a few more hundred and we can finally start punching the engine instead of babying it!!!

Been thinking about an oil change...obviously going to use Mobil-1 synthetic, but what do you guys recommend for an oil filter? I have always used Fram, because it's always been the only one I've seen stocked on store shelves. What do you think of Fram, and what others are available and are they any better?

Thanks in advance for your input!!!

 

Congrats on having more self control then I did I only made it 400 miles before I had to open her up a few times. At 3,000 now and it loves to be WOT

I have a question, why is it obvious that your going to use mobil 1? These car's don't come with synthetic from the factory and you may actually do more harm then good by switching to syn. so early. Dino oil has additives that help swell seals and prevent leaks which is super important while a car is fairly new. If the car comes with syn. from the factory then its a different story because the seals, gaskets, etc... are all designed to work with syn. I have been in the automotive repair field for over 13 years now and have never seen a benefit to using synthetic. The only benefit most users will see is longer interval, but with most modern cars dino oil is good for 5k miles so how much longer are you going to go for roughly double the cost? IMO synthetic is just marketing from the oil companies to have higher profit's, the benefits do not out way the cost and there are some draw backs.... I just can't see someone who cares about their car going 10k+ on oil, I think that is a bit on the risky side.

 

I think synthetic is a great product especially if you are running in cold climates. I would be inclined to stay on regular dino until I had around 10,000 miles on the clock before I switched to synthetic. Just to insure the engine is well broken in before the switch.

 

What exactly is that filter going to do for you that a regular filter won't? Other then drain an extra $10 from your wallet every oil change.... and piece of mind is not an answer.

 

Stay away from Fram.

http://people.msoe.edu/~yoderw/oilfi...lterstudy.html

Mobile One makes a really good filter as well as several other companies.

My advice go to Infiniti and buy their oil filter. You have a brand new car and the last thing you need is a problem only to find out it's an after marker oil filter.

 

Wow, you need to get out of the field. This is the equivalent of me saying I have been a firefighter for 13 years and have never seen water do too much to a fire. Just blow on it, it will extinguish...
Pour point, viscosity, deposits, sludge control, all much better with synthetics.
Synthetic will give you benefits if you are planning on keeping your car for over 100K miles. It can allow you to prolong oil changing intervals too if you use the right stuff. Mobil 1 is a group III lube and is not fully synthetic. If it's still $5-$7, I wouldn't bother. Amsoil is a group IV lube. That's better. What you really want to consider are group V lubes, that you can still have at $7-8/qt. These are fully synthetic and are not derived from crude oil. Redline, Royal Purple, Neo are all there. Just make sure you use their motor oil, not racing oil.
As far as oil filters, I will not even get into those, just take a machete and cut a Fram and Mobil in half. Then you will see the difference.
I personally use Redline oils and a Mobil 1 filter, and have been using them across all makes of cars. I change the oil every 10K miles and a filter every 5K
Never a problem. By being able to extend the changing intervals, I bring the cost down to pretty much what it would cost to change it 3 times with conventional oil and buy 3 filters in 10K miles.

 

Who keeps a car for 100k miles? I'd say less then 2% of my customers do, and not a single one of them use synthetic. And even the extreme long term benefits are questionable at best, I've sent oil out to labs, managing various fleets over the years. My opinion is based on real world experience on over 15,000 cars/trucks. Sure there may be more "stuff" inside one filter over another, but with modern cars the benefits of all this superior engineering are virtually non-existant. People can do what ever they want, but based on real world experience the benefits don't exist or are so minimal a lab would be the only way to tell the difference.

Various accounts that put their vehicles in extreme service situations, NY state troopers and Ambulances come to mind right away as accounts that I have that push their vehicles harder then just about anyone I know and they don't use synthetic or fancy filters.... Expensive filters and oil is all marketing for oil companies to make more money, just like pushing the 3k mile service. It is very effective on the enthusiast market.

Your analogy of my experience vs. your firefighting is pretty pathetic. I used to believe in synthetic's benefits till we examined it much closer, then I formed my own opinion based on millions upon millions of logged miles and oil samples being sent to labs for evaluation. Further, the success of my locations and accounts I have speak for the knowledge and exeperience I have in this biz... but thanks for your input :thumbsup:

 

When they start selling the G35 in Europe this year, expect to see oil changes every 15K miles and not the BS 7.5K required here. As a former sales rep who drove his car hard in Europe (35K miles per year) I can tell you that this 7.5K is just plain nonsense and I totally agree that the oil companies and auto folks are playing to the enthusiast.

I had two cars that had 96K and 88K miles on them when I handed them back to the lease company and both engines were as good as the day I picked them up. This is over 6 years ago now where the oil change was every 9K miles and 10K miles respectively.

