I've been looking at my 2004 service and maintenance guide and it outlines what you are supposed to do every few months or X amount of miles. At 6 months or 7500 miles, the dealer recommended I do the "schedule 1 maintenance" which is:

replace engine oil and filter
inspect the following:
axle & suspension parts
brake pads, rotors, drums & linings
drive shaft boots
exhaust system
front suspension ball joints
propeller shaft
steering gear and linkage
steering linkage ball joints

Do you guys do this yourself? Or do you take it to the dealer to do it? And how much does it cost? Or do you guys just ignore it completely?

Thanks for any input.

 

My car's up to 16k miles; haven't followed the book yet.

However, I change my oil every 3000 w/ Mobil synthetic....and I plan to do a major scheduled maintenance before my 3 yr/36k warranty runs out.

 

Don't just follow the maintenance book blindly. Those books are written to cover many different vehicles. And our Z does not require some of the "recommended" services (like tire rotation, air filter change if you have JWT Pop Charger, etc.). Stick with the required basics.

I was getting ready to do the 15000 mile maintenance. I called the first dealer and was told $349! I thought it was too high, so I called another Nissan dealer in my area. They told me it would be $199. Now I got suspicious. I call a total of four dealerships - all giving different prices.

It turns out that the first expensive place was charging me their standard rate that every vehicle gets, even though I needed less than half of those services. If I had never started asking questions, they would have silently taken my money.

I found a dealership with a very helpful service advisor that got the important stuff done for around $100. For the 15000 mile check-up, I had them do an oil change, fuel system service, brake system service/ flush, and battery service.

It really seems like the majority of the listed services in the books are just a way to completely soak you for money. If you don't ask questions and decide whether you actually NEED each service, you will pay way too much. This is esspecially true for those us on these forums that do some amound of mods and maintenance on our own.

 

I wonder how often they try to deny warranty claims if you can't prove you followed the schedule....

 

Where do I begin? Car Companys spend a lot of money and time to give you a maintenance book. It doesn't matter if you service your own vehicle or go to a service center. Preventetive mainenance keeps your vehicle in warranty, safe, less premature wear which you will have to pay more later. Oh yes, keep all your maintenance receipts in case you come up against a warrenty problem. Been driving for 46 years, been there and did it. ZRA.

 

I've pretty much always followed the book although I am careful to make sure (as Z-Z said) to ask only for what the Z requires. I used to do the same thing for my 300zx and never ever had it break down. It might be a bit more expensive but it also might be worth it.

 

My Advice is to follow the Maintenance book.

But do as many of the things you can yourself.

Just ask the dealer to do the hard things.