Fixing a Nissan sentra 2005 1.8s that was rear ended

[sentra.05.1.8s]

My car was reared by a van that was being driven by a driver on a learner's permit.

The bumper and trunk covers are smashed.

I got in touch with their insurance and their inspector came by and quoted $1700 for damages payable to me for my car(I was not at fault).

I have to get my car fixed for sure and am not sure how much it's really gonna cost me.

I have been reading about my model - nissan sentra 2005 1.8s - on online forums since the accident and have some questions:

1. Does'nt my model have the issue of the head gasket blowing after ~50k miles?

If my model has this issue, how can I take a few precautionary measures to ensure this does not happen (or happens much later?)

I cannot afford to buy an engine, even used, for $2k+, and if a few hundred dollars in fixes can delay the problem from surfacing, I need to know what I can do

What further concerns me is I read an expert saying on a forum that "Some customers don't even know they have a blown one till they come in."

Is there a way I could find out if my engine's head gasket is blown?

2. My engine makes a screeching noise for like the first 5 minutes after a cold start

It sounds exactly like many chalks writing against a blackboard!

3. My engine misfires reliably, atleast once, every morning when I do this the previous night: turn it on (cold start) for a few minutes (~2-3 mins) to take it off the road parking and park it in our apartment parking instead.

I thought petrol engines did not have the same startup issues as diesel engines, so what's this about?

4. The battery dies predictably every 1.5 - 2 years.

The death is always sudden: one day after 1.5 - 2 years of purchase the car will not start up and will need to be jumped. The only solution is changing the battery.

This has happened only twice so far (I have had the car for 6 years)

5. In my last inspection 4 months ago, the inspection report said my "rear suspension (or it could be shock absorber) is ripped". I have no idea what that means but it's a $500 fix!

I have discussed all of these issues with the nissan dealerships in my area and while they have denied #1, they quoted me $700+ for fixing #2, #3 and said #4 could only be due to misuse of the battery.

I do not misuse my car: I don't run the radio/AC when the engine's not running and use my car to drive to and from school everyday. No accidents so far. I don't drive my car hard as I WANT it to last a few more years and just can't afford another.

Please also recommend any issues I should be careful about and any other fixes/inspections that I could get done to keep my car in good condition.

[i68k]

1-the qr25 are more popularly known for headgaskets and oil consumption, but you have qg18. they are still common problems, but you can usually do a compression test, if that fails do a leakdown test to determine headgasket failure or other internal damage.
2-you dont have auto tensioners on a qg18, i dont think, you need to tighten your belts.
3-did you get an ses light, do a tune up and ignition check. misfire on startup common failure is coilpack, assuming you check sparks and stuff.
4-check your voltages, motor on&off, make sure the battery terminals and grounds are clean of corrosion and have good tight contacts to bare metal.
5-assuming it just your strut, you can replace yourself for <$75. or do them all for the cost of 4, and about 2-3 hours if you know what youre doing.

[sentra.05.1.8s]

Thanks i68k for your answer!

Originally Posted by i68k

1-the qr25 are more popularly known for headgaskets and oil consumption, but you have qg18. they are still common problems, but you can usually do a compression test, if that fails do a leakdown test to determine headgasket failure or other internal damage.

The headgaskets issue is to do with the qr25 only?

Does this mean my engine (called the qg18?) has less chances of being affected by the headgaskets issue?

Originally Posted by i68k

2-you dont have auto tensioners on a qg18, i dont think, you need to tighten your belts.

Hmm, you are suggesting the screeching noises are from the timing belts? Is there a way I could confirm my opening the hood and idling the car? Which area/part would noise from the the timing belts be from?

Originally Posted by i68k

3-did you get an ses light, do a tune up and ignition check. misfire on startup common failure is coilpack, assuming you check sparks and stuff.

NO lights on dashboard.

(Here's one more thing: my 'low on oil' light does not come up even after I have been driving 50 miles after the fuel guage hit empty. I have never dared to try and run my car on empty before so I don't know if the 'low on oil' light lights up only when the emergency tank is about to empty but on other cars I have seen the 'low on oil' light come up when the fuel guage is yet to hit empty. Is this an issue with the fuel sensor or something?)

Originally Posted by i68k

4-check your voltages, motor on&off, make sure the battery terminals and grounds are clean of corrosion and have good tight contacts to bare metal.

Last time I checked the dead battery read 11.4v out of the engine.

I would like to know what values I expect to read in good and bad cases.

Originally Posted by i68k

5-assuming it just your strut, you can replace yourself for <$75. or do them all for the cost of 4, and about 2-3 hours if you know what youre doing.

Never maintained the car myself before, but I am willing to learn.

My first choice is to get it done from a dealership BUT I want to know what all checks I need to ensure they do right and possibly how to verify they did the checks.

My intention is not to fix the car myself but to ensure the dealership does everything right and detect what they did wrong or skipped doing.

[cden1]

I will answer what I know...

I was rear ended and it cost $2500 to fix. But who knows? Take it to a body shop and get your own estimate. Then you may or may not want to talk to your insurance company.

I found out that I needed a new head gasket by having an oil analysis done. (Blackstone.com). I noticed that I was blowing white smoke on start up and my coolant reservoir was low and my oil level was high. I think the QG18 has more headgasket problems than the QR25 (which is what I had). There is really no way to prevent it. Just watch for the signs I mentioned.

Your screech sounds like you need a new serpentine belt. (Fan belt in the old days)

My OEM Maxima battery lasted 2 years. My son's OEM 2001 SE battery was still going strong after 9 years. I made him replace it. Buy a Die Hard!

Nissan dealers generally suck and deny any and all potential problems. Find yourself a good independent shop and have them address your problems. It will also be a lot cheaper.

[i68k]

if you have a gxe or xe, you most likly have the qg18 or 1.8L

-the qr25 headgasket was redesigned for 07+ because they were that bad, but the qg18 do still have headgasket issues.
-you have a couple of belts, you may need to figure out which one is loose.
-there is an oil light, and fuel light, if your 'low on fuel' (gas pump) light comes on/off, you may want to check into the fuel issue, there were a few fixes and recalls for fuel issues, not saying you have an issue, but a good idea to check your vin with the dealership. if your 'low on oil' (oil can) light comes on/off, check your oil and oil level.
-for voltages on the battery terminals, you should have 12.5ish motor off, and 14.5ish motor on.
-just make sure there's no noise from your suspension if you pay someone to do it