95 Maxima has got a $1811 repair bill. Is it worth fixing?

Question

The car works good with excellent acceleration and ride and has given me good service for the past 11.5 years.

The dealer service shop has come up with these repairs.
1. Injectors and intake is dirty needs flush & carbonization.
2. Colant hoses are dry rotted.
3. Coolant is dirty needs flush.
4. Reverse switch is leaking transmission fluid needs service.
5. Oil pan gasket is leaking oil.
6. Valve cover gaskets leaking oil.
Also the A/C cools but, cannot cool hot texas summer. It would not be cool but, neither would it be hot.
The struts have also gone bad.

Kelley Blue Book Trade-in Value is $1815
Kelley Blue Book Retail Value is $4760 (if I sell myself)
The real numbers could be very different but, some number is better to work with than nothing.

Is it worth fixing the Maxima or buy a new car?

Thanks,
SG

Answer 1

First of all, do you have any mechanical ability? Are you willing to try to do anything for yourself? I assume that theis car is still driveable!


In order:
1. unless this is a very serious problem ,- you can run a couple cans of injector cleaner through the system and clean out a lot of this stuff without "turning a wrench". However I would use "Berryman B-12", - (available at most autoparts stores (& Wal Mart),-- instead of the "cheapie cleaners on the shelves that claims to do the job, (they are more a maintainance product than a real "clean out")
2. You can change these yourself it will cost you a whole lot less,-(assuming that they really are as claimed)! However you clean and flush out cooling system before you do this!
3. Do hoses and flush all at the same time!
4."Reverse switch" is just screwed into the transmission case, and other than possibility of a little oil running out while you have the switch out to put the new one in ,- it is no big deal either!
5.Depending on the amount of leakage, you may be able to stop these leaks chemically also.... Use product called "No-Leak", - available at forementioned stores in "#1".
6. same as above. (by the way if it leaks very little, like loosing a quart in 1,000 miles)(you could just forget it in first place, just check oil often and put oil absorbing stuff on floor of garage if you use one!

On the a/c find another a/c shop this don't "line up"! .....I don't know what exact airconditioning setup you have, but 95% of everything today is "critical charge" systems! The referigerant is most likely "R134A" which is the stuff you can still buy over the "counter". I don't think US would let anything in country with "R12" in 95'. The other type of referigeration system (used in the "old days"), - was a TXV system (thermal expansion valve), - a far as I am concerned, it is "light years ahead" of what is used nowdays! The reason they stopped using it is that it cost maybe $35 per car more when manufacturing! Disreguard the fact that it may cost customer 2-$400 more in repairs during it's lifetime!

If you have the critical charge system, there isn't much of a work poorly condition available, - (basically it works,--- or it doesn't!)
And "checking and cleaning it out should be in neighborhood of $75. This includes evacuating the system, pulling oiut the "finger screen" and cleaning it, and re-assembling and re-charging system! The only other thing you might have to buy, - is a accumulator bottle (the big silver cylindrical thing standing vertically near the heater box on right side of the firewall under the hood). It shouldn't be bad, if you haven't had problems with the system before, - but sometimes they sort of "come apart" in the dessicant "bag" and some of the stuff goes down the lines(getting caught in the finger screen). And then sometimes the repair man just sells you one anyway! The nature of this kind of system is that there is a small pellet with a calibrated hole in it (very small hole), - when the pressures are just right on both sides, it will cool fairly well! However if you have 1/2# too much, - or 1/2# too little, - it doesn't cool at all! While the "old fashioned thermal expansion valve"'--would automatically adjust teh flow of freon to make it give maximum cooling through a wide range of pressures, and excess, -or deficiency of freon! That is the "throttle part of description, as it opened or closed the throttle valve to keep the flow at maximum efficiency!

About struts, front or rear, or both? Fronts cost more, as there is more labor involved in fronts, I would think that even expensive struts wouldn't cost you more than $200 per "wheel" (doing it yourself would save a lot), but you will have to "borrow" a couyple special tools, and buy a repair manual to know what and how to do it! So we are talking maybe $800 (in my book that is very expensive)!

End of message, I think you must consider wether you like the car,and can live with it! AS IS!, or are you willing to pay the difference of value between the present one and the new one, - (to get "free warranty")?? My guess is that it will probably cost you less than maybe 6 months (equivelent) of payments to fix this one up and get a little more time out of it! remember that in 11 1/2 years the new one will now be worth avbouy what teh one you have now is,. - but remember you got all that "free maintaince" (at the beginning!)

Answer 2

Maxima engines are very durable - so if the timing belt is changed at the recommended intervals, engine life easily exceeds 200,000 miles. Struts were always a wear problem - so those certainly may need replacement. Be wary of bargain struts from discount tire stores - often dont last more than a year. Injector story from the dealer sounds dubious - thats a common way to make money. They need to justify why - there is no listed maintenance for Nissan injectors. Coolant service is also a routine and needed item - if you have changed every 3 - 5 years then you are set. Otherwise, not a bad idea to change (DONT flush) and replacing old hoses at same time is good.
Get detailed quote - again - lots of cars seep a little fluid around the valve cover and transmission and this is not always enough to justify fixing.
That year has the newer, less expensive R134a refrigerant and if it is still cooling, then the system is in good enough shape to just take a can of refrigerant for top up. If you have never had to fix the AC before for leaks, and again it still cools a bit after 10 years, then that's all you need. You can do that yourself with a kit from autoparts store for $30 or so. Should not cost more than $100 at a service station but the dealer will tend to try to justify big AC repairs and leak checks and sealants. Dont fall for it.

Answer 3

that seems like a lot of money for those repairs, i think they would like to sell you a new car. a can of injector cleaner is under 10 bucks,all the coolant hoses shouldn't be more than 150,coolant system flush and new coolant 45 to 55, reverse switch should be around 35, tranny service is usually 45, oil pan gasket 15 to 30 labor to install maybe 150, valve cover gaskets 20 installed, ac recharge 80, struts 250 for the pair installed, thats a little over 800, i think that you need a second opinion from an independent repair shop

Answer 4

I'm probably the worst person to answer this I work at a west Fort Worth Nissan Dealer. Being a Nissan Master Tech I would say your at the point of diminishing returns put $1,800 or more in the car and have to drive it thru another set of tires then with 15 year old $500 car what will you do? Here is another thought is the paint good interior free of rips and tears "Fix It!" Tired looking car dark and smelly transmission fluid might indicate transmission soon. That case replace the car.

Answer 5

You are the original owner. You are familiar with the vehicle and it's service history. Vehicles are expensive to purchase these days. Provided the body and undercarriage is not rusted, I would say it's worth fixing, unless you are in a financial position that you can afford to trade your vehicle in for a brand new model. It has serviced you well in eleven and a half years. There's no reason it shouldn't be able to service you well for another few more years.

Answer 6

That is totally up to you. I think, next to my Fox body Mustang, that the '95 T-Bird is one of the best looking cars ever built. Got one for my now ex-wife & she still has it. I've told her I'll buy it when she wants to sell it. The engine is the same as a Mustang, but with independent rear suspension & a bit more interior room. Rides & handles nice with the IRS..

Answer 7

you can do some b yourself saving you some money. i wouldnt recommend buying a new car, i would go out to independent car shops and have them take a look. and write down the places name and what they tell you and the price they charge.