2001 Altima SE, first oil change q's?

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I am reaching the first oil change point, and was wondering what kind of oil you guy recommend? I have always used Castrol GTX in my other cars with no problems. I also need to know if I should use 5W30 or something else? It says 5W30 in the manual, but I have always used 10W30 in other cars. Any pointers would be great. I live in Atlanta, just for climate reference.

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If it says to use 5w30 in the manual than that's what you should run. If you run thicker oil you will put more pressure on your rings, making them wear out quicker with cold starts. I would also reccomend running full synthetic, you get better fuel mileage and you protect your engine far better than conventional oil, especially in a hot climate like Atlanta.

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I have heard you shouldn't run synthetics until after a few oil changes? Is that true?

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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial[/img]quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by intoran:
I have heard you shouldn't run synthetics until after a few oil changes? Is that true?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


Actually that is true, however, what I know is that it is recommened that you change the oil at 500 miles, 1500 miles and at 3000, then every 3000 miles after that. However most manufactures will say that it is not nessescary to do that (the first 2). I just got a new car and I used Castrol GTX 5W30 for the first two oil changes and when I hit 3000 I plan on using Mobil1 full Synthetic 5W30 from there on out.

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Thanks for the reply. I am around 2000 miles right now, so I think I will go with the Castrol for this one, and start Mobil 1 the next time.

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Glad I could be of help.

[Hudson]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial[/img]quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Mike3800:

Actually that is true, however, what I know is that it is recommened that you change the oil at 500 miles, 1500 miles and at 3000, then every 3000 miles after that. However most manufactures will say that it is not nessescary to do that (the first 2). I just got a new car and I used Castrol GTX 5W30 for the first two oil changes and when I hit 3000 I plan on using Mobil1 full Synthetic 5W30 from there on out.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I have never heard anyone seriously state that synthetic oil could not be used right from the start. I've got a car with over 120k on it that has used Mobil 1 since its first oil change at 1k.

There is nothing wrong with using synthetic from the beginning. On the other hand, using synthetic oil on an aged engine could be a problem as synthetic oil is finer than regular oil and the synthetic could run through wear that regular oil won't.

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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial[/img]quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Hudson:
I have never heard anyone seriously state that synthetic oil could not be used right from the start. I've got a car with over 120k on it that has used Mobil 1 since its first oil change at 1k.

There is nothing wrong with using synthetic from the beginning. On the other hand, using synthetic oil on an aged engine could be a problem as synthetic oil is finer than regular oil and the synthetic could run through wear that regular oil won't.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well, perhaps it is a matter of money. Doing an oil change at 500 then 1500 would be a waste of money with synthetic if you wanted to do 2 oil changes before 3000, don't you think? It would be for me. I have to respectfully disagree about using synth on an old engine. The oil may be more "slick" and have smaller molecules but I have read articles that prove it is not harmful but rather beneficial to use synthetic on an old engine. However personally, I would not... waste of money issue again.

-Mike

[Hudson]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial[/img]quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Mike3800:
...However personally, I would not... waste of money issue again.

-Mike

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Unless Synthetic had been used for quite some time, I would not waste the money introducing it to an old engine either.