The coolant must be drained from the engine block and radiator and refilled every 5 years.
Thanks! Can you guys tell me if a dealer actually takes off a drive belt from a car and inspects to see if it has any microcracks or do they just look at it from afar and guess (inconsistent)?
I was trying to talk to the service department at the dealer but am having problems with them giving me the run around. They can’t even tell me what exactly was covered in the 27 point inspection on my car, since they say they don’t have my file on their computers after 30 days after my vehcile has been taken in. Are they generally all the same anywhere you go? I see some other places online showings lists of what most deealers usually do.
Anyways their rep mentioned to me they generally do look at coolant and drive belts… Do you guys think I should get my drive belt replaced or timing chain cosidering my 98,174 mileage? They said just to inspect a timing chain is 500 dollars.
Sorry I deleted my above post becuase I thought i had an answet to the above from someone else, but they say “At best, they become a liquid that just flows through the component and doesn’t do its job as well as it could, leading to poor performance and premature wear. At worst, the fluids break down into sludge or become acidic and plug vital passages or actively attack vehicle components”
But how does that work in terms of realsitic application. What I mean is, if new fluid (coolant or otherwise) is passing through the system and not being reused again, then why is draining really a practice I mean, other than to get rid of old oil not being used anymore that is just sitting is different resovoirs or what have you? I obviously don’t have experience on the matter or even know if that’s how it works, just tryin to learn…
Most manufacturer’s maintenance schedules nowadays do not list trans fluid changes in their Owner’s Manual or their Maintenance Schedule. However, failure to do a trans fluid change every 30k miles or so would be very foolish, IMHO. If a dealer recommends a trans fluid change it is actually very good advice, even though their main motivation for recommending it is for their own cash flow.
The service writer at the local Toyota dealership must be of the “if it’s not listed it’s not needed” philosophy because I actually had to argue with him in order to get them to change the trans fluid on my friend’s Rav. He kept chanting, “It’s Lifetime Fluid!!”
Eventually, he saw the light, and did it my way.
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You can’t tell the condition of a belt by visual inspection anymore,
The new EPDM belts don’t show wear like the neoprene belts used to show.
So a simple tool is used to determine belt wear.
Or should be used.
Tester
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Do you know if they make tools like that for things like timing chains or whatever else you think is handy to keep around for checking necessary car parts? How often do you check these parts? I don’t know if you use them yourself?
I knew I wasn’t losing my mind on trying to figure where in the manual service times were listed or not lol…
The maintenance schedule in not in the owner’s manual, it is in the service and maintenance guide. This is a thinner book that should be in your glove box.
If there were an issue with the timing chain, the Check Engine light would turn on and set P0016 code.
Tester
As has been said elsewhere in here, this vehicle does not need to go to the nissan dealer for any of this work. Find a reputable independent shop that you can build a relationship with. Ask friends, family, co-workers, etc. where they go for car repairs, check google/yelp, and go from there.
Dealers are overpriced for much of this work, and their upsell game will be strong and hard to refuse if you don’t know what you are actually needing.
An trustworthy independent shop will suggest work based more what your car actually needs, and if you build a relationship with them, they will keep records of what has been done and not suggest things that have already been done.
(I had a van lose a fuel pump on a road trip, and the dealership was my only option for getting it replaced, and they pushed front bearing service very strongly. When I questioned why, they said it was based on mileage, and they hadn’t actually inspected the bearings that I had just installed 5 thousand miles before…)
Good comments above. I expect OP won’t be having too much trouble with this vehicle due to lack or proper maintenance, given they are asking the right questions straight-away.
As far as exactly what to do, no experience with that car, so refer to the owner’s manual maintenance schedules. There’s probably two schedules shown, one for routine service, and one for severe service. Most drivers should use the “severe” service schedule. Not saying most drivers mistreat their cars, but the definition of “routine” service means the car is mostly driven on the freeway, not much stop and go. “Severe” means quite a bit slow speed and stop and go driving.
Here’s what I do on my early 90’s Corolla, if that helps
- Coolant changed every 2-3 years, irrespective of mileage.
- Spark plugs, engine air filter changed every 15 K miles.
- Engine oil and filter every year or 6 K miles, whichever is sooner.
- Fuel filter replaced every 100 K miles
- Timing belt every 100K miles
- Check manual transmission fluid level every 15 K miles
- Rinse dust & grit from car’s surface with garden hose once a week, thorough washing & wax application twice a year.
At every oil & filter change
- Visual check of all four CV boots
- Visual check of all engine accessory belts
- Vacuum accumulated debris from HVAC inlet vents, bottom of windshield area
- Lube door hinges, door latches, hood latch mechanism.
Once a week
- Check engine oil level
Once a month
- Check level of coolant, brake fluid, clutch fluid, power steering fluid
I don’t do anything else with the fuel system unless there are symptoms. No AC on my car, so don’t know about that. I don’t have a cabin air cleaning filter, but think it is a good idea to change that out periodically, say once a year, if you have one. If it isn’t very dirty after a year, then next time wait two years.
Other than checking the gear oil level, manual transmissions don’t need much in the way of periodic service. Automatics on the other hand benefit from periodic changing of the fluid and transmission filter. On my other vehicle which has an automatic, I do that every 75 k miles or so.
Some of the posts here make me so glad I went into another line of work after I lost the dealership.
Did you post the miles correctly?
Some people with late model vehicles equipped with transmission with long life synthetic automatic transmission fluid are sticking to the old 30,000-mile change interval.
Cabin air filter on this generation Sentra is under a panel next to the gas and brake pedals, looks like it’s more awkward to get to than most but could still be done yourself.
2007-2012 Nissan Sentra Cabin Air Filter Replacement -EricTheCarGuy - YouTube
Well, it does have a cvt trans. So, there is that.
Yeah, you’re not going to see 200,000 miles on that car.
JATCO - Junky Automatic Transmission Company.
I would do the safety items and let the rest roll; the day is coming when the CVT fails and it’s off to the junk yard.
Here’s The Terrible Transmission That Might Kill Nissan
If you’ve been following the latest news about Nissan’s financial meltdown, you may wonder how they manage to make the best-selling crossover SUV in America and one of the world’s most respected sports cars all while simultaneously being on the verge of financial death.
Yes, checked my records, I’ve changed-out my truck’s trans fluid & cleaned the filter every 75K miles or so pretty consistently. Ford provided no routine service recommendations for the truck’s C4 automatic other than to say the fluid is “long lasting” and to adjust the bands every 12,000 miles. In practice I decide on the trans fluid based on a visual inspection. As long as the fluid is looking pretty good, clear and red, no burned odor, I leave it.
Not claiming this is the best method of course, just the way I do it. 30 K fluid change-outs for today’s more complicated automatics seems appropriate.