Hey Car Guys! (need advice)

[rhoelsch]

I'm counting on someone here having enough general knowledge to help me out here, since I sure don't know how far to go here:

I just paid my car off a few months ago, and am looking to trade it in some time in the near future.  Problem is, I've never had it tuned up.  Ever.  And there's some mechanical prob's with it that I'm worried will impact the value for me.  I need to know what you think I should take care of before I try to sell.

The car's a 2000 Altime GLE with ~81,000 miles on it.  Just recently, it's been riding a tad rough, and has been a little sluggish.  I've been giving it scheduled oil changes, and that's pretty much been it for the past 5 years.  The driver's window will go down, but not up (switch issue, will prob. be $120-ish to get fixed).  My window brake light works, but I don't think the "regular" ones in back do.  That's pretty much it.  I've checked the light fuse, and it's no blown, and I can't get into the door panel to see if I can fix the faulty switch. 

Since the inside's in real good condition, I don't want it to seem like it's worse off than it really is, and I think I should be able to get a decent buck for it...I just don't want to lose money repairing it, but wonder how bad it could be w/o ever having anything tuned up or flushed out... feels like it's running at about 80% capacity right now...

Thanks in advance for any advice you have!   

[Stingray]

Just recently, it's been riding a tad rough, and has been a little sluggish. 

Fuel filter, spark plugs and plug wires would be the first things I'd change. At 80k+ miles, I guarantee they need to be changed, even if that isn't what's causing the problem. You might also put a bottle of injector cleaner in the tank next time you fill up.

The driver's window will go down, but not up (switch issue, will prob. be $120-ish to get fixed).

Most door panels are held on with hidden friction clips. You really need a door panel tool to get them off without tearing anything up. They look kind of like a narrow putty knife with a groove in the center. I have no  experience with that model car though, so I can't really be very specific. Best bet is to buy a Haynes repair manual to see how it comes off before you go after it, especially if you've never pulled a door panel before. It's pretty easy to break something if you don't know what you're doing.

My window brake light works, but I don't think the "regular" ones in back do.  That's pretty much it.  I've checked the light fuse, and it's no blown,

You have checked the bulbs, right? Some modern taillights have a PCB in them. Compononts on that can cause hard to diagnose problems when they fail. Again, I have no experience with your specific car so I'm only speculating here.

-S

[whammoed]

On a modern car, running rough could be anything.  Ignition coils, the electronic controls, or any numerous other part most of us have never heard of.  If you can find a good deal I would get one of those code readers you plug into the car to see if it tells you anything.

And yes, be very careful when pulling off a door panel.  I have broken parts of a door before guessing where I needed to pull to get the $%^! thing off.  I have seen "professionals" do the same thing.

[shmokes]

Autozone will let you use their code reader for free in their parking lot.

[Stingray]

I'll third the code reader. If you can use one for free at Autozone, it's definitely worth a shot. I still say if you have 80k on your plugs, wires & fuel filter, they need to be replaced even if they aren't causing this particular problem.

-S

[btoddkelley]

Before you put it on a scanner, change the plugs and o2 sensor. I would also change the wires but that will add $25-$30 to the bill. If the check engine light isnt on then there is no code to scan. o2 sensors are a common source of problems for a rough running engine.
      Not sure on that car, but some window switches can be poped out from the top. Change all the brake lights bulbs. The $5-$10 spent on bubs will be well worth it in preventing future problems. 
       

Todd

[RayB]

Why don't you just pay the $35-50 it costs for a full inspection? You'll get accurate repair estimates that way instead of relying on us yahoos.

[pointdablame]

Even if you aren't handy.... is there a reason you haven't touched th car besides oil changes for 5 years?

Take all the advice given in the thread, but I think a more important piece of advice for the future would be to pay more attention to your car.

You can get ticketed for non-functioning brake lights, just fix them.   make it a point to check your engine during an oil change.  It's not hard to just take a visual look at things.  And if you car is running sluggish, GET IT LOOKED AT.  Hopefully its the plugs or O2 sensor or something simple... but if you can't be sure yourself, get someone who does know to look at it.

[rhoelsch]

Pointdablame, the  answer to your first question is that I'm cheap and lazy.  The car's been running like a dream for me (or had been), and still pretty much runs like a champ-- I'm just trying to maximize my selling price while minimizing costs.  It's likely a dealership wouldn't notice the roughness, since I only notice when I concentrate, and I've been handling it daily for 5 years.  But it seems the consensus that I shouldn't take the chance and give a dealership the chance to use anything as an excuse to lower the price on me.  Unless anyone here thinks their $ reduction would be around the same or less than a repair bill, provided I don't say anything...

[Stingray]

It's likely a dealership wouldn't notice the roughness

First thing they do will be have one of their mechanics go over it, if it has a problem, they'll find it.

-S

[duffjr]

the thing about cars is you have to maintain them or else you pay greatly later.  kind of like your body.

