Nissan Problems

There could be a number of reasons the steering is rattling and you really need a mechanic to listen to it so the cause can be isolated. It could be from the top of the column, the bottom of the column, the steering joints, or if it's down under the front of the car it could be the steering rack. Before you fix it you need to know where the rattle is coming from. The lights coming on could be an electrical connection problem.

The CVT oil should be changed every 100,000km. As for the fuel consumption it's best to do a check yourself by measuring how much fuel it is actually using. Judging the consumption by how far the gauge falls is very inaccurate, and I wouldn't stake my life on the fuel consumption gauges in the car. Do an actual measurement and you will know exactly what the consumption is. Nissan claims an average of 9.1L/100km, 7.7L/100km on country driving, and 11.5L/100km on city use. I would expect your car would fall somewhere between 9.1 and 11.5L/100km.

So long as you are still driving the car regularly, and it looks as if you're covering more than 5000km a year, the tyres should be fine down to the tread-wear indicators. They are not sticky high-performance tyres or special soft-compound winter tyres that need special treatment.

We checked with Nissan and a spokesperson confirmed that the "Nissan Pulsar range does not have parking lights. Nissan took into consideration market trends when developing the Pulsar" and decided not to fit them.

We aren't getting reports of problems with the latest model, the reports we have had relate to 2010 models or so. That said, I would be wary of buying the Cruze, the best thing about them is the cabin size. I would go for the Lancer first and Pulsar second, the Cruze a long last.

Nissan spokesman Chris Jordan can clear up the misunderstanding: "We do not instruct Nissan dealers to do any specified oil change on Xtronic (CVT) transmission in the 2013 Pulsar. Dealers are able to monitor any potential CVT deterioration via computer when analysing data at service. We do, however, recommend dealers inspect (and if necessary replace) CVT fluid every 100,000km in cases of high loading on the transmission, such as towing or off-road use."

The transmission you've got is a CVT type auto, and I would suggest it's got a problem, possibly the computer that controls it. Take it back and demand they properly assess it.

It would be nice to think that carmakers would own up to problems with their cars, but they always seem reluctant to do so, and our consumer laws are so pathetic that there's no incentive for them to do so. I would take the car to one of the diesel mechanics you refer to and have it repaired by them. I would expect they would be less expensive than the dealer.

You are not alone, as the mapping in every factory installed GPS is going to be a little outdated — I get emails every week from unhappy owners. The problem is the delay in getting the Australian mapping coded, sent to HQ and then uploaded on to hard drives. The quickest and easiest solution is to use Google maps on your phone. Nissan has previously said it gets the mapping updated as soon as possible.