Nissan Patrol 2003 Problems

I CAN'T give you a definitive answer, but I can tell you Nissan is so concerned about all the negative publicity it has received over the 3.0-litre turbodiesel engine that it has agreed to sit down with Carsguide and give us a rundown on the problem so we can, hopefully, give you the answer you want. Stay tuned.

I'M GUESSING Nissan covered the cost of the parts and you paid the labour, which is the normal deal with most companies once the warranty expires. Most people accept the offer for the same reason you did -- it's the easiest thing to do.

THE MQ is really getting a little long in the tooth, so I would recommend you think about a GQ, though you will find it hard to fit one within your budget. Going by your description of the sort of driving you will be doing I would advise against the Patrol. It sounds like a very expensive way of getting to the city, ferrying the kids around and going shopping, with only an occasional weekend away. Go for a regular car -- it will be better suited to your needs and be less expensive to run. If you must go for a Patrol, buy the 4.2-litre petrol GQ.

The problems don't appear to affect vehicles built after 2000. The engines that appear most affected are the 2.8 and 3.0-litre turbo diesels built between 1998 and 2000. There was a problem with the oil level on the 3.0-litre which caused catastrophic engine failure, but was fixed by increasing the amount of oil in the sump. The 2.8-litre engine had problems with head gaskets, but both appear to have been fixed and shouldn't affect new models.