The dealer wants $140 for a basic visual inspection (useless) and $250 for a more thorough inspection.. Is it worth it or shall I take it to an independant shop? The car, an 04' sedan is a recent purchase and thus, would like a good inspection.

Any comments would be appreciated.

 

should of had it looked at before you bought it but....

I would take it a known an independent shop, there arent many special things on this car.

Im assuming they would look at tires,hoses,belts,fluids,etc

ask the shop what they look for before you pay

 

It all depends on whether you have a good independent shop that you trust or not. I have an excellent independent and he does all my work. I have him fill out the maintenance book and sign it. There is an old law from the 80's that says a dealer can't void your warranty if you have an independent work on it even though they tell you they will. There are crappy dealers just like there are crappy independents.

 

I took mine to a Nissan dealership before I bought it. Saved some $$$ and the car is mechanically so similar to the Z that I think they could still do a good job.

 

That's probably a good idea^^

Just make sure you trust the Nissan dealership.

 

I was thinking, "$150 for a State Inspection?", because here in Texas, it's like $15 and the price is set by the State. But you were talking about someone checking it out for problems.

I do know Firestone has a pretty good one for less than fifty bucks.

 

take it to the dealer for an oil change. don't wait for your vehicle, and request that an experienced technician work on it. make it seem like you'd be willing to spend money with the service adviser.

I work as a dealer mechanic. I only make money on what I sell, and I'm not afraid to quote big jobs such as an oil leak for example. I make damn sure to check every car thoroughly. I can write up $2000 worth of work fairly quickly.

Decide what needs attention most and address it.