I just bought my fiance her second Millenia. She put 176k miles on her first one and loved it so much I found her another one.

Could anyone offer me a general preventive maintenance schedule for a 98-99 Millenia S. i.e. changing the timing belt, plugs/wires, water pump, transmission service, etc. She never really performed any on the other one(didn't have me to look out for her then) and I would like to keep this one running well for a long time. The new one is a 98 with 76k miles. Over the last year I think the car sat for awhile, only had 2k miles put on it in 2005. Thank you for your time.

On a different note can anyone suggest a good place to pick up a salvage transmission for her 99 Millenia S?

 

we have 2 99 s'. a black one we bought brand new, it has 79k on it. about 6 mo ago, i bought a white one, it now has about 76k. both have had extremely good care. both have had new axles, plugs, and 1 has had new coils. it also had the infamous "tee", cost me 564 at the dealer parts(a 3.00 part) and labor. i left in pain, but the car ran. it seems like right after 60k, it rained axles, plugs, coils, and vacuum tee, and ball joints-which i think were fubar'd when they did the axles. since then, i had to redo the driver's side axle, which i decided to do myself. it was really easy(i do have access to a lift and air tools), and orielly auto parts uses the same rebuilder that mazda does. cost me 60 bucks, and some time.
you will hear all kinds of stories on the timing belt, especially on the 2.3 motor. some say 60k, some say 105k. the belt is nitrile, way more durable than the older type, and the motor is non interference. if the belt breaks, the motor stops, but the valves dont hit the pistons. the white car had the belt done at 60k, the black car has yet to have it done. i MIGHT do it at 105k, i might just let it go till it breaks. i have only heard of 1 belt breaking, and in that case, it seems abuse was part of the reason. the water pump is right there, so if the pump goes, you might as well do the belt and all associated parts, too. i bet the belt outlives the water pump, BUT, if i were to change the timing belt, i would also change out the pump, tensioners, rollers, and maybe the cam/crank seals, too. having done belts before(not on the millenias), i have learned that if you change it all now, then you dont have to go back in again and again.
the plugs is a must, they are supposed to be changed at 60k(2.3, dunno about 2.5), and are a bit of a chore. a lot of stuff has to come off. the first time will probably be at least 3 hours. lots of cars only get the front bank done, because the rear bank is such a pain. it aint hard, it just takes time, because there is a lot of stuff that has to be removed. if you let the plugs go too long, they will become one with the head. mercedes and bmw have "longlife" 100k plugs, but after about 70k, some of them fubar the threads, and need helicoils or sometimes a new head. also, over time, oil will seep into the wells, and can short out the coils. the coils are 174.00 EACH. on both cars, i had a fair amount of oil in #5 and #6 wells. make sure the gap is correct, the 2.3 gap is .7-.8mm, NOT 1.1mm like a lot of the parts stores would like you to believe.
i flush/change brakes/coolant/transmission fluids yearly. if your brake fluid resevoir aint clear, it is time. if it is black, it was WAY overdue. if the coolant aint been done, you should have it done professionally the first time(and WATCH OUT for the heater core!!!), after that, you can do it yourself yearly. same with the transmission. i always put a bottle of lubegard in when i do it. i also like redline water wetter in the coolant.
i have changed out the brake pads on both cars, the factory pad is a ceramic, and they are the best. the only comparable pad in the aftermarket is the akebono pro act, they could be the genuine pad on the car. watch out for cheap wannabes.
i have also changed out the driver's side seat heater on both cars, heated seats is really nice in the winter. i used them all the time. both lower heater elements, and on the black car, i also had to do the one on the back part, it has the sensor in it, and it costs twice what the lower one does. you will break the bezel around the seat switches, it costs about 13 bucks. it is possible to change the heater without removing this part. there are some very tricky clips that hold the back panel of the seat, and they will break the mounts the first time.
both cars have had 1 horn go bad.
i have changed out the fuel filters on both cars. it takes a bit to get at it.
some have had problems with the tilt motor in the steering, i have not. picked up a brand new one off ebay for 10 bucks. i believe that if you have the spare part, the original one will never break.
both cars have 17" wheels, and i have had to straighten several of them. but, my wife drives the black car, and she will go in some strange places. she also likes to turn the wheels when the car is stopped, and this puts a tremendous load on all the ball joints in the steering system. tires, too.
i think they are great cars, no resale value, so plan on keeping it till the wheels fall off. cooling/hvac system is awesome. multi link suspension gives great ride/handling, brakes are excellent. fit and finish is equal to bmw and mercedes(i sell bmw/mercedes parts for a living). i have NO plans to mod the cars, i think those that do have problems. we like the car as it is.