0w-20 or 5w-30 for Nissan Altima 2016 2.5 SL

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Nov 7, 2020
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Should i use 0w-20 (recommended on car manual) or 5w-30 (all services centers use here) in my Nissan Altima 2.5 SL 2016 model?

Does the hot or cold weather affect what oil we choose? I live in Kuwait and during summer it is around 52 C (125 F) and during winters, temp is around 5-10 C (40-50 F). I drive on highways for 5 days as well as make very short trips on weekends. It is dusty here as well for some part of the year.

Only Castrol and Total are the 2 brands readily available here. I have found few stores that might be selling Valvoline, Amsoil & mobil1. My warranty is over and i don't want to go to the authorized service center as they charge more. Besides they also use Total.

Which brand should i choose and should i go with 0w-20 or 5w-30 for weather conditions here?

Also can i use any other oil filter instead of one provided by Nissan?

Sorry for the long post as this is the first time i will not be using authorized service center.

Regards - AG
 
Without being familiar with Total, I would use Castrol 5w30 or 10w30. As long as the filter is made for your application (very common size), you don't need to use a Nissan filter.
 
Thank you all for your reply. I will go with 5w-30. It is easier to find here than 0w-20.
I would love to hear which 5w-30 brand is better. For now, i might go with Castrol as my service is due and it is readily available.
 
WELCOME!

If this is any consolation to you, I have the same engine in my 2015 Altima 2.5 SV and I do my own oil/filter changes and other maintenance.

My owner's manual allows for:
0W20 synthetic...Which(0W20) only comes in synthetic unless you can find some obscure brand(s) that is a syn blend.

AND:
5W30 & 10W30 conventional oil. SO...I am assuming that if it says I can use these two grades of oil in conventional then, I can use them is synthetic as well.

Strangely though, the owner's manual doesn't say a single stinking thing about any oil in 5W20(reg or syn) but, I use it anyway and the engine runs/purrrrrrs just fine.

I've been using any name brand or Walmart SuperTech full synthetic oils. 5W30 in the summer and 0W20 in the winter time...OR, what ever I can find on the store shelves when I need oil. But this isn't to say that I haven't used conventional oil AND, my dealer uses conventional 5W30 unless another grade(dino or syn) is otherwise requested by the car owner.

It's quite simple,

CB
 
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5w-30 in either Castrol or Total is fine so long as it's either a synthetic blend or full synthetic. Many Americans know little about Total, but it's one of the largest oil companies in the world. The Altima (like my M35) uses an easy to find filter. Both the standard 6607 and the longer 7317 filter will work if there's enough clearance for the 7317. They are available in all major filter brands, but personally I would shy away from the cheaper Chinese made filters.
 
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