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(A few issues) I hate my car

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Old Jul 28, 2009 | 01:50 PM
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(A few issues) I hate my car

I hit 120k miles, ball joints need to be replaced, tie rod ends need to be done, clutch plate needs to be done, for some reason my clutch pedal travels all the way to the floor even after i refill the fluid, my HID kit is on the fritz, and no matter what, i can't figure out the problem, and no one else can, the leather is starting to crack on my driver's seat, the hood latch needs to be replaced... think that maaaay be about it, sorta. This all happened at once, and i hate my car right now. i want a new one.
edit:oh yea and it makes a scraping noise every time i turn right or left, no matter what speed.

Last edited by anomaly117; Jul 28, 2009 at 01:53 PM.
Old Jul 28, 2009 | 01:55 PM
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Scrap yard time? J/K.........
Old Jul 28, 2009 | 02:08 PM
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so this is in Members Rides?
Old Jul 28, 2009 | 02:17 PM
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as opposed to?
Old Jul 28, 2009 | 02:20 PM
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its a Picture section of the forum? at least I thought it was
Old Jul 28, 2009 | 02:21 PM
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Members Rides Post Pictures of your car here.
Old Jul 28, 2009 | 02:23 PM
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yea ur right, just not sure where else i should put it. didnt think it was a big deal.
Old Jul 28, 2009 | 02:31 PM
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5th gen section is good too
Old Jul 28, 2009 | 02:55 PM
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Had it been maintained properly, those problems wouldn't sneak up on you like you say they did.
Old Jul 28, 2009 | 02:58 PM
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oh yea? these are normal wear and tear items. exactly how would i "maintain" the structural integrity of balljoints? How am i supposed to "maintain" a clutch to prevent it from wearing. It lasted 120k so dont say i dont know how to drive on it.
Old Jul 28, 2009 | 04:00 PM
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Originally Posted by anomaly117
oh yea? these are normal wear and tear items. exactly how would i "maintain" the structural integrity of balljoints? How am i supposed to "maintain" a clutch to prevent it from wearing. It lasted 120k so dont say i dont know how to drive on it.
u maintain it by replace the parts if you dont like it buy a new car, old cars will give you problems.... thats what they do
Old Jul 28, 2009 | 04:41 PM
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time for an upgrade.....
Old Jul 28, 2009 | 05:38 PM
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im sorry i even started this thread, i was just tryin to figure out my headlights before i posted this and was in a state of frustration.
Old Jul 28, 2009 | 05:48 PM
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That's EXACTLY how I felt with my 300M. Everything just broke at once. I'm sorry man. Now's about time to make a tough choice... Spend alot of $$$ and fix or spend alot of $$$ and replace. Good Luck man. Keep us posted.
Old Jul 28, 2009 | 05:50 PM
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Originally Posted by eminemdpc
That's EXACTLY how I felt with my 300M. Everything just broke at once. I'm sorry man. Now's about time to make a tough choice... Spend alot of $$$ and fix or spend alot of $$$ and replace. Good Luck man. Keep us posted.
exactly. thx for the luck.
Old Jul 28, 2009 | 07:40 PM
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I just replaced my ball joints on my '03 and I'm just past 100k. Not a big deal, they were $40 a piece.

Your ball joints are most likely the cause of your scraping sounds as you turn left or right. Mine made that sound too until I replaced the ball joints.
Old Jul 28, 2009 | 09:29 PM
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just replace the whole lca, they're only 190.00 a pair shipped on rockauto.com, considering the mileage id fix that little stuff. i just poured 3,500 into a 95 over the past 12 months, i love my max and she's got 193,436 on her. PRAY, your max looks and runs as good as mine when it hits that mileage!!!
Old Jul 28, 2009 | 09:45 PM
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My car hit 120k also and my power steering rack has developed a slight leak.

My clutch was worn out at 110k and my MAF blue at 106k. My driver's seat has three small tears in it cuz I bought it from someone who had a fat son.

Welcome to life.

I just do forced upgrades on stuff like my clutch...Exedy and Fidanza FTW!

If you can't stand your supple Nissan leather cracking, i think it's time for 350Z/G35 seats

You can either do the repairs or toss the car. For stuff that wears out, if I'm able to, I enjoy buying new/upgraded parts for my car because it brings new life into it.

