[stixGTR]

The question is...

Would I be mad to service the car myself ?

I have access to a work shop with ramps etc and very good friends with some highly skilled mechanics who have all offered to help.

Would I or do I need to plug her into a computer for any part of the service?

 

[Arcam]

Depends on your skill level and comfort zone, there is nothing too hideous in the general servicing requirements so long as you have access to a decent 4 wheel alignment system and at least the Ecutek software and cable to perform the clutch and cylinder bank learns etc.

 

[MattGTR750]

Would rather pay the pros to do it lol

 

[R35Audio]

I think the savings might not outweigh the price cut and hassle you might have when you go to sell in the future. If it were me, I would stick to a specialist you trust and get a proper stamp in the book. You certainly don't need to use Nissan.

 

[tonigmr2]

If I buy a £5K car I'm not going to bother if it is home serviced. If I buy a £55K car I am! In fact wouldn't buy it...just my view.

 

[JapFreak786]

Had similar thoughts myself, on a GTR I'd still get it serviced somewhere just for the stamp alone as come resale time it will matter.

 

[stixGTR]

No this is where I'm different.

Leave your car with Nissan/specialist/ independent servicing guru or whatever else people want to be known as. Then part with your hard earned cash, get the car back and have a ribber stamp in a book.

Do you REALLY know whats been done? Do you Honestly know that the correct oil has been used and the filter housing has been torqued correctly .... the list goes on.

Before anyone starts jumping up and down and throwing teddy bears out of prams I'm not having a pop at garages or independent specialists etc nor am I running down the fine work they do.

I have a friends that are highly skilled mechanics, one services R8s the other rebuilds mclaren F1s
Plus I myself am pretty handy with a spanner. The original post was asking who services their own GTR.
I wasnt asking or commenting on service history or resale value.

A selling point....

I would much rather see a proper documented service history i.e a folder full of receipts for parts and photos of the work being done. To me a personal service history is worth far more than a book full of rubber stamps. Personal is just that. It shows commitment to the car and that its been really looked after.
obviously the ecu side of things is different.

After things like engine oil filters diffs gearbox plugs etc I would be approaching a specialist to do clutch learning etc. In the hope that this will provide a detailed and comprehensive service history to my car.
As far as rubber stamping goes..... can that anywhere.

so..... forgetting how wealthy some people are on this forum who can just "pay someone else to do it"
Does anybody do what I'm planning to do?

Stix

 

[Ja5on]

I dont think the "wealthy" comment is very fair.

I'm buy no means wealthy, but I always have my servicing done by an GTR specialist. And if I can buy the required fluid for the service at a better price elsewhere then I do that.

I could make a comment back and say not all of us have friends who work on R8s and Mclaren F1s so the only other folk I trust are the GTR specialist.

 

[stixGTR]

Sorry, I didn't mean to offend. I did say "some" though.

I'm just trying to find a way to keep the servicing costs down. Thats all.

 

[Satan]

Sorry, I didn't mean to offend. I did say "some" though.

I'm just trying to find a way to keep the servicing costs down. Thats all.

To be fair, I'm with you on the "do as much as you can yourself" and run my car on a more limited budget than MOST people on here.

As I only run the car for 6 months a year, I do get Litchfield to do a yearly service.

Their costs for parts and materials are pretty competitive and their labour rate is fair for the skill and knowledge that they have. The labour cost on each service is not the bigger part of the bill.

In addition to all that, every time I go there, another update is loaded so I think, even for a tight-ar5e like me, it's good value.

JMHO though. Satan

I do believe 100% that what they say they have done, was done.

 

[Karls]

To be fair, I'm with you on the "do as much as you can yourself" and run my car on a more limited budget than MOST people on here.

As I only run the car for 6 months a year, I do get Litchfield to do a yearly service.

Their costs for parts and materials are pretty competitive and their labour rate is fair for the skill and knowledge that they have. The labour cost on each service is not the bigger part of the bill.

