OK so my coupe has 30k on it now and i'm not sure what I should do as far as regular maintence?

Now I got a list of what they consider to be a 30,000 mile service and there are some things that i dont think it needs nor would I let them charge me to do.

-Oil Change~Already done

-Replace tranismission fluid~Necessary?

-Replace air filter ~I have K&N
-replace windshield wipers~Done

-Replace fuel filter~ Necessary?

-Rotate and balance tires~NO ONE TOUCHES THE 20's!!
-Windshield washer fluid check and replacement ~Rain-X

-Parking Brake Inspect and adjust~ Necessary??
-Adjust base Idle and Timing to factory spec~Do I need this?

-Service and test battery~LOL SERVICE BATTERY?
-Test charging system~ Starts every morning....
-Check all fluid levels~whatever

-Lubricate Prop Shaft on Rear wheel drive vehicles~ HuH?

-Brake wear inspection~New greenstuffs

-Inspect differential~needed?
-Check brake system for fluid leaks~ Needed?

-Cooling system~I think it works fine
-Exhaust system~ Honestly are they gonna tell me it's still there?
-Power steering system~Still functional
-Driveline~ok

-CV boots and drive axels~ needed?
-shocks struts~ Needed?

Then they want to check:
-Transmission Operation
-Horn Operation~I'll give em this one I harly ever use it so they can check it for me
-Road Test
-And of course complimentary Wash and Vaccum~ dont even think about washing my car

Then:
-Flush Cooling system
-Flush Brake Fluid
-Flush Transmission Fluid
-Fuel injection Service??
-BG service kit(fuel and oil additives)????

And to top it all off I did an oil change today and only a Quart of old oil came out after 3,700 miles. 1 QUART!! What the hell is that all about.

So what should I have done and what can I ignore? They want $525 for the whole thing I think and Thats money for the new exhaust so I hadn't planned on leaving it at infiniti.

Any input is appreciated Thanx guys....


Long Island Meet 5/22/04 ^
Black 03' 6MT Coupe
20" iForged Aeros/Z-Tube/Nav-TV Tuner

 

30,000 miles!! damn!! you must go on a lot of roadtrips.

 

There are some things that may need attention on your list like: Automatic tranny oil change (good insurance), parking brake cable adjutment and lube, flush brake system, replace engine coolant.............

Wow - $525 for the full service. As you said, that's enough for a decent mod.
If it were me, I'd select a few off the list and let the dealer do those for a negotiated reduced price. The fluids changes needed would be closer to $200. If Infiniti doesn't go for that, and I didn't have the time or experience to do these items myself, I'd get a private shop (whom I know and trust), to do them.
Some of these things might seem unecessary, but, IMO, they're good for safety and long term service.

As to the engine oil, I'd find out where the oil is going - ie leaks, burning, whatever, and go from there. I'd also check and top up the level regularly too, to validate your warranty, and to prevent damage.

I feel the same as you on a lot of these maintenance items, that they're money grabbers and unecessary, but there are some things that need to be done for your safety, for continued good performance, and to validate your warranty.

G/L

<font color=red>GSM</font color=red>
<font color=red>GSM</font color=red>
<font color=black>Silverstone Coupe</font color=black>

 

i never understood this.. you drive a 40k$ car and you cant afford a 500$ check up... maintaining your car now will save you down the road. The reason i bought my car is because my good friend is a service tech at infiniti. Every time i go in there he shows me things that non dealer techs [censored] up. Just rememver you ahve a 40k$ luxury car, dont do shortcuts!

 

Have you considered a sunroof safety harness?


04 G35C DG AT
Prem Aero Perf RSG CC
2004 Pathfinder for the family

 

Change the diff fluid if you care whether it lasts past 150k [or gets noisey at 120k]
Change the power steering fluid if you want to avoid leaks and pump, hoses, and rack replacements after warranty.

Depends on what cost you want to save after 70,000 miles always cheaper to change fluids now than hard parts later.

Simple things can increase mechanical life 50-100%.

 

I can afford a $40k car cause I dont throw money out the window. I'm not trying to skimp on things that the car needs just wondering what is unnecessary. I'm trying to take care of the car thats why I'm asking. There are things on that list that I'm sure are there to pad the bill. They are in it for the money after all. Just wanted to know what was needed and what was dealer BS. I mean I know that an oil change at the dealer is some outrageous price so...............

Thanks GSM for your reply. I should have mentioned I have a 6MT. Is the tranny fluid change still needed? I have always had a manual car but never cared enought to ask until now.

And Blitz, I checked at the dealer and a salesmen informed me that the sunroof harness will be standard on the 2005 model. No luck yet.


Long Island Meet 5/22/04 ^
Black 03' 6MT Coupe
20" iForged Aeros/Z-Tube/Nav-TV Tuner

 

man..I need to get my 30,000 miles check up soon.

