joey_v

Now that my 1 year complimentary maintenance program has run out, I'm wondering how important these maintenance milestones are for the car and keeping the warranty valid?

I mean.... do I seriously need to replace the cabin filters at 15000??

Mike

iTrader: (1)

No, but if they get clogged, you'll have less flow when you have the fan/ac on. Also, if they get mold/mildew/damp, you can get some... unpleasant odors.

beerme986

iTrader: (2)

the warranty will be valid whether or not you follow these milestones; they are mainly there so infiniti can get you in for service and make some money. If they didnt create these milestones, people would never go in for service unless something broke.

anyway as long as you keep the oil changed and change brakes/tires when needed you should be fine. some people go the extra distance and do routine check ups on the whole car but thats not required.

Mike

iTrader: (1)

You still need to do regular maintenance. You can't not change your oil and expect Infiniti to fix it when your engine breaks.

Unless you do highway driving exclusively, you need to be following the "severe" maintenance schedule.

gooddeal

I only put the most 3k miles per 5 months, so, I have my oil changed every 5 months if I put 3k miles or I wait for 6 months.

joey_v

I understand I need to change the oil and such... but I'm just not one to want to bend over and take it from behind from the dealer. I just want to know which services are necessary and which are not.

joey_v

Take this for instance...

Premium Service
Service for every 24 months / 30,000 miles
Multi-point Inspection
Replace engine oil and filter
Rotate tires
Replace engine air filter
Replace in-cabin microfilter
Replace wiper blades
Lubricate all locks/hinges
Replace climate controlled seat filter M's/Q's
Replace automatic transmission fluid
Replace manual transmission fluid
Replace differential oil
Replace front differential oil 4WD/AWD
Replace transfer case oil 4WD/AWD
Replace engine coolant
Replace radiator cap
Replace engine drive belts


I mean is all that really necessary??? Do you guys follow the service guidelines?

Or do you guys just take your car to Jiffy Lube to have it oil changed (or do it yourselves)?

15951

Nope, not necessary to do the dealer's "premium" maintenance, which is just a way they separate you from your money. If you head over to the G sedan forum, this was just covered pretty well.

Good luck!

Mike

iTrader: (1)

Premium Service
Service for every 24 months / 30,000 miles
Multi-point Inspection - "crap", dealer should be looking for problems to fix anyways. Regardless of whether its warranty or not, its money to be made.
Replace engine oil and filter - absolutely
Rotate tires - if necessary, but unlikely on most cars.
Replace engine air filter - only if dirty; most cars need these every 15k
Replace in-cabin microfilter - most cars need these every 15k
Replace wiper blades - only if necessary
Lubricate all locks/hinges - increases longevity of the car, but not necessary
Replace climate controlled seat filter M's/Q's - only if its dirty, make them show it to you.
Replace automatic transmission fluid - absolutely
Replace manual transmission fluid - absolutely
Replace differential oil - aboslutely
Replace front differential oil 4WD/AWD - if applicable
Replace transfer case oil 4WD/AWD - if applicable
Replace engine coolant - absolutely
Replace radiator cap - uh.... only if it leaks
Replace engine drive belts - only if it is showing signs of wear

Do you NEED to do ANY of the servicing? no. Do you care if your car is in great condition after 100k miles? Do you care about the next owner of your car? If the answer to either of those questions is yes, then you SHOULD, but you do not NEED to.

You could asily drag out Trans, diff, coolant, and belt to 60k. Filters can never be replaced, but your AC system performance would suffer, and MPG/power would suffer.



Let me put it this way. The guys here, who enjoy their cars, generally only go to the dealer for warrany work, but maintain their cars on their own or through an independent shop far beyond what the "premium" service requires. I'm one of those.

15951

Mike, I respect your opinion, but disagree. All you have to do to keep the car running in top shape is follow the service schedule. "Premium" service might help if a car is tracked HARD on a regular basis, but for the other 99% of the population, it's just money in the pocket of the dealer for unnecessary service.

We don't have air filters in our seats, many of us have staggered wheels that don't require rotation, and replacing most of those fluids at 24 months is a complete waste of money. Worse still, the transmission is a sealed unit, and "maintenance" might just introduce contaminants and reduce the life of the thing...just read the manual and leave it alone.

Mike

iTrader: (1)

Most dealer's "premium" service schedule, IMO, is crap. However, this one is, quite literally, going by the book.

Have you check out Infiniti's recommended service schedule?

And yes, I know there are no filters for seats on the G.


I love how everyone quotes "I don't race my car" or "The car is not for track use" as the reason for not following a good maintenence schedule. The maintenance schedules outlined in your manual are for average users driving in average conditions. Think of it as "if you follow the schedule we recommend, your car will likely not break down. You don't have to, but this is what we recommend". If you tracked your vehicle, fluids are changed every day, and even between sessions.

Also, no. The trans is not sealed. It does require regular maintenence, as does the differential and coolant. The "VLSD" part of the differential is sealed, and cannot be serviced. Most people can get away with 60k miles on these items. Is it recommended? No. If you drive a MT, by 45k, you'll notice that shift feel has significantly deteriorated. I'd check out the magnetic bolt on your differential too. Third, at least top off your coolant. Does your overflow have anything in it? It should.

JonfromCB

I'm with Mike on this one. First, it's hard for almost anyone to read the
service manual and conclusively and objectively say the extended interval
fits their driving unless they live in a temperate climate and drive for at
least 30 minutes a day with 2/3 of that being dry, dustfree highway.
Most of the wear and nasty by-products of combustion that contaminate
your oil and cooling system are produced when your car is cold.
Simply put, the more your start your cooled-off engine the more
it contaminates your oil and cooling system. I know guys that
start their cars 5 or 6 times a day and still claim they don't
need more oil changes....I don't get it. These are common
sense for most and definitely under the heading "things the
manufacturer/owners manual isn't going to spell-out for
you in their manual".

Second, If you knew how much contamination is in bulk oil, factory
anti-freeze, how many engine contiminants get into that cooling
system during the first 10K miles, how much factory parts coatings
are on those transmission parts....not to mention assembly lube
and factory contiminants that will remain in your transmission
until the orginal gunk/crap/ick gets flushed out.

I'll go so far as to say that if you take two identical cars, one from the
factory and one with two years of use that has had complete fluid
changes (including brake fluid) that the maintained car will only have
a fraction of the contaminants in its fluids that the new one does.
If you've had any mechanical experience it's a "no brainer"

15951

<shrug> Your money, and your car. I go by the book, Schedule 1 (3,750 mile interval). Have been doing essentially that for the past 20 years with not one problem, so it works for me.

The "premium" service items in the schedule are unnecessary, or they would be required, not extras. If you feel better replacing your engine drive belts and radiator cap every 30k, more power to you. That's "by the book" for premium service.

Re: the tranny not being sealed...I should have said that Infiniti does not call for transmission fluid changes unless you follow the premium schedule. I'm coming from a Lexus that was sealed with no service interval - sorry for the mistake.