NAC: Nissan Problem, Brand Reliability Thoughts

[Huw Powell]

On 10/13/2012 10:48 AM, mboucher70 hotmail.com wrote:
> Other than looking after my Audi, I inherited the job of looking after
> my mother's Nissan Altima.
>
> It developed a really bad idle when in drive, and warmed up. Couldn't
> find any vacuum leaks. Thought it might be the equivalent of the ISV.
> Her mechanic thought so too and changed the ISV, but the problem
> persisted, and then he said it’s the intake manifold gasket. Needs to be
> changed which is roughly $20 in parts and $1200 in labor.

Did they diagnose the IM gasket the same way as the ISV?  That is, wild 
guessing?  Did they smoke test it?

> ...  Problem is that its got to pass
> emissions testing next May, and with the current idle and resulting
> check-engine light, it won’t.
>
> 1.) Any thoughts on whether its worth fixing, or scrapping

I'll ask the obvious question.  What codes are being stored?