Nissan Problems

It looks as if Nissan Australia has not communicated nearly well enough with its dealers. We've also had an update from the Juke owner with a similar issue — numerous dealers are still quoting the outdated service details.

Are you talking about the cam belt, or the belt driving the alternator, water pump and other accessories? If you are talking about the latter it would usually only be changed if it was clearly worn when checked visually. If you're asking about the cam belt, the Micra has a chain, not a belt, so it doesn't need changing regularly. The only reason you might change it was if it was noisy and loose, when there's a risk that it could jump a tooth and damage the engine.

While the CVT is a brilliant concept there have been problems with turning the concept into a reliable functioning gearbox, despite 40 years of trying. Shuddering can be a problem with them, and while Nissan might want to dismiss it as a characteristic of the transmission, it's only because they don't know how to fix it. You should do as it has been suggested, make a formal complaint, and pursue a settlement through official channels.

Thanks for the email. Hopefully I can keep this simple. 

I would strongly recommend a Toyota Aurion V6 $30,990 drive away or the Toyota Camry $28,990 drive away (pricing current September 2015). 

Unless you want the acceleration of the V6 I would opt for the four cylinder Camry, which is spritely enough and will also deliver good open road fuel economy. 

For the type of driving you're doing you do not need the hybrid Camry. 

Also, the base model Camry on the smaller wheels and Michelin tyres will be much more comfortable and a touch quieter than the dearer Camry models that come with sports tyres. 

In both the Aurion and Camry you will be protected by seven airbags and a five star safety rating. A rear camera is standard on both models too. 

The servicing costs are among the cheapest in the business. 

Furthermore the intervals are longer than other Toyotas (15,000km rather than 10,000km) and the capped pricing lasts four years or 75,000, whichever comes first (other Toyotas are three years, 60,000km). 

This was done to help Aurion and Camry appeal to fleets. 

However, your warranty is the same as other Toyotas at three years/100,000km. 

Dealership extended warranties are generally not worth the paper they are printed on, so save your money if you're offered an extension. 

Please check you're comfortable when driving the Aurion and Camry. They have ample room inside and a lot of travel in the front seat rails. 

Meanwhile, you're right in your assumption that Toyotas are regarded as a premium over Holden and Ford. The price is cheap because Toyota is trying to keep the factory running until 2017. It is in effect making a loss with each Camry it sells. 

Toyota also has a vast rural dealer network so hopefully you're never far away from help should you need it. 

Lastly, the Camry was at $26,990 drive away for much of last year and the price may limbo to that level again in the lead up to the end of the year or early next, to clear 2015 stock. This is not an inside tip, merely an educated guess on my part.

Good luck and let me know if I can help any further. I hope I'm still driving big distances in my 80s. 

These days the quickest and easiest solution is to go to the maker's website. Nissan spokesman Peter Fadeyev says: "I can confirm the 2015 Nissan Juke requires scheduled servicing every 12 months or 10,000km, whichever occurs first."

Both are capable vehicles, they’re both comfortable to ride in, and they will both tow your caravan. Either one would be a good choice, so I would suggest you test-drive both and decide which you like the best.

It seems like another case of perfect preparation preventing poor performance.

The fuel sender problem is a common one with the Pathfinder, one you reckon a company like Nissan with all its resources could fix. That it doesn’t seem to be able to is frustrating, but made even more so by the lame excuses they trot out to try and justify it. Try appealing to Nissan’s sense of fair play and see if you can convince the company to come to the party and replace the unit, or cover part of the costs of the replacement. If that doesn’t work, try your state government consumer affairs people.

Generally I don’t recommend buying extended warranty, as I don’t believe it offers value for money. It’s mostly a way for dealers to make more money out of the deal, but having extended warranty does give some people peace of mind and that’s perfectly understandable. If that’s what you feel then go ahead, but carefully read the warranty documents so you understand what it covers and what it doesn’t.