So i had taken my car in for an engine noise a while back. It was determined that it needed the oil changed to synthetic oil. The noised stopped.

As of my last oil change, with a new service rep, they put regular oil and the noise did not return.

Should I continue on with the regular oil or should i request synthetic oil next time.......

 

I could be wrong here, but I thought that once you go fully synthetic you shouldnt go back to conventional I thought it damaged the motor...

 

I thought the same thing. I just did a google search though, and apparently that is an old wives-tale. I couldn't find anything substantial that says it is bad for your motor.

 

even so I would stick with full synthetic and not go back to conventional oil. It may not be bad for your motor, but full synthetic is certainly BETTER for your motor (IMHO)

 

If I read between the lines, are you saying you took it to the dealer where they used NISSAN ESTER OIL for the engine noise issue? Ester is not synthetic. My dealer told me not to use Ester unless I needed it for the VVEL noise which thus far has not been an issue on the '09s but if I use ester I need to then stick with it - I don't necessarily agree with him about that but as you can see no two dealers are alike when it comes to their service practices.

As for switching between synthetic and regular, there's no problem. For example, the products that they market as Synthetic Blend are just that with a majority of regular oil and the rest synthetic.

 

I always understood it was safe to go from synthetic and regular and then back again also. I've done that in the past with cars I owned before my G37 anyway. *shrug*

 

I just had them put ester oil back in after using Mobil 1 synthetic for about 5500 miles. After running 5500 miles with Mobil 1 the VVEL noise started again.

Even though Infiniti says the VVEL noise is not causing any damage, my common sense tells me that valve train noise=wear=problems down the line!

I intend to stick with the ester oil from now on. My dealer actually told me that I could get a 7500 OCI with the ester oil, which makes the added cost a little more reasonable, which I found surprising, coming from a dealer.

Just my experience...and opinion.

 

This exactly it. I had the VVEL noise and it was fixed with the ester oil. After switching service reps, i forgot to remind the service rep (even though he should have looked into it) I noticed that they had put regular oil. With that I did save $100 and noticed that the VVEL noise did not come back.

I was wondering if that would damage my car, Wichita previous responses seemto be thAt it won't.

Also, for future should I switch back to ester?

 

I have had the VVEL noise and knocking sound when using Mobile 1.
After I put the ester oil, I noticed significant differences.
Very smooth and quiet. I never put anything but ester oil now.

 

Hi guys, I'm going to mobil 1 full synthetic.. Every when should i change oil? Keep in mind I dont want to lose the infiniti waranty... is 5k or 6k good?

 

I have a 2008 Journey, I have the local Nissan dealer change the oil and I bring Mobil1 to them to use. They have never said anything about using it vs anything else. Perhaps since it's Nissan they don't know any better but I would think the same things would apply for the 370. I don't think I have any VVEL noise but not sure what that is or the symptoms.

 

Don't waste your money on their conventional ester oil, it's expensive and you still need any oil change ever 3k - 3,750 miles. I just answered this question on another thread on here that I found a solution. I'm just going to copy and paste...


I had the same issue, but found a solution that fixed it right away. If you switch to a synthetic oil that's ester based it will fix your problem. It's dropping oil pressure in the VVEL that's causing the loud "knocking" noise, especially after driving hard or for a while.. It's not dangerous whatsoever, but it's annoying to listen to. The ester based oil creates a film on your head components that leaves them lubed at all times.

I now use Motul X-Max 5w30 which is fully synthetic and ester based and haven't had any issues with it since I first started using it over 3 months ago. Also, it's cut down drastically on oil consumption which had me worrying that my car was burning oil.

 

Infiniti also said this (no surprise here) when I spoke to their corporate office back in April 2008. Basic mechanical engineering tells me that when a valve train is making noise there is wear taking place. This is not good for an engine in the long-term.

I agree that one may be able to use another ester based oil to help stop the VVEL noise, but in this situation, I prefer to rely on Infiniti and be able to say that I have followed ALL of their recommendations in the event I have valve problems later.

 

There is no harm in switching from Syn to Dino and back or from Ester based stock.

I am using Redline Syn 5-30 in my G with great results . All Redline Syn oils are Ester based so you et the best of both syn and ester. I am able to get it from a local NAPA Dealer for 10.95 a qt which is less than the dealer wants for the Nissan Ester Based non syn oil and Im comfortable going the 7500 miles between changes since its syn

I have been using Redline in my H2, M45, Fatboy, Jeep and Ford Van for years with great results.

 

Anyone kind enough to help me?