# OIL Change HELP



## alofano (Dec 10, 2005)

:thumbup: 
Hello everyone. I'm Andy from CANADA. First time here. I have a 2006 x-trail and I would like to change the oil and filter myself. This will be the SUV's first oil and filter change (2000 km, break-in period). I would like to know what brand and grade you recommend ? Also, what are the steps to change the oil and filter ? I checked the underneath of the SUV and it seems straight forwards EXCEPT for one thing. Do I need to remove that plastic cover that protect the oil filter ? If so ... how ?

Any HELP here in order for me and my SUV's first oil and filter change would be helpful. 

Thanks in advance !


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## TjC (Jun 11, 2005)

yes u have to remove the plastic cover.
i blieve its like 3-4 10mm bolts holding the thing in
remove it and you will see the oil filter


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## wasabi4ever (Aug 27, 2005)

I personally won't recommend it.
Many dealership will void the warranty if you does it yourself. Some of them even prefer you do oilchange through Nissan only (or toyota, whatever the make is).
If you do it elsewhere they required proof that you actually had oilchange done and on time.
If something go wrong down the road they could say because you didn't have any record of any oil change or because you haven't done any.
Just a thought.


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## alofano (Dec 10, 2005)

wasabi4ever said:


> I personally won't recommend it.
> Many dealership will void the warranty if you does it yourself. Some of them even prefer you do oilchange through Nissan only (or toyota, whatever the make is).
> If you do it elsewhere they required proof that you actually had oilchange done and on time.
> If something go wrong down the road they could say because you didn't have any record of any oil change or because you haven't done any.
> Just a thought.



Great insight. Thanks.


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## Lukasz (Oct 14, 2004)

TjC said:


> yes u have to remove the plastic cover.
> i blieve its like 3-4 10mm bolts holding the thing in
> remove it and you will see the oil filter


Are you sure you're taking the right cover off? The only cover that I know had to be removed was the plastic cover that just snaps off. It's held in place by just one snap.

Also, the technician at service manager said that they have no problems with people changing their own oil and it does not void the warranty, as long as you make sure that you keep all receipts for the oil and filter, and write down the mileage on it when you change the oil. He said that this is enough proof. Although, doing it yourself means that if anything goes wrong and you screw up...then obviously you'r ethe one responsible (if it has to do with the oil change)


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## TjC (Jun 11, 2005)

yeah man underneath my car there is 4 10mm bolts that hold the cover in
once taken off the oil filter is exposed in plain site


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## qr25madness (May 1, 2005)

If you use a genuine nissan filter you should be in the clear, because there is no way for a dealer to know the difference. But don´t take my word for it.
I´ve used motul synthetic since new, and i´ve never had to add oil between oil changes...to my surprise, given the fact that many QR25 owners in many cars are reporting high oil consumption.
BTW, my xtrail was one of the first ones in mexico, got it late 2001 as a 2002 model, currently 50k+ km and no problems, apart from the muffler that crapped out last week.

cheers!


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## Bror Jace (Apr 26, 2003)

I change my oil myself ... wouldn't have it any other way.

As long as you have receipts and other records showing you did the work, you shouldn't have any warranty problems.


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## LEONGSTER (Apr 9, 2006)

I would read the terms of warranty carefully, and only service the car yourself if you can live with a worst-case scenario - they void the warranty due to non-compliance.


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## LEONGSTER (Apr 9, 2006)

I try to avoid mechanics and garages and dealerships for all the usual reasons. So I end up servicing my own cars as much as I can. In the past I worked on the advertising account of a known german car maker and this is what I know with almost 95% certainty:

Car makers these days honor a warranty only if its been maintained and serviced by the appointed dealership. That way the dealership gets to make some money after they sell you a car. It's all part of the "arrangement" that car makers have with their dealerships.

I know for a fact that a certain german engineered car (my family has three between us) functions along these lines. They even omit important information from their manuals like the type of engine and transmission oils, refering to them as "service items # this or that". 

You'd need inside info or heavy research on the net to find out the right alternatives.

Look at it this way: Car makers have gotten squeezed in recent years on their margins, with competition and warranty's and all that. So something's gotta give. Either the metal gets thinner and the parts count drops, or they try to make some of that back by making sure you use their own branded fluids and filters and such, instead of OEM.