Last edited by MoncefA33; Jul 28, 2009 at 09:47 PM.
Old Jul 28, 2009 | 10:21 PM
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have you tried actually bleeding your clutch lines? or did you just put some fluid in?

scraping noise is most likely the dust shield. take the tire off on the side it is happening and use a flat head screwdriver to create a gap between it and the rotor.

the seat needs new leather or a seat cover but in the future if you condition and clean your leather regularly it will last much longer

I am guessing your ballasts are going out on your hid's. It is a good idea to manually turn your headlights off when you start your car because if they are on the ballasts will try and fire several times in succession as the voltage fluctuates when you start your car which will cause premature failure. you probably have 3 options go back to oem (stock housings cause a ton of glare with hid's), buy another set of ballasts (preferably with a decent warranty), or pick up a set of 02-03 headlights with ballasts and bulbs (best option if you want reliable hid's)
Old Jul 28, 2009 | 10:58 PM
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Fix it, I think those are just some minor problems... Good luck.
Old Jul 28, 2009 | 11:17 PM
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Originally Posted by The6spdMax
Fix it, I think those are just some minor problems... Good luck.
it really shouldn't take more than an afternoon.

While you are at it i would catch up on other maintainence items that may have been neglected.

spark plugs (NGK coppers last 30k miles are are like $1.50 each. Platinum or irridiums are a bit $ more but last 60k miles)

Air filter.

change oil/filter (if needed)

New PVC

Clean MAF

check and top of other fluids as necessary (power steering, brake fluid)
Old Jul 29, 2009 | 08:02 AM
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You still gonna buy my lcas?
Old Jul 29, 2009 | 01:48 PM
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sry i havent responded, i found ball joints for pretty cheap, so probably not. thanks anyway though, i really appreciate it.
Old Jul 29, 2009 | 03:34 PM
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I just looked at your Cardo. That car is nice. Fix it.

If you have done half the mods as stated by yourelf then you can handle most of what is invloved except maybe the clutch.

And after 120k a couple hundred for a clutch is worth it. Figure you won't ever need another.

For the HIDs I understand your frustration. I have factory, but my buddie bought a Ebay conversion and I spent forever troubleshooting. If he had paid me labor instead of beer he would have owed me the car.

Everything else is normal wear and tear and shouldn't be too bad.

Just make sure to spray all bolts with PB Blaster fpor a couple straight days before attempting.

Good Luck.
Old Jul 29, 2009 | 05:11 PM
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Originally Posted by fflint_18
I just looked at your Cardo. That car is nice. Fix it.

If you have done half the mods as stated by yourelf then you can handle most of what is invloved except maybe the clutch.

And after 120k a couple hundred for a clutch is worth it. Figure you won't ever need another.

For the HIDs I understand your frustration. I have factory, but my buddie bought a Ebay conversion and I spent forever troubleshooting. If he had paid me labor instead of beer he would have owed me the car.

Everything else is normal wear and tear and shouldn't be too bad.

Just make sure to spray all bolts with PB Blaster fpor a couple straight days before attempting.

Good Luck.
yea. ive done all the mods myself, i bought the car stock. im gonna fix it, its just frustrating spending money on fixes other than upgrades. except the clutch, im gonna use this as an excuse to upgrade that.
Old Jul 29, 2009 | 05:45 PM
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Originally Posted by anomaly117
yea. ive done all the mods myself, i bought the car stock. im gonna fix it, its just frustrating spending money on fixes other than upgrades. except the clutch, im gonna use this as an excuse to upgrade that.
Understand, but most of this is maintenance stuff. Like it or not crap wears out.

While it pains me to do it to and it's hard ot find the time with 2 kids and sports, once I'm done I feel really good.

1) It's something I'd rather do than work so this is my Prozac. Others golf. I like to work on cars.

2) And maybe more importantly knowing that I am probably the only guy in my neighborhood that can actually do this sort of stuff. Most of them can't even find the hood release.
Old Jul 31, 2009 | 05:41 AM
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Originally Posted by anomaly117
I hit 120k miles, ball joints need to be replaced, tie rod ends need to be done, clutch plate needs to be done, for some reason my clutch pedal travels all the way to the floor even after i refill the fluid, my HID kit is on the fritz, and no matter what, i can't figure out the problem, and no one else can, the leather is starting to crack on my driver's seat, the hood latch needs to be replaced... think that maaaay be about it, sorta. This all happened at once, and i hate my car right now. i want a new one.
edit:oh yea and it makes a scraping noise every time i turn right or left, no matter what speed.