[LPZ]

Follow the old KISS algorithm(Keep It Simple Stupid).  Spark plugs, sparkplug wires, air filter, fuel filter to start.  Don't bother with the O2 sensors--not yet.  They could run you alot of money.  Some are cheap, but the heated ones are killers.  Heated ones run like a $100 bucks, while non-heated ones run 10-30ish.  Heated ones are usually located around the catalytic converter.   Newer cars usually have two or more(O2 sensors).  A garage can hook you up to their computer and they can tell what exactly what the O2 sensors are reading.  If they are functioning properly, why change them?  If you didn't get a service engine soon light, don't worry about them.  Don't fix what isn't broken.  At 80,000 miles you need a tune-up bad.  I would also change the transmission fluid, although if your planning on ditching it, you could save yourself 40-50 there.  Remember, if you keep your car tuned-up properly, it saves you mucho grande bucks at the pump.  A improperly running car can cost you 8-10 mpg, especially if it's a big motor.  Start there and see how it goes. 

LPZ

[cdbrown]

Why not take it to a garage and get a listed quote for a full tune up.  Should include oil and filter change, fuel filter change, radiator flush, spark plug replacement, air filter change, fluid checks on transmission, diff, steering, brakes.  You could of course do some of these yourself to keep the price lower but the garage will be able to get it idling smooth again

[koolmoecraig]

First off. Sell the car on your own. The dealership will SCREW you on trade in value. They ALWAYS do. ALWAYS. YES ALWAYS. PERIOD.

90% of a new car dealers profits come from the profits made by buying trade ins for cheap and selling them high. They make next to nothing on new cars thanks to the info available on the net.

Sell it on your own and you'll probably get about 30% more than trading it.

DO NOT TRADE IN YOUR CAR!

[AceTKK]

I say fix it and drive it!  @81k that engine still has a lot of life in it and any minor problems you might encounter can be straightened out easily enough.  Enjoy not having to make a car payment or, even better, put the $ you would be spending on the payment into an interest-bearing account and watch it grow.  By the time your Altima is worn out you should have enough saved to pay cash for your next car.

[missioncontrol]

Drive it till the wheels fall off....

my truck has almost 200,000 miles on it and I havn't ever considered the thought of getting rid of it.

[ChadTower]

put the $ you would be spending on the payment into an interest-bearing account and watch it grow.

[Harry Potter]

Drive it till the wheels fall off....

And that's when you change the tyres:

[Stingray]

Then you drive it 'till the doors fall off.

-S

[missioncontrol]

yeah cause changin tires is easy fixin'

[Crazy Cooter]

Fix the brake lights before you cause an accident and someone gets killed.

[Stingray]

yeah cause changin tires is easy fixin'

I see a welder in that picture. I'll bet he's about to fix that hole in his gas tank.

-S

[Chemixtry]

Just take your car into a dealership for an oil change. When I did they told me I needed $800 worth of repairs.    Its only a 2000 Montero and some of the thing they wanted to change were completely bogus.

[Crazy Cooter]

yeah cause changin tires is easy fixin'

I see a welder in that picture. I'll bet he's about to fix that hole in his gas tank.

-S

Look closer... he's welding something under there... my brothers old truck had a fuel tank right there that looked a lot like that.  Of course I never saw it from that angle so I could be wrong.

At least he chocked the wheel.

[SOAPboy]

 You really need a door panel tool to get them off without tearing anything up. .



-S

You can pop them out with your HAND if you put one finger on each side of the clips.. if you really worry, 2 screwdrivers, flatheads, will do the job also..

[DrewKaree]

 You really need a door panel tool to get them off without tearing anything up. .



-S

You can pop them out with your HAND if you put one finger on each side of the clips.. if you really worry, 2 screwdrivers, flatheads, will do the job also..

I think I'll put my faith in the guy who's restored a Mini and has worked in an auto shop.

[AceTKK]

put the $ you would be spending on the payment into an interest-bearing account and watch it grow. 

Grow?  Consumer level interest bearing accounts don't even keep up with inflation.  More like letting someone else play with it while watching it devalued over time.

*shrug*  Yea, Mom&Pop's Savings and Loan aren't going to offer you much in the way of an interest rate but it's better than stuffing the money into a mattress.  Besides, if you're worried about devaluation than the worst thing you could do is buy a new car... 

Seriously, if you set aside the, what, $400? that you would have used for car payments each month and drive the altima for 3 more years (at 15k / year that puts your mileage at ~130k.  Nissan VQ-series engines can do that easily) by the time the Altima is worn out you'll have about $15k in the bank.  That's a very nice down payment on a new car or a sweet ride in the secondhand market.

-Ace-

[Stingray]

 You really need a door panel tool to get them off without tearing anything up. .



-S

You can pop them out with your HAND if you put one finger on each side of the clips.. if you really worry, 2 screwdrivers, flatheads, will do the job also..

I think I'll put my faith in the guy who's restored a Mini and has worked in an auto shop.

Well you probably can get some off them loose without the proper tool. You may even be able to get them all off if you're very lucky. Without the correct tool though, you can very easily break the clips or even break out the part of the panel that the clips attach to. Sure, you can do a lot of jobs without the correct tool provided you don't mind the fact that you could break something expensive. A door panel tool will probably run you all of about five bucks at Autozone. Your call.

-S