Question on oil choice for 2005 NIssan Sentra 2.5l

[NattyBoh]

So my wife has always taken her car to Valvoline, WalMart etc to get oil changes. Now she was religious about taking it there every 5000miles ( or [censored] close ). Basically she ran whatever they sold her that time.

I was sitting there thinking... why am I not changing the oil myself?

Now the next question would be, what should I go with? I currently use Rotella in my truck ( its a diesel though ) and if I remember right... People used to use Rotella with good results on gasoline cars, correct?

She drives about 10-12 miles a day one way. She doesnt speed, but her car likes to ride around 2k rpm during 65mph-ish runs.

What would you guys recommend for the oil? Weight? ( Just run what it calls for, which is 5w30)

What about filters? Purolator's still good?

 

[chainblu]

A Sentra oil change is fairly easy, so yes, you should be doing it. I would stick with 5w30. As far as brand, just take a walk down the oil aisle and pick whichever one tickles your fancy. Same for the filter.

 

[gregk24]

Those are fairly short trips, what does Nissan say the severe service OCI should be? As far as oil and filter, since you will be doing the job yourself, it will be cheaper so I would spring for synthetic, PP 5w30 or QSUD 5w30 is what I would go with, with a Fram TG or Ultra, or Nissan OEM. Skip the Purolator until they get their act together. In case you didnt know, they are having an issue with the filter media tearing, allowing unfiltered oil to constantly flow through your engine.

 

[cheesepuffs]

Visit the oil filter forum and you'll quickly learn that recently Purolators of all models have been showing tears in the filter media. Not a desirable trait. Right now the hot ticket is the Fram Tough Guard.

Regarding oil, pick your favorite conventional. No need for a syn if you're not pushing your drain interval past 5,000 miles. I like Quaker State as myself and many others report quieter operation with it. This is due to the fact that it has high boron content; an anti-wear additive that also happens to muffle noise. Quaker State conventional (known as "Green Bottle" or QSGB for short) is also priced very competitively at about $13.50 per jug as Walmart. It is the sister product of Pennzoil conventional ("yellow bottle") which is highly regarded on the forum. Personally I've used both and like QS better.

 

[Mach1Owner]

Nissan recently changed from 3500(severe) 7500(normal) to just 5000 miles.

 

[NattyBoh]

Thanks as always.

 

[Oregoonian]

Mobil Super (conventional) 5w30.... would be my recommendation, with 5K to 6K OCI's. This oil has had excellent UOA's, and is reasonably priced at WalMart in 5 quart jugs.

While at WM, spring for a Fram ULTRA filter at under $9, and use it twice (2 X 6,000 = 12,000). The filter is a top-tier with synthetic media and wire backing, that is guaranteed for 15K.

 

[NattyBoh]

Found out my wife has been going to Valvoline and getting the synthetic. So we went with Pennzoil Platinum and that fram ultra synthetic filter.

 

[Bud_One]

Good call , both excellent choices for oil and filter. You should be able to run the filter twice (2 OCI) before replacing.

 

[NattyBoh]

Im going to do a blackstone on this next oil change and we will see where Im at. I guess Id do one at 6000, and see whats what. Then I'd do it at 12,000. If the oil shows good at 6k, I'll leave the filter. If it shows good at 12, then Id be fine with that. But honestly. The filter is only 8 bucks...