New 2012 Infiniti EX35 - engine break-in and oil

[batook]

We just bought a brand new 2012 Infiniti EX35 AWD Journey with 8 miles on the clock. I would like advice as to how to best break-in the new engine, and what oil I should be using. Car will be in Colorado where it gets pretty cold in the winter (-10F to -20F is possible at times, but usually not sub-zero here). The car is my girlfriends and she'll be driving it daily about 30-40 miles round-trip with 75% HWY/ 25% city I would guess. She's not a very aggressive driver, but not a slow-poke either. Still, I don't think she'll be doing any street racing in it.

What oil to use in this VQ35HR? I want to find something that works and stick with it year-round. I like 6mo/5k OCIs. The factory fill is Kendall dino 5W-30 I think. I'd like to switch to a good full synthetic ASAP. I was thinking of changing the oil at 500 miles, 1000 miles, 1500 miles, and finally 3k in order to get all the assembly grease and break-in metals out early on, and then starting the regular 6mo/5k OCIs. If I do any UOAs, when should I start? Would GC 0W-30 be an appropriate oil for this application, or should I be looking at something like PU 5W-30? Does M1 make anything that would fit the bill? Since M1 0W-40 meets requirements for the GT-R's 3.8L VR38DETT twin-turbo V6, I would think it would be also be good for this Nissan 3.5 V6, but I really don't know.

Oil filter recommendations? I usually use OEM, but would consider a K&N or M1 or whatever you guys suggest if it would be superior to the Nissan OEM filter in some way.

Thanks in advance.

 

[dparm]

Howdy, my mom has the 2011 EX35 Journey. As for break-in, just take it easy for the first few hundred miles. We use Pennzoil Platinum 5w30 in it; tried the "Nissan Ester Oil" but the analysis showed it to be terribly mediocre and way overpriced.

The last 10 years has taught me that the VQ30/35 is not terribly hard on oil so I would say just stick with any quality 5w30 synthetic (M1, Pennzoil, Valvoline, Castrol, etc). My father's 03 G35 has seen M1 5w30 and Pennzoil Plat 5w30 since day one and it's still running like a champ.

As for change interval, follow the manual exactly since it's under warranty. That's also why I suggested a 5w30 -- it's what Nissan specs. It should also be API SM or newer.

 

[Flying_A]

Congrats on the purchase! Very nice car! As far as break in period goes your plan is probably a little over kill, not that there is anything wrong with that. You could probably just drain after 1500 miles, go for a short OCI (3k) and start off with whatever poison you choose. Mobil does have the factory/in-service fill business with Nissan/Infiniti. The M1 0W-40 is a very popular oil in the 3.5l community as well as the Rotella T6 syn 5W-40. Both have excellent cold flow characteristics in the cold weather. Those engines are kinda tough on oil (when I worked at the dealer) so going with a high quality dino or synthetic is the way to go. I think 5k OCI is a good start, do some UOA's and see where you're at (be careful, you're under warranty). There are many good value filters out there. If you don't mind spending the extra money and doing some longer intervals, M1 EP filter is the way to go. The Bosch filters also have good value.

 

[dparm]

^ The car is under warranty so I would not advise deviating from Nissan's requirements. Should something happen, it will be easy for them to deny coverage and blame it on the non-spec oil.

 

[Nick R]

Congrats, that's a nice car you got there. I'd personally go with PP or PU 0W-30 if you can find it. If not, go for the 5W-30 flavor, with a PureONE filter. Those VQ engines really seem to like Pennzoil Synthetic. Run the FF to 1,500-2k miles, and change it out with the above. Then follow MFR recommended OCI.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: Flying_A
Congrats on the purchase! Very nice car! As far as break in period goes your plan is probably a little over kill, not that there is anything wrong with that. You could probably just drain after 1500 miles, go for a short OCI (3k) and start off with whatever poison you choose. Mobil does have the factory/in-service fill business with Nissan/Infiniti. The M1 0W-40 is a very popular oil in the 3.5l community as well as the Rotella T6 syn 5W-40. Both have excellent cold flow characteristics in the cold weather. Those engines are kinda tough on oil (when I worked at the dealer) so going with a high quality dino or synthetic is the way to go. I think 5k OCI is a good start, do some UOA's and see where you're at (be careful, you're under warranty). There are many good value filters out there. If you don't mind spending the extra money and doing some longer intervals, M1 EP filter is the way to go. The Bosch filters also have good value.

I agree, OP's plan is a little overkill, change factory fill at 1500-2000 with conventional Pennzoil (it has high Moly), do a short OCI about 3k miles then go with synthetic and do normal OCI per manual. During warranty period just use recommended oil grade.

