New D40 dual cab owner

[chrisd]

Ive just taken delivery of a new D40 dual cab and first impression on driving are great, couple of things I would like to know are what engine oil should be used, dealer scared me a bit saying that the oil is about $200 every oil change as it is a special nissan oil,is that just dealer speak or is that fair dinkum??? what is a good oil to use?
second concern is fuel consumption, what should i expect on mixed driving, round town and freeway, not towing, very rarely loaded as its used mainly as a car, is 10-12ltrs per 100kms the target ??? i have heard some nasty tales about fuel consumption?

 

[Old.Tony]

Hi Chris, welcome to the forum.

You didn't indicate whether yours was diesel or petrol, I'll assume diesel because they're the ones with 10.5LPHK on the window in the showroom.

You do have to use a low-ash diesel oil in your engine, and those oils are more expensive than your standard gloop you might throw in a 1957 VW beetle. I didn't think they were that expensive - mine's heading in for its 20K service today, I was quoted $360-odd for the service, we'll see what that becomes after they're finished.

Fuel consumption for mine was rather high at the start. After the 1,000km run-in and the all-clear from the dealer to start towing we basically hitched the van (1.8T dual-axle) and hit the road. The unladen tanks from back then all had figures of about mid-14s. Given the extras added to my vehicle - about 300Kg - I should have expected 12.2LPHK, so I was definitely over.

Up around the 13,000km mark I started seeing an improvement, with consumption falling to around 11.5LPHK which is about what I get now. Since that's 0.7LPHK better than what I ought to be getting, I can't say I'm unhappy about it. It took a little time for the engine to settle in, but I'm definitely pleased with it now.

I'm not a total lead-foot - every now and again I might blow the cobwebs out, but mostly I drive fairly sedately. Given the price of fuel these days that's not a bad thing, but will skew the consumption figures in my favour too, compared to someone that runs their car hard.

 

[Matt76]

I can't beleive that the oil is $200, though any mechanic you use will have to use an oil with the same rating as the nissan one. Nissan don't make oil so it will be a rebranded oil anyway. My services cost me $154 so I cant imagine the oil cost is any more than half of that. I get consistantly 12l/100km with diesel manual.

 

[KraftyPg]

Welcome to the forums.

I'm not overly suprised at the cost a dealer quotes for the oil, if you go looking around SCA or the like it's nothing to see oil with similar specs to those cited by Nissan for around $100 per 5 litre bottle and given that the Nav takes about 7 litres $200 wouldn't even be a 100% mark up.

We all know manufacturers don't make their own specific oils and we all know they don't pay the same price the average mug shopping at SCA but that doesn't stop them over charging for what they do get.

I paid about $50ish for 5 litres of exact spec'd oil (as per the manual) not long ago at SCA, some might consider it the right stuff some might consider it the wrong stuff but the fact that it's the exact specs Nissan state as required is good enough for me. I very much doubt it's the stuff my dealer would use because he's moved from Mobil to Caltex products recently and the oil just gets delivered in big Caltex drums but I've suffered no problems as yet and will no doubt use it again come time for the next service.

Even if your dealer was serious about the $200 oil that doesn't mean you have to take the car back to him for any service, shop around all the Nissan dealers within 100ks of me have different servicing costs (and they are quite different depending on the k's) and if you have another trusted mechanic outside of Nissan then go to them and save even more.

My fuel consumption is down in the mid to low 10's, the last tank which was a mix of highway, towns (regional towns less traffic but still 50 and 60k zones) and 2 trips to the city got me 10.4 and enough trust in the scangauge to run through suburbia with the fuel light on and put 78 litres in the tank when I eventually found a servo I wanted. I'm also carting anywhere up to 300kgs on average with both city trips probably adding another 150kgs on top of that in the tub.

 

[Old.Tony]

I've dropped my car off and asked them about the oil - it's included in the $362.40 that I'll be paying this afternoon when I pick her up. The 6.9 litres of oil that they'll be using does not cost anywhere near $200, they said. I'd be questioning them about that figure!

 

[KraftyPg]

I'd question it too but that doesn't mean I'm shocked by it after all who's paying $130+ for 99 cent thermistors? Who's paying $140 for the a/c resistors when they can't get them under warranty. All dealers jack the prices up and that's why they should be questioned. Oil disposal is another joke which as consumers we pay for but not many people question.

Considering my local dealer wanted $360 for the 10K service and that doesn't include those over priced a/c filters I'd consider $360 for a 20K quite good but also know I'll never get it down here for that price which is why I don't use Nissan. According to someone on this forum a dealer about 120ks away is offering similar pricing to that above for a 20K service so maybe I pay a premium for living in the country, either way 100% price hikes still don't suprise me which is why I get all my stuff at trade price from Melbourne dealers and it's all done for nothing.

 

[hilmibezgin]

If your vehicle is diesel and if it has a particle filter you should use 5W-30 viscosity oil which has a considerably higher price than 10w-40 or 15w-40. If you live in a climate where temperature is not below lets say -10 C and if there isn't any particle filter mounted I suppose the most economic alternative is 10W-40. Even 15W-40 can be used if you live in a mediterranean like climate but it's not very healthy for a turbo charged engine.

 

[nismo4x4]

workshop manual advises API grade CF-4

 

[Old.Tony]

One of the big things with the diesel oil is its low ash rating. Since the oil can be passed into the intake via the Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) system, it can be combusted and therefore needs to not produce a lot of large particles. My dealer specifically mentions this with an information sheet on the service counter. The manual I have confirms the CF-4 rating, providing an alternative (Japan Automobile Standards Organisation) JASO DH-1.

It then goes on to describe the acceptable viscosity ranges for various ambient temperature ranges and does clearly indicate that you can use up to 20W50 if the outside temperature is never below -10C. The 5W30 is the only oil to use if the temperature is expected to fall below -20C.

I truly feel sorry for people that MUST use 5W30. Brrrrrr that's cold!

 

[Jason]

Hi Chris, welcome to the forum.