Truck Maintenance Question

[Batteriesnare]

Bought a new '11 Nissan Frontier, and recently passed the 30k mark. Looking around trying to find what maintenance needs to be done, I found that the dealership "package" really seems to be a lot of money for unneeded inspections. I'm not a car guy, but from what I've gathered, the following should be on my list:

Oil/Oil Filter Change
Transfer Case Fluid Change
Differential Fluid Change
Air Filter Replaced
Tire Rotation
Transmission Fluid Change

Funds, like for most are tight right now, so I'm guessing staying away from the dealership is a wise decision. I've very little mechanical experience, and even less time available to try and complete this list by myself. Can anyone who may be more inclined in this area offer suggestions of what else I may need to have done, and if possible a reputable shop to have it completed in? I'd rather give my $$ to a pro 2A shop/forum member if possible.

Thanks for the help!

[HoneyBadger]

Talk to Zteknik [Beer]

[Batteriesnare]

Talk to Zteknik [Beer]

Thanks, sent a PM his way.

[sniper7]

Air filter you can do yourself in about a minute. Oil change takes under 30 minutes, i dont trust quickie shops for anything. I took my vw in 1 time because i was busy...the jammed an oil filter wrench in my hood and i only notice because it looked crooked....idiots.

Diff fluids are still fine but if you change them out spend the money on full synthetic. Same with transfer case.
Tranny is a little tougher. Drop the pan and change the filter as well..not sure it it is like my gm products! Tire rotation is piece of cake if you have a couple jack stands and a jack. Your spare tire tools work fine as well with wood blocks if you dont have jack stands. A torque wrench is good to have but not an absolute must.

[zteknik]

Got your pm,and I replied to it.
I'd be glad to do it for you and save you some coin :)
Good call on the diff fluids-synthetic is the way to go.Some t cases just take regular tranny fluids though-depends on the vehicle.
It should tell you in the owners manual,if not I can look it up on all data.

[Ashton]

Threads like this where I'm glad a member can handle said specifications is well. Nice.

[Tinelement]

I wouldn't worry about anything but,

oil/filter
air cleaner
tire rotation
Brakes

Until 100k.

Obviously keep an eye on all fluids. But most new vehicles are well GTG to the 75/100k mark on major maintenance items.

[kwando]

30k is just an overpriced oil/filter change.... If you want to change the drive fluids go redline

[ray1970]

See what your owners manual recommends for maintenance item intervals. It's a pet peeve of mine when they try to sell you a service at 30K that the manufacturer doesn't call for until 100K.

[birddog]

Check your owners manual, should have a maintenance schedule. Most of that work is easy peasy. If you want the tranny flushed you will need to go somewhere with a machine.

[Danimal]

Got your pm,and I replied to it.
I'd be glad to do it for you and save you some coin :)
Good call on the diff fluids-synthetic is the way to go.Some t cases just take regular tranny fluids though-depends on the vehicle.
It should tell you in the owners manual,if not I can look it up on all data.


It looks like you have everything handled here. But a word of advice is to hang out with zteknik while he does everything. It is not that hard and if you learn it now you will not have to pay in the future. There are just some little tricks and do's and dont's with transmission filters and transfer case fluid changes that make your life easier and ensure that you get the job done right with the correct amount of fluid.

[zteknik]

It looks like you have everything handled here. But a word of advice is to hang out with zteknik while he does everything. It is not that hard and if you learn it now you will not have to pay in the future. There are just some little tricks and do's and dont's with transmission filters and transfer case fluid changes that make your life easier and ensure that you get the job done right with the correct amount of fluid.

I agree,I've seen fluids overfilled in diffs and tranny/t cases and blow out seals.And I've seen places that wouldn't take care of it on their end,but tell you your seals went bad for whatever reason and sell you another job..

I allways try and educate my customers and show them what's going on-after all it's their vehicle and money.You take care of them ,you'll allways have work. :)

[HoneyBadger]

I agree,I've seen fluids overfilled in diffs and tranny/t cases and blow out seals.And I've seen places that wouldn't take care of it on their end,but tell you your seals went bad for whatever reason and sell you another job..

I allways try and educate my customers and show them what's going on-after all it's their vehicle and money.You take care of them ,you'll allways have work. :)

...And this is why I told you to talk to Zteknik. Quality guy who won't screw you over. [Awesom]

[lllRorlll]

I have the hookup on nissan parts. Probably should extend that to Anyone coar15. .
pm me

[zteknik]

I have the hookup on nissan parts. Probably should extend that to Anyone coar15. .
pm me
That's great to know!-if you could pm the op and hook him up that would be great!![Beer]
All my parts connections are still stuck behind the iron curtain of NY,so it takes a couple of days to get stuff.

[zteknik]

Thanks Dave [Beer]

[Ronin13]

Air filter you can do yourself in about a minute. Oil change takes under 30 minutes, i dont trust quickie shops for anything. I took my vw in 1 time because i was busy...the jammed an oil filter wrench in my hood and i only notice because it looked crooked....idiots.
Same thing with Walmart... I took my Yota there back in the day (I too was busy- and my oil catcher got a mysterious hole in it)- they didn't put my oil cap back on and just left it on top of the strut... outside of bending my hood permanently, I had about 1/2 qt that spilled out and made my engine smoke for about 3 hrs. Luckily I caught it after driving for about a mile.