Longevity, oil pan gasket, struts & brakes questions...

BostonAltima · #1 (**permalink**) 11-03-2008, 11:45 PM

I've got a '99 Altima SE with auto trans. Owned it since about 20K miles, at which point I switched to Mobil 1 oil on a 5000-mile cycle. She now has 195,000 mostly highway miles.

Recently had front brakes redone: rotors, calipers, pads... Since the brake redo, I've noticed a bit of a grab (faint clunk sound) which appears to come from the L-front wheel when I brake at slow speeds. Any idea what this could be before I take it back to the independent mechanic (who I thought was pretty good...) to check it out?

Also, about a year & 1/2 ago I had Sears put on new front struts. I've been getting progressively more "clunk" when I go over bad roads; could the struts Sears have put in been bad or could something else be causing this problem?

Also, she's got a slight oil pan gasket leak--no serious oil usage to speak of. I plan to keep the car only another two years or so--can I just put up with a slightly damp seal during that time or should I have the gasket replaced? If replaced, how much of a job is that? how expensive?

if the car's been running pretty well, can I expect that it might last another couple years without any major problems?

Many thanks in advance for your advice!!!

BostonAltima · #2 (**permalink**) 11-04-2008, 02:20 PM

Your Advice Would Be Greatly Appreciated. Thanks!

boz86 · #3 (**permalink**) 11-04-2008, 04:18 PM

As far as how reliable they are, here you go:
http://www.nissanclub.com/forums/gen...ou-him-me.html

porschebk85 · #4 (**permalink**) 11-04-2008, 04:26 PM

1. Not sure about the brakes, that shouldn't happen if you just had them redone. Go back to them

2. The struts should have some kind of a warranty, go back to Sears and hopefully you can get them to bring up when you had that done.

3. The oil pan is not hard to remove, and I think you can get a gasket or use RTV sealant. But it should not cost that much. Call around and get a couple estimates.