I got my car back from Canadian Tire yesterday. They got in and replaced all the parts required, but however, it took two weeks in the shop to do it, because as they disassembled components to get to the affected ones – they found problems on the way. For one – the strut mounts were toast. Those had to be ordered. The control arm bushings were worn out, but they don’t make the bushings available for order, so both control arms had to be ordered. The front left ball joint was another added bonus – what in the world was THAT for? The final surprise was a proprietary bolt for one of the control arms – a frakking bolt!! The final quoted price for all parts and labor was $2725. Wow.

However, when I got there, Ricky, the guy who works the service counter (I’ve also known him since he was a kid – he went to school with Eugene), cut me a couple deals – he didn’t charge for the diagnoses and shop parts. The final price came to just a bit over $2500. I scrounged up as much CT money as possible – $30. I only had $2100 left on my CT MasterCard, so I racked it up. The remainder went on Interac. In the end, i still had some money left. This money will most likely go towards the security/keyless entry system I wanted.

After a couple deliveries at the restaurant to test drive the car, I found that the cruise control still wasn’t working. Also, my cluster lights weren’t turning on. The banging noise was gone, of course, but there was still the hint of a rattling sound where it used to occur. I’ll take the car back in to check on these things later, probably next month, when I get more money. In the meantime, everything else is working fine. However, driving around at night in pitch blackness sucks, so I might have to get them to check it out next weekend. The security system might have to wait. We’ll see.

The real test drive begins tomorrow, when I take the car to Wabowden and Paint Lake for work. Also, my car is filthy and needs a good wash and detail.

The Altima went into Canadian Tire this past weekend. The blower fan started making noise, so I had them order a new one and replace it. The muffler has been broken for several months now, but unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures of it. Anyway, I had them order a new muffler as well, but at the same time, I wanted a nice tip with a fat rim, so I saw what they had in stock, saw one that I liked, and took it. They put the muffler on and bolted the new tip on it. It looks nice and edgy.

Placeholder for a picture of the new tip (sorry, weather is bad right now and having a digicam out in the rain is not a good idea).

The instrument cluster was ordered a few weeks ago, but it still hasn’t arrived yet. Hopefully, when it comes in, it will repair my speedometer and cruise control.

More parts are on order. Both CV boots for the front CV axle, to eliminate the scratching noises. Both coil springs for the rear, since one is broken and the other is damaged, causing a loud banging sound.

My brakes probably need a checkup at the same time, but I was thinking about upgrading to a Brembo braking system. I also want some nicer performance suspension, so I’ll have to check with CT for that. Later on, I need to get some nicer rims, Altezza lights for the front and back, and a cold air intake filter. Only minor changes here, I’m trying to keep it as stock as possible, but with goodies to separate it from the rest (the color change wasn’t enough). ^_^

So, yeah, I’ve been hitting up CT a lot for my repairs. Well, for one thing – they have the tools and experience. They also have warranty. I’m pretty much going to be replacing everything under the car through them, and then it’s on to the rust repair at the body shop. Basically, I want to have a well tuned machine with completely brand new parts. I don’t have a lot of time anymore, but I still want to see this project finished.

When it’s done? I’m thinking of a 350Z as a winter/summer car. That way, the Altima can stay in the garage through the winter. Yeah, I know that the 350Z is kind of expensive to shoot for, but hey, you only live once, and you can’t take the money with you when it’s over.

While driving around and doing my work-related errands yesterday, I noticed something very strange. My car was a bit louder than usual when idling. It could have been because of the -40°C weather, but I decided to take a look when I was done and back at the office.

The tip was hanging out of the muffler and almost touching the ground. It looked as though the rust had eaten away at the juncture and it broke off.

As a result, I did some researching and discovered that since I would have to replace the entire muffler, I could also replace the headers and the entire catback exhaust system. Now, I’m no expert at auto repair, but I’m slowly learning bit by bit how everything pieces together and works. If anything, I’m a boon for online research. The only problem is that I don’t have a hoist, otherwise, I would do all the work myself. Unfortunately, this means that I’ll have to leave it in the hands of the shop.

You may have noticed that there’s a new category tag this post is filed under called Nissan Altima Kuruma. I just created this category to sort all future posts (starting with this one) that pertain to the eventual upgrading and education of my car. (2009.06.23 EDIT: The Kuruma tag replaced the Nissan Altima category.)

I’m not looking to be a mechanic of any type, and I’m definitely not here to flaunt my car. My goal is to learn everything there is to know about my car so that I can troubleshoot by diagnosis, but leave major repairs to others. Also, my upgrade plan is to keep everything as stock as possible, and do everything I can under the hood to create a custom sedan in performance and comfort. Comments from experts will be welcome (but please, no trolling or off-topic posts)!