Brand New 2012 Nissan Versa (oil advice wanted)

[s1mp13m4n]

Hello everyone. I just came home with my first ever new car. It is a 2012 Nissan Versa S hatchback. The salesman and the manual say oil changes are every 3750 miles. I have never heard of that before. I am use to the old 3 month/3000 mile rule. My goal here is to drive the car for years. I mean I just traded a 1994 Ford Escort with 185000 miles on it. Do you get the idea?

The manual does not say anything about what oil to use other than 5w-30. It does not say anything about conventional, semi synthetic, or full synthetic, etc. Should I sticj with what I know and use those "oil change specials" you see at the autoparts store for $16.99 or should I use a better quality oil and filter? I also asked the salesman if it would void the warranty if I did the work myself rather than bring the car in for oil changes to save money.....he said me doing the work is fine but to keep records of the work as proof and to keep a history. Thank you for the help.

 

[LargeCarManX2]

Use Mobil 1 5w30 oil and change it every 3,750 miles. Have you read the service info yet? OR just what the sales person said?

 

[dave1251]

Follow the manual even 3750 is very conservative, the last time I checked an API certified 5W-30 meets Nissan's service requirement, if this is the case just use whatever 5W-30 you find on sale, I would recommend that you use a purolator or any other quality oil filter you can buy for your car in 3-4$ range. But this is only my opinion.

 

[daves87rs]

Easy. At 3750, I'd just use PYB..

 

[Bandito440]

Originally Posted By: daves87rs
Easy. At 3750, I'd just use PYB..


+1

Keep your receipts and staple them into your service record book for warranty purposes.

 

[The Critic]

Nissan requires 3750 for most driving conditions. Just be sure to replace the crush washer with every oil change.

 

[Gene K]

Standard Interval is 7500 miles. Severe Service is 3750 miles.

What are your driving conditions? (IE typical trip length, average speed, traffic, miles per month, etc).

 

[Since1941]

Pennzoil. I use Ultra in my Titan, but that is just preference. It runs excellent though, and the UOAs for it have been excellent. PYB would be ideal for the Nissan 3750 requirement. My Titan will probably be going to that since Ultra is a waste at that interval.

Enjoy your new car!

 

[Gene K]

Nissan Definition of Severe Duty
1. Frequent Short Trips of Less than 5 miles or 10 miles in freezing weather.
2. Repeated stop and go driving in hot weather or long low speed driving.
3. Dusty, rough, muddy or salt covered roads.
4. Towing, camper or roof top carrier.

That said I would likely do 3750 mile changes on Pennzoil Yellow Bottle or 7500 mile changes on Pennzoil Ultra.

Of course if you prefer some other name brand like Mobil 5000 and Mobil 1 EP that would work too.

Cars that only hold 3 Qt of oil make me nervous.

 

[s1mp13m4n]

What is "PYB"? I live in the mountains. It is a small town so hills, short trips, cold winters, etc. This is also a 6 speed manual car.....if that makes any difference.

 

[Bandito440]

Originally Posted By: s1mp13m4n
What is "PYB"? I live in the mountains. It is a small town so hills, short trips, cold winters, etc. This is also a 6 speed manual car.....if that makes any difference.


Pennzoil Yellow Bottle. One of the better conventional oils. Synthetic isn't really necessary at 3750.

 

[Oregoonian]

PYB = Pennzoil Yellow Bottle (Conventional....and is one of the best oils available. I would suggest 5000 mile oil changes.

Do you have a WalMart near you? Can be purchased there very reasonably.

 

[Mazda3LA]

My wife has a 2011 Nissan Sentra. We have the oil changed at the dealership every 4-5k. The dealership uses GTX synblend. I use the dealership because they charge 50 dollars for three oil changes.

 

[s1mp13m4n]

Yep there is a Wally's world and three autoparts stores close by.

Are the "store brands" of oil such as Super Tech worth buying....or is it a case of "you get what you pay for"?

