Most dealers offer some sort of service menu to keep your car at optimum performance. Not all dealers use the same menu it is purely based on the individual dealers recommended services. Below you will find a service menu from the dealer I am currently employed with. I have to say this is one of the most comprehensive ones I have performed of the 4 dealers I have been with. You need to understand this little fact though. These menus are not factory menus, they are DEALER recommended services. The factory recommended service is much less and, in my opinion, not sufficient to keep your vehicle top notch. If you are just trying to keep your car covered under warranty and don’t mind breaking down now and then, or having to do substantial repairs when out of warranty, by all means just do the bare essentials. Not that I am saying it will definitely happen but your chances are greater since you will be bypassing performing " PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE ". That is a key phrase in the worldof automobile service. There's gonna be a quiz later so be sure to take notes. :) If you have purchased a factory service contract, this menu is not what you will receive. Open your owners manual to section 8 or 9 [in most manuals] look at the service schedule, you will see exactly what your service contract pays for [not much]. If you have purchased the service contract, when you come in for service, go over what will be done with the service advisor. Any areas additional you want done inquire how much it will cost to add that to the service. On the 30K interval service I recommend ,at the least, Fluid services for transmission [auto and manuals] ,rear differential on both the 4x4 and 2 wheel drive vehicles[depending on use of 4x4 mode typically the front diff every 60K interval (weekly use of 4x4 then 30K)], coolant service. On your Auto trans and coolant services. The general meaning of the service is to drain and fill the system. When this is done it typically only gets 30 to 40 % of the coolant exchanged and 40 to 45 % of the trans [generous numbers assuming the tech lets it drain to a drip]. A flush is extremely beneficial for your car ,and more expensive of a service. This service will exchange around 95% of the coolant and around 98% of the trans fluid. I once heard a funny but realistic analogy of the difference between a drain and fill and a flush. Say you had a tall glass of milk, that was a week out of date and gave off a funky smell. Would you feel comfortable pouring 40 to 45% of the glass out ,adding fresh milk to replace what you poured out, then drink it?? I wouldn't!! Pricey I know, but if you want to keep your car in its best possible shape and reduce the chance of extremely costly repairs down the road, keep up on these services! The flushes are typicallyabove and beyond the dealers recommended services which usually costs a bit more.There are other flush / cleaning services that are recommended beyond the service menu such as the fuel induction flush. This service is one of the most benificial ones in my opinion. What this service does, when performed correctly, will remove the carbon deposits that can build up in your intake manifold, inside the plentum, on your throttle plate and body, as well as on the back of your valves. There is usually an additive that gets dumped in your fuel tank and over a tank full of fuel will clean your injectors as well [so be sure to fill up before going in if you plan to have this service. This prevents running through too fast]. The benifits of this will help prevent hard start ups during cold weather when the passages become restricted and choked with carbon deposits. Another not so popular flush is the power steering system flush. Not all dealers have this service but several do. This is basically a 95 to 98% fluid exchange with additives to condition the seals and lubricate moving parts.
Common misconceptions when getting major services.
First and Foremost. The "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" light is NOT a service reminder. That light means something with your emissions system has called in sickfor the day, the snitch [Engine control module] Has thrown it on the public address system [the light] for the boss [you] to check into it to see if its playin hooky or weather its really sick. This does happen where its an erroneous code [playin hooky] and nothing can be found wrong at the time of the visit. More on SES light info in another article, coming soon. If the SES light is on during the service the tech will notify the advisor. The advisor will contact you with an estimate to perform diagnosis. This will be on top of your service price, not included with it. Another big misconception is the "MIRACLE SERVICE". You bring your car in, asking the advisor for a major service. Yet you do not indicate to the advisor you have a problem with the car. The problem wont be identified till the tech drives it on the initial road test [ all good techs drive the car before and after any work they perform to identify any adverse changes to the cars drivability from performing the work]. If the tech does identify there's a problem with the car ,the advisor will be notified. The advisor will again contact you with an estimate on top of the service price to diagnose the problem. The advisor will likely have to leave a message since 90% of the time the customer is not reachable for a couple hours after dropping the car off. The tech in the mean time will be performing the service work to get the car done in a reasonable enough time so you can pick it up should you not want to perform the diagnosis of your problem. The misconception is the service will fix the car. This is a serious misunderstanding of what a service does to your car. In almost all cases it will not fix the problem the car is having. This is a "PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE" service. If the problem already exists you did not PREVENT it from happening. The service will not perform miracles. One big example is trans issues. If you have an automatic transmission that is having shift problems, A power flush will likely make it worse as it may wash away any worn material that may be keeping something sealed inside that keeps the car drivable. In other words you could drive in, ask for the flush then have it towed home. The techs that drive the car before and notice the problem will not attempt the flush. Should you have any questions regarding the major or minor services there is a thread in the Nissan online mechanic forum specifically for remarks or questions on this Technical article. The way this sheet works is if your doing a 3,750 mile service the first block only gets done. If your doing a 30K the whole sheet gets done not just the 30k section. Same applies for the 7500 and 15k it involves everything in its block and everything above on the sheet.
Article composed and written
by Scott aka NISTECH (nissan online mechanic)
Master ASE certified tech
ASE L1 certified engine performance specialist
Nissan certified senior specialist technician.
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