Dropped by the service dept and they had me worried. Please help to confirm
 

I'm a noob, please confirm with my fluid maintenance schedule

2011, auto, 44000 miles
I haven't replaced anything yet besides the brake fluid, air filter, and normal oil changes

1.Does the automatic transmission fluid ever needs to be replaced? I went to the dealer today and they say that they will find a way to replace it. But my owners manual says 'all vehicles except the Z'

2. When does everyone replace their differential fluid? At 30, 60, 90k or? According to manual, it ALWAYS states to inspect in schedule 1 and 2. Replace only in optional premium service add on.

3. Does the Z have in cabin micro filter to replace? According to the manual, the Z is not listed to have one

4. When to replace drive belts? According to manual, it's ALWAYS inspect in schedule 1 and 2. Replace only in optional premium service add on.


Thanks for all the positive inputs

Do the diff ASAP. The manual says 30k iirc, but it should be more like 15k. There's a cabin air filter. Go ahead and change that too.

I will be @ 19k on my 2011 the next time its due for oil. Going to do differential and cabin filter... pulled my air filters out the other day.. did not find anything interesting in them.

I have about 1100 miles to go until my next oil change @ 26,600 on my '09. I guess I should do the diff at 30k then!

i dont think you'd need to be that anal about the diff oil...

Why doesn't the manual put it as a requirement? I would done it long ago!

What about the auto transmission fluid and driving belts?

How often do you change it?

After you do it once and see how filthy it is on the way out, you'll bump up the interval. It's foul. And it's cheap and easy enough to do.

No idea on the tranny. How does the belt look?

:hello:They have it listed as drive belts. I have no clue what they are referring to.

They want about 830$ for the differential, brake, motor oil, air filters, wiper blade, radiator cap, drive belts, coolant, transmission fluid changed

Anyone else have experience with the auto tranny fluid change?

The only thing on that list you can't easily DIY is the tranny fluid. That price is insane.

Im sure you can find a good independent shop to do that for much cheaper. Hell, Im sure that you can probably take it to a performance shop and it would be cheaper

A hair under 2qt sump with 44000 miles and you don't think you need to be that anal? Really? Pay closer attention to your owners manual in regards to fluid intervals...otherwise you'll start to sheer the ring gear.

:confused: :wtf:

In the service manual (plan 1 and 2) it doesn't state to change, only to inspect those fluids. Only the optional additional service plan states to change those fluids. I think it's very misleading and not universal for Nissan to listed as such in the service manual

1) The auto transmission fluid can and should be changed. But it requires being able to monitor internal temperature (eg, CONSULT) in able to get the level correct. How often should it be changed? Depends on how you drive. I had mine changed at ~23k and I don't drive all that hard, but I tend to be very conservative when it comes to changing lubes and other fluids. Personally, I wouldn't go past 30-40k before the first change. After that, 60k ought to be good enough for most.

2) I had my differential fluid changed at ~15k. I like to change out diff fluid pretty early the first time and then mainly just keep a eye on the level and wait until the fluid starts looking dirty. From what I hear, it's a pretty easy DIY.

3) Yes, there is a cabin air filter. The '09's didn't have one installed at the factory but all the hardware is there; just buy a filter and install it. How often to change the filter varies widely with how much dust/pollen/&c there is where you drive and how much you run the HVAC. If you remove the battery lid and the surrounding cover in the engine bay (see some of the steering lock fuse removal (SLU or ESCL) DIYs for instructions), you can do a visual check of the filter. DIY is not that difficult but you have to remove the glove box which can be a PITA the first time you do it. There is a wide selection of filters available (same air handler as in many other Nissan/Infiniti cars). See some of the filter change DIYs for more info.

4) I usually replace belts on an as-needed basis. Do frequent inspections. A fairly easy DIY if you have the right tools and some mechanical experience.