Hello all. Just inherited a 98 Maxima GLE (cloth interior, no sunroof, no fogs). Runs like a top. The obvious immediate fixes are old tires and brakes. Don't know when the last time a tune happened.


I'll hunt the threads as quickly as I can to get familiar with the car but I want to get a head start early from you guys. Going in the shop Thursday.


Mechanicals to looks for please. Timing chain kits from Ebay ok?
Plugs/wires
Cleanings


Also wanted to swap out the stock unit with a Bose factory CD/Head unit.


Factory fogs.


Any help would be appreciated. Thanks so much guys. Before you flame, this was my mom's car and I want it to be as great as it should be. It served here well for many years and isn't going ANYWHERE!!!!

Do not change the timing chain absolutely not needed. Most cars can go over 300k miles with the original one.



Have the car inspected to get a general idea of what condition it is in.

The plugs might still be good. There are no plug wires.

^

and since you have the base stereo system, changing out to the Bose deck won't work.

For the factory fogs to work like OEM, you'll need a stalk from a GLE or SE. A quick search will turn up the items you need.

Change the following:
spark plugs (NGK only)
fuel filter
PCV valve
Air filter

Do the following:
Coolant drain and refill
Transmission drain and refill (dropping the pan and cleaning the junk out of there is ideal, but requires a new gasket and ideally new bolts)
Oil change
Clean MAF
Clean TB
Clean IACV

How many miles on the car?

Did you inherit this from your grand parents?

Just trying to figure out what kind of life your car has had.

got it from mom. She passed a few weeks ago (I miss you mom). She rarely drove it. Less than 300 miles a year. In Brooklyn, NY. The roads are rough but she wasn't a hard driver.
As an example, the tires are dry-rotted.

Thanks for quick responses guys-I really appreciate it. I've been in a Lexus for the past 15 years so this is starting from the bottom again.

How many miles are on the car?

What do you mean by start from the bottom?

113k. Starting from the bottom means having to learn a new car all over again. I knew my Lexus pretty much back to front or at least as well as a layman could know his/her car. The Maxima is another beast.

I inherited my Mom's GLE last year when she had to quit driving. It's a '96 and only had 90K miles on it!

Nice, low mileage car.

Yes, learning about a particular car can be time consuming. Especially another brand. I tend to keep my cars a long time for that very reason. I know everything about them after several years. Then repairs become very familiar and easiier.

I'm on my third Nissan hardbody pickup truck for the same reason. Familiarity and lazyness.

If you're still wanting to put in a new radio, Kenwood makes some pretty good radios that will sound really nice.

Thanks guys. This looks like its gonna be a good site to be associated with. While I'm at it, is there any way to change the lights to auto-off. Killed a battery last night because I forgot to turn the headlights off,lol!!!!

I don't think you'd be able to do that without a bunch of new wiring