15K Service- 2003 FX35
This is our second new import (first was the Audi TT) and our first Nissan/Infiniti product.
Our experience with Infiniti in general and our local (Kirkland) Infiniti dealer personnel has been exemplary.
The car has been a dream to own and drive- certain ill-maintained freeway lanes notwithstanding. (certain pavement conditions exagerate cabin noise and ride quality). Regardless, I wouldn't change the ride and handling charachteristics of the sports suspension with 20 inch tires for anything.
I intend to forego the recommended $$$$ 15K mile maintenance service and instead opt for a lube-oil-filter and tire rotation- OK and maybe that well-hidden-only the tech can disassemble the dash to replace cabin filter. What a user-friendly filter replacement design that turned out to be (NOT).
I guess it bothers me a little that companies like BMW are advertising free bumper to bumper maintenance for the first four years and I am being asked by Nissan to shell out $$$$ to maintain my FX every 3750 miles. Now you and I both know that the price of the BMW maintenance is built into the selling price of the vehicle and that makes it nearly impossible to compare service costs.
I think that the Nissan/Infiniti maintenance schedule is a little aggressive (oil change every 3750?). I think we all recognize the value of clean oil, clean transmission fluid and clean (dry) brake fluid. But- we are talking about a new vehicle with little or no piston ring leakage or "blow by", modern filtration and advanced fluids and additives.
My point: Maintenance is a given. Excessive maintenance is simply too costly and unnecessary. There are plenty of people, who, when purchasing a used car want to know that maintenance schedules are adhered to. It is costing me a ton of cash to get that dealer stamp in my owner's manual every 3750 miles. (In addition- there is a risk in charging me to rotate and balance my tires/wheels when every tire store in the area offers to do it for free-when I buy my tires through them)
My recommendation: If your products are engineered, designed and built to modern standards and you are using quality components, you (Nissan) can probably relax that maintenance schedule a bit- saving me a few hundred- and still retain the perceived value of your product.
Sign me, Frugal in Seattle with premium gas currently at $2.05 -$2.29/Gal
FX Scheduled Maintenance
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maxnix
- Posts: 22627
- Joined: Mon Jul 22, 2002 8:11 pm
- Car: 1995 Infiniti Q45
1995 Infiniti Q45t
2000 Infiniti Q45
Well, Seattle, welcome to the board. I suggest you read all of Q45tech's previous posts. The genreal consensus here is that OEM maintenance schedules are only sufficient to get the vehicle beyond OEM intial warranty period. Maintenance is such a paltry part in the overall cost of out of warranty compnonent replacement expenses, it is jsutified if one plans on conserving the perforomance of one's vehicle, especially a new one.
Foregoing OEM scheduled minimum maintenance is penny wise on the short term and pound foolish on the long term. Maybe you should have budgeted the maintenance expense into your purchase equation?
Foregoing OEM scheduled minimum maintenance is penny wise on the short term and pound foolish on the long term. Maybe you should have budgeted the maintenance expense into your purchase equation?
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Q45tech
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- Joined: Tue Apr 30, 2002 3:19 am
- Car: 1990 Q45 342,400 miles 22 years ownership with original engine
1995 G20t 5 speed 334,000 miles 16" 2002 wheels - 205/50/16 Sr20ve vvl
I wish used car buyers had the guts to look up previous owners and extract some personal punishment. But it's a buyer beware world and mechanical abuse is not a crime. Amazing that used buyers blame the car when it fails not the previous owner.
New owners pay good money for the chance to destroy machinery and the manufacturers like it that way.
1997 ES300 83,000 miles needs a new engine [$5200 vs. $120] because someones daughter didn't change the oil and used the money she was given to buy personal things and rewrote the oil stickers 4 times in 13 months.
1996 Q45 destroyed at 132,000 miles owner didn't change oil for a year.
Nissans like to see a techs face every 90 days that way they will last 250,000 miles or more.
New owners pay good money for the chance to destroy machinery and the manufacturers like it that way.
1997 ES300 83,000 miles needs a new engine [$5200 vs. $120] because someones daughter didn't change the oil and used the money she was given to buy personal things and rewrote the oil stickers 4 times in 13 months.
1996 Q45 destroyed at 132,000 miles owner didn't change oil for a year.
Nissans like to see a techs face every 90 days that way they will last 250,000 miles or more.
FrugaL I think you will find some manufacturers are going back form the lond maintenance intervals that started popping up in the late 90's.Especially those who offer long warranties like Infiniti ( which actually even in late 90's schedules did a good job wioyth scheduleI +II maintenance interval guidance.
Lexus ES 300 intervals for example have turned out to be excessively optimistic (and very expensive for the factory).
Fred...
PS: Dennis you have mail.
Lexus ES 300 intervals for example have turned out to be excessively optimistic (and very expensive for the factory).
Fred...
