90000 mile service and battery check

[Noelm]

Hello folks,

My 2006 Nissan Sentra 1.8S Special Edition is going to clock 90K miles within a month or two. I would like to get 90K servicing done. This car is a second hand purchase and had 72K clocked in first 3 years since its purchase by the previous owner. Autocheck score is 86 when the range for this vehicle is between 57 to 73. I do not have old service records so I would like to do this servicing as per the maintenance manual.

So as per the maintenance manual, following things should be performed

Replace engine oil and filter
Lubricate all locks/hinges
Replace automatic transmission/CVT fluid
Replace differential oil
Replace engine air filter
Replace engine coolant/flush system
Replace engine drive belts (Is it same as serpentine belt? I changed this belt in April this year, paid $250 for that.)
Replace in-cabin microfilter (Is this same as http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zodLN5_6KaM ?)
Replace manual transmission oil
Replace radiator cap
Replace transfer case oil (4WD/AWD), don’t think it applies to my car
Replace wiper blades
Rotate tires (except 350Z)
Optional (but would like to do): flush automatic transmission (flush with ATF)
Inspect the following:
__ All lights
__ Axle & suspension parts
__ Brake lines & cables
__ Brake pads, rotors, drums & linings
__ Cruise control vacuum hoses
__ Drive shaft boots
__ Exhaust system
__ Front suspension ball joints
__ Fuel lines/connections
__ Fuel tank vapor vent system hoses
__ Headlights/adjust if necessary
__ Propeller shaft (4WD/AWD) don’t think it applies to my car
__ Steering gear and linkage
__ Steering linkage ball joint

Now questions -

1. Is there anything missing from my list, taking into account that I don’t know how servicing was done in the past. (Since the car is in my hands, I have been taking pretty good care of it).
2. Should there be any specific instructions to the car mechanic regarding replacement of parts or use of specific brands only etc. If I can afford, I don’t want to use cheap/no-name Made in China parts. I am a firm believer of “You get what you pay for”.
3. What are the points where the car mechanic could rip me off or suggest/force me for more services? and how to avoid it?
4. In your experience, how much this should cost? Local labor costs $98/hr (which I think is very expensive) I AM going to shop around and will start asking for quotes once I get answers to all these questions and make up my mind on what kind of servicing I want to do but a rough pointer will be helpful.

About a month ago, by accident, I left the headlights on in the park. When I came back, the battery was dead, could not start the car. Should the battery last just for 20 minutes? Is it up for replacement? I have no idea how old this battery is, so is there any way to check this battery? On this forum, I read mixed comments on this topic (still asking)

My apologies for this long post. As I said, this is my first car and I am a total noob. I am not fully aware of rules and regulations of this country, so playing it super safe…

Many thanks in advance.

[JosephEMeehan]

Find and open your Nissan owner’s manual and make sure you have covered all the items listed as due for your car. While there are a few exceptions, nearly all the time the above will take care of everything that needs to be done.

[dagosa]

There are a bunch of items you can do yourself of have it done when you have the oil change for NO charge. I would NEVER tell the dealer or service dept. to do a " 90k" check up. Things like wiper blades, radiator cap, drive belts, tire rotations and others are inspectable and replaced as needed.

I other have fluid changes (no flushes) done piecemeal as you have oil changes and off hand ask a technician to inspect drive belts and other inspections you have listed. You will find that at an independent garage, they do most or all of these inspections FREE.

Go to a garage you trust and just discuss an itemized list of cost for having items done that haven’t. I know it’s a chore, but think of it as a job you can get paid (save) hundreds of dollars.

[SteveF]

Since you bought the car when it was c. 3 years old, it is more than likely that the battery is original. In that case it is nearing the end of its normal lifespan.

Yes, you can have an auto parts store do a load test on the battery. Most of them will do it free (hoping you will buy a new one from them). Or you can simply skip the test and go ahead and get a new one now.

Don’t have it replaced at the repair shop. They don’t stock batteries. They will simply send out for one and mark up the price.

[Noelm]

Thank you folks. I am actually more worried about different oils like transmission fluid, brake fluid, differential oil etc. which is (most likely) not looked at when changing oil (I presume, this is engine oil, right?)

@JosephEMeehan,
The list that I presented IS from the manual (otherwise its pretty hard for a noob like me to come up with such list and I don’t even know what majority of this stuff means

@dagosa,
I am not very clear when you say " I would NEVER tell the dealer or service dept. to do a " 90k" check up". Does that mean that you would rather ask them itemized service? I changed wiper blades 2 weeks ago. The driver’s side is fine but the passenger side is stuttering. I took it out and put it back twice but the problem persists. Don’t really know what to do about it.

If drive belt is same as serpentine belt, it was replaced 6 months ago.

I AM going to go the garage I use regularly and plan to talk. I pretty much trust him, still I think its always good to do homework, hence the question.

@SteveF,
I bought the car when it was 3 years old, so probably you are right. The battery is original.

I was planning to get a battery from Costco unless otherwise experts tell me to get from somewhere else for specific brand. Any comment on this?

[circuitsmith]

A battery from Costco is fine.
I think the brake fluid should be changed. I do it every 3 years.
Get the transmission fluid drained and refilled. Don’t flush. Don’t use anything except the original Nissan fluid.
Don’t let the dealer or indy mechanic talk you into extra stuff like flushes or “induction service”.

I would also drain and refill the power steering fluid reservoir.
This is an easy DIY project with a small turkey baster or thin hose (siphon).
Use only the fluid Nissan specifies.