Btw i wouldn't want to "throw" away my money for some dude just checking over things that I can check for myself. Plus except for tranny fluid change (i don't want to get messy) I can do most of the stuff in my garage. I don't think 500 bux is worth it. I would probably do it if it was 200 bux.
BTW here in denver the 30k service cost almost 700 dollars. hahahaha

2003 G35 Coupe 6spd

 

did my tranny and diff fluid at 30k myself, both needed to be changed badly.

coolant, the owner's manual says not needed until 60k and then evey 30k after that.

charging system and battery checks. these are as simple as hooking up a multimeter at idle and then again across the battery when the car is off, should be around 14 v at idle and about 12 volts with the car off. Also need to check battery posts for corrosion, I had to clean mine once at about 25k.

brake check: check lines for leaks or discoloration indicating a leak, check all rubber hoses for signs of cracking or ballooning. (Yes this is freaking needed, what if you picked up some road debris that nicked a brake line? Do you want to be able to stop?) Check your rotors for thickness, your pads are ok if you have greenstuffs, but the rotors are really easy measure the width of the rotor with a ruler the minimum thickness is stamped on the center of the rotor in millimeters.

I haven't looked at my driveshaft (propeller shaft) there is usually a zerk grease fitting on the u-joints to add grease. It there is one, grease it, if not, buy a needle adapter for your grease gun and squirt it under the u-joint endcap thingies (or better yet drill and tap and install a zerk fitting for 0.75). Check the ESM for info on grease type and amount

fuel filter is non serviceable (it is simply a fine mesh screen at the suction of the fuel pump on top of the gas tank)

parking break is a simple adjustment: pull your rear wheels off, line up the little hole under the rubber boot in the center of the break rotor and spin the star thing inside to adjust the tightness of the parking break. Mine needed minor adjustment after 20k or so.

If you will not spend the 500 dollars on the 30k service, no problem, take my advice above in combination with purchasing a service manual from infiniti and follow the directions therein. If you do not want to buy a shop manual, then go and pay the 500.00 for the service.

If you do not do at least one option, you will screw yourself down the road when it doest start, stop or go

and hunt down that missing oil. The worst I have heard of is a quart and a half low after 3000 miles.

Better Life thru Chemistry
Black on Black 03.5 Sedan 6MT - Goodyear F1 GS-D3's 225/55/17, Custom Intake Tube, HyperGround Kit, Magnaflow resonator.

 

When you vacuum down the R134a, the machine seperates some compressor oil [usuallly [1-2 ounces with 6-7 remaining in system] the look of the oil will tell you a lot [compared to brand new].

The receiver dryer filter absorbs any moisture that leaks in via orings and rubber flex hoses. Depending on how long past warranty you want AC system to last.......changing oil and replacing the dryer prior to 60k can give you tremendous gains in compressor/evaporator life.

Most people have a hard time worrying about beyond 100,000 mile failures.
Why 3 year old cars are only worth half and 6 year old units 25% and 9 year old units 12% of new MSRP.

 

Thanks Q45 I forgot about the AC service. That is why I strongly recommend getting the book out every timeyou hit a milestone on the odometer, cause anyone can forget anything.

By the way, for a backyard mechanic like myself: I don't vacuum out my R-134a, I just vent it. For real refrigerants like R-12, R-22 and R-114, et al this is illegal and can bring a fine of thousands of dollars from the EPA. But for R-134a, you can just vent it, throw a hand vacuum pump on the system and put a good 20" vacuum on the system. Read the directions as it will tell you where to hook up the can after you have a vacuum on there (high side or low side). I don't remember personally. Then the vacuum will pull a first can, the can of oil and some of the next can (assuming 8 oz cans) in all by itself. After that you can start the car, turn the AC on high and the car will pull the rest in itself . The total charge should be on a sticker under the hood.

Anytime you are charging refrigerant, I recommend doing a leak test by letting the vacuum sit there for 30 minutes. if it stays relatively constant (<couple inch variance) you have a tight system. If not, then you need repairs





Better Life thru Chemistry
Black on Black 03.5 Sedan 6MT - Goodyear F1 GS-D3's 225/55/17, Custom Intake Tube, HyperGround Kit, Magnaflow resonator.<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small"><EM>Edited by 3point5SE_Auto on 06/06/04 11:05 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

AC maintenance [other than maybe HVAC simple air filter] is not covered by factory or dealers as failures are way beyond the 60k warranty and they gain nothing economically having the system last too long.

Same with AC shops.......they want to change compressors evaporators not do simple $200 maintenance.

The average new car buyer keeps a car 60k unless they buy an extended service contract them they keep them to 99k.

There really isn't much of a penalty for not performing maintenance, as somebody somewhere will buy the car or take it in trade and palm it off on somebody else.

 

-Service and test battery~LOL SERVICE BATTERY?

Before you laugh at this, you might want to make sure the battery doesn't need distilled water added to it. If I remember correctly, when I was reading through the manual, I thought I remembered seeing the battery had caps. If so, you would pull those off and make sure the acid is up to the proper level.

I never looked at my G to confirm, but I always found it odd that they would not put a maintenance free battery in a 40k car. I'll have to double check on it...