hey scotty or whoever reads this. I have a 2014 Q50 Hybrid yes I know they are money pits as they age but my post isn't about an issue with the car it has 74K miles and runs like a champ because I follow maintenance to the T... Even with that I'm sure there are many potential issues down the road.
I took it to a Nissan dealer for a basic synthetic oil change, they have a package where you prepay the oil change and comes with a tire rotation, its $165 for three oil changes. I Always took my Murano and prior Altima as well without any issues. They have since changed advisors so there are many new faces.
I was able to see the "tech" change the oil, filter, and rotate the tires. when I went to go sign my R.O. it says they used 0W-20 oil. My car uses 5W-30... So I tell the advisor to check with the tech if that was a typo or if he actually put the wrong viscosity oil in my car. Sure enough they used wrong oil so I demanded they re do it correctly. The advisor had the audacity to say its ok and nothing would go wrong by putting 0W-20. I basically blew a fuse on the guy and told him the car calls for 5W-30, and the fact that the "tech" didn't see the big yellow letters on the filler cap is ridiculous it says what viscosity is required right there. Since the car isn't in warranty of course you will say its ok because of there is an issue in the future with the oil pump or any other lubricated part you will then say it was because of wrong viscosity oil. My extended warranty calls for proper maintenance for coverage as does any other extended warranty. If there is a failure because of improper oils the warranty claim can be denied but I'm sure you all know this.
Moral of the story, read before you sign and thank god I am an avid watcher of Scotty if not I wouldn't have had the knowledge to educate the advisor regarding proper oil viscosities and the importance of following manufacturers recommendations.
Should I go take it somewhere else to re do the oil change again? The guy just drove it from the bay to the parking stall a few feet away idk if the wrong oil was completely taken out before they put the right one in. Plus I'm not sure how much the wrong oil spread out in the engine.
I did watch the "tech" like a hawk as he re did the oil change so I'm 95% positive it was done correctly.
The dealer is Larry H Miller Nissan Mesa, AZ, if you are in the area I advise not to go here...
BTW I cant change my own oil due to a physical disability so that's why I take it to others.. I have yet to find an honest mechanic around here in the Phoenix, AZ area.
Thanks for your time in reading my post/rant - and thanks scotty for what you do. I have learned so much thanks to your videos.
Relax. You don't have to change the oil again. You don't have to worry that it was driven a few meters, and you don't need to scrub out the inside of the engine with a toothbrush. The two oils are almost the same.
Thanks. the last sentence would have been sufficient.
It's literally what you asked.
"Should I go take it somewhere else to re do the oil change again? ...I'm not sure how much the wrong oil spread out in the engine."
Generally, the least paid and trained techs end up doing the oil change work. They are at the bottom of the service's pay scale. And, they are under pressure, many times, to increase output. So, they make mistakes, too many mistakes, although this not the worst that I've heard.
I've heard of major fluid mix-ups: Coolant in the brake line, ATF in the radiator, engine oil in the power steering reservoir, etc. And I've not been spared: For example, years ago, one of these folks forgot to put my engine oil cap back on.
There are other things to consider, as well, in dealing with mass-market oil place service, dealers or quick lube shops: What is in those 55 gallon drums? Where does that oil come from? Does the dealership or quik lube use a consistent supplier, or just buy the cheapest drums of oil they can? And so forth.
On top of everything, and as we all know, dealerships and quik oil lube places will often try to pad the total with outrageously expensive and often superfluous, sometimes totally fabricated service suggestions. (Hence, the term "Stealerships").
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The one thing you can look for is whether a shop (and they do exist) have master techs change the oil, as they do an overall inspection of the vehicle. There are such shops, and they are decently paid (or own their shops), and have pride in their work, and in their shop.
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The other alternative is to DIY these fluid changes, which is what I've done. I have enough OCD to sufficiently fret over the details of each service, until I'm sure it's done right. After all, who cares more about your car than you.
The ineptness comes largely from a race to the bottom in the pay offered by many dealerships. This has a predictable effect on the quality of personnel.
You have to understand, dealers are just that, dealers, their job is to sell cars. They do maintenance because it helps them sell cars. And since they are dealers they charge 2-3 times more than Joe Blow down the street whose job it is to maintain and fix your car. They do unneeded work, and if you hadn’t caught it and lets say 3 months from now your engine blew from thinner oil, they would respond something like this.
Sir we just got done looking at your car. Unfortunately your going to need a new engine. The price for parts and labor is going to be $5,371.34. I don’t believe it’s feasible for you to put that much into the vehicle, I’m going to have you talk to Henry our sales manager, he’s already worked out a good deal for you where we can give you 4500 for your car on trade in... blah blah blah. You get the point.
Now realistically unless your motor had a ton of wear already, running 20 instead of 30 isn’t going to kill your engine, but it can cause more wear than you would normally incur. Oil pressure would be slightly less than normal etc. all those things are taken into account when motor is designed.
Just some advice. If it gets really cold in the winter where you are, you can switch to 0W-30 in the winter. Viscosity is same, but not as thick when cold. Will help with cold starts. Then next change when it gets warmer go back to 5w-30. Good luck!
New car dealers also have service departments because their franchise contract with the manufacturer requires it. Also they can make more money servicing a car than on the initial sale.
FWIW, some manufacturers actually recommend 2-3 different viscosities than the one on the oil cap, depending on the year, make, and model. Sometimes they make these changes after a few years via a technical service bulletin.
My Toyota Prius can use either 5W-30 or 0W-20. The dealer usually puts in 0W-20, but I've been toping it off with 5W-30 because I have a ton of that stuff at home.
Why did you take it to the Nissan dealer and not an Infiniti dealer? Are there none in your area? I realize that Infiniti is a fancy Nissan, but like Lexus is a fancy Toyota the Infiniti dealers usually do a better job servicing their own brand than the basic Nissan dealer.
No need to stress out on the oil. No damage was done. Also no need to blow a fuse on the guy. Accidents happen and it's not like they forgot to tighten your lug nuts or something where damage was going to happen. Those oils are extremely similar.
You'll be fine but I would consider finding an Infiniti dealer for your future services on that vehicle. Hope you have better experiences in the future. Cheers.
