Hi i'm relatively new to all this.

I've recently had a lot of interest in a 2003 V35 with about 94,000 kms on the dash.

A few people told me when it reaches 100k's it's going to need a timing belt change that's going to cost around 1000,
and some kind of special transmission oil that must be imported from japan, costing another 1000.
They have also told me that the seals on this car are extremely bad, and need constant refitting as they leak profusely.

Does anybody know anything about this, or the general maintenance costs of owning one of these?

Any input would be extremlyyyy helpful.

Cheers

 

These cars run a timing chain which does not need to be replaced. At 100k's I would replace spark plugs, all fluids (coolant, brake, trans, diff) and all drive belts.

Trans fluid does not have to be imported, you can use regular fluid from the auto parts store provided it is equivalent to the stock fluid (I use Redline). You can also buy genuine fluid from your Nissan dealer. You mentioned V35 so if your car has the CVT gearbox it will need the special Nissan fluid.

I have 2003 V35 Coupe which has now done 115k's, runs well with no issues at all apart from door locks and power windows (read up about those issues on this site). No problems with seals and oils leaks.

 

Oh ok,

Because the car is a manual model, it wouldn't require the special Nissan j-matic transmission oil. Would I be correct to say this?

And as for the transmission chain, when would it need replacing?

Around the 200k mark?

Cheers

 

Transmission chain? You mean the timing chain? If so, you replace the timing chain when it breaks.

 

I've heard it is a good idea to replace the chain, tensioners, guides etc around 200,000 km, so figure out how many miles.

I havent heard anything about seals aside from the valve cover which can be fixed under warranty if you still qualify (powertrain). Lots of folks report using the oem fluid even on a MT tranny is preferred; required for AT (they use different types of oem fluid, fyi).

The bose head unit can go at some point, just an excuse to get an aftermarket deck really and rid your car of the mediocore sound system.

Lots of guys here have racked up many miles without major issue. *knock on wood*

 

Buy the car, replace oil, change coolant, MT fluid, diff fluid, spark plugs, brake fluid, belts and call it a day. You don't need to do anything special. I use Motul MT fluid, but I'm assuming you don't race so just use Nissan OEM trans fluid.

 

Buy the car, replace oil, change coolant, MT fluid, diff fluid, spark plugs, brake fluid, belts and call it a day. You don't need to do anything special. I use Motul MT fluid, but I'm assuming you don't race so just use Nissan OEM trans fluid.