06 Infiniti M45 (VK45DE) oil suggestions

Just me... But Mobil 1 0w40... All day everyday.

Meets Porsche A40, MB 229.5 and BMW LL-01. If it can run in a Porsche... It can darn well run in a Nissan. Including a Nissan GTR...
 
I'm seeing 5W40 and 0W40 Mobil 1 at the local Walmart. Any differences between them besides the pour point? They are both $22.37 for 5qts.
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What's the difference between the Castrol and M1 0W40? For those who mentioned Castrol, why would you choose it over M1?
The Castrol Edge 0W-40 has lower levels of phosphorus, I believe, as compared to M1 FS 0W-40. Catalytic converters shouldn't be as affected by the Castrol as compared to the other. An old cat converter on the ragged edge might be pushed over its limits with M1 oil.

Castrol Edge 0W-40 A3/B4 oil also makes similar product performance claims:

API SN/CF
ACEA A3/B3, A3/B4
MB-Approval 229.3/ 229.5
Porsche A40
VW 502 00 / 505 00
 
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The EP is the better deal since it has a $15 rebate right now.

As far as your question regarding the difference between the 0 & 5, there is a huge thread here about that.
I've already used the M1 rebate this year for our other cars. ;)

Can you point me to the thread you're thinking of? I've googled it and found several different threads with similar subjects.
 
I've already used the M1 rebate this year for our other cars. ;)

Can you point me to the thread you're thinking of? I've googled it and found several different threads with similar subjects.

 
We changed the oil this weekend. Decided on Mobil 1 0W40. Either Infiniti under-reports the oil capacity or the dipstick is off. They call for 5.75 qts with a filter change, so I bought a 5 qt jug and a 1 qt bottle. We put a new Fram Ultra on. I started with 5 qt, let it sit for 30 minutes and checked to see if I could "measure" from the low mark to the high mark by adding.

With 5 qts, the oil was about 20% above the low mark. I added .75 qt, waited 30 minutes, and checked again. This time it was just under the 3/4 point between low and high. So I went ahead and added the last 1/4 qt to make it an even 6 qts. I waited overnight and when I checked, it was still about 20% below the full mark. It appears that there is 1.25-1.5 qts between the low and high marks on the dipstick and it would take 6.25-6.5 qts to get to the full mark.
 
We changed the oil this weekend. Decided on Mobil 1 0W40. Either Infiniti under-reports the oil capacity or the dipstick is off. They call for 5.75 qts with a filter change, so I bought a 5 qt jug and a 1 qt bottle. We put a new Fram Ultra on. I started with 5 qt, let it sit for 30 minutes and checked to see if I could "measure" from the low mark to the high mark by adding.

With 5 qts, the oil was about 20% above the low mark. I added .75 qt, waited 30 minutes, and checked again. This time it was just under the 3/4 point between low and high. So I went ahead and added the last 1/4 qt to make it an even 6 qts. I waited overnight and when I checked, it was still about 20% below the full mark. It appears that there is 1.25-1.5 qts between the low and high marks on the dipstick and it would take 6.25-6.5 qts to get to the full mark.
How does the manual tell you to measure oil capacity?

If it says to measure it hot, like most OEMs, that measurement will be right at the top of the range when the oil is at operating temp.

You have to remember that volume increases with temperature.
 
How does the manual tell you to measure oil capacity?

If it says to measure it hot, like most OEMs, that measurement will be right at the top of the range when the oil is at operating temp.

You have to remember that volume increases with temperature.
Yeah, I remember that. The manual says to check the oil "more than 15 minutes" after shutting the engine off. Which is what I did in my previous post (waiting 30 minutes). Then I stated I checked again overnight and it hadn't gone up further.
 
Yeah, I remember that. The manual says to check the oil "more than 15 minutes" after shutting the engine off. Which is what I did in my previous post (waiting 30 minutes). Then I stated I checked again overnight and it hadn't gone up further.
That‘s unusual. The suggested amount by the OEM has always been accurate in my experience.

I’d just get it to full operating temp (drive for about 20 min), then, wait 15 min, check, and, if needed, add some to get near the full mark.

Will you do a used oil analysis?
 
That‘s unusual. The suggested amount by the OEM has always been accurate in my experience.

I’d just get it to full operating temp (drive for about 20 min), then, wait 15 min, check, and, if needed, add some to get near the full mark.

Will you do a used oil analysis?
I'm going to leave it at 6 qts, which got it close enough to the full mark IMO. In the unlikely event that the dipstick is off, I'd hate to overfill it anymore than the 1/4 qt I already have.

Yep! I sent the existing oil in (it was Supertech 5W30 synthetic done at Walmart prior to my purchasing it) to Blackstone. I'll report here when results come back. I'll also do an analysis of the Mobil 1 0W40 I just put in when that time comes.
 
My M45 was always 6 qts. even with a new filter. My oil consumption didn't change with any 5w30 synthetic or what I settled on during my 3 year ownership (Castrol 0w40)... it was always about a qt. every 1250 miles.
We're almost 1800 miles with the M1 0W40 and the oil is a little less than halfway between the high and low marks on the dipstick. By my math, that should be about 1 qt every 2000 miles.
 
We're almost 1800 miles with the M1 0W40 and the oil is a little less than halfway between the high and low marks on the dipstick. By my math, that should be about 1 qt every 2000 miles.
Dang. You sure you’re measuring correctly, and consistently?

If that’s true, it’s absolutely guzzling oil.
 
Dang. You sure you’re measuring correctly, and consistently?

If that’s true, it’s absolutely guzzling oil.
Not compared to BrewCityR's which he said was a qt every 1250 miles. :)

I'm not 100% sure that 1 qt/2000 miles is accurate. The fact that 6 qts didn't get it up to the HIGH mark may be throwing my math off. I am measuring consistently though. It's a work in progress and the further along we get, the more I'll know.

How low was the Supertech when you changed oil?
Might be a moot point because I have no idea if anyone did any topping off before we got the car. It had 2848 miles on the oil when we bought it. I think it was about 30% above the low mark when we changed it.
 
It's looking like the oil is burning at roughly 1 qt every 2000-2500 miles. With that in mind, would M1 0W40 still be a good recommendation? Or does the potential for catalytic converter damage go up with this oil due to the high Phosphorus and Zinc?

BTW, I did clean out the PCV valves after adding a quart at 2700 miles.

It looks like the sump on this car is massive. The distance from the Lo to Hi mark is 23/32". Adding a quart took the oil from the Lo mark to rough 71% to the full mark (13/32" above Lo mark).
 
It's been several months since I last posted. Just an update, after some careful measuring, I confirmed that the oil sump in this car is exactly 2 qts from the low mark to the high mark on the dipstick. I converted the measurements to mm...18 mm from low to high. Adding .5 qt added 4.5 mm of oil to the dipstick. 18 / 4.5 = 4. 1/2qt * 4 = 2qt. Even after replacing the PCV valves, it's looking like it consumes about 1qt every 2000 miles. The oil in there at the moment is Castrol 0W40. It's due for an oil change in the next few weeks at which time we're switching to M1 Advanced Full Synthetic 5W30 High Mileage. We'll see if the HM will reduce oil consumption at all. I don't have high hopes. LOL. From what I understand, these engines consume oil due to blow by past the rings. I can't see HM doing anything for that. It is what it is.
 
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