[mattri]

There have been a number of vehicles that have hit 300,000 miles, while a stretch it isn't an impossible goal.

Just picked up a 2016 Frontier, VQ4, 6spd 4x4.

I genuinely believe this vehicle has the potential of hitting 300k, the question is- how?

What needs to happen to get this truck to that mark? What service, what, if any, mods?

I'd like for this to be an ongoing thread so I'll start with my ideas and welcome yours.

Have a dedicated work truck, an old F-150 for grunt work and the wife's car for other errands/trips. This will solely be for messing about, camping, etc. but I'd like to really stretch that out.

July 23, 2016. Picked up truck from dealer, had 8 miles. Drove the truck in a rural area, accelerating to various engine speeds shifting up and down to give a good rpm range. Drove home the same way, in all had 250 mile of various start/stop, rev up and down miles when pulled into the drive this afternoon. Changed oil and filter.

Plan to change gear oil in tranny, front and rear diffs and ATF in xfer case next. Will obviously follow Nissan's maintenance schedules, change oil, fluids, plugs, wires etc. etc. sooner than later.

What else?

How do we get this truck to 300k?

 

[d7k8]

300,000 plus should be not a problem. Like you, I ha e a dedicated work truck from my company. It's an older f150 as well with the small v6. It has over 387,000 miles and still drives hundreds of miles each week when I'm traveling around the southeast. Regular maintenance, noticing problems early and replacing them with good parts to me is the key

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[whistler]

How long do you think it will take to put on 300k? Average is about 12K a year. At that it would be 25 years old.That will be a truck with 36 years of old technology!
If I was still driving my 83 Ford diesel it would be over 30 years old.4 speed with a granny low,terrible for towing( put in a close ratio 5 speed).Had about 160 hp.Horrible suspension but it was pretty much bulletproof except if you turboed them.Head bolts were too small and they tended to blow head gaskets.Gave it to a friend with about 100k.He drove it till he passed away.Over 300K.
Sold my 92 Ford diesel after driving it for 14 years.Painted it,new water pump ,turboed,fan clutch,injectors,glow plugs etc. None of these parts failed, just did it for preventive maintanance.Just was too uncomfortable to drive the 700 miles to my place in Mexico as I got older.Sold it to a friend and He is still driving it.
I won't live long enough to see close to 300k with my 2004 Dodge diesel.I have no doubt it would have no problem doing it and more with no major repairs.The diesels do it
all the time.
Glad you have confidence in your Frontier reaching 300K.Short of replacing and rebuilding,I don't think so.

 

[mattri]

Great reply, thanks.

You touched on some good points. At the moment I have a truck I use for work- an older (95) F-150 that I use for everything else- and the wife gets a new car every 2 years or so. So this is a fun addition/dd wknd hauler/ sometime offroader.

Really hope to live long enough (longer!) to see 300k on this truck and again, it seems doable.

Looking to create a game plan, a checklist, on how to get to 300k.

For example just changed the oil @ 250 miles with a reputable dino, stick with the conventionals or go synthetic? Now, past 2k, 4k?

What to watch as the miles creep up, what to change out before its an issue?

 

[whistler]

Lot of early clutch failures.Front differential failures.Same with rear differentials but not as prevalent.Springs going flat.Sensors going out is pretty common.
Baja 500 is on tv. Later.

 

[Clint]

I just traded my 2010 6 speed for a 2016. It rode very well and never broke down or needed any warranty repairs. I changed the oil at 1000 miles then at 3000 and then every 3000 miles until I just let it go at 116,002 miles and the original clutch going strong.
I need a long bed for my needs and Nissan won't build anymore long bed crew cabs in manual so I very sadly had to buy an automatic.
If you change the trans fluid it's 75w-85 and still out there but dealers try and sell you other weights but only use the proper weight.
If I didn't get a great trade in amount, a really nice selling price and a sizeable corporate business affiliate discount certificate I would have been on my way to seeing the second 100,000 miles on the clock.
Not sure if you've read my posts but this is Frontier #5 after a Titan and a Hardbody too.
Best of luck, congratulations and welcome to the forum.

