A couple of weeks ago, I thought I was hearing an odd noise on cold startup of my G. The next time, I started it and quickly stepped out. I could hear a noticeable clattering sound when I crouched down behind the left front wheel. It was loud at first, gradually got quieter and then disappeared after 40 - 45 seconds. This noise wasn't there before I had my first oil change and switched to Mobil 1 synthetic a month ago. After some research, I realized this was likely an esther oil issue so I went back to the dealer and had them change the oil to esther. The noise is gone! So, I would recommend to any of you not using esther to listen as I did on cold start and see if you have that noise. It's the sound of the valvetrain operating with little or no oil. That WILL result in excessive and expensive wear! Why does this happen on these engines? It's because of Nissan's diamond-like coatings (DLCs) which are applied to engine components to reduce friction. They work very well, but, as I understand it, they are so slippery that conventional oil (mineral and synthetic) won't stick well to them. Esther however will stick, so after shutting down the engine, a layer of oil remains on the metal which is sufficient to lubricate the valvetrain until oil pressure is up. So, as I plan to keep this car for a long time, I'm going to suck it up and pay for the esther from now on. It's a ripoff, but on the other hand, the G is a premium car with extraordinary technology and performance, so the esther oil changes are a small price to pay for maximum engine life.

 

2007 just called. They want their newsflash back.

Just kidding, but not really. Thanks for sharing but this is a VERY well known issue and there are dozens of threads here about it already.