Nissan Navara Problems

A NUMBER of companies offer gas-on-diesel systems for vehicles like your Navara. They're not dual-fuel systems as used on petrol engines, rather a substitution system that adds some LPG to the mix of air and diesel going into the engine. The LPG boosts performance and the theory is the driver then backs off the throttle and gets better fuel economy as a result of lower throttle openings. Do your homework as I have had reports of engines blowing up.

RETURN it to the dealer and park it there until it's fixed. It appears your car is unroadworthy. Demand the dealer fix it, and have them give you a replacement vehicle in the meantime.

YOU would like to think the people servicing your car are up with its specifications, but sadly sometimes that's not always the case. As you've discovered, and Nissan has confirmed, your Navara does have anti-skid brakes standard. It's always a good idea to do the research before buying a vehicle.

NO CARMAKER I know covers the clutch under warranty. It's regarded as a consumable item, so I'm not surprised Nissan has refused. But at only 40,000km I would have thought it would have come to the party with at least part of the cost of replacement. It would be a tough battle, but if you feel aggrieved, pursue it further with Nissan. You could go to VCAT and get a ruling, but again, it's unlikely to be worth your while.

INDEPENDENT Nissan service specialist Jerry Newman isn't aware of a widespread problem with the Nissan timing chain. Chains rarely break by themselves, he says, unless they've done a lot of kilometres without being serviced. The usual cause is a problem with the tensioner that leads to the failure of the chain. Get the people who pulled the engine apart to give you a report on the failure; they are best placed to determine the cause.

NISSAN claims the diesel auto will do 9.5 litres/100km unloaded, so yours is doing well over the odds, but finding the answer isn't easy. The tare weight of the diesel auto Navara is about 1950kg and you reckon yours weighs 2900kg with all you have added. I reckon that's the reason for your high fuel consumption. Yours weighs 50 per cent more than the standard ute and your fuel consumption is about 50 per cent more, so I would start by taking everything out and off and driving it in the as-built condition. If your consumption is still high, then you have a case.

GOING gas is an attractive option and the numbers now favour LPG over diesel. Repco recently opted to go that path with Mitsubishi Tritons and reckon the petrol engine running on LPG is cheaper than going with the diesel alternative.

THE guys at the Australian LPG Warehouse have a kit for your car, but they advise you take out a warranty policy because problems have been reported from the field with that engine. It seems the catalytic converter can fail and bits of the catalyst can be sucked into the engine through the EGR system. There are cases where the bores in the engine have been scored. They say they haven't had the problem with their kits, but they do advise caution.

YES you can have extra child-seat restraints fitted to the HiLux and Triton dual-cabs, but it must be approved by an accredited engineer to satisfy the authorities. Contact your state registration authority and they will give you a list of accredited engineers who could do the work for you. In all honesty, however, buying the Navara is a better way to go.