 

[Oregoonian]

Originally Posted By: s1mp13m4n
Yep there is a Wally's world and three autoparts stores close by.

Are the "store brands" of oil such as Super Tech worth buying....or is it a case of "you get what you pay for"?


I would stay with the major brands....PYB, Mobil 5000, or Motorcraft, which is a Synthetic Blend..... will all be perfect for your new vehicle.

 

[Bandito440]

Originally Posted By: s1mp13m4n
Yep there is a Wally's world and three autoparts stores close by.

Are the "store brands" of oil such as Super Tech worth buying....or is it a case of "you get what you pay for"?


I think you'd be better off with a good name-brand oil. The savings is pretty small.

3750 - Pennzoil Conventional (PYB) and Purolator Pure One filter.
7500 - Mobil 1 or Pennzoil Platinum/Ultimate and M1 Filter

 

[moto94536]

for normal condition, 2012 nissan oil change is 7500 miles. just like a honda.


I recommend 5000 oci. You don't need to use synthetic. it is optional..

my 2006 camry v6 have 258,000 miles. mostly see dino oil. good luck.

 

[Gene K]

Supertech is a fine oil. Their are 3 different suppliers and they all make a quality product.

Warren (WPP on bottom of jug), SOPUS - Shell/Pennnzoil/Quakerstate (C for Constar on bottom of jug) and ExxonMobil (looks like Mobil Jugs). I cant say which supplier is the norm for your location.

Some people believe the Pennzoil Yellow Bottle is capable of the longest drains of any mainstream conventional oil. I dont know if thats the case but I cant think of anything superior and I can think of a few synthetics that fall short.

Basically I would decide what OCI I wanted to use then pick the oil. As I see it you can go anywhere from 3750 - 7500 miles.

3750 Miles - Supertech (Whatever the local flavor is)
5000 Miles - Pennzoil Yellow Bottle
6000 Miles - Quaker State Ultimate Durability (Synthetic)
7500 Miles - Pennzoil Platinum (Synthetic)

Most guys here will think those recommendations are a little low but remember this car only has a 3.125 Qt Oil Capacity.

 

[user52165]

Quote:



Cars that only hold 3 Qt of oil make me nervous.



X2 - I used to service a neighbors Nissan Sentra that only held 2.9 qts - I never liked that.

I actually look at a cars ease of service and things like oil capacity when making a purchase. A larger oil supply aids in cooling among other things.

 

[Zako2]

If manual was always right, then there would be reason for this web site to exist. If you follow this web site for some time, you will learn that 3750 miles is a conservative oil change interval, even with a mineral oil. A good brand name mineral oil (such as Valvoline, Mobil, Castrol, Pennzoil, Peak, etc) should be safe for about 5,000 miles unless you drive like mad or 100% in stop and go traffic. If you want to be extra safe, use a quality synthetic blend oil such as Motorcraft or Valvoline Durablend and keep oil change intervals at around 5,000-6,000 mile mark. If you buy a good synthetic oil and a quality filter, you could easily wait until 10,000 miles to change oil in that car. I wouldn't advise that for the first couple of oil changes though.

If you like to track the oil change specials, you found the right web site. The products and promotions section has tons of useful links. Valvoline NextGen (see the Q/A thread above) has recently been biggest darling of oil change specials on that forum (followed by G-Oil). This month only you can buy a gallon jug of NextGen effectively for free after mail-in rebate at Advance Auto Parts when you buy it with a bundled Purolator filter for something like $23. Also two jugs at AutoZone, between now and September, but they mail you a $20 store gift card for each gallon, not cash. The deal becomes interesting since this month you can buy a bundle with a Bosch filter (supposedly good one). Not a bad deal IMO.

PS: I typed this before I saw the 3qt oil capacity which makes me nervous too.. I'd say stay with manufacturer's recommendation if you use conventional, or double that with a good synthetic (Pennzoil, Mobil, etc). Run this for a couple of OCIs, then send a sample for analysis.