dirty oil after only 2500 miles or less

[mbres2000]

My wife's 2018 Infiniti QX60 has gone 22K miles in 19 months. I change the oil and filter every 5K miles as suggested by the owners manual. I'm using Mobil 1 0W-20 along with Nissan oil filters (Mobil 1 filter at the most recent oil change).

But even 2500 miles and only 3 weeks after the last change, the oil is starting to look dirty. And at 5K miles it will really be dark and nasty. Reminds me of an old car that went way too long between oil changes.

On the other hand, my 2016 Mustang oil still looks clean every 5K miles, as does the oil in my old Chevy pickup with a rebuilt 350. And both those vehicles get driven less, so they go 6-12 months between changes, whereas the Infinity oil gets changed every 4-5 months on average.

What's up with that?

 

[Triple_Se7en]

I didn't know Mobil-1 (vanilla) sold 0W20 anymore.
If you are concerned, don't be. What you are experiencing is common. Your oil is working. Not all inner engine designs are perfect and not all parts either. If all is quiet, you are good-to-go.

If you can't sleep at night worrying about this, try another brand. Castrol Edge, Valvoline Advanced or Pennzoil Platinum. Welcome to BITOG mbrees. Keep reading all the threads and posts from recent years. But take a break every couple hours.....lol

 

[atikovi]

Most people here will tell you not to worry about it. Personally I like seeing clean oil on the dipstick and would change every 3K like the good old days.

 

[demarpaint]

It could be the nature of the beast, a DI engine. If you're concerned run the oil 5K miles drop it and get a UOA.

 

[JustinH]

Probably overkill but I have been taking my sonata in for service at the dealer for their $24.99 oil change every 3k miles.

Right at 3k the oil is dark black and for $24.99 I don't mind doing it.

My wife's scion looks clean up to 5k, it is the nature of direct injection engines.

 

[Speak2Mountain]

Ah DI engines vs PI engines. So much for the epic savings for DI engines. More OCI's and more expensive oil.....yep its great.

 

[mbres2000]

Just took this pic. Infiniti is after approx 3 weeks/2500 miles. Mustang after 3 months/2000 miles. Chevy truck probably 6 months/500 miles, so it really doesn't count.

As for changing oil brand, I may try it. The dealer did the first change. I don't know what they used, but it was very dirty after 5K miles.

 

[HangFire]

Keep in mind, when changing oil brands, a cleansing effect sometimes happens, because of a different set of additives. That means the oil looks dirty quicker.

If the oil is dirty, that means it is doing its job, suspending dirt so the filter or an oil change can remove it, instead of leaving it as a deposit in your engine. If you find an oil that looks cleaner longer, it might not be cleaning as well. A better question to pursue is, why does this engine get dirty quicker?

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Originally Posted by Speak2Mountain
Ah DI engines vs PI engines. So much for the epic savings for DI engines. More OCI's and more expensive oil.....yep its great.

hahahaha

I had to try one..... DI engine.
Wait - I lied. My wife picked out the DI Hyundai Santa Fe. It's what she chose. I warned her that the engine would grenade eventually.
She let me pick-out the Colorado prior. The still-pinned grenade for the Colorado is under her seat.....lol. So it was her turn this time.
This is how two people stay married for over 40 years. Normally, I get 51% of most-all decisions and she gets 49%.....lol

Anyone got Kleenex for my wet eyes? This time the grenade is under my seat. I let her make a crucial decision. When that grenade goes off, we hope it's quick and painless to our wallets.
By then our Morgan Stanley investments should reap for the loss of her chosen vehicle. But the Stock Market currently is a mess.

 

[Kjmack]

Originally Posted by Triple_Se7en
Originally Posted by Speak2Mountain
Ah DI engines vs PI engines. So much for the epic savings for DI engines. More OCI's and more expensive oil.....yep its great.

hahahaha

I had to try one..... DI engine.
Wait - I lied. My wife picked out the DI Hyundai Santa Fe. It's what she chose. I warned her that the engine would grenade eventually.
She let me pick-out the Colorado prior. The still-pinned grenade for the Colorado is under her seat.....lol. So it was her turn this time.
This is how two people stay married for over 40 years. Normally, I get 51% of most-all decisions and she gets 49%.....lol

Anyone got Kleenex for my wet eyes? This time the grenade is under my seat. I let her make a crucial decision. When that grenade goes off, we hope it's quick and painless to our wallets.
By then our Morgan Stanley investments should reap for the loss of her chosen vehicle. But the Stock Market currently is a mess.

