Nissan Navara Problems

It's unusual to have a major failure of the front diff, unless it has been left in low range four-wheel drive on the highway. If that hasn't happened I would request a full explanation of the reason the diff has failed.

Injector wear is a problem with all common-rail diesels, not just the Nissan. You should be able observe rough running, perhaps black smoke from the exhaust, and high fuel consumption. The chip won't be causing your ticking noise; that will be a mechanical noise. You need to determine where the noise is coming from to be able to locate the cause. One thing I would be looking at the camshaft timing chain, they wear and sometimes break on the Navara, and that's one possible source of your ticking noise.

It could be a number of things, like the suction control valve on the fuel pump, although that's unlikely given that the pump has been replaced. It could be a problem with the fuel rail pressure sensor, but the first thing I would suggest you try is clean the Mass Air Flow Sensor in the intake.

The great thing about the motor trade is that there are lots of clever mechanics that are able to fix problems that the carmakers seem to be unable to do. It's always worth asking a specialist mechanic for help.

The ute is seven years old, a Nissan dealer hasn't serviced it, and you don't say how many kilometres it has done, so it's hard to make a judgment on the validity of your claim. The only thing I would suggest is that you attempt to convince Nissan to change its mind and come good with their goodwill assistance.

The Ranger gets The Tick and is a clear winner from the Amarok. The all-new Navara is not even close. But we're expecting a new Mitsubishi Triton and Toyota HiLux in the first half of 2015, so check back nearer then.

The new HiLux and Triton will arrive in the first half of next year. If you're planning a five-year run for your new ute it would be worth waiting to see how the pecking order changes once they're in place.

Talk to the dealer and request that Nissan send a tech rep to inspect the car with you, and then work out a plan of action for Nissan to address your concerns. Nissan cannot walk away from the problem; you are perfectly entitled to demand they fix the car. If it can't be fixed, then I think you have good justification for asking for your money back.

The kilometres done are about what you would expect a vehicle of that age would have done, but the price is high. I would think $13,000 to $15,000 is more reasonable. With a 3000 kg towing rating it would comfortably tow your caravan. The things to be aware of are low clutch life and high cost to replace them, and failures of the cam timing chain. The latter is generally put down to poor maintenance, so make sure yours has a credible service record showing regular oil changes.