If you want to change the oil purely because of an extra-rigorous maintenance regime 
then make sure you use an original oil filter. The oil they can't really tell. But if it's another brand name filter, they can make things difficult.


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## Cman (Sep 17, 2004)

Do it yourself, oil changes are very easy to do, easy enough that techs at dealerships usually whip through it in no time. What does that mean??? They're in a rush to finish your oil change and move on to another, that means they'll get your drain plug back on even before all your old oil's drained out and you're paying what???? $40-50 bucks a shot each time????? No way!!!!!!

I do all oil changes myself on my cars, takes less than .5 hour and that's with me letting all the oil drain out before I put the plug back in (once it starts dripping slowly that's good enough, if I have time I let it drip even longer while I'm doing other things like maintenance checks and stuff). Plus I usually change it hot so the oil drains faster, just watch you don't burn yourself with the hot oil.

Just buy a good quality oil, get the proper Nissan filter with the drain plug washer (replace at every oil change) and make sure the rubber gskt from the old filter comes off before screwing the new filter on (hand tight with a little tug is good enough), add new oil to the proper level and you're good to go.

Tony

Keep all receipts for parts bought for the oil change and the date it was done in case there is an issue and the dealer needs proof that oil changes and other preventive maintenance work was done.


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## ERBell (Aug 7, 2005)

Why don't you just contact Nissan Canada and ask them what they say? 

They will probably tell you that as long as there is proof of the oil change you're good.

Can't hurt to check.


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## alofano (Dec 10, 2005)

*Tony your the BEST, Thanks.*

Tony your the BEST, Thanks. 



Cman said:


> Do it yourself, oil changes are very easy to do, easy enough that techs at dealerships usually whip through it in no time. What does that mean??? They're in a rush to finish your oil change and move on to another, that means they'll get your drain plug back on even before all your old oil's drained out and you're paying what???? $40-50 bucks a shot each time????? No way!!!!!!
> 
> I do all oil changes myself on my cars, takes less than .5 hour and that's with me letting all the oil drain out before I put the plug back in (once it starts dripping slowly that's good enough, if I have time I let it drip even longer while I'm doing other things like maintenance checks and stuff). Plus I usually change it hot so the oil drains faster, just watch you don't burn yourself with the hot oil.
> 
> ...


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## babber (Sep 3, 2006)

sorry to bring up an old thread, but....

On our Honda and Toyota the oil changes were every 6 months . I noticed Nissan is one of those who has an every 3 month oil change, WHY ? if others can have the 2 a yr oil change why not Nissan?

Any info on this would be appreciated.

thanks
JF


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## LEONGSTER (Apr 9, 2006)

babber said:


> sorry to bring up an old thread, but....
> 
> On our Honda and Toyota the oil changes were every 6 months . I noticed Nissan is one of those who has an every 3 month oil change, WHY ? if others can have the 2 a yr oil change why not Nissan?
> 
> ...


Our X-trail's oil change is set at 6 months or 12,ooo km, whichever comes first.

Our Mercedes workshop reminds us to bring in our Mercs for servicing every six-months - and we were told initially the cars only needed an oil change every 12 months, or 25,000km.

Either there's a misprint in the literature you have, or someone in your respective dealership is trying to be too enterpising here.

Or, it could be as simple as this: If it's a new car it may need to have it's FIRST oil change at 3 months (not unusual).

In which case, no worries there!


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## babber (Sep 3, 2006)

I just glanced at the maintenance booklet the dealership gave us and it states lube (which includes oil change) @ 3 mths or 6K kms then @ 6mths or 12K kms it's due for a maintenance package #1 which is an inspection of all hoses and fluids check breaks replace oil and filter, rotate tires and test the vehicle. Seems quite often.
Not sure if any other Canuck X owners are having to follow the same maintenance schedule ?
FWIW we got ours from 417 Nissan in Ottawa (great staff to deal with)


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## SCHESBH (May 25, 2004)

On my X-Trail I change every 5000k with Mobil 1. Why.. well not my driving habits but proof from my 1995 Nissan Altima that had 497,000k on it after 9 years before an accident killed it. I changed the oil every 5000k on it..with Syntek (did I spell that correctly)... and never had any engine problems. ... Is it a waste of money... maybe it is but it worked for me.

