sharmelan

This is what the local dealership claims that I have to have done at 45k miles. I am wondering how much of this is really necessary.

Located in Des Moines, IA, and this is the only Infiniti in Iowa.

Took from dealer pamphlet.

*Change Engine Oil & Filter $45.99
*Synthetic Oil Service $72.00
Perform Tire Rotation $32.95
Perform Alignment $129.95
Replace Wiper Blades $30.00
Replace Cabin Air Filter $65.00
Replace Engine Air Filter $49.22
Perform Minor Fuel System Tune-Up $36.50
• Check and Top Off Fluids • Lubricate Suspension


Also, what oil can I use to extend my oil change intervals to 7500 miles? Is anyone here following this schedule? Whats your best advice.

Update - 85% or more miles are highway each month.

Daily commute of less than 10 miles local on weekdays. And Once a month a hefty 1300 mile round trip. Roughly about 1500 miles a month.

Any input will be great. Thanks.

Selym

In my opinion, you don't need to use synthetic oil. You don't need an alignment unless you're experiencing uneven tire wear. You can replace the wiper blades yourself, if needed. The cabin air filter is also a DIY-job if you're up to it. Same goes for the engine air filters. The "Minor Fuel System Tune-Up" probably amounts to them dumping a bottle of injector cleaner in your gas tank. You can do the same yourself for less money. Finally, I don't think there are any grease fittings on the suspension, but it looks like that "service" is free, anyway.

ColumbiaSkinny

Depends on what kind of driving you do if you want to change your oil at 7,500 miles. The more highway driving you do the longer you can go between oil changes. You would be OK going 10k with most of that highway miles.

If you do a lot of stop and go driving the shorter between changes you should go. Most brands have oils like ex; Mobil 1 Extended Performance Oil that Mobil says provides protection for up to 15,000 miles between oil changes, guaranteed. But that seems excessive IMO and i wouldn't want to go that long without changing my oil. Even if it was all highway miles.

I do a lot of stop and go/city driving and change my oil at 5k miles, synthetic. It gives me piece of mind. But i'd feel comfortable going to 7,5k if i needed too but wouldn't to go any longer. Again, mostly just for piece of mind....

sharmelan

Agree with most of what you said. I am not tech savy when it comes to cars, hence I run to the dealer for everything.

Are you saying regular oil can do 7500 mile intervals?

I have been reading that Mobil 1 synthetic is just a blend. I am not sure if this is the Synthetic that that dealer uses, but do you think this synthetic blend can do 7500 miles based on my usage of 85% highway miles.

JSolo

iTrader: (14)

What does lubricate suspension mean? As far as I recall everything is sealed on this car.

$30 for OE wiperblades is actually a pretty good deal.

The rest you can do yourself.

What is missing are several important services.

* Brake fluid flush (should be done every 2 years regardless of miles)
* Rear end fluid change (every 30K or 24 months per service manual) - same for the transfer case but I'm not 100% sure as I don't have awd.
* If it were me, I'd do a coolant drain/fill too.

Caveat, if the car is leased, do the bare minimal. If you plan to keep it, use the premium service schedule.

ColumbiaSkinny

Not sure about the blend. I use Mobil 1 full synthetic 5w30 and the Mobil 1 Extended Performance oil is also full synthetic as well....


https://mobiloil.com/en/motor-oils/m...ed-performance


I think if you use just the 5w30 you should be fine at 7,5k intervals with 85% highway usage. And if Mobil's guarantee on their Extended Performance oil is true you should definitely be good every 7,5k miles....

Selym

No, I'm not saying that. Strictly speaking, the only way to know for sure is to have the oil analyzed. For example, you could send a sample to Blackstone Labs at, say, the 3750-mile mark. They'll give you an estimate of how much "life" remains in the oil.

Personally, I would not feel comfortable with extending beyond 3750 miles without oil analysis, particularly with conventional oil or even a synthetic blend.

I'm pretty sure the Genuine Infiniti Oil (not Nissan Ester Oil) is Mobil conventional/synthetic blend.

canucklehead

iTrader: (9)

OP - don't forget, you are always free to take your car to a trusted independent shop to do the exact same service as the dealer, for much lower cost.

in addition, even a novice car enthusiast can easily DIY the engine/cabin air filters and wiper blades. my guess is for $30 they are just replacing the wiper inserts - which is fine, it just means they are taking a healthy margin out of your pocket since the inserts are less than half that cost. first step is to have a look at your blades to inspect condition. any streaking or performance issues?

i suggest buying the air and cabin filters online and throw them in yourself. buy a few sets while you are at it for future re+re. cheap and easy to do, just a screwdriver with a philips head IIRC for the cabin filter. and no tools at all for the engine air filters (thank you, Nissan). there are guides on this forum to show you how. all-in you'll be at ~$30-40 tops, including shipping. Wix makes great, OE-equivalent products. rockauto.com usually has the best pricing. there is a discount code if you search for it on here.

if you haven't done it yet, i agree with Jsolo that the rear diff and brake fluid should be done. although you could safely hold off the coolant for another year or two. your drive belt should also be fine for another couple years.

if you don't have any pulling or uneven tire wear you can safely skip the alignment. that is probably overly conservative.

most dealers offer a fuel system service, but it's usually $100+. so your dealer is selling some cheapo service - like someone already said above i suspect just a bottled treatment.

sharmelan

I own this car. I do not want to fall for dealer's pocket grab or at the same time fail to do the diligence as well.