 

[Ayrton]

Awesome car! Infiniti really has the right philosophy with Rear Wheel Drive Based and AWD option. I just don't get why so many luxury brands are Front Wheel Drive based. You're going to enjoy that car!

Honestly...here is what I'd do...

I'd follow the 3,750 or 3 Month service that is in the service book first, I'd do it again at 6 months or 7,500 miles total. Then I'd switch to the every 6 months service or 7,500 miles (Schedule 2 Infiniti service). If you were really obsessive, the first year you could follow the Schedule 1 all year and do the 9 month service too, before switching to the 6 month services.

I think engines are designed to be used at least to the first normal oil change with the break in oil.

After all, I went 13,000 miles on my C Class until it's first oil change! Yes, I know this was extreme, but it was allowed under the 2008 service plan. I would have done it halfway through the year, if I had my oil expertise of now, back then.


In terms of what type of oil filter, the Nissan filters have reportedly decreased in quality over the years, though I have not verified this myself. If it wasn't for that idea in my head, I'd probably consider OEM filters, they're cheap enough and "looks good" for the records. However, Mobil 1 would be an awesome choice as would Pure ONE filters, both would likely be better than OEM.

Oil, I'm a Mobil 1 fan, but a good synthetic from any major brand will serve you nicely. Just follow Nissan's recommend 5w30 while under warranty and since that will work fine, stick with it after warranty too!

Have fun with the new Infiniti!

 

[Garak]

With my Infiniti, I've been sticking to PYB 5w-30 SN/GF-5. If one goes by the Schedule 1 service while under warranty, that's 3750 mile OCIs. That could get a little expensive with synthetic. For filters, I went with Bosch Premium, since they are almost 50% cheaper than anything else comparable out there.

 

[Coprolite]

FF should be the Nissan Ester. Just keep it for 3 months and hope all the reformulated Pennzoil is available near you.

PP/PU/M1 should all work for you just great. On my G37, I have found that a single 5qt jug will fill it to the top. $30 for oil and filter w/o rebate is still cheaper than paying someone to use inferior options.

 

[Nick R]

Originally Posted By: Ayrton
Awesome car! Infiniti really has the right philosophy with Rear Wheel Drive Based and AWD option. I just don't get why so many luxury brands are Front Wheel Drive based. You're going to enjoy that car!

Honestly...here is what I'd do...

I'd follow the 3,750 or 3 Month service that is in the service book first, I'd do it again at 6 months or 7,500 miles total. Then I'd switch to the every 6 months service or 7,500 miles (Schedule 2 Infiniti service). If you were really obsessive, the first year you could follow the Schedule 1 all year and do the 9 month service too, before switching to the 6 month services.

I think engines are designed to be used at least to the first normal oil change with the break in oil.

After all, I went 13,000 miles on my C Class until it's first oil change! Yes, I know this was extreme, but it was allowed under the 2008 service plan. I would have done it halfway through the year, if I had my oil expertise of now, back then.


In terms of what type of oil filter, the Nissan filters have reportedly decreased in quality over the years, though I have not verified this myself. If it wasn't for that idea in my head, I'd probably consider OEM filters, they're cheap enough and "looks good" for the records. However, Mobil 1 would be an awesome choice as would Pure ONE filters, both would likely be better than OEM.

Oil, I'm a Mobil 1 fan, but a good synthetic from any major brand will serve you nicely. Just follow Nissan's recommend 5w30 while under warranty and since that will work fine, stick with it after warranty too!

Have fun with the new Infiniti!


Off topic, but I still don't see why RWD is any more "luxurious" than FWD.

Anyway, what is the factory OCI, 3,750 miles?

 

[Hethaerto]

Anyone ever have the dealer do the scheduled oil change simply for documentation, then go out and change that oil/filter out for some quality stuff?

 

[batook]

Originally Posted By: Ayrton
Awesome car! Infiniti really has the right philosophy with Rear Wheel Drive Based and AWD option. I just don't get why so many luxury brands are Front Wheel Drive based.

I agree completely, and that was one of the biggest selling points in my mind. The weight distribution is better, sport performance is ideal with RWD on dry pavement, but the AWD is there when you need it (and works quite well I might add, we test drove on a snowy day!) Best of both worlds IMO. Plus, it's a lot easier to work on a car with a RWD-style transmission, since there isn't as much crammed in the front under the motor like in a FWD-based car with a transaxle.
Originally Posted By: Nick R

Off topic, but I still don't see why RWD is any more "luxurious" than FWD.

I hate FWD. Torque steer, weight distribution, decreased performance and handling are just a few of the reasons. You are asking the front wheels to drive and steer which is asking them to do too much IMO. I eliminated Toyota/Lexus and Honda/Acura just based on their FWD-oriented AWD systems...

