Nissan 60000 Mile Maintenance Service

My Nissan dealer offers two types of services for 60,000 mile scheduled maintenance service: Basic Service and Premium Maintenance. The basic service costs $395.00 and premium maintenance service costs $699.00. The details of the services are as follows.

Basic Service:

1. Change engine oil and filter
2. Lubricate propeller shaft (4WD)
3. Change engine coolant
4. Change engine air filter
5. Change in-cabin microfilter
6. Change free-running hub grease
7. Change front wheel bearing grease (4WD only)
8. Change manual transmission oil
9. Change PCV filter (4 cylinder frontier/xterra)
10. Rotate/Balance tires (except 350Z)
11. Inspect automatic transmission fluid
12. Inspect axle & suspension parts
13. Inspect brake lines & cables
14. Inspect brake pads, rotors, drums & linings
15. Inspect cruise control vacuum hoses
16. Inspect differential oil
17. Inspect drive shaft boots
18. Inspect engine drive belts
19. Inspect exhaust system
20. Inspect suspension ball joints
21. Inspect front wheel bearing grease (4WD only)
22. Inspect fuel lines/connections
23. Inspect fuel tank vapor vent system hoses
24. Inspect manual transmission oil
25. Inspect propeller shaft
26. Inspect steering gear & linkage
27. Inspect steering linkage ball joints
28. Inspect case oil (4WD/AWD)

Premium Maintenance:

1. Change engine oil & filter
2. Lubricate all locks/hinges
3. Lubricate propeller shaft (4WD)
4. Change automatic transmission/CVT fluid (Add $299.00 for Murano)
5. Change differential oil (limited-slip/conventional)
6. Change engine air filter
7. Change engine coolant/flush system
8. Change engine drive belts
9. Change in-cabin microfilter
10. Change free-running hub grease
11. Change transfer case oil (4WD/AWD)
12. Change front wheel bearing grease (4WD only)
13. Change fuel filter (if serviceable)
14. Change manual transmission oil
15. Change PCV filter (4 cylinder Frontier/Xterra)
16. Change radiator cap
17. Change radiator hoses
18. Change wiper blades
19. Rotate/balance tires (except 350Z)
20. Optional: flush automatic transmission (flush with ATF)
21. Inspect all lights
22. Inspect axle & suspension joints
23. Inspect brake lines & cables
24. Inspect brake pads, rotors, drums & linings
25. Inspect cruise control vacuum hoses
26. Inspect drive shaft boots
27. Inspect exhaust system
28. Inspect front suspension ball joints
29. Inspect front wheel bearing grease (4WD only)
30. Inspect fuel lines/connections
31. Inspect fuel tank vapor vent system hoses
32. Inspect headlights/adjust if necessary
33. Inspect propeller shaft
34. Inspect steering gear & linkage
35. Inspect steering linkage ball joints

I see too may 'inspects' instead of 'change' in the service details. It feels like that I will be spending a lot of cash if after 'inspection' any 'change' is necessary. This 60k service will be at least $1000 for my Nissan Altima.

Winter of 2005-2006

The winter of 2005-2006 has been very erratic in Maryland this year. The month of December was unusually cold and there were 2 or 3 snow storms before Christmas. Even though the snow was not significant, it was big enough to shut down or delay the schools and clog up the Washington beltway with traffic jams. January started on the mild note and stayed that way throughout the month. The temperature was above average and when January was over it was the warmest January on the record. The month of February has started with a vengeance and it is windy a lot this month. The temperatures are running at least 2 to 3 degrees below the normal for this time of year. The natural gas prices are higher this year and heating bills are through the roof. The state of the bank account is in a bad shape for a lot of people.

Hindi Channels on XM and Sirius

XM satellite radio channel lineup
Sirius satellite radio channel guide

I just went through the channel lineup of both satellite radio providers and found out that there are no Hindi channel offered as of today. If XM or Sirius offered any Hindi service, many people would sign up just to listen to hindi songs. I know I would.

What is taking so long? If they have channels for continuous traffic and weather for cities like Baltimore, Tampa, Minneapolis and Pittsburgh, then they can find a spot for a Hindi channel. There are estimates that close to 3 million people of Indian origin living in United States. Looks like XM and Sirius are missing some demographic numbers.