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 We've also had an update from the Juke owner with a similar issue — numerous dealers are still quoting the outdated service details.

The dealer is telling you that there is no record of it being serviced by a Nissan dealer, which would seem to be correct given that you have had an independent mechanic do the servicing. I would agree that a timing chain shouldn't be worn and rattling at such low kilometres, but I doubt you'll get anywhere with Nissan on this. If you feel you need to follow through on this call Nissan's Customer Service Centre (phone: 1800 035 035).

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.

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."

Peter Fadeyev from Nissan Australia promises he will be calling you soon with details of the closest dealer with a silver patrol, although it will be up to you to get the best deal.

The car world has changed a lot since your Pulsar Q was a top-drawer choice and these days I would recommend the Mazda2, which gets The Tick and should be similar money but slightly easier to handle.

The oil leaks need to be fixed, but you are right about the belt. All Nissan engines after 2011 have timing chains, not a belt, so don't need to be changed. The only reason you might change the chain is if it is stretched, but that shouldn't be the case on yours with just 75,000km on the clock.

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. 

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.