Non HID Headlight out on my 2005 Maxima- Simple fix, right?
Nope.

Firstly- no one carries the 9012 Bulb size, and it is even damn near impossible to find onlline.
Secondly - You have to take off half the bumper and the WHOLE Headlight assembly to get to the bulb.....W the F?

I miss my Integra- bulb out and a 30 second swap.

96-00 civics are the same way i think. my 95 is a 30 second swap too.  eaaaaasy

Yeah nissan eats it. I freakin hate those stupid titans and armadas. Ridiculous behemoth wannabe hummer bastages. Nissan's secret agenda is along the lines of pretty much all car manufacturers - work toward the vehicle that cannot be serviced by anyone but the dealer. Right now, it's possible, but a PITA. Soon, you'll need 16 special tools to check your oil. I hate car companies.

My Frontier is really simple.  There is a  plastic cover under the engine that makes it hard to change the oil, otherwise everything is pretty easy to access.   

My sister's Ford Explorer, on the other hand...NOTHING on that gosh darn thing is made to be user-serviceable.   And you can't get it aligned anywhere but the Ford dealer, unless you have a special tool to do the alignment.      Fords are the worst.

Here's the kicker- they used to have really easy to steal headlights. They had to do quick factory fixes that not only make them difficult to steal, but difficult to remove with the hood open.
If the car wasn't so damn fun to drive, it would have been on craigslist on this count alone.

I also talked to my friend about his 350Z and said that in 12K miles, he needed new pads, rotors and rear hatch clip. I think their quality went down. I used to think they were pretty reliable and well-built cars. 

I guess that means my prospect of getting a G35 is out. If Nissan is like that, I can't imagine Infiniti to be that much better. Maybe it's time to start looking at American cars....  Just kidding... oh I crack myself up...

To change the lights on my 99 mustange all you have to do is raise the hood remove two slider bars and the whole light assembly is out.  Very easy. . my wife's old eclipse was a pita to change the bulbs.. well passanger side was not bad but driver side was terrible.

Quote from: Caffeine on May 31, 2006, 10:02:30 AM
My sister's Ford Explorer, on the other hand...NOTHING on that gosh darn thing is made to be user-serviceable.   And you can't get it aligned anywhere but the Ford dealer, unless you have a special tool to do the alignment.      Fords are the worst.

Humm, when my wife first got her 01 explorer the lights were aimed to high and other cars would flash their lights thinking ours were on bright... I adjusted them down an inch by measuring the beam against the garage wall, didn't have a problem and didn't need a special tool   I guess everybody has certian types they don't like working on, I grew up working on Fords, so I find them easier to work on than other makes.

I <3 my Honda 

Quote from: Caffeine on May 31, 2006, 10:02:30 AM
My Frontier is really simple.  There is a  plastic cover under the engine that makes it hard to change the oil, otherwise everything is pretty easy to access.   

My sister's Ford Explorer, on the other hand...NOTHING on that gosh darn thing is made to be user-serviceable.   And you can't get it aligned anywhere but the Ford dealer, unless you have a special tool to do the alignment.      Fords are the worst.

Frontiers/xterras: 2 of the most hated vehicles when I used to work at JL because of the exact same thing  Nissans arent that bad, I ve owen 4 old sentras and loved every minute of them. But nowadays you probably have to be ASE certified to change a tire on a newer vehicle

Update:


Yes, that says $58 for a light bulb- "A" Lightbulb. As in a single lightbulb. Not Xenon, not HID. I hate the stealership.

Cant quite make it out but looks like the category is d and the part number starts with 26? Arent Oem Hid bulbs d25? Could that possibly make your bulbs xenon? Maybe that's why it cost so much?

 

right now I think I should have never sold my K5. 

I <3 my Titan   

Quote from: average on June 07, 2006, 04:21:55 PM
Cant quite make it out but looks like the category is d and the part number starts with 26? Arent Oem Hid bulbs d25? Could that possibly make your bulbs xenon? Maybe that's why it cost so much?