When you buy a new car there, they may want to see you back in 1,000 miles to check fluids, otherwise >10K for the first oil change.

As for the 3750 oil change - are you kidding me? What a waste of oil, money and time.

BMW oil change interval in US? 15K
Why? Because it's paid for by BMW and not you. If you were paying for it, then it would be 3750 to milk every penny out of you.

Vent over.

 

If for some reason you needed a major warranty repair, can Infiniti hold you liable if you didn't get the oil changed every 3,750 miles?

 

You make an excellent point. I bought the extended 7yr/100K mile warranty, and I'm sure if anything were to happen, and I didn't keep up the service log to their recommended intervals, Nissan could easily deny my warranty claim.

So after reading all the above posts, I'm getting really confused. I guess everyone has their opinion on frequency, type, probably even how they change their oil. I didn't think you could change a filter without changing the oil - wouldn't all the oil leak out?

Anways, the gist of it is that I probably don't need to change right now at 1,100 miles, let alone 3,750. So I will wait, but in the meantime, I need more feedback on people's experiences with synthetic brands.

I'm sold on synthetic (Mobil-1), because I've run it in my 1999 Mits 3000GT since the start (107K miles now), and I've had no problems (knock on wood). Of course, I can't say it would not have been perfectly fine with regular oil. But people tend to go with what they know and what they're used to. But for this new car, I'm totally okay with changing it up and trying something new, as long as it makes sense!

 

I read the service booklet in more detail. Infiniti _recommends_ that the oil be replaced every 3,750 mile. They do _require_ that it be replaced every 7,500 miles (but say that the 7,500 mile rule be used primarily if you use the car with highway driving and optimum conditions).

 

We're all being ripped off with oil changes at 3,750 miles:

From the UK

Ford focus - 12,500 miles
http://www.carpages.co.uk/guide/ford...io-1.4-3dr.asp

Honda Civic - 12,500 miles
http://www.carpages.co.uk/guide/hond...tec-se-5dr.asp

350Z - 9,000 miles
http://www.carpages.co.uk/guide/niss...50z-3.5-v6.asp

IS250 - 10,000 miles
http://www.carpages.co.uk/guide/lexu...-sport-4dr.asp

 

I'll assume "Service Interval" Translates into "Oil Change" When going from the UK to the US.

Reguardless. When I switched over to synthetic in my 94' Probe I noticed that it leaked more oil. I switched a few times to confirm this myself. I can't give a definate answer why but i'm attributing it to synthetic having better cleaning properties to it and it would seep it's way through my dirt seals(gaskets) much faster.

I've done this too. Pour some synthetic on some oil encrusted dirt and it'll clean it right up. Do that with regular (dino) oil and your have a bigger dirty oil spot.

Once I stop going to Infiniti for servicing I will start using fully synthetic again. I assumed Infiniti pays for the check-ups and oil changes in that little book they give you. Humm... that sucks.

 

I'd check with your dealer before you assume they are giving you free service, Infiniti doesn't do that.

 

While this may be an unpopular opinion, I just don't see the big deal in getting your oil changed every 3750, 4000, 5000 or whatever instead of pushing it to 7500 or more.

Each of the last 4 cars I've had have run like tops and I've always gone in @ the 4,000 mile mark. I mean, its just not that expensive to get an oil change (maybe at the dealer it is) to make a difference, is it? Now thats not a statistically big enough sample to say anything to be sure. But most every article I read says 7500 is for ideal driving conditions - but how many of us drive in absolutely ideal conditions?

Can we debate all day whether or not it makes a monumental difference in the structural integrity of the engine to get the oil changed at 3750 miles or wait until 7500? Absolutely. Is there any way to absolutely prove one way or the other? Of course not. Each engine and each driver is different. But why take the chance? I mean, you buy a $40,000 car, isnt it worth the extra $40 or so once or twice a year? To me it is. And for the record I dont work for or have any interest in oil or car companies.

This reminds me of the debate people would have on the Z boards over whether or not you can get away with regular gas in a Z - all to save $5/tank of gas. $35,000 car and you need to save $5?

Anyway, I'm not a car professional just an enthusiast and this is just my own personal opinion, thats all - this isnt meant to trash talk anyone on either side so please dont take it like that. I know each side will say they are right and frankly they might be. I'm a pretty smart guy and maybe I'm getting suckered in by "the man and his marketing machine". But I've got a local mechanic I'd trust with my life and he says I'm doing the right thing. And at his rates, I dont think I'm getting jobbed on the cost either. For the $80 I spent last year on the two "extra" oil changes, whats that not even $7/mo? Personally, I'm fine with that.