Have an 03 max bought new. Live in Massachusetts and do not have a garage. I plan to keep this vehicle for a long time. All work is done by local dealer. Car does 85% highway driving. I change oil and filters every 5k. Car has needed no repairs, but I replaced tires, front brakes and rotors at
60K and, on advice of dealer, replaced belts at 65k.Am wondering about transmission fluid, coolant and spark plugs. Should I go by the manual or do those earlier? Anything else?
tia
Coolant every year, no flush, just replace.
Spark plugs at 30k or 60k depending on price. OEM only for me. Since the ignition coils are on the plugs, very little need to replace plug wires.
Transmission fluid every 60k or 4 years. Replace only, no flush.
Alignment / balance every 30k/2years, rotate tires every 5k. Buy *good* tires and replace before they reach the wear bars.
Bleed brakes every 5 years. New battery at 5 years, inspect ground cables.
That covers many of the common issues with an aging car before they tend to fail. Some of the parts I'd consider replacing anytime a mechanic is 'in the area' doing other work once the car is over 100k. It depends on whether a breakdown is a major problem vs. an inconvenience. Those are:
- starter
- alternator
- water pump
- clutch (incl. pilot and t/o bearing, incl. flywheel resurfacing)
IMO, the better/more frequent tires are a great investment in comfort and safety. Often overlooked.
Dave
Myself I have the radiator coolant flushed every three years by a real radiator repair shop not the Nissan dealer. Also if you plan on keeping your maxima having the transmission fluid flushed and filter changed is a good idea. Getting a real tune up depends on how you think your maxima is running and how much money you care to spend. There are also O2 sensors that have a habit of failing you will sometime get a check engine light from them. Some items you just have to depend on the dealer to guide you. Good Luck.
This is a good list, except I change my batteries every 3-4 years in the northeast. They seldom make it to 5 with the cold winters.
-jim
And keep waxing that paint. Two or three times a year will protect your resale value. Spray the underside with lots of water after winter, and try to control the salt damage as best you can.
I second this process. It's what I have always done and it seems to help keep the finish looking good and the metal from rusting away.
Thanks for the responses. I did get good tires from tirerack.com and you've given me some good tips on keeping things going. I love the car... its a keeper. b
Not frequent enough. I'd do it every 30k.
Bill G '91 SE Auto
I agree. Tranny fluid changes are cheap enough to do this often and sure isn't going to hurt anything. I also don't care for the "flush", just a drain and fill.
Tranny filters normally need no service on modern cars. most use a screen rather than a paper filter and I've never seen one give a problem even when the trans was self destructing. A basic fluid drain and fill every 15-30K (depending on conditions) should work fine .
Concerning coolant, does it make sense to stick with the Japanese style, non-silicate coolant such as OEM Nissan and Toyota, or can we just go ahead and drop prestone in with all its silicates?
Even though the Japanese non-silicate coolant is a more expensive, I tend to go that route since the water pump in the Maxima is buried in the timing cover and is quite a challenge to replace once it fails. And you have-to change the oil, as well.
CD
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