I have the Rhino ramps and jack stands, but the one time I've gotten under the car, I thought the car was way too low to do any real work under it. Maybe I'll try it next time I need an oil change. It seems to be very easy if you have enough room to work with.
Thanks for posting the link.

<font color=purple>2004 G35 Coupe Diamond Graphite/Graphite 5AT</font color=purple>
Premium, Nav., 18" Wheels, Z-Xtreme Hyper Grounding Cables,
K&N filter, Clear Corners, 350Z Aluminum Pedals,
Sony Ericsson HCB-30

 

Wonderful. Thanks for the hyperlink and to gsedanman for the step by step guide. =)

B. Silver| Loaded to the "Brim"| 20" Iforged Rims - Flux| Pop-Charger | Z-Tube | Nismo Cosmetics | GroundGear Equipped | Borla TD | "Custom" Stereo - JL/Focal/Eclipse

 

It was actually slinkyboi5 who provided the howto.. gsm's claim to fame is merely posting a copy in the FAQ section, as you can see by reading the first bright blue line. Not to knock gsm.. I'm just sure he wouldn't want to steal credit from one of our helpful members. [img]/w3timages/icons/smile.gif[/img]

 

I take mine to a popular local independant Nissan mechanic. His shop is a block and a half away. I drop the car off at 8am, walk home, eat breakfast, watch a little tv or do whatever, then go back and pick up my car at 10am or so. I'm all about convenience. There are two dealerships about 20 minutes away driving, but then what would I do while they are working on the car?
This mechanic is good, he puts in Quaker State synthetic oil into my car. He's happy to work on it.

 

Just to add more stories of incompetence... I once took my wife's previous car to Discount Tire Center to have the tires rotated. I marked the rear pasenger tire with chalk to make sure it was rotated. When they called to have it picked up --you guessed it--they had not rotated the tires. They were all ready to collect my money, though.

Another time I took my previous car in for an oil change and came out with a very slow leak in the clutch master cylinder. I'm sure the mechanic wanted my business for a new master cylinder.

I'm sure there are a handful of honest and capable mechanics out there. However, there is so much nonsense, incompetence, and dishonesty that you should do as much work yourself as possible.

 

Really good question, I took mine to the dealer - always kind of feel the dealer knows best.... but basically what a process for nothing - book the car in, arrange a loaner (if you are lucky so far never possible unless several weeks in advance) - and looking at the service schedule they do nothing - a long list of checks which I think basically serve to impress old ladies and in fact I think most of them they eyeball anyway and many they dont even do - then right at the end they change the oil. Ive taken my past car to jiffy lube (Jetta VR6) and was most impressed. They drained the oil quickly, refilled it correctly, actually did check the air filter, tires, fluid levels etc, and even replaced some parts - like the air filter which the dealer had never done - all while I stood and watched and all for a very reasonable $20. Within 30 minutes I was back on the road and going on my way - no appointment, no fuss and nobody else driving my car, plus for sure the oil is hot so it drains properly (I hate to see people mashing the gears, slipping the clutch etc and changing cold oil) - So to answer your question Im taking my G to them too from now on. As far as doing it myself goes - for $20 and 30 minutes vs $20 and 2 hours end to end......

 

I wouldn't let my local dealership touch my G with a ten foot pole. I went to have 2 new back tires put on and the tire shop told me that I had a back rim on the front for the last year. I had purchased them from the dealer aftermarket. Just one of 10 problems I had with that service dept.
I have a local auto repair shop change my oil, because I wasn't able to get the car high enough to remove the bottom cover and get underneath it.

2003 Blk/Blk Premium w/navigation
Tinted Windows
Chrome Wheels
BRM Catback Exhaust
Injen CAI
Grounding Wires

 

No kidding - todays cars come so well sorted from the factory that the less the mechanics touch them the better. I couldn't agree more - it is rare to find a real mechanic - way too many of the folks that work at dealerships are real rookies and quite frankly don't know much about what they are doing. Certainly the front line guys - doing lube and oil and tires are very junior - the less they touch the better

 

One other thing though if you do your work elsewhere make sure to keep the receipts - A friend of mine missed a service on a her car and the motor seized up - likey not really related but not unrelated, since oil must break down quite a bit at twice the service interval, but Toyota HQ are refusing to honor the work as warranty related (car is 2 years old 35k) - claiming that her not doing the service caused the failure and of course she cant prove otherwise. Im guessing that DIY folks could face a similar ordeal, something to consider.

 

As long as you keep careful records and receipts for the oil and oil filter, your warranty can NOT be denied. This is stated in writing. I even keep the barcode from the Nissan OEM oil filters just in case questions arise.

 

I do my own and enjoy it. I work with an ex-GM of a dealership. He confirmed what I always heard, the lowest guy on the totem pole gets the oil changes. They would start at least one car without oil each month, but only had to buy one engine per year. That means alot of people never knew their car ran without oil for a short time. ouch. They said they would just drive around alittle and if it didnt make too much noise, the customer wouldnt notice.

As for warranty, I do keep all my oik and filter receipts. And I do Blackstone reports every 7500 miles.

I wouldnt dream of doing it with the G, but I used to take my Honda to a local mom and pop place (not a chain). They never minded that I watched. The faces never changed and everyone seemed happy to be working there (a good sign). It was a place I could trust.

To add to the horror stories, my friend went by the Mazda dealer on his way out of town for a 400 mile road trip. Around 300 miles he got an oil light. Checking the dipstick, he found it dry (not enough to get on the stick). No leaks. They had used one of those premeasured oil dispenser things and it didnt work properly.. They never bothered to read the stick. He only got 1/2 the oil needed. They told him his engine was fine when he went back (added oil on the road). But it always used 1qt per 1000 miles after that.

 

if i do it myself i know it gets done right. Besides last time i took it to the dealer... they had to replace my stock wheel cause they dinged it badley. Last time i took it to another shop, they got my car dirty.
Now i do it myself... take the old oil around the block to Autozone. So its not that inconvient for me. Besides my oil change is expensive enough without the labor. Filter + Mobil1

exhuast, intake, Clear Bra, Race pedals, momo ****, Eibach Sway Bars & Springs, Piaa 4150k, 15% tint, Bronze Volks CE28N 19" 245/275,
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233767-g35 015.jpg

 

Jiffy Lube will give you a print out of your oil changes if asked. Voiding warranties because you don't want the Dealership to do the work is bogus.

 

Just a note about Jiffy Lube -- I took my Mistubishi in there and then had shifting problems going down the road home. I checked and they had overfilled the oit to the very TOP and drained every bit of the transmission fluid. Luckily, I want only a couple of miles away and noticed the problem right away. The regional manager was in the office and was who I spoke with. They came and re-filled my transmission fluid at my place and then took the car back and did it properly. They tried to get me to sign a paper for a 'free oil chnage' but I refused because it stated they were not responsible for mistakes (!!) and subsequent mechanical damage. Talk about being shifty!

I don't mind going to Roswell Infiniti -- I get a bagel & soda while I wait and roam around the lot. I trust them, and I am definitely not mechanically inclined to do it myself (let alone have a good flat surface to do it!). I guess it helps they gave me a 100$ service voucher and also send out coupons for cheaper changes than their normal 29.95$ charge.

!!Jonason!!