Synthetic not recommended
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Joined: May 2002
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From: Charlotte, NC
Synthetic not recommended
I went to the Nissan dealership today to get my 1st oil change. I wanted to go with Mobil 1 synthetic and they advised me not to. They said that I shouldn't go to a fully synthetic oil until the 3rd oil change. I asked why and was told that you should not use synthetic until the engine has completely "broken in". I have 3350 miles on my car now and they recomended that I start using a synthetic oil @ 10k miles. Has anyone heard of this before??? Will it hurt the motor if I start using it at 7k miles??? Please advise.....
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It's hard to tell....
On one hand, you could say that it probably wouldn't hurt to wait until the third, fourth, or even fifth oil change; that is, if you're going to change oil every 3k miles. We have an 02 Maxima, and the engine (read mpg, etc) didn't loosen up until about 12 k miles.
However, you could argue, all things being equal, that if engine break in is so important, why do other sports cars (Vettes, Porsches, etc) come from the factory with synthetic in the sump?
Personally, I'd give it a few changes
On one hand, you could say that it probably wouldn't hurt to wait until the third, fourth, or even fifth oil change; that is, if you're going to change oil every 3k miles. We have an 02 Maxima, and the engine (read mpg, etc) didn't loosen up until about 12 k miles.
However, you could argue, all things being equal, that if engine break in is so important, why do other sports cars (Vettes, Porsches, etc) come from the factory with synthetic in the sump?
Personally, I'd give it a few changes
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Joined: Aug 2002
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From: austin, tx y'all
I say wait.
In my S2000, it took a while for the motor to break in. During the break in period, it burned oil like crazy. By 6k in that motor, everything sealed up nicely.
In this instance, your dealer is right (and I have little faith in dealers).
Also, it's worth it (to me) to send a few samples out to blackstone labs once your motor is broken in and you are on synth. You can gauge how 'good' you oil is, especially if you ask for the TBN rating.
Under heavy track use and street driving, after 3k miles on synth, my oil analysis from my M3 came back very clean. The report stated that only about 20% of the additive package had been used in that time, which include 320 miles of track time in 110 degree heat. Heavy use + synth = minimum 6k intervals for my car.
In my S2000, it took a while for the motor to break in. During the break in period, it burned oil like crazy. By 6k in that motor, everything sealed up nicely.
In this instance, your dealer is right (and I have little faith in dealers).
Also, it's worth it (to me) to send a few samples out to blackstone labs once your motor is broken in and you are on synth. You can gauge how 'good' you oil is, especially if you ask for the TBN rating.
Under heavy track use and street driving, after 3k miles on synth, my oil analysis from my M3 came back very clean. The report stated that only about 20% of the additive package had been used in that time, which include 320 miles of track time in 110 degree heat. Heavy use + synth = minimum 6k intervals for my car.
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