I just had my oil change done at Cerritos Infiniti and as usual i brought in Castrol synthetic oil European formula 0w30 to have it put in my car. I live in Southern California and weather is not really an issue. I always used it along with the OEM filter. I was waiting in the guest area and the service rep came back holding one of the bottles i brought in and advised me that the oil I brought in was "too thin" to be put it my G. She went on to explain to me that the engine will make knocking noises since the oil is too thin. What really threw me off is when she stated that the oil is for only hybrid cars. She asked me if I was sure that I want to put it in my car. By the look on her face I felt like she was asking me "are you sure you want to damage your car?" I've been using the same oil ever since the second oil change on my G. I change my oil every 5000 miles even though I think I can squeeze out another 2000 miles. I have over 50000 miles on my G and its still running smooth and strong so I told her to put it in. On the way home, the advice I got really bothered me although I could not notice anything wrong on my G (stable engine temp, RPM, etc.) I've been going to Infiniti of Santa Monica before they closed down and the tech at Santa Monica never advised me that this would be an issue so I'm baffled. Per my understanding, I think Cerritos Infiniti is overly cautious or just lacking competency but then again it is "the dealer" and the dealers should know more than me, right? I want to make sure that i dont potentially harm my car in anyway since i'm planning to keep my G for a while.

And one more thing that i want to ask you guys is the number of quarts that our G's take. I gave the dealer 5 quarts (5 1quart bottles) but when I got home and measured it after letting it settle in, the measuring stick showed only half full. From previous experiences, after putting in 5 quarts in the engine the measuring stick would show above half full. I'm wondering if the lady did not give the bottle that she was carrying around to the tech and got lost somewhere. Would 4 quarts show half full? Any experts out there who want to give me their 2 cents on this? what would be the symtom if incorrect oil was put in? Anybody who live in Los Angeles area have alternate dealer that you want to recommend?

I would really appreciate your response so that I can get this thing out of my head. Thanks!

 

You should be ok with that oil. At engine temp you are still running 30 weight oil. Personally I dont see any reason to run 0W in cali, the recommended 5W is more than enough for cali's coldest temps.

heres some good reading:

http://www.aa1car.com/library/oil_viscosity.htm

http://www.upmpg.com/tech_articles/motoroil_viscosity/

 

She was talking out her azz, maybe trying to sell you dealer oil (which will no doubt be inferior to German Castrol). 0w30 is fine...I run Amsoil 0w30 in my car and a couple of my friends run it in their boosted cars.

When it's hot out and/or at running temp, it's 30 weight, just like 5w30. When it's cooler (like on startup) it's a little thinner and flows more quickly.

 

I was using Mobil1 euro-spec 0w40 until i couldn't find it anymore,, so now i use 0w30 M1 also... It seems to work just fine, and i don't baby my car,, with some Jan. Feb morning temps as low as -29* F. I need cold pumpability!!! That lady is full of crap.. most manufactuers have gone to thinner oils so as to help with mpg's That euro spec oil is very high quality stuff (imo) Also, i only go to my dealer when absolutely ness. and i would NEVER go there just for an oil change,, the G sedans are some of the easiest cars on earth to change oil in.. ANY time i go to the dealer i check EVERYTHING they touched,, and most things they didn't If you got 50,000 thou on your car now with what youve been doing,, just keep doing it, it'll go another 100,000 thou!!!

 

Don't tell me her name was Marcy. Do NOT, take your car to Cerritos, seriously. I had a coolant leak somewhere, had a big ordeal between them and Metro Infiniti fixing it since I bought the car from Cerritos, turns out the problem was a clam on the plenum not being on fully...a forum member solved that for me, but I took it to Cerritos still since I had already scheduled the appointment.

So why is it that they tell me they don't know the problem, but I have coolant leaking and I should get my aftermarket parts checked out? I call back and find out where they saw the leak and her response was "I don't know dude, the tech said they just saw coolant leaking". First of all, unprofessional to address a customer as "dude." Second, I told them my car had coolant leaking, and they come back and tell me the same thing? The problem didn't remain, it was just residue.

On top of that I asked if they can check out a rattle I had and she said I had to schedule another appointment.

As for 0-w30, it's fine. Several people use it on the forum, I used it for my last oil change and will continue to use it as long as Autozone keeps having the special they have.

If you want to take it to a place that won't screw you over and knows what they're doing, take it to Riverside Infiniti. It's a distance, but it's worth it. If you're only changing oil, do it yourself, it's very simple.

 

off topic but where do you guys get german castrol 0w30 in so cal? Please pm me with info if you can.

Thanks,

 

Autozone. They have a deal usually for 5 quarts + k&n filter for 28-30 bucks. I noticed the K&N filter is smaller than the Puralator Pure One that I usually get. I'm thinking about going with the one for the Maxima.

 

dang... myabe im just unlucky and the autozones near me dont have it... ill look again! Thanks donpisto

 

If you guys are looking for oil for the HR powered 3.5 adn 3.7 liter engines, Nissan has special oil that helps lube the upper valvetrain. So since Nissan has a special ester type oil, it makes choosing an alternative a bit more specific. Although I think Castrol synthetics are probably okay, I'd look into something like an Amsoil product that's know for superior lubrication and high film strength.

 

I have 53k miles, been running German Castrol for the last 40k and change every 7500 mi. No probs and dont need to add a drop between changes.

 

German Castrol is oem spec for my 3, and I wouldn't hesitate to use it in the G either.

 

Jeff, what is this "special oil" and why aren't there warnings not to use other types of oil? Do all dealers use this special oil for the HR engines?

 

http://forums.g35club.org/zerothread?id=369083

http://forums.nicoclub.com/zerothread/337989

 

I use it in my supercharged Miata. She is confused. At temp, it is actually more like a 35 weight oil.

 

Recently I've been running Castrol 10-60 over here