15K-mi Service

[imkingka]

Hi. My car is due for 15K-mi service but it will cost several hundred $$ at a dealer so I decided to do at Sears which quoted $99. I asked them what the difference is from a dealer and they just said they are doing according to the list. I'd like to hear from you.

[jamesstock]

I remember back some 10yrs ago I used to only bring my car to a dealer for service. Then reality hit and $ became true object. So I began to take my car for normal oil and other fluid change, brake and other normal wear and tear issues at a local shop. Saved a ton of $. It is up to you. If you have the $ to spare and feel better w/ the service at a dealer, that is great! but if $ is a major concern, then doing the regular oil change / tires / brakes / fluids etc at a local shop is sufficient enough. My other vehicle (a 1998 Honda Accord) which has 180k miles still going strong as of today. All I've been doing is to keep it clean all the time, regular oil and fluid change, timing belt, CV boot...brakes etc. All taken care at a local shop for 1/3 of the price charged at the dealer. I take the car to dealer only if it's warranty related issues (but after warranty period expires, I get it done at a local shop).

[flashzoom]

personaly I don't really do any those service at all.just get your regular oil change done on time.the real major ones that you might want to consider are the 30k, 60k and 90kand you don't really have to do everything recommended on that 30k list all at the same time, u can do some of the more important ones 1st, then do other ones as needed down the road. but that's just me.

also, if u want to get major services done, do it at some places that you really do Trust!!!! I had some really bad experinces before, I had a client that own a used car dealership. when my last car needed 30k service, he offered to do it.after the service was done he only charged me for the break pads he have replaced, and said everything else looked good, and don't worry about the labor charge. after I droved for about 20 miles....something was wrong. every time i stop the car, i had a hard time to get it started again. I called him, and went back to have him check it out. he told me, that I needed a new alternator. my was dead. i was like WTH? he said a new one will cost about $200+, he can get me an used one for $100+. I smell something fishy.i told him, i will go back to get it fixed later. so I went to my regular shop that I get all my oil change done, he took 5 mins, and found out it was the battery. replaced, and had no problems since. so go to places that you would trust!!!!!!!!!

[cromagno]

I tend to take my car to the dealer when it is under warranty. They then have a record that they can present to Infiniti/Nissan concerning warranty issues. Also, I once let a Firestone put an air filter in my prior Infiniti, a QX4, it turns out the air filter had silicone in it that destroyed my MAF (mass air flow sensor). I don't remember exact figures, but just the part was over $250. I never had this issue when I had the dealership put in OEM parts.

[flashzoom]

just another FYI,dealer doesn't always equal to Quality work!!!My toyota Cameray had some issues with the wheels.pretty much I knew it needed to be balanced, I took to the Toyota dealer, after 45 mins checking out the wheels, they told me it wasn't balance issue. it has to do with the tire or the rim itself. I need to replace it.I knew it was incorrect, I only had the tire for less than 5000 miles, and there were no damage on my rim. so I took it to sears, they balanced it within 30 mins, and it fixed the problem.I couldn't believe it the Toyota Dealer can't fix the problem, and told me it was my Rim that had issues with.

[jmess]

I do my own inspections and rotations. There is very little real work required for the schedule 2 service internal at 15K. Based upon the way my engine air filters looked at 18K I would replace them at 15K though. Buy some Nissan filters and replace them yourself. It is super easy to do.

[imkingka]

Thanks all for your input!! I took it down to Sears today and they did the service according to the list except the cabin filter which they didn't have in stock so I might have to go back later. And it came out way cheaper. Now, the mechanic told me he couldn't reset the (dot matrix) maintenance warning on the driver's instrument panel because it requires a special tool. He said he searched about it and I have to go to Infiniti or Nissan service to get it reset. Is that right?
Modified by imkingka at 10:08 PM 3/22/2010

[jmess]

The service interval reminders can be reset by you. There are instructions on how to do it in the owner's manual.

[imkingka]

Thanks a lot, jmess!!