Clint

 

[Cusser]

In 2004 I bought a 1998 Frontier 5-speed, 4-cylinder from a small lot (typically I buy private seller) for my daughters to drive to school and their jobs, 100K on it, zero history. I was actually looking at a truck on the adjoining lot and saw this, walked over to take a look.

First week we changed all the fluids and filters. Now they have their own vehicles, returned this to us, now has 210K and Mrs. Cusser and I drive this almost every day, and take it 100 miles away from home. We also use it to drag a harrow around the horse arena.

This still has good power, AC works great (Arizona) and has never needed a repair. The clutch was replaced once, brake and clutch hydraulics have never been touched. Yes, radiator, fan clutch, alternator, water pump and starter have been replaced.

So: will this get to 300K? Likely not in our hands, due to our ages and driving habits. Plus I have a 2004 Frontier King Cab with 96K waiting for me in my garage....

 

[mattri]

All good points, thanks.

A clutch replacement is inevitable, along with brakes etc. Not too worried about that. Aside from early fluid changes is there something I should be looking at for the diffs to keep them running?

Which springs? Which sensors? Why?

Thanks to Clint for the input and reply, seeing that I have an old Ford for heavy lifting it will (hopefully) reduce the wear on this one, agree that a long bed would be preferable, and yes .09 is hard to argue with!

 

[rdbradish]

I love the average driver!! sheesh, I don't think I have ever done less than 30K a year yet, and I don't drive my car for work. I'm at 10.6K on my truck that I bought in March, aready!! LOL

The first time I went for 300K was in my 2006 Ford Explorer. I didn't quite make it, sensing a tranny problem coming at 278K. Prior to that, not a single issue. Only Mods were an oversize oil Filter, Amsoil synthetic, switched every 6K and General maintenance to the tune of ~$622 per year average over the 10 years I had it.

I have already switched over to full synthetic on my 2016 SVCC 4x4. Can't find an oversize filter I trust yet, but may look at going offboard. I truly believe that Filtration and Lubrication are the keys to a long life vehicle.

We shall see.

 

[whistler]

All the diesels are on their original clutch. Mine lasted around 7,000 on the Frontier.Of course it saw a lot of abuse but still should have lasted longer.Never gave me any warning till it failed. It failed on Saturday and I had to be in Ensenada early Wednesday for tech.Pulled the tranny Sunday but could not find a clutch,even a stock one. Called a friend who has a connection with McLeod on Monday and he rebuilt it that day.No problems with it during the 1000 and it saw way more abuse.

 

[Grommit]

I love the average driver!! sheesh, I don't think I have ever done less than 30K a year yet, and I don't drive my car for work. I'm at 10.6K on my truck that I bought in March, aready!! LOL

The first time I went for 300K was in my 2006 Ford Explorer. I didn't quite make it, sensing a tranny problem coming at 278K. Prior to that, not a single issue. Only Mods were an oversize oil Filter, Amsoil synthetic, switched every 6K and General maintenance to the tune of ~$622 per year average over the 10 years I had it.

I have already switched over to full synthetic on my 2016 SVCC 4x4. Can't find an oversize filter I trust yet, but may look at going offboard. I truly believe that Filtration and Lubrication are the keys to a long life vehicle.

We shall see.

Bought mine in March as well and I'm going to roll over 7000 tomorrow on the way into work. I've put on WAY more miles than I expected, but a trip down to the lower Keys and then an unplanned trip up to North Georgia to help a family member, and I've racked up more miles than I had hoped for in just a few short months. I was expecting to use my hardbody as the DD for work, but the brother has that for now as his kid took his 4runner while she's home from college. So I'm stuck using my brand new gas guzzler for basic to and from work. Can't complain. After 22 years in my hardbody, this Fronty drives smooth as butter, though the shift lever is a bit too short for my liking.

