KDS Posted April 18, 2017 Hey all, just bought a new van. It had 17 miles on it when I drove it off the lot. Still under 100 currently. This June we are taking it on a road trip out west and I'm guessing it will be about 6,500 miles total. I'm trying to figure out if I should change the oil before I leave or just do it when I get back. I have other vehicles so I don't have to drive the van much between now and the trip, but I thought it would be good to put some miles on it to help with break in before hitting the road. It may only have a thousand miles or two if I do that. Should I change the oil anyway? What would you do? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ASD Dad Posted April 18, 2017 Are you going to be towing anything for that trip? If yes, 100% do an oil change before you leave. Even if the answer is no I would still be inclined to do an oil change before the trip. It's cheap insurance to make sure you have fresh oil in the motor for 6500 miles of driving. If towing I would also do some test tows while home to make sure you have it all dialed in and are comfortable. It's going to tow a lot different vs. the Ford Diesel. You can also expect around 9 mpg when towing pretty much anything with decent weight or drag to it. Once out west and in the mountains expect that to go down! 1 radin2son reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KDS Posted April 18, 2017 I'm not towing anything this trip, but we will have 5 adults and 2 kids with all the gear, plus coolers as we will be eating picnic lunches and dinners in the various national parks we are visiting. I expect to be loaded down pretty good. My thought was to drive it as much as I can (sucks to be me!) before the trip to get it broken in and then do an oil change right before I leave. Thanks! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
radin2son Posted April 18, 2017 (edited) If you do change the oil before your trip, go with synthetic. This will decrease the times you have to search for a place to get an oil change. Also, if you change the oil just before your trip, you can stretch the mileage between oil changes until you get home. Since we travel a lot, we only use NV dealers for service. I'm on the mobile site, so I don't know your location (I wonder what I missed... "Hello from Florida.") As you go west, you will see few NV dealers. I posted under positive dealer service a list of dealers we and others have used. Go on line and see where NV dealers are located in relation to your trip route. The express oil service works well as no appointment is needed. Why NV dealers? A non commercial dealer can get you parts but not work on your NV. Also, I would not use a quick lube place. Edited April 18, 2017 by radin2son 3 ASD Dad, KDS and andy_george reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
radin2son Posted April 19, 2017 Depending on your route going home, Colorado Springs may be the best place to get an oil change if you need it. The Air Force Academy is there so there may be some interesting things for your family to see while you get your NV serviced. Another reason to use NV dealers as you travel, you can get warranty work done or have them look at nagging, non serious issues and fix them. Be sure to put in a good review with Nissan and on this site. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KDS Posted April 19, 2017 Thanks for the tips. My plan is to get an oil change right before I leave, and then another one as soon as I get back. My itinerary is pretty tight and would rather not have to get service. I'm hoping that with all the highway mileage I'll be putting on the van for this trip, I'll be fine going over by 1500 miles. If I end up with more mileage than I expected though, I will certainly have a dealer do a service! Thanks! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
