So I am getting ready to bring my car to the dealership for it's first oil change and I inquired whether or not I could supply the oil and filter and have them do the dirty work (car has a few service bulletins that need addressing anyway), the service rep told me "sure" but that they strongly recommend using the OEM oil filter since it has a check valve in it to keep "extra" oil in the engine for start up. This is the first I had heard of this, anyone know if this is true of if the guy was bullsh*tting me?

 

That cheap OEM filter that's BS....
Get a K&N filter for your local auto zone.

 

Nissan dealer once told me that I voided my entire cars warranty because I used a Mobil 1 filter instead of OEM. Tried the "patented check valve" approach on me. Luckily my wife works at the US Patent and Trademark office and was able to get a drop jaw from the parts guy. Almost all oil filters have check valves or bypass valves. The OEM filter is not a cheaply made filter, it's actually made with quality parts and is a great design. Both K&N and Mobil 1 filters are made by Champion Labs. They both are almost identical in design and both use the same type of filtering media and bypass valve. Amsoils EA filters are also of very high quality. I personally use the Mobil 1 filters with Amsoil oil. While I do get free oil changes at my Infiniti dealer, it's just too inconvenient and my time is worth more to me.

 

Almost all filters have a drain back flap. The oil filter sits low and horizontal. The oil would have to flow up to exit the filter... so a drain back valve doesnt really do anything in this configuration. Another dealer BS story for profits

 

Thanks everyone, that is exactly what I figured. I have been using Mobil 1 filters for years without incident or other concerns. Amazing what these guys will try and tell you to get a profit.

BTW, it was also "recommended" that I stick to dino oil instead of synthetic. I might go dino on this one and switch over to Mobil-1 or Amsoil on the 7500 mile change when I start doing the oil changes myself.

 

No reason you can't run synth oil from the start. OEM on many new cars. such as Porsche, Corvettes, and many others.. My first change out was to synth.. same for my other cars..

 

True, I picked up a bunch of M1 today to bring with me to the dealer next week.

 

your dealer person is a freaking idiot

you will be okay if you want to use a good quality filter (can you say Amsoil EaO?) and synth fluid.

 

www.maxima.org has a huge oil analisys database. VQ's continue to show wear metals in the oil from breakin for up to 7-10k. They also show that using synthetic too early can prolong this breakin period significantly.

That being said, I only waited until my first oil change in my Maxima and will probably do so in the G.

 

After much research I settled on Amsoil synth & Wix filter. FWIW.

 

You will love it. I get my Amsoil from someone I met on maxima.org. He sells it at dealers cost and seems like a pretty nice guy. He's also on titantalk. You would have to contact him for the current costs, but here is a link I found for his info.

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=480065

 

The dealers love to make sure you get nervous about your baby. What they told you is a crock (as others mentioned). I personally use K&N filters and do my own oil change with synthetic (takes less time than driving to the dealership and leaving my car for a day, as well as making sure I do it right, not quick. FYI, one of my friends who got his oil changed by the dealership had the oil filter not tightened properly and oil started leaking). You can then leave the used oil at any garage that does oil changes, like Jiffylube, etc...(they are supposed to legally accept it, since you can't just pour it out anywhere). I usually change the oil after 3000 miles and decided by looking at the color of the oil on the dipstick, which of course depends on your climate, driving style, and filter (I think we have the worst designed oil dipsticks I've ever experienced). Hope this helps.

Peace...

BTW, congrats on the new car, I test drove it and love the smooth HR powerband curve. Make sure to post some pics of your new baby.

 

Just an FYI, the color of the oil has nothing whatsoever to do with it's condition. Every single oil will change color rather quickly. Even if the oil is black, that is no indication of it's condition. Oil analysis is the only way to know for sure.

 

Thanks for the info, got on the web to read some more and found this article:

http://www.nordicgroup.us/oil.htm

 

I agree. In fact WShade did some research and mentioned in this thread that the factory fill is already synthetic.