Stephen


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## LEONGSTER (Apr 9, 2006)

Interesting to hear about the frequent oil change. It does make a difference imho, even if it is expensive and not always practicable.

Reason is, all oils whether synthetic or mineral have an additive package of detergents and friction-modifiers. This package tends to wear out in a matter of several thousand kilometers - even if the oil claims to last much longer (remember the 25,000km claim by Mobile 1 when it first came out).

I've noticed that even with Mobil One in my engine it would run less quiet after a few thousand klicks.

For awhile now, Mercedes factory-fill their new cars with "re-refined" oil. Do some digging and you may discover that it's just microfiltered used oil with a fresh additive package...!


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## SmallSteps (May 3, 2006)

An oldie, but for those who have not read it:

Car Bibles : The Engine Oil Bible

The Engine Oil Bible : Additives

Ken


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## babber (Sep 3, 2006)

Even though the maintenance seems a bit more frequent It'll get done, have no choice but seems a tadd excessive.


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## IanR (Sep 30, 2005)

babber said:


> Even though the maintenance seems a bit more frequent It'll get done, have no choice but seems a tadd excessive.


I believe you should have been given a choice of maintenance schedules, either every 6k km or every 12k km.

Schedule 1 is every 6k km
Schedule 2 is every 12k km

Nissan Canada | Owning | Vehicle Care

Given that you normally drive very short trips and live in Ottawa they're probably going to recommend the 6k service interval for your oil changes.


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## babber (Sep 3, 2006)

Thanks Ian, I remember seeing that site thank again for the link. The dealer gave us this booklet which sems to say every 3K kms Hey I am happy to see the 6K kms.

Thanks again


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## Stealth2424 (Feb 13, 2007)

why the &%$& can i not see my oil filter...


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## Stealth2424 (Feb 13, 2007)

^ LOL... man do i feel stupid... I guess i m used to me Stealth and wifes Liberty...i didn t realize how small and......cute this nissan oil filter is!haha I didn t even see the dang thing.... thats awesome...


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## alofano (Dec 10, 2005)

*X-TRAIL 2006 WHAT OIL DO YOU USE ?*

Hello everyone. I'm Andy from Montreal, Canada. I would like to know how many of you X-Trail owners change your own motor oil ? ... and if so ... what Brand and Type of oil do you use ? Is was thinking of changing my own engine oil with ''CASTROL GTX 5W30''. Can anyone give me some insights on this idea ? Thanks in advance with your help.

Andy from Montreal.


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## ValBoo (May 19, 2003)

Hey Andy,
Long time no see... Let me take you back in time.... say, one and a half year ago... to your very, very, very first post on this board. Remember? No? Well I do  it was about guess what motor oil.
Threads were merged please read from the beginning on this thread
hey hey hey


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## Xtrailguy (Mar 9, 2006)

alofano said:


> Hello everyone. I'm Andy from Montreal, Canada. I would like to know how many of you X-Trail owners change your own motor oil ? ... and if so ... what Brand and Type of oil do you use ? Is was thinking of changing my own engine oil with ''CASTROL GTX 5W30''. Can anyone give me some insights on this idea ? Thanks in advance with your help.
> 
> Andy from Montreal.


Hello Andy,
I've been using Castrol GTX 5w30 in my X-T for about 100,000km with no problems.
I change the oil every 6000km as per the manual. I've yet to burn/lose any oil between oil changes.


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## alofano (Dec 10, 2005)

Xtrailguy said:


> Hello Andy,
> I've been using Castrol GTX 5w30 in my X-T for about 100,000km with no problems.
> I change the oil every 6000km as per the manual. I've yet to burn/lose any oil between oil changes.


Just to understand you better when you say ''I'' do you mean .. you change the oil yourself or do you have it done at the Nissan Dealer ? Thanks for your reply.


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## Xtrailguy (Mar 9, 2006)

alofano said:


> Just to understand you better when you say ''I'' do you mean .. you change the oil yourself or do you have it done at the Nissan Dealer ? Thanks for your reply.


I change the oil/filter myself. Reason being that I live quite a distance from Nissan service. It takes me about 15 minutes to change the oil/filter. Very easy on these vehicles.


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