Let me clarify some points.

1) I'm not all that concerned about the warranty. I'm a very competent mechanic, and would have no problem removing/rebuilding/replacing the engine in this car by myself in the event it did fail in the first 6 years/70k miles, which in this Japanese engine under my care is highly unlikely anyway.

2) I really want the best for this engine for the life of the car, which means if I disagree with Nissan's recommendations, I'm not going to wait until I'm out of the warranty period to use what I see best. In any case, although the owner's manual specs API SM 5W-30 energy conserving oil, there is a paragraph entitled "Oil Viscosity" immediately following this which states "The engine oil viscosity or thickness changes with temperature. Because of this, it is important that the engine oil viscosity be selected based on the temperatures at which the vehicle will be operated before the next oil change. Choosing an oil viscosity other than that recommended could cause serious engine damage." I take that to mean that if you are in a colder climate, like we are here, Nissan recommends selecting an oil viscosity for that temperature, which is 0W-30 in my mind. As most of you know, most engine wear occurs during cold startup until the oil reaches operating temp, and an 0W-30 will reach operating temp faster than a 5W-30 and thus provide better protection for the engine. I wouldn't feel comfortable using a 5W-30 here in winter unless I used an engine block heater to warm up the oil for a few hours before starting the car (which I still might on sub-zero mornings even with 0W-30)...

3) Maybe it's because I own an M3, but I like the idea of a group IV synthetic like M1 0W-40 or GC 0W-30, and would really prefer to use one of these if it would provide better protection over the life of the engine than a more common group III synthetic. Using one of these in a German engine is a no-brainer, but I'm not as familiar with this VQ35HR or its UOAs with these oils to know if they would be appropriate for this application, so I'm asking here for guidance on this point.

4) It's cold here in CO, especially right now, and we are frequently at 9000' and higher elevations where it's colder still. I'd feel a lot better using an 0W-30 as opposed to a 5W-30 oil. If the oil gurus here are strongly opposed to me using the group IV synths above and I go with a group III, I've really been pleased with the M1 0W-30 Advanced Fuel Economy that I've used in the past year in my old Toyota vans. The M1 0W-30 states "Warranty Proection for 5W-30 & 10W-30 Requirements" on the front of the bottle--don't think XOM would make this claim if they expected car manufacturers to deny warranty claims if this oil is used where 5W-30 is spec'ed. It meets API service SN, SM and SL, ILSAC GF-5, and ACEA A1/B1,A5/B5, but doesn't specify what YEAR of A1/B1 or A5/B5, so this spec may not be as good as it sounds if it only meets the 2002 specifications or whatever. Does anyone know for sure?

The factory OCI is 3750/3mo for severe, and 7500/6mo for normal. In the past, I've typically changed the oil in all my cars at around 4k miles, so I'll probably be closer to the "severe" OCI, except I'm OK with letting it go for 6 months instead of just 3 in order to reach that 4k mile interval.

Basically what I'm looking for is the oil that will provide the best protection and least amount of wear in this engine to use year-round in a cold climate, without regard to Nissan's recommendations and without dipping into boutique brands. Like I said, I'm not too concerned about being denied a warranty claim on the engine because I don't think we'll ever need to make one and it wouldn't bother very much even if they denied it. Personally, given my mechanical abilities, if I had the option of paying less for a new car as-is with no warranty from day one, I'd take that option to the bank any day. I really hate the idea of anyone else touching my car, and I always find little things broken/wrong/botched whenever I work on cars that have.

Thanks to all who replied so far; I do appreciate the advice, but I wanted to let you know a little more about where I'm coming from and see if anyone changes their tune in light of this.

 

[Nick R]

FWD vs RWD reasons you stated are for sporty cars, not luxury cars. Most people who drive luxury cars for luxury are never going to notice the difference. Also, Torque Steer is easily overcome, and weight balance again, only matters for sporty driving.

Anyway,like I said I'd still personally go with a PP or PU. 0W-30 is preferable, but likely extremely difficult to find. For shorter OCI, you could also try Synpower, it's not a long drain oil, but it should do great for 4k OCI.

 

[batook]

Originally Posted By: Nick R
FWD vs RWD reasons you stated are for sporty cars, not luxury cars. Most people who drive luxury cars for luxury are never going to notice the difference. Also, Torque Steer is easily overcome, and weight balance again, only matters for sporty driving.