That's minor issues compared to a engine rod knock. Your clutch should travel all the way to the floor, it's where it engages that is in question. Shop around and start getting your parts online (cheaper that way), get a repair manual $20, then promise a friend some beer when you are done if they help you. An upholstery shop can stitch your seat up or just pick one up from a salvage yard and recondition it if needed.

I replaced my tie rod ends $30, shocks $500, tires $780 and MAF $$390 and to my amazement, it was like a brand new car all over again. Excitement.
Old Jul 31, 2009 | 10:01 AM
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when i say the clutch pedal goes all the way to the floor, i mean it does so with no resisitance. like, i HAVE to press it as far and as hard as possible to disengage the clutch.
Old Aug 2, 2009 | 10:26 AM
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so i think i figured out my HID problem. theres a loveley bluish white chia pet growing on my + battery terminal. coooould be giving me connection issues.
Old Aug 2, 2009 | 12:45 PM
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Dude , i feel your pain...i just did the balljoint ,tie rod end,wheel hub assembly on the passenger side...after it was back together and ready to drive i filled the boots with grease and come to find out my balljoint had a small pinhole in it so it dont even hold grease...hows that for 5 hours worth of work....
Old Aug 2, 2009 | 02:51 PM
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Originally Posted by anomaly117
so i think i figured out my HID problem. theres a loveley bluish white chia pet growing on my + battery terminal. coooould be giving me connection issues.
well, that wasnt the problem. i give up. im just gonna buy a new HID kit. theyre cheap now anyways
Old Aug 2, 2009 | 04:22 PM
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slave cylinder + plus air....
Old Aug 2, 2009 | 04:37 PM
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Clutch

If the clutch isn't slipping, and just the release point is low it is probably hydralic problem . All the hydralics are on the outside of the trans so check for leaks first.
Old Aug 3, 2009 | 08:19 AM
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ya, ive come to the conclusion that the cylinder needs to be bled, the problems gotten actually a little better, and the pedal feels a little spongy. def air in the system.
Old Aug 4, 2009 | 01:01 PM
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Been there. Had endlinks, axles, headunit and headlight issues all within a month or so. Relax and realize it's an aging car and you need to do some maintenance. It is frustrating when it all happens at the same time, but you will learn a lot in doing things yourself and sometimes can upgrade to help you down the road. Use the forums as a resource as most likely someone has been there too. 120k on your clutch is good. I had someone tell me they needed to do theirs after 30k... riiight. I'm at 107k on original, still somewhat strong.
Old Aug 4, 2009 | 02:38 PM
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this time i think i really figured out the HID problem today. the control module had some of that greenish corrosion on the terminals going to the power wires for both lights. unless i can find just the module somewhere im just gonna buy a new kit. i want a bluer color anyway

anyone know where i can find just the module?

if not, has anyone had experience with vvme.com? ive heard good things from 3rd parties, but never anyone with personal experience.
Old Aug 4, 2009 | 02:51 PM
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Originally Posted by NisMoN00B
Had it been maintained properly, those problems wouldn't sneak up on you like you say they did.
This is quite an unfair attack on the OP. Those items are normal wear items. You have no idea what he's done with his car to say something like this.
Old Aug 4, 2009 | 02:57 PM
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Originally Posted by anomaly117
this time i think i really figured out the HID problem today. the control module had some of that greenish corrosion on the terminals going to the power wires for both lights. unless i can find just the module somewhere im just gonna buy a new kit. i want a bluer color anyway

anyone know where i can find just the module?

if not, has anyone had experience with vvme.com? ive heard good things from 3rd parties, but never anyone with personal experience.
That bluish corrosion is corroded copper from the wires. I'd call Dave B for a new module.
18882546060
Old Aug 4, 2009 | 07:26 PM
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Originally Posted by Whitebread
This is quite an unfair attack on the OP. Those items are normal wear items. You have no idea what he's done with his car to say something like this.
thank you for that

and thank you for the number, do you have his display name? id rather email him/message him first.
Old Aug 4, 2009 | 10:56 PM
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I'm guessing you have an aftermarket HID kit in stock housings, which DaveB can't help you with. DaveB works for Southpoint Nissan and can get you discounts on OEM parts, but not aftermarket HID kit parts. Calling him during business hours for Texas is the best way to get a hold of him.



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