Nissan Problems

It's borderline at the moment, so I wouldn't panic, but I would monitor it over the next 12 months or so, and use a good quality 10w-50 oil. X-Trails do have a reputation for using oil at high mileage, and it's usually wear in the rings and bores.

I don't believe there are air-suspension seats available for the Patrol. Rather than alternative seats you should be looking at the suspension to soften the ride. Check out aftermarket springs and shock absorbers, and in the meantime put some weight in the tray. In the old days the lads who drove utes would throw a couple of bags of cement in the back.

If there is a sudden loss of power, as you describe, I would be looking for an electrical fault, perhaps a faulty sensor, such as the crank angle sensor.

Our Nissan specialist, Jerry Newman, was horrified at the thought of trying to improve the handling of the Maxima, he believed it handled well as it was and it was better left alone. If you were to seek to improve the handling you could fit uprated springs and struts, but they would be expensive. Use quality components from someone like Pedders, perhaps you could check the web for components used in Japan, but understand you will have a detrimental affect on the car's ride whatever you do, and you might not improve the handling much anyway.

I would doubt that Nissan would entertain a warranty claim for a bubbled dash, but it's worth a try if you want to take them on. You could get the dash doctor to have a look at it and see what they think has caused the problem.

It's good to hear that you have got a successful outcome. As you say Frank Horgan should consult his dealer rather than putting up with what is clearly a potentially dangerous situation.

Check the injectors, your problems are most likely there.

I could imagine that you could get better fuel economy when the cruise is not engaged, but it would depend on the calibration of the cruise and how aggressive it is, the specific vehicle in question, and the way you drive normally when the cruise is not in use. I doubt you could draw a general conclusion that fuel economy is always better when you don't use cruise. Perhaps you should try it for yourself and see if it does work for you.

Recalls are mostly to fix potentially dangerous problems and all carmakers have them from time to time. I would say that your car has a particular problem with the computer system and I am amazed that you have put up with it for "many" years. Take it to a Nissan dealer, or an independent Nissan specialist, either of whom should be able to fix it.

There are reports of engines failing, but those that have appear to have failed because they weren't serviced by the book. It's important to religiously service the Navara, and use the Nissan recommended oil. The failures we have heard about are mostly failures of the camshaft, cam timing gear etc that have led to more serious damage. It's believed the initial failure of the cam or cam gear is due to a lack of proper servicing, leading to blockages in the oil passages feeding the top of the motor.