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.

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.

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.

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.