In addition to all that, every time I go there, another update is loaded so I think, even for a tight-ar5e like me, it's good value.

JMHO though. Satan

I do believe 100% that what they say they have done, was done.

I totally agree with the above but, if I had access to a ramp I would love to work on my own car, just for the enjoyment I'd get out of it. I'm an Engineer so I would enjoy delving in to anything mechanical.

And when I break it (when not if ) I'd ask Litchfield to fix it! :thumbsup:

 

[gtr mart]

I think the depreciation and resale comments are on.the money. You asked if people did service their own cars and I think those are the reasons why you are unlikely to get a yes.

I agree you dont always know if a dealer or some independents have done what they said they would but equally as a potential buyer I am more inclined to believe they would do a better job than the owner. It makes your car different which I think would make people nervous.

If you want to tinker, then do the mods yourself. Thats the expensive bit anyway and no one will begrudge you doing that. Then get a specialist to service the car and take care of the maps.

I think there is more money to be saved and more fun and satisfaction from fitting your own exhaust, filters and injectors. Plus you will get recognition on the forum for actually doing something yourself, rather than just being 'the skin flint' that services his own car

 

[gtr mart]

Plus, you can pick up used parts that come up and bag yourself a bargain. Every few months someone buys a new akra, gets buyers remorse and sells it at a knock down price. Quids in for you then!

 

[stixGTR]

Valid points, thanks..... however I wouldn't dream of trying to map the car myself..... thats just asking for trouble.

 

[Brad1979]

It would be great if one of the traders could have some sort of open day to show people some of the basic of the car for which you pay to attend then maybe some more involved sessions could be counter productive for them possibly

I did this when I had my bike at a race team prob 20 of us there and it was money well spent still had bike serviced there lol as half the time it's the tools that cost and finding the time but it's nice to think you have some sort of understanding.

 

[saucyboy]

Mate, I'm also like you and try to run her on a tightest budget. I also like to tinker however I'll be honest and say I've used an Indy since I bought her 2.5 years a go. Tbh using a good Indy (I use sly but there are obviously a lot of others) hasn't been expensive. Always done me deals and I haven't been able to source oil/tyres etc any cheaper else where thus far. So really labour is the only addition and that's not that expensive by today's standards.

I know what you mean about trusting what garages have done on your car etc (remember catching a garage out with my old mans car many years a go) but Im Sure that's not the case with the indies here. In fact I've always been around when mines done and am always amazed at the time/care and effort put in.

 

[tinimark]

Knowing what I know now and having seen the results of both, I would prefer to see a book with specialist indy stamps in over Nissan stamps. Not sure if most new buyers would think the same but either way...that book needs stamps if you want to sell it again for a good price.

 

[Chronos]

Knowing what I know now and having seen the results of both, I would prefer to see a book with specialist indy stamps in over Nissan stamps. Not sure if most new buyers would think the same but either way...that book needs stamps if you want to sell it again for a good price.

+1 for specialist Indy stamps over Nissan as well, any day of the week.

 

[NELLEE]

The question is...

Would I be mad to service the car myself ?

I have access to a work shop with ramps etc and very good friends with some highly skilled mechanics who have all offered to help.

Would I or do I need to plug her into a computer for any part of the service?

I think it depends how its been serviced before you got it... If its been owner serviced already, then why not carry on yourself, as your not diluting the service history any more. If the car has been at dealers and Indies then theres no way i would change that and start doing it myself, surley what you would save would be knocked of the car when you try and sell it.

If you plan to keep it for a long time then selling it on might no be an issue,

 

[borat52]

Of your keeping it for at least 2 years then the money you'll save will match the depreciation. If you photo the servicing and photo the mileage each time possibly against a daily newspaper to verify dates then it would only hit a couple of grand off the resale worst case.

The older a car gets the more I would look for an enthusiastic owner and clean condition of a car than service stamps. A clean car with stamps will always get a premium though