Not trying to start a in investment study. But market closed at all time high yesterday , why do you think it's in a mess ? Oil stocks struggles and small caps stink .

 

[UncleDave]

Originally Posted by mbres2000
My wife's 2018 Infiniti QX60 has gone 22K miles in 19 months. I change the oil and filter every 5K miles as suggested by the owners manual. I'm using Mobil 1 0W-20 along with Nissan oil filters (Mobil 1 filter at the most recent oil change).

But even 2500 miles and only 3 weeks after the last change, the oil is starting to look dirty. And at 5K miles it will really be dark and nasty. Reminds me of an old car that went way too long between oil changes.

On the other hand, my 2016 Mustang oil still looks clean every 5K miles, as does the oil in my old Chevy pickup with a rebuilt 350. And both those vehicles get driven less, so they go 6-12 months between changes, whereas the Infinity oil gets changed every 4-5 months on average.

What's up with that?


Not sure about the stang, but the oldies dont have a DI high-pressure pump that squeezes the oil like a diesel.

All my port injected mills keep the oil much cleaner than my DI mills.

Gasoline DI mills create their own special brand of soot.

UD

 

[Triple_Se7en]

I think it's a mess because I want higher returns. My wife has stuck to her 50 year cycle of one family investor that invests for the entire clan of hers. She won't consider moving, selling, buying.....etc..... on her own.
It's mostly all her money..... all inherited. I stay out of it. I got no inheritances from anyone. My side of the family lives month-to-month.

I like the idea of moving money around more frequently, when things stagnate too long. Not her.
We have a very wide portfolio. We are prepared for anything. But the only real pluses since Trump arrived are in her minor investments. She's got too much riding in big caps.
Not here to take over this thread. I'm done with this discussion. See Ya'

 

[dwendt44]

Living in Texas certainly doesn't call for 0W oil. Try 5W-20 or 5W-30
and see if thinks change. Especially with GDI engines, fuel dilution
is possible. That could affect oil color/condition.

My 2¢

 

[oldhp]

Wife's 2012 Equinox 2.4 oil was black after only 1800-2000 miles. Pitiful. That's why its gone. No D.I. engines for me.

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

Originally Posted by oldhp
Wife's 2012 Equinox 2.4 oil was black after only 1800-2000 miles. Pitiful. That's why its gone. No D.I. engines for me.


They will keep selling you this junk until more people do this!

 

[Bryanccfshr]

Sounds like you are accumulating miles quickly with this vehicle. I wouldn't be worried about fuel dilution for this reason. I would run the oil to 5k.
A big impact can also be had by the fuel used. Is your wife sticking to top tier brands?

 

[mbres2000]

Originally Posted by JustinH
Probably overkill but I have been taking my sonata in for service at the dealer for their $24.99 oil change every 3k miles.


Ha! The Infiniti dealer gets something like $120 (!) for a synthetic oil change and somewhere north of $75 for conventional. What a joke. Just because we could afford the lease ($44K capitalized value on a $49K list price car) Infiniti must think money falls out of our pockets. Heck, lots of SUVs from GM and Ford cost that much or more, but their dealers offer $39 oil changes.

I've been doing my own oil changes after the first one and it costs me around $35 materials plus a lot of work. Have to remove part of the inner fender to get to the oil filter, and then the oil drips down onto the sub-frame. Great design, huh? I bought a bag of retainer clips for the inner fender at Amazon, because those things are toast after 1-2 removals. But it's my way of giving the finger to the dealer.

 

[mbres2000]

Originally Posted by dwendt44
Living in Texas certainly doesn't call for 0W oil. Try 5W-20 or 5W-30
and see if thinks change. Especially with GDI engines, fuel dilution
is possible. That could affect oil color/condition.

My 2¢


Was thinking about using 5W-30 last time, but the owner's manual calls for 0W-20 in all conditions. Will try it next time.

 

[GZRider]

DI engine, 5k for Mobil1 Vanilla should still be a cakewalk.

 

[ka9mnx]

Actually the oil in the picture doesn't look too bad. Check the condition of the air filter (dirty?) and look for any leaks in the air filter system.