Hello All,
i hope you are keeping healthy and safe. I need to travel to Miami on my 2004 G35 6MT 141k miles, it's about a 1000 mile drive each way, I am trying to get a mechanic check the car but I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations that the mechanic should double-check on, for sure I'm getting an oil change, should I change the air filter? Fluids?
Any advice is much appreciated.

 

Check all fluids, carry a gallon of water in case you leak coolant, carry 3 qt of oil in case you develop a bad leak. At least that way you can probably limp yourself back to a town.

I also love those Stanley Fat Max jump packs. They have a tire inflator and a flashlight on them which is super handy.

Check the pressure in your spare tire.

Plan on checking oil level every morning before you drive.

 

Tire pressures, oil level, coolant level. 2k trips are a walk in the park for G35 (but check the oil halfway thru trip if yours leaks)

 

New air filter, new cabin filter, check thread depth of all four tires (less than 5mm replace tires) inflated to 35lbs when cold, rotate tires and check brake pad thickness on all four wheels

 

Check belts and hoses and replace if necessary. Check tires. You cannot rotate the tires in the 6MT. Front are different size from the rear and most performance tires are directional. Make sure you have towing insurance and maybe road service policy. The jack that comes with the car is flimsy and you have to be very careful with it when replacing a flat. Have a pleasant trip!!!

 

I forgot that you cannot rotate tires on a 6MT
A AAA membership is not that expensive. A breakdown on certain toll roads can result in very expensive towing without a AAA membership. They can also provide a flatbed a tow truck to move a vehicle to a safe place to change a tire which can be very dangerous in some places.

 

I made drive from Virginia to Miami 3 times in my 04 G35 coupe 6mt. I was at 150,000+ miles on the last trip. If you have overheating issues then do not drive the car. Have good tires, a spare, good brakes, lights, check all fluids. Double check oil, have 2 quarts with you. Check oil the morning after you make the trip to see how much you burned. I burned a quart each way. Either way have a safe trip

 

Hello guys, made it to Miami in two legs, the G drove like a dream, last week I replaced the master cylinder for the clutch and it felt better than ever. Thanks for all the advice, I'll check the oil today to see if it burned any on the way here, about 1200 miles on way.

 

Since the broskis have your car related checks covered, here are some off topic things you should check:

Check your wallet . It's always smart to carry extra cash just in case.
When you stop for gas, buy one of those concentrated energy shots.
Feeling tired, take a tiny sip. Feeling sleepy, pull over.
Make sure you get enough sleep before a long drive session.
Along your trip, power nap if you must. And if you do...
Make sure to do it off the main highway to avoid law enforcement.
If there are no washrooms during covid... Leave a big empty drink container in your car .
It's gross but you can **** in it.
If you're slick you can even adjust the seat and do it while driving to save time lol.
Gross, I know , right . But you don't want a cop to pull up on you with your dick in your hand.

 

Thanks for the advice, I had reserved a hotel past ATL and I slept for 5 hours and then hit the road again. The rest stops are open and I saw people sleeping in their cars, unfortunately not that many people wearing masks inside the gas stations.

 

Good call on the hotel.
Nothing like laying down on a clean bed with AC and a clean shower after hours of driving in hot weather.
Forget rest stops bro.
When you're sleepy, you're sleepy. It's dumb to fight it.
Don't open a window, or turn up the music. Thinking I'll stop at the next rest stop.
Your brain will force the body to do what it needs to do. Which is sleep.
Pulling over before you think you actually need to, is always smart.
Power napping even for a few minutes works wonders.
Drive safe broski and cruise all the way there and back.
Nothing ruins a road trip more than a speeding ticket.

 

I would argue that nothing ruins a road trip worse than watching the speedometer the whole time on a wide open empty road

Saved about 5 hours off my last 1800 mile road trip in the G by doing some Autobahn driving in the wastes of Canada. Obviously would never do that here in the States going down 95.