I had several mechanics tell me to stay away from the synthetic for the first 1 to 3 years in the vehicle. Dunno why or what, and I'm sure there's arguments both ways on just about everything you are going to consider when it comes to vehicles. For now I'll let the dealership keep putting oil in it for free as the first 3 years are rolled into the payments. Never had a front diff and ALL of these computers and sensors are scaring me when it comes to long term reliability, so there is TONS of stuff to learn about how to take care of this new truck for me. And that's rather hilarious as it was designed nearly 15 years ago now. I'd just give up if I bought one of those newly designed ones that just came out. Nothing but electronics from front to back, would never be able to mod or fix something like that. :surprise:

 

[whistler]

Just to let you know,pretty much everything is electronic front to back.

 

[rdbradish]

Be curious to hear more about the Synthetic issue. I have the life time warranty and three years oil as well, but they asked me if I prefer Synthetic, as they charge the difference between the normal blend and Synth. For $22, I just get Synthetic, and this dealer offer AmsOil as well, so, what the heck!!

The Subaru dealer told me the trick wasn't with the oil, but with the changes and filter. In their mind, the minimum frequency changes were 5K miles and at that rate, the blended oils were a perfect fit, and full synth was just a waste of money.

Always curious to learn more!!!

 

[travhale]

Part of the deal when I bought my truck was lifetime oil changes every 3k. So, I let them take care of it. The dealer is only 2 miles from my work, so it works out very well. I can drop it off in the morning and they drop me off at work.

I bought my truck to enjoy, not baby--that's not enjoyable. While I do understand wanting to keep miles off the odometer, it's not something I worry about, or think of when I go on trip. Fix problems as they come, learn how and what to inspect regularly, preform scheduled maintenance, and enjoy it. I'd rather rack up those 300k in 10 years than still be drive the same truck 20 years to hit 300k.

 

[mattri]

Exactly- no intention of babying the truck or avoiding driving it, just the opposite.

So which items need the regular inspections the most?

Problems are going to arise, how do we avoid as many as possible and mitigate the rest?

I'm not going to cry every time a bird $hits on my truck, I want to be using it for a long, long time.

 

[HueyDude]

My first vehicle was a 1973 AMC Gremlin. Laugh all you want, that car wouldn't die. My parents bought it new in 1972, and my parents and sister drove it, so it was a real hand me down by the time I got it. Plus, they all wrecked it at some point, so it was pretty rough. But the AC would just about freeze you out. All we did was keep up with the servicing, and it never left me stranded. It finally gave out after 300,000 miles and about 19 years. I try to take care of my Frontier so it will last just as long, if not longer.

 

[The other Sean]

In all honesty, there is no hard set things. as already stated, keep up on the fluids and regular visual inspections of the mechanicals is key. Sometimes you just end up with a vehicle that does not have a long life and some that for some reason go forever. I've had them all. Vehicles that people told me "were junk from the factory" that gave me many years of trouble free service and some that were "dead on reliable" that I tired of worrying about what was next and sold off.

I tend to keep my vehicles for 8-10 years and while normally still reliable at that point, the salty roads here in MN have usually destroyed the body.

 

[RedSN]

the salty roads here in MN have usually destroyed the body.

Oil the body every year from new.
Everything mechanical can be replaced.

Just drive it.

 

[frontx]

Something that seems common sense but a lot of people forget...just keep up on your maintenance. Don't let little things pile up. If they do pile up, you'll have several thousand worth of repairs for a vehicle you can't justify spending the money on. Little things like brakes, suspension, exhaust, small leaks can be overwhelming if you need them all at once. That's my 2 cents. I think you were probably talking about the engine specifically though.

 

[mattri]

Thanks for the reply.

You make a good point in that while I was looking for more specific calls to action, that in itself is a pretty broad stroke.

I'll have to focus more on common weak points and try to mitigate the failures.

In the meantime I'd like to document what I do for preventative maintenance, the cost, miles between services, pros and cons weighed etc. If nothing else it should be a fun project.

Thanks to all for the great replies, been having a lot of fun with the truck and this forum so far!