New Guy

[amc49]

Hey all, Howard from Texas. I've just gone Nissan in the last few years after 35 years with Ford and sick of where that company is going. I've bought my son's low mile Versa and also now will be maintaining his brand new '17 Altima as well. Around my house no car ever goes to anybody doing work on them, I do 100% of all of mine and on every single thing for the last 45+ years. I got used to working 'out of the box' long ago by our family racing American Motors cars and we had a family garage in the mid '70s that gave the GM dealer across the street utter fits. We often fixed the cars that they couldn't.

Getting bored with the Fords and more than that the way they have gone to making the cars break so many parts on purpose to increase parts sales I cannot believe it. Why I talked the son into buying the '11 Nissan, as a brand test and one it passed so much better than the last 3 Fords I've owned there is no comparison. Whereas the Fords each had broken 3-4 things by the 70K miles, the Nissan has gone that 100% perfect other than needing front pads due to the boy's heavy braking and just about to do them now. I'm a little leery of Nissan plated bore motor tech but have already made a move to help with that possibly on the Versa and so far everything is peachy.

On the Fords of necessity I've been forced to come up with fixes that cost maybe $10-$20 to compare with $200-$1000 repairs and so many I cannot count. We'll see if I'm smart enough to stay up with Nissan technology, I'm betting I can. The Altima seems intimidating but it's only another car after all. We''ll see because I don't hold back.

You may be seeing a lot of me here, I like to help others but only try to where I feel what I know fits but apparently I seem to know a lot. Still, being able to learn more while dropping what you 'thought you knew' runs high in my book and one reason why I have picked on this new marque. Learning should never stop and you should keep doing it right up until the last day.

I went through virtually every Japanese brand of bike in the late '60s and early '70s and have had a thing for the way the Japanese approach systems design since then, we'll see if it still holds up with these.

[wa-chiss]

Welcome Howard! The days of hardcore garage mechanics are fleeting. As a professional Technician myself, I vowed to tech all my kids, at the least, the basics. I would prefer them to know how to work on their own car if the need arose. Not so much to just save them money, but being mechanically knowledgeable could save extra if they have to go to the dealer/repair shop. Learning is something I, too, enjoy. Starting off out of college, through Toyota's TTEN program, I knew enough to begin my own work. I've had to rely on the knowledge of coworkers in situations that I knew little about. Now, though, as a seasoned technician, I find myself in the position guys come ask help or advice from. That's not to say I don't need help still, but I find it easier to find the answers I need from past experiences in that situation, and with a little blind luck sometimes.

Again, welcome to the Club Mi Amigo.

[amc49]

We ALL need help at some point, and the experience makes you realize that even more unless you have a brick wall built up around 'what you know'. That is often deadly.

I find that looking first at the guy in the mirror fixes most of my 'unfixable' problems. It is often the most important tool you have. Past that, the laws of physics rule all, stray away from them and you WILL have issues.

Yes, it is becoming painfully obvious we are dying out as a breed.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Welcome to NICO! It sounds like you'll be a great fit here.
Don't hesitate to utilize our FREE factory service manuals for repairs and schematics.
www.nicoclub.com/FSM

[float_6969]

Welcome to NICO! It's nice to see a real DIY/wrencher in here. We're becoming a rare breed.