I have changed the transfer case and brake fluid at 30k itself, and planning to do again at 60k. I was thinking this is when I would do the coolant drain and fill as well. Hope this is okay.


Based on that, I was assuming I can do away with 7500 miles between oil changes with Synthetic oil. However I got lost when I discovered (from the service advisor's word) that it was a blend.

Using Nissan Ester Oil at the moment, as it helps calm the racketing noises at startup. (Based on forums and dealership. I cant prove this, but I had to try. Personally I do not see a difference).


I share the same sentiment as you do. However many forums and oil studies are showing that 3000 mile oil change is no longer necessary in modern engines. I admit that I am not knowledgeable on this topic, hence get lost each time I read.

Do you think Nissan Ester Oil can handle 7500 mile intervals? Is the manual written (for Type 2 schedule) based on this oil? Is this a synthetic oil? is it better than Mobil 1 or any common synthetic oils?

JSolo

iTrader: (14)

OIC is a highly debated topic. Without actual empirical data it's hard to say. As suggested, use the oil you plan on using, do a sample analysis at 3750 miles either by doing another oil change or draining just a bit to supply the sample (make sure car is warm or has recently been run). See what the results say.

I use pennzoil ultra 5w30 (full synthetic). I change the oil either once a year or twice a year depending on miles driven. My car sees 3-6K miles most years.

I'm not sure the nissan ester is even a blend. I believe it's a conventional oil with a high ester count.

socketz67

Wiper blades, Air Filter, Cabin Filter....buy OEM online and do it yourself, save $$$$. Since you are at 45K, you are probably on your second set of tires. I would check to see if they came with free rotations, such as those offered by places like Costco and Discount Tire.

The paragraph above can essentially be reduced to an Oil Change, which by default includes Synthetic Blend. A Multipoint inspection typically comes with the Oil Change for the asking since its to the dealer's advantage to find problems (if not, tell them another dealer in your area offers the service for free). This is why I have them change mine as opposed to DIY. I also find a competitor coupon and typically have the service done for $35 - hard to beat.

Never pay for those visual inspections they try to include in the interval service.

The things you may want to ask about or check at this point are:
-brake fluid flush (every two years)
-coolant flush (every two years)
-power steering fluid (every two years)
-Transmission drain and refill (normally 30K, but for some reason many think ours never needs to be replaced as it is not on the maint. schedule)
-Diff Drain[s] and refills (30K)
-Engine drive belts (replace when worn)

sharmelan

Sounds like a plan. Yes, I am on my second set of tires, installed Conti DWS06 at 30K to get rid of the stock GY RS-A.

I have done the diff, and brake fluid at 30k. However did not do anything about the transmission or coolant, as the dealer did not even recommend me to do it. To be exact, not sure why, the guy even said they only do transmission at 90k miles. This is a genuine Infiniti dealer, the one and only in Iowa by the way, so I did not have much in the way of choice when it comes to asking for a second opinion. I was not ready to trust my car with a third party mechanic due to some sour experiences in the past.

MH2013

iTrader: (2)

Try Hummels Nissan if you want to stick with an oem dealer. I live in the DM area too and plan to go there for any items that I won't do myself.
Willis is nice if you want a free loaner but they need to make up that benefit by charging more for service items.
I took my car there for its first oil change and came home with the drain plug leaking. They fixed at no charge but if you think you are getting premium service just by going to the oem dealership you're wrong. Anyone can screw up simple tasks. I for one prefer doing as much as I can myself.
As the old saying goes "if you want something done right do it yourself!"

JSolo

iTrader: (14)

To the OP, do you have an air compressor?

If so, this makes coolant changes a breeze. No monkeying around trying to get it bled, opening up bleeder screws, revving the engine, etc. Refill takes 5 min and you're done. No hard to remove air bubbles to deal with.

Price fluctuates between $120-130. Might be obtainable cheaper elsewhere too. Good investment.

mrGoodbar

I have 47K miles on my 2013 G37x. I noticed in the owners manual it recommends changing the brake fluid at 30K and then every 15K afterwards. Is that really neccesary?


Also I noticed the it states that the "7-speed automatica transmission fluid is maintenance free". I've always changed my transmission fluid around 75-90K. When exactly should the transmission fluid be changed?


Also the manual states that the engine coolant should be changed 105K or 7 years. Should I wait that long to have this changed?


My goal is to make this car last a long time. My 2001 G20 is still running at 215K and I bought it used with 65K.