I was wondering if anyone out here has had to scrap it out with the dealer for warranty because you do your own oil changes. What kind of proof is acceptable? Video tape of you and a current news paper doing the change? Receipts from auto store?A federal judge as a witness with an affidavit? Thats just a few of the ones I can think of. If anyone has some actual experiences I would appreciate hearing them and I am certain other people would also be interested.Thanx in advance.

I don't see why receipts showing you purchased oil and a filter would not work. Maybe write down the mileage on it as well. If it came down to it, I think a court would see this as reasonable.

Not really, as the oil or filter could be used on another car or resold...........a legitament company bill with date, your VIN and mileage, oil brand and viscosity and filter number [for correlation] plus a labor charge for changing it would be enough.

How a home change can be proved is a little more difficult.

Toyota had the same problem recently with sludged V6 and owners not understanding the time limit for oil [6 months] people who drove little didn't change for a year.......the engines were destroyed prior to 100,000 miles.

People brought in all kinds of faked up paper work trying to prove they changed the oil every 6 months, The sludge was so thick you spooned it out for hours and hours.

Lack of oil change or using a low quality wrong viscosity product is easily determined by looking once the engine is torn down. The signs are obvious to the 1st year votech school student. Same with a poor air filter or not changing it the rings and bearings or silicon in oil [they do a lab test],

Hard to fool an expert or even a factory technican.

Read the warranty and have an attorney explain what the words mean in legal terms.

Luckily most don't abuse their engines to the point where a warranty fight comes up before 70,000 miles.
I know Nissan engines [at least the previous versions] can last over 300,000 miles and produce as new power and decent idle, so I get really upset with people who waste theirs.

Well, assuming you actually change the filter and the oil when you purchase them, I doubt there would be much of an issue. I'm not talking about trying to fool them. Just saying what records could be kept. It would be unreasonable for a dealership to force a consumer to pay a mechanic to do an oil change. Unless the dealer/manufacturer has good, credible evidence of poor maintenance, then I do not think they will put up much of a fight, or a court will not decide in their favor. And keeping in mind, a person meticulous to actually keep the orignal purchase reciepts for oil and filter purchases will probably actually do or have the oil changes done.

And frankly, people who don't take care of their cars deserve not to be able to drive it.

So what you are saying is you need to change your oil every 6 months if you don't drive much? I was always wondering why it said 3000 miles or 6 months. That seems a short amount of time for it to sludge up so could you give more details please?

04 Coupe 6MT Laser/Graphite Premium No Aero

It is usually 3000 miles or 3 months, not 6. Oil can degrade over time, plus water can get into the oil over time, which is really bad.

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2004 6MT DG/G Coupe | Premium | Aero Kit | See bio for pix

I keep all receipts + do a blackstone report every 3-4th change (yearly). Nobody is going to tell me I have sludge, I can tell them exactly whats coming out of my engine...

http://www.timware.org/G_oil_10k.pdf

They won't force you to change every 90 days even though most cars would lose the severe vs standard interval test.
Nissan and Toyota have the 6 month rule since why argue the merits and they cannot prove how you drive.

A short trip under 5 miles, driving <10 miles in below 32F, Driving in rush hour or hot stop and go traffic, driving on a salted road during the 90 days.

I can assure you that they won't take your word [nor will the court] for oil changes IF visual examination proves otherwise by their fleet of expert witnesses.

The dealer is just the manufacturers agent. The manufacturer usually listens to what the dealer says [recommends] but you always have recourse to meet with the factory zone technican or manager whose job is to resolve compliants.

Don't take the dealers no as the last word the zone people around at least once per month and special visits are more frequent with a compliant back log.

Only Toyota has had the sludge problem recently, Nissan has been pretty immune except for the G35 using oil.

By the way you are obligated to check your oil level at intervals that allow you to maintainn no less than 1 quart low,

We note [independent shop] when oil is more than 1 quart low prior to a change.

Well, I did scrap it out with a dealer about Mobil 1. I had 3 oil changes wherein I asked the dealer to put in Mobil 1 that I supplied. The dealer gladly did it for me. On the 4th oil change, the same service manager told me that he will note that my use of Mobil 1 voids any warranty on lubricated parts. The whole thing pissed me off because they can't tell you after the fact, and besides, it's stupid because Mobil 1 is better for the car and will be used in all future Infiniti products.

The dealer doesn't have any say concerning the warranty, he is just the eyes and ears of Infiniti. He notes what he finds to do his job. The dealer can ignore things [signs of abuse] or dot the "I's"............the biggest battles are always between the dealer wanting to do too much under warranty and the factory.
The factory has guidelines [averages per month per car model] and the dealerships need for service/repair revenue is a constant battle with factory.

The dealer wants revenues and knows how far it can push factory.......the more cars it sells per month the easier it is for them to get help for you!

If the service manager says he can't cover something then it is up to you to push the Zone and National people at Infiniti so he can get the revenue in repairing your car.

Your arguement about oil is best carried out between you and factory. If the need ever arises as long as you have change records it doesn't matter as long as it meets viscousity standards.

I've read Q45tech's posts on this subject in the past. This is the sole reason that I will ONLY let an authorized INFINITI or Nissan Dealership Change my engine oil, transmission and diffy fluids. I've contemplated following the resourceful DIY's, buying only INFINITI approved fluids and filters then doing the job myself, but it would not be worth the hassle to have to argue my DIY schedule in court.

FYI, The local INFINITI dealership in Central FL will charge you $34.77 for a standard oil change, the local Nissan Dealership charges $23.88 for the same service and Nissan is 2-3 times closer to my house. Nissan takes down MORE personal information than INFINITI does pertaining to your name, date in and out of service, odometer, VIN, time of service, type of oil and filter used, make, model and color of car, license plate state. (This is a pretty comprehensive list!)

1 question, can someone please tell me if <font color=red>10W30 Oil-010-40</font color=red> is the same thing as CASTROL GTX 10/30? Thanks!

<font color=blue>The above statements are only my take on the issue. If you disagree with anything I typed then you are 100% right!</font color=blue>