Nissan Problems

First thing you should do is check your owner’s manual for any advice Nissan offers for when towing. Patrols had problems with fifth gear, so you need to be a little easy on the gear. Use fifth, but don’t let the engine lug down too far, change down before the engine and driveline become stressed. I would think 2000 revs is a pretty good downchange speed.

The treatment you have received is appalling. The idea that a UHF antenna fitted to the nudge bar could be enough to crack the chassis is laughable. If the chassis of the Navara is that weak then everyone driving one should be deeply concerned. Don’t repair it; Nissan should be doing that under warranty. The dealer seems to be on your side, so enlist his help in contacting Nissan. Nissan’s headquarters is in Melbourne, their phone number is 03 9797 4111.

Yes, it is a well-known issue with the 3.0-litre turbo diesel, one that we have publicized in Carsguide a number of times. Nissan has in the past offered assistance to owners who have suffered this engine meltdown. I would suggest you present your case to Nissan and request they come to the party as they have done with other owners, and if that doesn't work consult your state government consumer affairs people.

Under the Australian Consumer Law introduced in January 2011, a consumer can request a refund or a replacement for persistent problems if the car doesn’t do the job it’s supposed to do.

Fitting an extra leaf to the rear springs could help, but if you’re a tradie who runs a load in his ute pretty much all the time, even leaves it loaded overnight, the rear springs would eventually sag even with an extra leaf. Depending on what you’re doing loadwise airbags are probably the best solution. They are readily available and will set you back about $1100 from one of the suspension specialists.

Sounds very dodgy. The oil shouldn't be black so soon after being changed. The excuse that it's the configuration of the engine sounds lame. I recently did a 2200 km run in my 80-year-old Dodge after changing the oil and it still wasn't dirty.

The dealer’s advice to drive “carefully” is appalling. If there is a risk of the airbags not working they should have offered you a replacement car until yours if repaired. The part required is probably coming from overseas, but Nissan could airfreight it here and have it available within a day or two. That the dealer has had your car for nine weeks is, again, appalling. The best thing to do is to get on the phone to Nissan headquarters and express your disappointment with the treatment you have received. If you were unfortunate enough to have a crash you would be liable, I doubt that Nissan could be held accountable, but you would need to get legal advice on that.

I will assume you have a 4.2-litre non-turbo diesel, which can be a little gutless. But they are a tough old engine and will cope pretty well with a turbocharger. There are aftermarket bolt-on kits available, generally at a cost of about $3000 or so, and will usually boost the power by about 20 per cent. Before you do it ensure your engine is in relatively good shape, there’s no point in fitting a turbo to an engine that’s on its last legs.

Nissan says only models post 2004 can run E10, which isn’t a lot of help for owners of older models like yours. The 1999 Pulsar hatch has multi-point fuel injection, so there’s little chance of you having a problem with E10. If you were concerned about the effects of E10 you could run premium unleaded.

It's likely to be a dry connection at the HUD module or the module itself could be faulty. You could try a second-hand module or have an auto electrician check and solder the joints for you if necessary.

I don’t buy the story that the problem is due to switching manufacturing from Europe to Thailand, they’ve been building D40 Navaras in Thailand for a couple of years now. The general rule of thumb was that manufacturers would maintain spares for 10 years after a model has left production, but with changes to the way they do things they appear to be cutting things very fine. I would keep the pressure up on the company, through the dealer and direct, and certainly have a solicitor send them a letter.