Need a service, but not sure which one...

If the service department is "turning you away" from paying for unnecessary services, consider yourself lucky that you are working with a reputable dealership.

If you go into a dealership and tell them you want the 3 year, 36,000 mile service or whatever, you are going to get bent over. Most will charge you many hundreds of dollars for checking a few things or replacing some stuff that is probably not necessary.

Miles are not the only issue when looking at maintenance. Time plays some factor also with some fluids.

With the miles you drive, get the oil changed every six months. You may not be at the 3000 or 5000 mile oil change interval you want, but change the oil at least every six months. If you have a good dealership that is charging a reasonable price, go there instead of a jiffy lube type of place. Tell them you just want an oil change. A good service department should look at the levels of the other fluids to make sure you aren't low on something, ask them. Suggesting a speedy lube or Wal Mart type of place to change your oil (or anything else) is the worst advice you could possibly follow. Do your Versa a favor and don't ever do that.

At 13,000 miles your other fluids are fine from a quality standpoint. Just verify they aren't low. I think the coolant is supposed to be changed at 4 years, but you should check the book. When your Versa gets to that age, when you take it in for a routine oil change, tell the dealership you want the coolant changed. Simple.

If the air filters (air and cabin) are original, change them. Your service receipts should indicate if these have been changed. These should be changed at approx every 15,000 miles. The Versa has the simpliest air filter in the world to change. Do it yourself, takes all of 30 seconds. The cabin filter is only slightly harder to do, but still very simple. You will find instructions on websites and in youtube videos. Search. Buy them at a local auto parts store or go online to amazon. If you go to amazon, a good choice is a wix air filter and a tyc cabin filter. You will save quite a bit over the dealership prices for air filters. On the other hand if the dealership is changing the air filters for just the cost of the part, that would be acceptable. However, many will charge a 1/4 to 1/2 hour labor charge for this one minute job.

Otherwise, look under the car every now and then to make sure something isn't leaking, and listen for weird noises. If you notice anything strange get it looked at before something more expensive happens.

A 3,000 mile oil change is overkill. That was the standard based on old oil technology. New motor is vastly superior to that and anything under 5,000 miles between oil changes is wasting your cash. If you use synthetic you can go to at least 7,500 miles. (7,500 is the new standard for Ford's recommended oil change interval.)

Since your car has such low miles you really should have any oil contamination, a big concern in high-mileage cars. On the other side of the coin, you should change the oil at least once a year. Why, I don't have a good answer except that it's a good way to make sure there isn't any contamination from moisture or hydrocarbons.

I don't recommend going to the lube chains simply because they don't always hire the most qualified technicians. Find a good local garage and stick with them. Dealerships aren't a bad choice, especially if they run a $19.95 oil change special. I see them a lot around here. It's hard to justify doing your own oil change if you can get it done for $19.95.

I got my car serviced this afternoon and everything (all fluids, etc.) was fine except they said that the battery was likely going to need replacement soon because it isn't exactly on par with the factory output level. They said it was slightly below according to their machine but not dire at this point.

I'm not sure if anyone else has run into any battery issues with their V within a 3 year period, but I may have gotten a bad battery from the factory or the intense heat here (usually 98+ for 8 months out of the year) may have something to do with it. Not sure :/

I did notice some corrosion around the connection element but they said I didn't have to replace it just yet if I haven't noticed any problems/slow starts. Is it better to buy a new battery from an auto parts store and replace it when it starts showing signs of failure or just get the dealership to do it on the next service? I've never had any trouble starting it or any signs of a low battery.


Also, I would like to change all of the air filters myself when the weather gets better. Recommendations for engine/cabin air filters or specific part numbers? I'd like to replace my wiper blades as well.

Thanks again for the help guys! NVF rocks!

Klrversa said:

I'm not sure if anyone else has run into any battery issues with their V within a 3 year period, but I may have gotten a bad battery from the factory or the intense heat here (usually 98+ for 8 months out of the year) may have something to do with it. Not sure :/

Recommendations for engine/cabin air filters or specific part numbers? I'd like to replace my wiper blades as well.

Thanks again for the help guys! NVF rocks!

Click to expand...

I replaced my air filters yesterday as part of my annual maintenance regimen and this is what I used (2007 Versa):

Air filter: Wix 49225
Cabin Filter: Tyc 800101P

I have used Purolator air filters also, but I can't recall the number. My main criteria in selecting air filters is trying to avoid Chinese parts. The Wix I put in was made in South Korea and the Purolator I pulled out was made in Mexico, both appear very well made.

I replaced the battery in my V at about 4 1/2 years. It wasn't dead yet but the engine was showing signs of cranking over slowly, and since my daughter is the principal driver, I didn't want her left stranded somewhere. When I did my search for batteries online, there was some confusion at different web sites of what battery was in the V. Specifically the actual size of the battery and the orientation of the posts. When I went to the store, I just made sure the one I bought matched the original one in size and terminal placement. The one I ended up buying was an Everstart Maxx-47 (from Wal Mart). Heat is the biggest problem with batteries. Most batteries that have failed me were during the summer.