I just passed 30K miles and was thinking of changing the transmission fluid as specified in the maintenance book. I called the dealer (Kings Nissan, Brooklyn, NY) and the guys tells me that the 30K service is $440

I don't want to spend that kind of money so I ask how about just transmission fluid change, he says it depends on the fluid. $179 if it is regular fluid and about $260 if it is some special fluid.

SPECIAL FLUID???

What da hell do they charge $260 for? Should I go to like Jiffy Lube and get it changed. If so, I would just buy the fluid from Nissan and let Jiffy Lube or a mechanic change it. Should I even bother with NIssan fluid, is there better aftermaket stuff and you guys are using?

Also, how many miles before I change the brake fluid? Anybody?

 

Is your transmission shifting hard off and on? Mine is and I was thinking of trying what you are doing to see if it fixes it...

-Mary

 

I'm just coming up on 30k. I will check with my dealer, anyone else have any idea on this?

 

I just think it's crazy to pay $200 and over for transmission fluid change. Unless of course thats a standard charge then I would understand and pay it. I remember in my Jeep when I was servicing it at Jiffy Lube they would also change the transmission filter when changing the fluid, do you guys change that do and is there one in a maxima.

Sorry for such basic questions. I will soon get a program with service manuals so lots of them will disappear; until then, Please HELP

 

Dealer service is generally expensive...they're there to make money and they will sell you anything they can. I suspect that the $179 charge is for a flush using brand X petroleum fluid and the $260 amount is either for Nissan-branded ATF or for a synthetic.

There are many schools of thought on transmission service...drain/refill versus flush; but the factory service manual for my '98 only addresses the simple drain/refill as the normal service procedure. This procedure is simple and inexpensive and will no doubt work well for you with only 30K on the car. I have practiced this on my own vehicles and on those that I service for others and have used synthetic ATF as the replacement fluid...some of these vehicles have in excess of 200K with no signs of transmission issues. The downside of the drain/refill procedure is that it will take several servicings to raise the concentration of synthetics in the system. Not sure about the '04s, but the earlier models use a screen as a filter...normally these are not serviced, but we have members who do elect to remove the pan to clean or replace the screen.

If you have the location, tools and confidence to do it, you can perform your own flush where you swap out all the old fluid. The procedure for that is outlined in the stickies.

So this all boils down to how much money you want to spend; your ability (facilities and otherwise) to do the work yourself; and the level of service you want to perform.

 

Be careful here. The newer Nissans require the use of special, trans particular fluids. For example, my G35 5AT requires the use of "Nissan Matic J" ATF. Current Maximas require "Matic K" I'm not sure about what the 2007 CVT only Maxima will spec. Because these fluids are essentially available only from Nissan, you know what that means.

This said, the prices noted by the original poster sound very high. I had my ATF done at Nalley Infiniti in Atlanta for ~$150 for the full machine flush and refill with Matic J. The New Orleans dealership (Brandt) is about the same.

My theory on what's going on? The dealers are trying to force you to get the service with them. No big surprise there. If you buy one of these Nissan "boutique" ATFs at the parts department (at least an Infiniti parts department), it costs over $11 per quart. By the time you've bought enough fluid to do the flush yourself, you've nearly paid for the whole service. . .

Still not convinced we're getting absolutely raped? General Motors has a new, similarly advanced synthetic ATF that is being speced for their 6spd auto, Dexron-VI. This stuff is now on sale at dealerships -- for about $3 per quart.

 

According to my reference material, the 04's take Nissan-matic D or readily available Dextron III...nothing special. It will take 4-6 qts of fluid for a drain/refill...total system capacity is no more than 9 quarts

Just had an experience yesterday with Nissan/Infinity Parts Depts...was looking for some Nissan-branded coolant. Last time I bought it it was $12-$14/gallon...in that range. The stuff has obviously gone up as I got a quote $19.95/gallon from Nissan. I called Infinity for a price comparison...same stuff was $29.95/gallon. Amazing.

But back to the ATF, the 04's will operate happily on Dextron III...inexpensive and readily available. Recommend xoomer verify fluid requirements in his owner's manual.

 

TH:

IIRC, the 4-spd autos take the Matic-D, but the 5-spd autos take the Matic-K. I had forgotten about the 4-spds. Just went to the website to confirm that the 4-spds were still available, along side the 5-spds, for 2006, but the 07 model has already replaced it. Of course, it's now CVT only -- not even a manual available. This should be interesting.

 

Tork...

You are absolutely correct...there is a distinction and it's imperative he get the correct fluid. I don't think I've ever seen an aftermarket fluid that meets the Matic-K specs. Probably the difference in price the dealer quoted him was depending on which transmission the car had...they probably use brand-X dextron-III for the 4-speeds and OEM Matic-K fluid for the 5 spd autos. I've never priced it, but I'm sure it isn't cheap :-)

 

Do the flush yourlself. I bought my Amsoil synthetic from Talkinghorse, a case of synthetic ATF was under 100 bucks if I remember correctly. Drop the oil pan and clean the magnets too while you're at it. At just under 29k miles my car was definately in need of a change. It's an easy procedure, follow the DIY and you'll be fine.

Thanks again Ed.

 

Thank you all for your input. I will buy the right fluid and have my own mechanic take of the pan and drain. Then I will completely fill it with new liquid.

My understanding is; once you remove the pan all the fluid will be out, Correct?

Also in my old jeep my transmission failed at some point from an overheating engine. My mechanic told me that if I had a transmission fluid cooler it could have saved it. Do any of you guys have transmission fluid coolers installed? On stillen's site I have seen both transmission cooler and oil cooler; would it make sense to install one of those in a 6th gen max.???

 

Hell yeah (about the tranny cooler), go to jegs.com and order the B&M 264 for 50 dollars, great and cheap investment. I know after driving for awhile, I can barely touch my cooler after stopping, popping the hood and touching it. But yeah, my tranny started acting funny after some spirited stints and after I installed the cooler everything worked great. Tranny's still running pretty smoothly at 125k, less the really annoying worn-out final drive gear.

 

nope, depending on which tranny, only 40-50% is drained. Thats why its important to do it on a regular schedule.

 

thinking of getting it to. our maxes aren't made for us climate.

Do the flush yourself. I've done my last year with mobil synthetic tranny fluid. Color hasn't darken since then.

 

Nissan matic "D"..............