Engine Oil Service?

[Deleted User 1571]

Personally I would not top it up unless it was very near to touching the 'low' mark. However, since you are intent on adding oil, then try to get the oil from your Nissan dealer. The 5w/30 probably has a marginally favourable effect on fuel economy while 10w/40 marginally favours engine protection. Either way it is no big deal in a temperate climate such as the UK. What is more important is that it meets or exceeds the minimum ACEA performance standard demanded by Nissan. Do not confuse this with the API viscosity index which you refer to above.

[DaveBerlin]

If you want to get into the subject of Oil then take a look at "FAQ" / "1.2 DIG-T (HRA2DDT) Engine Oil Spec". There are a lot of comments and Specs here, interesting but can get confussing - Dave

[Wheel]

Thanks for the comments. I contacted Nissan customer care over the issue of the grade of oil and asked why the dealer would use 10w/40. There reply is below. It seems to me that if I had used 10w40 even to the correct nissan spec, my warranty would be void in the event of engine damage. I still say they should use what Nissan say in their handbook specifications. -Thank you for contacting Nissan Customer Services.


Regarding the oil used by the dealership, both
5w30 and 10w40 can be used in Nissan vehicles, the main difference is the
performance at lower temperatures. 5w30 is generally recommended for countries
with very cold winters, where vehicles can often struggle to start, as it is a
thinner oil than 10w40. 10w40 reduces the wear on the engine in cars that do a
lot of mileage, which is probably why you dealer chose to use that particular
grade of oil.

[Deleted User 1571]

If the available 0W40 oils on the market, which are all true synthetic oils [Magnatec is only equivalent to synthetic"]], meets the ACEA spec recommended by Nissan, that is the one I would go for.Why? Because it is the most temperature stable viscosity of the lot. You will be hard pressed to find any oil that stayed more or less the same thickness when cold compared with when extremely hot. The 0w means that it flows easily and quickly to the top of the engine when cold and gives maximum protection at every start, while it also gives the best protection at the hardest and hottest operation.If anyone gets confused by all of this and hasn't the patience to do their research properly, just stick with whatever is recommended by Nissan and used by their dealer and forget about it. If you buy the oil from your official Nissan dealer, it is their responsibility for warranty etc. They are the 'experts' after all. [not that I would take what they say as anything like gospel"]] I should say that topping up, as opposed to doing a complete oil and filter change, isn't that critical when it comes to the choice of oil as long as it meets the ACEA rating in the book. Use the latest spec standard possible, as they are backward compatible but not always forward compatible. They shouldn't really mention obsolete specification codes in the owners manual, but they do, and it certainly wouldn't be suitable for a full oil change.
Quacker2015-02-08 20:17:15

[Gel]

use this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/161172443105? ... EBIDX%3AIT
Gel2015-02-08 20:43:17

[KaizerMotor]

I have to agree with most above. You can use 10W40 with no major issues and although Nissan as a manufacture recommend 5W30 dealers still using 10W40 purely for cost reasons (10W40 is cheaper the a 5W30 oils when they are buying in bulk as if they can save £5/car they will). Personally I don't like the idea of using 10W40 in a modern engine especially with a turbo charger, but that's my opinion about cutting corners and that was one of the many reason I left the dealer network. I would say as you had your service done by them and you want your oil level to be on the full mark I would go back to the dealer and complain. I'm sure they will be happy to top it up for you.

[duncho]

Only to tell, each car which was sold to a specific country whether northern or southern, has its own oil specification defined based on the climate where it was sold to. This is binding information for dealership as Nissan instructs them to use ONLY NISSAN GENUINE OIL. No more, no less. If dealers use other then Nissan oil, it is not in line with Nissan instructions.PSdon't arguee on this, as it is not my rule, but the manufacturer's

[Deleted User 1571]

[quote="duncho"]Only to tell, each car which was sold to a specific country whether northern or southern, has its own oil specification defined based on the climate where it was sold to. This is binding information for dealership as Nissan instructs them to use ONLY NISSAN GENUINE OIL. No more, no less. If dealers use other then Nissan oil, it is not in line with Nissan instructions.PSdon't arguee on this, as it is not my rule, but the manufacturer's[/QUOTE]
A rule that they cannot enforce in any way shape or form. Not with their dealers and not with their customers. As long as the oil meets the minimum specification demanded by a manufacturer, and they have to use the internationally recognised 'standards' as well as their own, then all warranty obligations must be honoured. As far as viscosity goes, they will specify a preferred viscosity based on the lightest oil practical and which was used for the official fuel economy tests. They will also, almost always, provide a chart of suitable alternative viscosities in the handbook along with the ambient temperature range for which they are suitable when used for cold starts. Perhaps some people are under the impression that a 5w/30, for instance, is actually thinner when cold than when hot. This is not so. Even a 0W/40 is marginally thicker when at 0C than at 100C, but shows less variation than any other. The further apart the W figure and the /** figures, the less the viscosity will alter with temperature. Just thought that would interest some readers.

[KaizerMotor]

[quote="duncho"]Only to tell, each car which was sold to a specific country whether northern or southern, has its own oil specification defined based on the climate where it was sold to. This is binding information for dealership as Nissan instructs them to use ONLY NISSAN GENUINE OIL. No more, no less. If dealers use other then Nissan oil, it is not in line with Nissan instructions.PSdon't arguee on this, as it is not my rule, but the manufacturer's[/QUOTE]After 18 years in Dealerships around Europe and UK I wish this would be the case, but I as a technician I hardly ever used oil from a Nissan container, most of the time used oil from the big tank under the building which was filled up with oil from different supplier as Nissan doesn't maker their own oil, they "just" approve oils from big oil companies and re-branding the packaging (like the GTR using Mobil1 0W40 for instance).

KaizerMotor2015-02-09 10:12:07

[KaizerMotor]

[quote="Quacker"][quote="duncho"]Only to tell, each car which was sold to a specific country whether northern or southern, has its own oil specification defined based on the climate where it was sold to. This is binding information for dealership as Nissan instructs them to use ONLY NISSAN GENUINE OIL. No more, no less. If dealers use other then Nissan oil, it is not in line with Nissan instructions.PSdon't arguee on this, as it is not my rule, but the manufacturer's[/QUOTE]
A rule that they cannot enforce in any way shape or form. Not with their dealers and not with their customers. As long as the oil meets the minimum specification demanded by a manufacturer, and they have to use the internationally recognised 'standards' as well as their own, then all warranty obligations must be honoured. As far as viscosity goes, they will specify a preferred viscosity based on the lightest oil practical and which was used for the official fuel economy tests. They will also, almost always, provide a chart of suitable alternative viscosities in the handbook along with the ambient temperature range for which they are suitable when used for cold starts. Perhaps some people are under the impression that a 5w/30, for instance, is actually thinner when cold than when hot. This is not so. Even a 0W/40 is marginally thicker when at 0C than at 100C, but shows less variation than any other. The further apart the W figure and the /** figures, the less the viscosity will alter with temperature. Just thought that would interest some readers.[/QUOTE]+1