New SE-R Owner

[06SE-R]

Hello everyone, I am new to the forums here my name is Mark I recently purchased a 2006 Nissan Altima SE-R automatic( couldn't find a 6 speed MT ) It was a 1 owner and the lady traded it in so i picked it up I am just curious if there is anything that I need to be aware of such as recalls, make sure these bolts are tight etc. It is completely stock so if you have any mod suggestions that would be appreciated as well. keep in mind that I don't have very deep pockets I am a newbie to the 3.5 so anything helps I will post pics soon thanks for your help



-Mark

[VQpwrdSE-R]

Welcome to NICO man! Congrats to a fellow SE-R owner. i am the 2nd owner of my 05 code red. Ive had mine since '09 purchased with 37,000 it now has 90,000 miles. So far its been very reliable. New pads and rotors is all its ever needed aside from tires. I am unsure of any recalls.

[06SE-R]

Here are the pictures














Thanks VQ and I've always liked that race red looks sick bud.!

[VQpwrdSE-R]

Are your tails blacked out with VHT nightshades?

[06SE-R]

I'm not sure what was used that's how it was when I purchased the car. I like the look of it though. Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't smoked tail lights an option for the SE-R? Also do you have any suggestions for a good aftermarket CAI ? I'm looking for a few extra mpg and a few more HP

[DrewH]

The black headlights and taillights came stock on the SER but yours appear to be tinted (most likely VHT nightshades as VQ picked up on) on top of that. Congrats on the new ride. I've had my SER for what feels like forever now and theres almost 90k on the clock. Unless another flood tries to take it away I don't plan on getting rid of it.

The biggest thing that is a common problem for the 3.5 is worn timing components. It will cause noises that range from a constant ticker all the way up to an otherwise pleasant supercharger sound. Check your floorboards!! Look underneath both sides and you'll see 4 "plugs" in the floorboards and these are known to leak and can cause them to rust out entirely if you don't take care of it. If the paint has any gaps or cracks you're probably going to want to pull up your carpet and see if you've been taking on water. People experience other issues but those are the big ones.

I've never been a fan of CAI's but will say that the brands don't really make that much of a difference. Spend the money and buy a better filter. I'm partial to dry Apexi's but to each their own. Regardless the few extra ponies don't really last that long once the ECU learns and changes. To truly take advantage of any modifications you plan on doing you're going to need to get tuned. Decide where you want to take your car and then do research on this and other forums. Depending on what your plans are it will save you a lot of money down the road.

Besides that change all of your fluids and good luck with the car.

[VQpwrdSE-R]

It will cause noises that range from a constant ticker all the way up to an otherwise pleasant supercharger sound.

I have had that supercharger sound for a while. Did you have that prob Drew? What do i do to fix it?

[06SE-R]

Thank you for the response Drew. I have the supercharger sound as well and I will take a look at the things you listed there. I really like what you did with the front end of your SE-R I read over the grille thread you did and it is very tempting to do. also I know that your going to laugh so hard your going to fall out of your chair but how do you get the fog lights to come on without the headlight being on? I have tried to goof with it so much to no prevail so i finally gave up haha.

[DrewH]

Thanks 06. Every other color SER has the option of going black but we're sol there. Flat black might be a cool look but I wanted to go with the same color I planned on painting my wheels.

Here's the TSB number for the timing chain buzz/whine (10022421). Essentially the dealer replaced all timing components including chain, guides, tensioners, etc. I was fortunate to get it done still under warranty since it is a pricey fix. People have done it themselves but you better know your stuff and realize that you aren't going to have a car for a few days. Mine started sounding supercharged around 24k and the dealer told me everything was normal. 55k it was making the same sound and they said there was a problem. Have I mentioned that my dealer sucks at life?

There's a how to out there on how to make it so you can run fog lights only. It's been on my list of things to do for years and still is. Its not easy but its not difficult either. Maybe this winter.

[06SE-R]

ah so I'm probably screwed with 92k on the motor. I don't have any trouble with the motor or transmission but it most certainly sounds like I have a supercharger under the hood. and I will look into how to do the fog lights. thanks

[DrewH]

I don't know if you got it but I sent you a pm with a link to the how to on the fogs.

[06SE-R]

I did sir. thank you i looked at it on my phone and couldn't figure out how to pm you back thanks again!