Nissan Problems

Today's utes are all more comfortable than the boneshakers of old, but they still ride relatively hard because of the load they have to carry. The high-end models are generally more comfortable than the lower level models aimed more at the tradie, so perhaps look at those. If you're not concerned about brand, consider the Nissan Navara.

Nissan told us that "the battery in the Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid is covered for the same period as the new-vehicle warranty, which is three years or 100,000 km, whichever occurs first. There is the option for buyers to extend this new-vehicle warranty up to a total of six years as part of the Genuine Nissan Extended Warranty program."

From your description the leak sounds quite a severe one, but that means it should be reasonably easy to find. A couple of things you could try would be to drive it through a car wash and watch for water coming in, or you could have a friend hose the car while you sit inside. If you can't see water entering, check the various problem areas after the car has been hosed down to see if the leak has occurred while it has been hosed. It could be a case of trial and error until you can locate the source of the leak. If you think it could be the sunroof start there. You could also check the various seals for damage.

There are no rules as to the margins dealers set. It can vary considerably from dealer to dealer, one with a glitzy showroom and an army of salespeople might have less of a margin compared to one who works alone in a no-frills yard. It really comes down to your negotiating skills. Sometimes cash isn't a big incentive, because it rules out finance deals and the like that add to a dealers return.

Nissan told us that "like a number of overseas models, Nissan Australia has studied the possibility of introducing the Elgrand people-mover but, at present, local market demand for this model and its overall business case are insufficient to make the Elgrand a full-volume-compliance model in our brand's local vehicle range. It should be noted that the government requirements, processes and overall costs for a small local second-hand car importer to bring some used vehicles from Japan are different to those for an official full-volume vehicle importer like Nissan Australia."

On average a 2007 Patrol is valued at between $15,000 and $17,000 in a private sale. Yours has relatively low kays for that model, and is well equipped, but that dash is a problem. You could easily knock a couple of thousand dollars off the price because of that. I would have it replaced if it were mine.

The Civic is so good — one of the best Japanese cars I have driven for a very long time and a definite for The Tick — that I wouldn't bother about the Nissan.

Try adding some fuel system cleaner to the fuel the next two or three times you refuel. If that doesn't help, have the throttle body cleaned.

We contacted Nissan seeking answers to your questions.

We didn't get anything on upcoming upgrades, so can't help you there, but they did give us some information on bullbars that might help you. "There are two genuine accessories bullbars available for the current-model Nissan Navara: aluminium and steel. Both have been locally developed (which included crash-testing) and the Navara retains its 5-star ANCAP safety rating when either of these genuine Nissan bullbars is fitted. An authorised Nissan dealer can fit either of these genuine accessories bullbars. Heavier-rate front suspension springs are needed with the steel bullbar due to its weight. This is to ensure the vehicle performs as designed, in terms of both driving and safety, when this additional weight is added to the front of the vehicle."