I am curious about Amsoil, and would like advice p

[WMSmotorhead]

Keep it simple... on such a short change schedule, any on spec oil will do.

Become a motor oil bargain hunter... Quality budget filters like Puro Classic, Fed by Hastings, and Wix will get the job done just fine along with a decent oil that can be had for 3$ or less a quart.

 

[s1mp13m4n]

This is from the MyNissan website....a digital copy of my owners manual, here is what it says:

SCHEDULE 1 (more severe operating conditions), every 3,750 miles or 3 months, whichever comes first

Use Schedule 1 if you primarily operate your vehicle under any of these conditions:

Repeated short trips of less than 5 miles in normal temperatures or less than 10 miles in freezing temperatures

Stop-and-go traffic in hot weather or low-speed driving for long distances

Driving in dusty conditions or on rough, muddy, or salt-spread roads

Towing a trailer, or using a camper or car-top carrier

The owners manual does not say if you should use conventional or synthetic oils, but it does recommend that you use Genuine Nissan Parts for maintenance and repairs.

 

[teddyboy]

Originally Posted By: s1mp13m4n
Hello everyone. My wife and I have a new 2012 Nissan Versa hatchback. We have owned it a month and it has 707 miles on it. The owners manual of the car says that in severe service driving (stop and go, short trips, hills, etc...we live in the mountains) you should change the oil every 3750 miles. To stay under the coverage of the warranty (this is my first new car and I am a bit nervous) I want to stay with the manufactures suggested oil change intervals rather than go 10K miles between oil changes, etc.
What I want to know is, is Amsoil really any better than other oils on the market? To be honest, do I NEED a synthetic oil in this car or should I just stick with a conventional oil that meets the engines specs and call it a day? I am wondering because I can get 4qts oil Amsoil 5w30 and their EA oil filter for $30 (wholesale price) per oil change. I realize that the most important thing is to change your oil and filter like you should....that matters more that what oil and filter you use. That being said, is Amsoil with the $30 per oil change? Is it really better than other well known brands or is it just "multilevel marketing" hype?


If you are nervous about your warranty, the most certain way to maintain your warranty coverage is to have the dealer perform the service. There are plenty here who would tell you that it's not necessary for the dealer to do the service and they would be right. However, with the dealer performing the service, there can't be a question. Plus, a relationship with the service department can't hurt if there is a warranty claim.

 

[SargeBB]

First, let me state I'm a confirmed Mobil-1 engine oil user. One thing I don't believe has been covered so far is that Amsoil OE & XL are both API certified and you want to make sure the oil you select IS API certified to the standards outlined in your owners' manual/maintainence schedule. This will protect your warranty. The other, more expensive 'grade(s)' of Amsoil are not API certified. In the very unlikely event of engine failure would Nissan cover you, should you use a non-certified oil? With the XL or OE, and proper documentation on your part, you are as well covered for warranty purposes as you'd be with any other API oil that meets Nissan's standards.

 

[abycat]

I have the 2011 version of your car. How do you like it so far? We love ours.

I have to do the severe for ours. I Just put in PP with a wix filter and it seems to be doing just fine, Actually it seems a little quieter than the dealer dino that was in it. Im getting a UOA done at the 6000km mark. Along with a oil and filter change. I have another jug of PP so im going to use it for sure.

My dealer is really big on the weight of oil that goes in it. They say and so does the manual to only put 5w30 in it. It calls for a SM rated oil at least.

If you have the cvt transmission make sure you get the oil changed at or just before the reccomended interval. The versa cvt is a little fragile compared to their other trans. I have the 4 speed auto and it is a wonderfull transmission. Shifts nice and smooth and I have never heard of another 4-speed with problems.

If you dont want any dealer headaches remember that they reccomend rotating the tires every other oil change so make sure you do that or they will deny you tire warranty. Just do what the book says and you will be fine.

I run and will always run a syn in mine cause I like the protection it offers in the regards to heat and cold. If you want to get technical since we are on a severe service recomendation we are harder on the oil and should use a more robust oil. imo. But dont even think about not abiding by the manual if you want to keep your warranty.

Ive heard of a couple engines that were replaced at around the 30,000 mile mark. I dont know if it was just dumb luck or operator stupidity. Mine has 35,000km and it runs just fine.

Good luck with the new car and if you wanted to upgrade in the future take a look at the rogue. Its gonna be our next nissan.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: abycat
If you dont want any dealer headaches remember that they reccomend rotating the tires every other oil change so make sure you do that or they will deny you tire warranty. Just do what the book says and you will be fine.


