs $42.00, and oil change with synthetic is $80.00. In addition, the synthetic brand they use it Mobil 1.

So, my next question is: If one plans on using synthetic, is there any difference b/t paying $80.00 to the dealer and getting a Mobil 1 synthetic oil change, and purchasing Royal Purple and paying whatever additional fee to have them install it.

I'm realizing that this subject can go on forever!

Again, thanks to everyone for your opinions. I'm trying to find the right balance of price and quality care for these nice cars we all own.

~V

[smockers83]

An oil change at my dealership with regular oil is like $32 something or other. If I want synthetic, I'll go buy it myself from the store and leave it in the trunk for them. I actually have no idea if they do synthetic themselves. I then pay like $20 for labor and a filter. If I were to have a friend change my oil for me, I would pay him/her like $20 to do so, so it's a fair deal for me (not that I don't know how to change my own oil, just don't have the means to or the garage/driveway). So it ends up being around $50 for a M1 change, which I used last summer.

[Jacko3]

Vinny:

I use RP which is better than Mobil 1 in my opinion. 5 quarts costs me about $40 and the filter I use is Mobil M-108, which costs about $12. So, in ttotal, oil and filter is about $52. And labor at the dealership is about $12. So, thats about $64 in total. By the way, I change my oil every 3,000 miles or less, even with RP. Fresh oil, regardless of how you see it, is the blood of an engine. I know, because I have my little nissan with 252,000 miles that uses Catsrol GTX 20W-50, which is changed every 3,000 miles or less, and I still flog my little nissan like I bought it yesterday---no engine problems ior leaks in 16 years, though my front and rear oil seals have been replaced once, by choice even when it was not leaking. My little nissan is actually my long distance trip car, while my g-35 Coupe is just a my toy--not practical at all for me for anything. So, i take it out to play with it. I didn't buy it becasue I needed a car, I bought it because I wanted a toy.

[Vinny14369]

You read my mind, i was wondering about an oil filter next. Thanks!

[Sentientbydesign]

I hate these threads, but I always feel compelled to state some facts and some of my own opinion.

First of, welcome to NICO. Congrats on starting another oil war

The G37 engine is...I won't go there. There is a Technical Service Bulletin on the G37 that states a potential noise problem from...Don't quote me here...the VVEL bank 2(?). Something like that. It's funny because, it only applies to noise coming from that bank. Maybe I'm not understanding the design and there is something special about that bank.

Anyways, if noise is found, the engine "needs" Nissan's overpriced conventional oil with an Ester additive that promotes super duper slipperiness (sarcasm). There's also a software update for the VVEL system.

I will not get into an argument about this, but I've been told by some creditable sources that Motul started making an Ester based synthetic for Nissan before Nissan released this new Ester/Conventional blend (prices vary between $12-$16/qt and somone SUPPOSEDLY was quoted $200 for an oil change BTW). It's also quite plausible that Motul is making the ester additive for Nissan's new oil.

Again, part speculation, part fact, part opinion.

Amsoil...I wouldn't do 25k on amsoil. Even though I think they make a great product, I can't see going that long on a Nissan Engine. If you want to get really anal, do oil analysis every 1500 miles and get a multi-filter system to get all of the contaminates out of your oil to extend the drain interval to maybe 10k, go for it.

You'll encounter 2 issues:

Cost- Not sure if it would be justified.

Oil Consumption-I highly doubt you can keep all 5 qts in your engine for 10k. My oil catch can would fill with about 5-6 oz in that time and the engine (valves, piston rings...w/e) would probably eat through 3 or more qts lol.

My opinion:

Royal Purple for racing.Amsoil for fuel economy and engine wear (proceed with caution)M1 because you like wasting your moneyMobil Clean 5000/7500 great middle of the road synthetic blends.

Haven't tried much else.

[Vinny14369]

Thanks for your thoughts. RP it is ....

[joe603]

I've been using Royal Purple for years and I'm very happy with the results! Like the others have mentioned, purchase the oil and filter and bring it to the dealer for the change...or save the cash and do it yourself. We're here to help!