No I have the bulb- it's definitely a filament bulb. But I found out that it is an HIR bulb which is damn near impossible to find and only used on some cars, the new Maxima being one of them, and the Dodge Viper being the other (Out of interest, I called the Dodge dealership and they want $120 for the builb..... aHoles...):
http://www.bmwcca.org/members/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Let_There_Be_E36_Light&page=2

Quote from: average on May 31, 2006, 11:07:49 PM

Quote from: Caffeine on May 31, 2006, 10:02:30 AM
My Frontier is really simple.  There is a  plastic cover under the engine that makes it hard to change the oil, otherwise everything is pretty easy to access.   

My sister's Ford Explorer, on the other hand...NOTHING on that gosh darn thing is made to be user-serviceable.   And you can't get it aligned anywhere but the Ford dealer, unless you have a special tool to do the alignment.      Fords are the worst.

Frontiers/xterras: 2 of the most hated vehicles when I used to work at JL because of the exact same thing  Nissans arent that bad, I ve owen 4 old sentras and loved every minute of them. But nowadays you probably have to be ASE certified to change a tire on a newer vehicle

ive got an '00 frontier, ive replaced 2 wiper link arms on it in three years.  not particularly expensive roughly $10 ea. but damn, these are supposed to be made better. i had an 86½ hardbody (midyear model change) hence the ½ almost three hundred thousand miles, and the damn thing was on the ORIGINAL alternator i got rid of it in 2003 heh luck i guess. only work ive ever done to it, was a valve cover gasket, and a clutch 

WOOt 1979 BUICK REGAL WOOT.

I could probably have the whole car apart in the time it takes to get that headlight out! GM's are simple!

Oh not to mention the incredible ammount of parts interchangablility. My headlights are 7 bucks at Kragen for the normal ones HAHHAHA.

Also I REALLY know my GM unibody cars (except the X-body cause those are pricey, LOL... oh for the noobs the corvette is X-body.) So I can drop the tranny and change out the valve body in about 30 mins. (Assuming no GOD DAMNED CRUISE CONTROL) including fluid drain and flush. Oh and I fabbed up a cross-member so I could run true dual exhaust on my 86' Monte Carlo.

GM's biggest mistake though is that BLOODY CRAPTASTIC Quadrajet. Leans out the back cylinders and over-riches the front, PILE OF CRAP. (Yes I actually ran the tests, I used to be a real car nut.) Falls out of adjustment if you look at it too hard.

But that's only the computer controlled ones. And they usually run better after a few tweaks and removing that epoxy so you can get at the bloody stuff!

Sorry tirade over.

Quote from: CasiCUA on June 08, 2006, 02:32:00 PM

Quote from: average on June 07, 2006, 04:21:55 PM
Cant quite make it out but looks like the category is d and the part number starts with 26? Arent Oem Hid bulbs d25? Could that possibly make your bulbs xenon? Maybe that's why it cost so much?

No I have the bulb- it's definitely a filament bulb. But I found out that it is an HIR bulb which is damn near impossible to find and only used on some cars, the new Maxima being one of them, and the Dodge Viper being the other (Out of interest, I called the Dodge dealership and they want $120 for the builb..... aHoles...):
http://www.bmwcca.org/members/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Let_There_Be_E36_Light&page=2

Thanks, that was pretty interesting. I had never heard of such a bulb. 

Are the Frontiers really that bad to work on?  I am possibly purchasing a new compact/midsized truck in about 6 months, (when it gets too cold to ride to work) and the Nissan was on the top of my list.  I always do my own maintanence though, it's pretty important to me. 

After the 2nd time, its not much of a problem. Its just that the frontier engine compartment underneath is entirely covered with plastic panels. Good for keeping the engine clean, a pain for everyday maintenance Not too bad but I dont own and have never had to do anything more than oil change or tranny flush/fill.

that plastic pane underneath is half bent downwards. (happened while i lived in phoenix) i never fixed it. the damned alternator on the 4cyl models (which i have) is on the right hand side (facing forward) toward the bottom of the engine block. to replace it, you have to remove the plastic cover on the passenger side wheel well, turn the steering full lock (right) and fish it out. i had to replace it twice, first replacement was defective (alt) had to redo. plus the things are close to $300 for i believe a 70amp alternator. damn i miss my chevrolets and the fords i had