On the new Michelins I put on my G, the Michelin warranty requires the rotation be done by a shop. Yeah, right, I'm going to pay the Infiniti shop price of around $50 to rotate my tires and reset my TPMS. I can handle it myself.

 

[hitmanharleyk]

not trying to cut into Pablo's business but here Amsoil is showing up in more and more stores. In my hometown you can get it and filters at

O'reilly's Auto Parts ( you have to ask for it)
2 Repairs Shops
2 Transmission Shops
1 Lawnmower shop
a locally owned Auto Parts Store
and the local NAPA store.

This keeps you from having to wait on the "brown" truck. At the same time I'm sure you can probably get it cheaper from Pablo.

 

[abycat]

Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: abycat
If you dont want any dealer headaches remember that they reccomend rotating the tires every other oil change so make sure you do that or they will deny you tire warranty. Just do what the book says and you will be fine.


On the new Michelins I put on my G, the Michelin warranty requires the rotation be done by a shop. Yeah, right, I'm going to pay the Infiniti shop price of around $50 to rotate my tires and reset my TPMS. I can handle it myself.

Thats crud. I can understand needing a shop for balancing but rotating. Hooey. Its like changing four tires. I guess multiple jacks and or stands are in order but wow
. I dont have the sensors thankfully. I also dhavent had a flat in yeara but i did have a slow leak in the versa's tire when i got it and they fixed it and put all the tires to the door with n2 so that would have been a few $ if i had to pay. So im happy for a tire warranty so far.

 

[s1mp13m4n]

Originally Posted By: abycat
I have the 2011 version of your car. How do you like it so far? We love ours.

I have to do the severe for ours. I Just put in PP with a wix filter and it seems to be doing just fine, Actually it seems a little quieter than the dealer dino that was in it. Im getting a UOA done at the 6000km mark. Along with a oil and filter change. I have another jug of PP so im going to use it for sure.

My dealer is really big on the weight of oil that goes in it. They say and so does the manual to only put 5w30 in it. It calls for a SM rated oil at least.

If you have the cvt transmission make sure you get the oil changed at or just before the reccomended interval. The versa cvt is a little fragile compared to their other trans. I have the 4 speed auto and it is a wonderfull transmission. Shifts nice and smooth and I have never heard of another 4-speed with problems.

If you dont want any dealer headaches remember that they reccomend rotating the tires every other oil change so make sure you do that or they will deny you tire warranty. Just do what the book says and you will be fine.

I run and will always run a syn in mine cause I like the protection it offers in the regards to heat and cold. If you want to get technical since we are on a severe service recomendation we are harder on the oil and should use a more robust oil. imo. But dont even think about not abiding by the manual if you want to keep your warranty.

Ive heard of a couple engines that were replaced at around the 30,000 mile mark. I dont know if it was just dumb luck or operator stupidity. Mine has 35,000km and it runs just fine.

Good luck with the new car and if you wanted to upgrade in the future take a look at the rogue. Its gonna be our next nissan.


This is my first new car. It is all the car we really need as it is basic and gets the job done. I do think that the car should get better gas mileage though. This is 2012 and 20.9MPG city is just not good enough. It has the 6 speed manual in it, which is what my wife wanted. The thing has very little torque so getting it to go on a hill (we are in the mountains) is fun sometimes. We do not want to run it at high RPM so we do not do that. It is a nice car, we like it, I am just not happy with the gas mileage. My mom's 1981 Ford Escort with a 1.6L, 4 speed manual without overdrive, and a carb got 35mpg city and 42mpg highway, so why is my new Nissan not doing better than that in 2012? LOL

 

[DragRace]

Originally Posted By: hitmanharleyk
not trying to cut into Pablo's business but here Amsoil is showing up in more and more stores. In my hometown you can get it and filters at

O'reilly's Auto Parts ( you have to ask for it)
2 Repairs Shops
2 Transmission Shops
1 Lawnmower shop
a locally owned Auto Parts Store
and the local NAPA store.

This keeps you from having to wait on the "brown" truck. At the same time I'm sure you can probably get it cheaper from Pablo.


I'll have to start checking locally myself I guess.I'm running amsoil atm,but when I think about ordering more,I'm turned off big time with the shipping charges.

 

[AVB]

One thing I didn't see mentioned is that with sythetic you have extra insurance if you accidently go over on your milage.