PS: Dennis you have mail.
Turns out there are two maintenance schedules for the FX. The 'basic' schedule is in the owners manual. The second schedule is a dealer recommended 'Preventive Maintenance' schedule. It is comprehensive and about 3-4 times more costly than the basic schedule. If you live in the Northwest (average temp is 72 degrees) this would be considered a severe duty environment and therefore the more complete preventive maintenance schedule is advised here. If you lived in a hot, dusty climate or severly cold climate or towed a vehicle in such a climate...well, let's not go there.
The basic schedule certainly needs to be adhered to. The preventive maintenance schedule is the one that the dealer will recommend when you talk with them. I guess we can agree to disagree on flushing the brake fluid every 12 months ( in this case 15k miles.)
I regard that as over the top and nowhere-so far - (on the web) can I find justification for it. Now I will admit that the web is not the universal source of accurate knowledge. And I have to admit that I truly do not know the rate at which moisture is absorbed into brake fluid through a closed system in a new vehicle or the rate at which the 'expensive ABS system' components deteriorate in the presence of that moisture content.
I usually go by the color of the fluid...but I can only see the color in the resevoir and how many of us can say that we know what that color should be or that color is a reliable indicator of moisture content? One would think a technician or consumer would have a way to test the fluid and make the decision to replace based on quantifiable information.
It is true that excessive maintenance won't hurt the car and maybe that is the point of the preventive maintenance schedule...better too much maintenance than too little.
The basic schedule certainly needs to be adhered to. The preventive maintenance schedule is the one that the dealer will recommend when you talk with them. I guess we can agree to disagree on flushing the brake fluid every 12 months ( in this case 15k miles.)
I regard that as over the top and nowhere-so far - (on the web) can I find justification for it. Now I will admit that the web is not the universal source of accurate knowledge. And I have to admit that I truly do not know the rate at which moisture is absorbed into brake fluid through a closed system in a new vehicle or the rate at which the 'expensive ABS system' components deteriorate in the presence of that moisture content.
I usually go by the color of the fluid...but I can only see the color in the resevoir and how many of us can say that we know what that color should be or that color is a reliable indicator of moisture content? One would think a technician or consumer would have a way to test the fluid and make the decision to replace based on quantifiable information.
It is true that excessive maintenance won't hurt the car and maybe that is the point of the preventive maintenance schedule...better too much maintenance than too little.
Brake fluid and other replacements
Seattle,
I think the recommendation to replace the brake fluid every 12 months or 15 k miles is excessive. It is a closed system with no ingress of moisture or other contaminants. Also, it is not subjected to heat and thus the fluid, which is mostly saturated hydrocarbons will not break down. I think with the improvements in technology over the last decades, the auto repair shop/dealers have very little room left to make money, and I think that is what drives them to recommend these asinine intervals. I have not seen anybody who has shown with a systematic study that brake fluid deteriorates in a such a short time period. Of course, no one has the incentive to do such a study (apart from perhaps Consumer Reports). There is a major conflict of interest here with the dealers trying to push a higher frequency of maintenances.
dabral
I think the recommendation to replace the brake fluid every 12 months or 15 k miles is excessive. It is a closed system with no ingress of moisture or other contaminants. Also, it is not subjected to heat and thus the fluid, which is mostly saturated hydrocarbons will not break down. I think with the improvements in technology over the last decades, the auto repair shop/dealers have very little room left to make money, and I think that is what drives them to recommend these asinine intervals. I have not seen anybody who has shown with a systematic study that brake fluid deteriorates in a such a short time period. Of course, no one has the incentive to do such a study (apart from perhaps Consumer Reports). There is a major conflict of interest here with the dealers trying to push a higher frequency of maintenances.
dabral
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Q45tech
- Moderator
- Posts: 14296
- Joined: Tue Apr 30, 2002 3:19 am
- Car: 1990 Q45 342,400 miles 22 years ownership with original engine
1995 G20t 5 speed 334,000 miles 16" 2002 wheels - 205/50/16 Sr20ve vvl
Measure [lab required] the % of moisture and boiling temperature in your brake fluid after 15,000 miles.
Ever wonder why it changes color [from colorless to amber to brownish to black].
http://www.herguth.com/technical/Brake% ... yw...k.pdf
Actually not much has changed in the last 25 years as far as brake fluid formulation is concerned......as reported by Emery Stora the chaiman of the committee who developed the SAE standard for DOT 3-5.1.
http://www.delphi.com/pdf/tech...3.PDF
Ever wonder why it changes color [from colorless to amber to brownish to black].
http://www.herguth.com/technical/Brake% ... yw...k.pdf
Actually not much has changed in the last 25 years as far as brake fluid formulation is concerned......as reported by Emery Stora the chaiman of the committee who developed the SAE standard for DOT 3-5.1.
http://www.delphi.com/pdf/tech...3.PDF