oil change


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Old 12-04-09, 06:43 AM
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oil change

Hello
Does anyone know at what interval the Nissan Armada 2004, regular driving, should have an oil change?
I usually go by the manual but it refers to another book called schedule of maintenace. I don't have that one and the one I found online was vague.
I think it is 7500 with normal driving but want to be sure.
My friend's '07' is 7500 and a lot of new cars are.
I am old school and thought 3000 was the golden rule but like plugs etc things are changing.
Thanx guys.
 
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Old 12-04-09, 08:49 AM
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IMO you should still go with the 3k oil change unless you use synthetic oil. They usually consider stop and go [city traffic] severe driving [even though most of us consider that normal] and unless they have changed things - that still falls under the 3k oil change. Their "normal" is considered almost all highway miles.

IMO frequent oil changes is a small price to help insure long engine life.
 
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Old 12-04-09, 09:43 AM
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Sorry...I have to disagree With mark. 3000 mile oil and filter changes, even if you do them yourself, are a waste of money and resources in most cases. All the quickie/jiffy/dandy/wacky lube places say 3000 so they make more money, especially if the wife brings it in and they sell her some extras..like a $40 air filter change

If your drives are long enough (at least 2 out of every five trips lets say) for the engine to come to normal operating temperature for at least 10-15 minutes...then that would probably be "normal" or in Nissans words, "less severe" driving. 7500 mile changes should be fine

Now...if you are out 6-7 hrs a day , 4-5 days a week, driving the vehicle in short 4 block trips, with 5 min breaks in between stops..then I would consider that "hard" or "more severe" driving. Even then..Nissan only recommends 3750 intervals...not 3000.

Many of the radio, TV, and magazine experts say follow the longest interval for "normal" drivers...or if you just can't stand the thought of waiting that long..split the diff between normal and severe service... in this case 5625 or thereabouts.

Remember..this is not your Grandfathers Oldsmobile...lol

EDIT....this is kinda long...but a great explanation of severe driving.....

Severe Driving

* Driving less than five miles per trip, or less than 10 miles per trip in freezing weather
* Driving in temperatures over 90 degrees F
* Extensive idling or long periods of stop-and-go driving
* Towing a trailer, using a car-top carrier, or driving in the mountains
* Driving on muddy, dusty or de-iced roads or roads that were sanded and plowed. (Your air filter should be checked frequently if diving in conditions like this)

Notice what's first: Short trips, particularly in cold weather. Engineers will tell you that that's just about the harshest duty cycle for engine lubrication. Consider this: In the morning, start it up and go five miles to work, then shut if off. Four hours later, for lunch, start it up, go two miles to a restaurant, then shut if off. About one hour later, start it up, go two miles back to work, then shut if off. Another four or five hours later, start it up, go five miles to home, then shut it off. It's been driven 14 miles, never once given a chance to be fully warmed up, and had four cold starts. The oil has never been able to get rid of the moisture that forms from condensation or the residues of combustion processes that would be burnt off with heat, everything turns to a thick sludge, and if you don't give it more frequent oil changes you're in for expensive trouble.
 
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Old 12-04-09, 10:17 AM
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Hey Gunguy 45 you are so right about the wacky quick lube places these days. Not only will they sell you 3000 mile changes all with modern oil that is designed to last at least 7500 miles or even better if it is synthetic under normal driving conditions, but you might find that it only really lasts 3000 feet after they finish crossthreading your drain plug. You probably won't notice the red light on when that happens because you will still be busy trying to figure out why your bill came to $300 since they said you needed your rad flushed, brakes flushed, cabin filter replaced, transmission filter and flush, gas filter replaced, and of course the air filter for $40 Next time they will get you for $15 or $20 wiper blades. It's a good business and they have no shortage of inocent victims. Sometimes the metal snake of car owners lined up to lose their last weeks pay check boggles my mind at least. For those that have a fairly recent GM, just follow the Oil Life system light. It is proven pretty reliable, and has been well documented in hundreds of lab sample tests, and goes way beyond time and mileage. With these quick lube places everybody is always assumed to drive at severe service levels. BTW you can also swap between synthetic and regular oil despite what these guys tell you about leaking engine seals. That story was true many years ago, but even Exxon says it is no longer the case.
 
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Old 12-04-09, 10:37 AM
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oil changes

You all said it well and confirmed what I thought.
I just helped my neighbor recoup 3800$ from a lube center who put the wrong fluid in the tranny and caused it to fail.
His insurance was great and he is going to the dealer now.
I am trying to get him away from the dealer as there is a happy medium but he is still gun shy.
Thanx for the explanations which I will show him so he can put his hard earned money elsewhere.
I always thought the owners manual to be the source to go to but these days they are separating it from the recommended scheduling and I don't kow why.
The dealer's menu is as crooked as a twig but you still find the endless line of folks willing to give their money away out of fear -the greatest sales tactic of them all.
 
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Old 12-04-09, 12:43 PM
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Two more cents worth. Running a diesel, I change mine when I can't read "full" "add" on the dipstick. At that point the oil is dirty. My driving is "either" "or". High speed or crud slow pulling.
Last quickie oil change they poked 12 quarts of oil in that sucker. Manual clearly states 10. Over and above "normal" oil change quarts is like $7 per quart. So they poked all they could in it for more money. Oil started blowing by the vacuum pump as soon as they pulled it out. Not a happy camper.
Now I have clearly written on the cowling "10 quarts of oil only".
 
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Old 12-04-09, 03:54 PM
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It's been a long time since I paid to have my oil changed. Actually I've only paid once, it was at a local gas station, they were running a special - $2 oil changes [I said it was a long time ago] and there was about a foot of snow on the ground.

After I got to work another employee informed me my ford was leaking a lot of oil. I knew better but went to check anyway. Big puddle of oil I bummed a couple of quarts of oil at quitting time so I could drive home. Put 2 more quarts in the next morning and drove to the gas station. They had stripped the drain plug so they put in a self tapping plug and filled it back up with oil. They refused to pay for or replace the 4 qts that leaked out. The new plug was bigger than any wrench/socket I owned at that time I've done all my own oil changes since!

I've also heard a lot of horror stories concerning those quick lube places. An electrician friend took his truck to one and they topped off his brake master cylinder with motor oil
 
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Old 12-04-09, 04:23 PM
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RUN FOR YOUR LIVES, IT'S ANOTHER OIL THREAD!

Ah-hem, okay; FWIW all my vehicles get changed at 5,000 miles.

Professionally, I think 20,000 mile oil changes are just fine.
 
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Old 12-04-09, 11:28 PM
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Originally Posted by the_tow_guy
RUN FOR YOUR LIVES, IT'S ANOTHER OIL THREAD!

Ah-hem, okay; FWIW all my vehicles get changed at 5,000 miles.

Professionally, I think 20,000 mile oil changes are just fine.
I bet you like those 20k mile oil changes too...lol
 
 

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