Oil / Oil Filters

[Norm In Norman]

OK, so I have a new not $43,000 Nissan Altima and the manual says something about it having one of these new fangled oil filters with some sort of valve in it so the oil won't drain out of it. Evidently this is supposed to keep the oil in the cylinders when turned off thus causing less wear and tear on the engine. So where do I get one of these fancy filters and how do I know the one I buy really has this type of valve thing in it?

Also, what type of oil do you guys use? I used to only drive ford's and I used motorcraft oil, which is ford's brand. Well, it's becoming a bit harder to find here lately. I figure since I'm not driving a ford, now is the time to switch to something that is better.

Now don't give me this "It doesn't matter as long as you change it every 5000 miles" ****. I don't buy that. Dad always used motorcraft because he noticed while working on cars (he was a mechanic) that engines that had motorcraft in them had way less crap in them than motors with 'xxxxxx' brand oil in them, 'xxxxxx' being some brand that I can't remember. If a brand works better at 10k miles than another then I'd prefer to use it even though I change it every 5000 miles.

Oh, and what do you guys think about synthetic oil?

[yermom]

5000 miles? i stick to 3000.... although i went ~12,000 once, hilarity ensued on the highway

i don't really have anything else to add

[BoogercountySooner]

Synthetic for sure! I prefer Mobil 1!

[slickdawg]

Synthetic all the way.

I've got a good friend that lives for cars, owns his own car repair shop,
and knows it all, literally. He swears, particularly for 4 & 6 cylinder
imports, that you should use synthetic oil. He prefers Castrol (I do too).

As for the filter, I have no clue.

The Passat manual says 5,000 and synthetic.

[Boarder]

My vehicles always used more oil when I tried synthetic.

I have not seen any difference between Quaker State, Valvoline, or Pennzoil. I usually get Quaker State except for last time I got Valvoline because they had a 5 pack deal that had Scott Riggs' NASCAR Hot Wheels type car with Lightning McQueen and The King on the hood.

The Law Of Norm's Luck would clearly state that your vehicle takes a special oil filter that can only be purchased at one Nissan Dealer per state and only on odd months and even weeks.

[BlondeSoonerGirl]

And I know a mechanic that runs a very successful shop and he says NEVER use synthetic.

I know I'm helping you a lot, Norm.

[Norm In Norman]

5000 miles? i stick to 3000.... although i went ~12,000 once, hilarity ensued on the highway

i don't really have anything else to add

Hey, the manual says 3000 for heavy driving/dirt roads, 5000 for moderate driving, 7000 for light driving. I can't see why they would recommend a mileage that might cost them warranty work. heck, even my 97 ranger says 5000 miles.

[BlondeSoonerGirl]

Oh, and Norm - get ready for your 'Service Req' or 'Check Eng' light to come on if you don't change it on time.

The new cars are kinda b1tchy.

[Boarder]

Oh, Dad's "crappy GM" '89 4x4 truck has over 275,000 miles on it and has always had Quaker State 30w regular oil in it. And, it was changed, oh, somewhat regularly. It was driven very hard, too.


My newer vehicles have a thing that tells you when to change it. It takes into account how it's driven, speed, rpm, etc. I don't look at miles anymore.

[1stTimeCaller]

Oh, Dad's "crappy GM" '89 4x4 truck has over 275,000 miles on it and has always had Quaker State 30w regular oil in it. And, it was changed, oh, somewhat regularly. It was driven very hard, too.


My newer vehicles have a thing that tells you when to change it. It takes into account how it's driven, speed, rpm, etc. I don't look at miles anymore.

I put 12,000 in between changes once by listening to the computer that tells you when to change the oil.

[Mjcpr]

My newer vehicles have a thing that tells you when to change it. It takes into account how it's driven, speed, rpm, etc. I don't look at miles anymore.

Mine has that, I figured it was just a setting somewhere so I ignored it because it's giving me WAY more miles than I usually go before changing it.

Interesting.

[Mjcpr]

I put 12,000 in between changes once by listening to the computer that tells you when to change the oil.

Okay, now I'm starting to re-think that.

[Hamhock]

The wife's car says 7,500 miles, but that doesn't stop the oil change guy from putting the next interval on the sticker at 3,000 miles.

And I don't really mind synthetic. I mean, you really shouldn't be able to tell the difference if the surgeon is any good.

[Mjcpr]

Also, it's important that everyone prounces it "oal" when reading this thread.

Thanks.

[tbl]

Valvoline is the best, bar none. It doesn't crud up like the other stuff, but that may be different now that synthetics are dominating. I still only use Valvoline, and most mechanics will tell you it's the best. I go 5,000 on my cars...

[Boarder]

So far, I've put around 300k miles on vehicles with the "% of oil life left" computer saying when to change it. Them thar computers is pretty smart, so I listen to them.

I would think the manufacturer wouldn't put it in there if it was going to trash the vehicle and make them warranty engines. And that mileage has been on several different types of engines, not just one. I trust it fine.

The OnStar thing where they e-mail you to say "Your oil is at 3% of life left" is pretty cool, too.

[Sooners78]

From mechanics, I've heard mixed opinions about whether synthetic is really better or not. At least none say it is worse.

As for filters, I like Fram because they are easier to change with their sandpaper surface.

[olevetonahill]

Orielly has the filter 6.99 or less Fram makes a good filter , However I use WIX
As far as oil goes I use their brand , 30 Wt.
125,000 and no problems . So use what you want

[Norm In Norman]

One of the things about synthetic is - well, I guess it reduces my dependency on real oil. I need some solid facts though on whether it's better for the engine. Mechanics aren't quite as helpful as you would think out on the internet.

My wife took it in for it's first oil change today. They told her you couldn't buy the filter anywhere. Yeah right. I did a google search and I can buy them for $4 a filter, genuine Nissan. I'm afraid to use a different brand because I won't know if it has that valve thing in it.

[TopDaugIn2000]

my CAMRY uses one of those filters as well so I always get it changed at the dealership to be sure to get the right filter. I use coupons, they do it in under 30 minutes, and it's really only a few bucks more than a quick lube place.

my firebird didn't have that, so I always got my oil/filter from my brother (he owns a napa store) and did it myself. I figured it was worth the few $$ now though, especially since it's only every 4 months or so

I do it every 5K miles (the book says 7,500 for normal driving, 5K for dusty roads, but after being programmed for "3K" for so long with the old FB I just can't seem to go the 7,500).