That's true enough; the vast majority of luxury car buyer want a soft ride and a posh interior, and are taking their car to the luxury dealership for all service at ultra-inflated prices. I agree they wouldn't care or notice the difference. From my perspective though, the reasons I gave are why I dislike FWD, and why I'm glad this EX35 is RWD-based, even if it is a "luxury" car that most buyers wouldn't know/care about the difference--it made a big difference to me. However, I disagree that weight distribution only matters for sporty driving; it also helps with traction and stability on ice and snow, which is a consideration when shopping for an AWD vehicle, at least in my mind.

Originally Posted By: Nick R
Anyway, like I said I'd still personally go with a PP or PU. 0W-30 is preferable, but likely extremely difficult to find. For shorter OCI, you could also try Synpower, it's not a long drain oil, but it should do great for 4k OCI.

I'd be willing to give PU a shot, but it's only available here in a 5W-30. I suppose I can live with that, but is the PU 5W-30 that much better than the M1 0W-30 Advanced Fuel Economy? Since I'm already using the M1 0W-30 in other cars I have here, it's easily purchased in 5gal jugs at my local wal-mart, AND it's an 0W vis, which I prefer, at least for winter, I'm leaning more towards that option if I don't use GC, unless you can point out PU's superiority over M1 0W-30 in some meaningful way. I do hear that PU is producing great UOAs, so there is something to be said for that...

 

[dparm]

Originally Posted By: Coprolite
FF should be the Nissan Ester. Just keep it for 3 months and hope all the reformulated Pennzoil is available near you.

PP/PU/M1 should all work for you just great. On my G37, I have found that a single 5qt jug will fill it to the top. $30 for oil and filter w/o rebate is still cheaper than paying someone to use inferior options.



The factory fill is not the Nissan Ester oil.

 

[Nick R]

I would argue that for winter driving, FWD is going to beat RWD in control. With a FWD car, if you hit the gas in a turn, the rear end isn't going to slide out and spin around the front. Sure, the driver matters, but my parents have driven FWD and RWD cars, and by far prefer FWD. So do I, for that matter. Our equinox AWD is FWD based AWD, but that's the way I want it. The rear wheels shouldn't have to do that much work.


Anyway, I would go with PU 5W-30 over M1 0W-30 anyday. The only M1 oil I'd consider using is their 0W-40. Like I said, Synpower 0W-30 should be somewhat readily available, and would be perfect if you don't plan on extending the OCI out to 8,000 miles. But PP and PU 5W-30 are still great oils for most any climate.

 

[batook]

Originally Posted By: dparm
The factory fill is not the Nissan Ester oil.

What do they use then? I was thinking of calling IOA to ask them since I'm kind of curious. Is it even synthetic?

 

[batook]

Originally Posted By: Nick R
I would argue that for winter driving, FWD is going to beat RWD in control.

I agree, RWD is worthless on snow/ice. But when you're talking AWD, I'd much rather have a RWD-based transmission that shifts power to front when needed, rather than the other way around. That's just me though; we differ in our preferences it seems.

Originally Posted By: Nick R
Anyway, I would go with PU 5W-30 over M1 0W-30 anyday. The only M1 oil I'd consider using is their 0W-40. Like I said, Synpower 0W-30 should be somewhat readily available, and would be perfect if you don't plan on extending the OCI out to 8,000 miles. But PP and PU 5W-30 are still great oils for most any climate.

Can you please elaborate on why you would never use M1 oils except 0W-40? I know their 0W-40 is euro-spec and a group IV, but what's so inferior about the other vis-grades of M1? Why is Synpower "perfect" for short OCI--price, or protection performance? What's so great about Pennzoil? Their specs are better and UOAs are turning out great? Thanks for your time Nick.

 

[Nick R]

Mobil 1 5W-30/0W-30 UOAs have rarely ever impressed me, especially with those Nissan VQ engines. some will say that higher wear metal in UOA doesn't mean more wear, but I'd rather not take the chance. Also Pennzoil is much more upfront about it's oils and formulation and answering questions. If you check out the Pennzoil and Mobil 1 Q&As, Mobil just gave canned answers, hindered by the lawyers.

Pennzoil Plat and Ultra generally return fantastic UOAs, especially in those Nissan engines. Synpower is a great anti-wear oil, but it doesn't have the TBN for longer OCIs. Seems to run out of puff around 6,500-7,000 miles from what I've seen.

 

[Flying_A]

Originally Posted By: batook
Originally Posted By: dparm
The factory fill is not the Nissan Ester oil.

What do they use then? I was thinking of calling IOA to ask them since I'm kind of curious. Is it even synthetic?


Mobil has the in service fill and most likely the factory fill. The only Nissan's that come with a synthetic is the GT-R (M1 0-40 and the 370Z/G37- Nissan Ester oil, the Turbo Juke may have a syn too?).