Nissan Problems

It is probably a leaking head gasket, a known problem with the Pulsar, and it shouldn't be difficult to repair. Once it's repaired the car should drive as well as ever, and you could keep on driving it as long as you like.

Boy, Nissan really did consult the textbook of lame excuses for you, didn’t they! Paint peeling off plastic parts like the rear view mirror isn’t unusual, it happens quite often and it’s not restricted to Nissan. I would go back to Nissan and give them an earful about what customer service really means and demand they fix your car. Their obligations to you, the customer, don’t end when their warranty runs out. If that doesn’t help you could consult a paint specialist for an independent assessment and you could then approach your state government’s consumer affairs people for advice on your legal standing.

It does seem like a lot of money for what appears a simple job, but the dealer is probably charging $80 or so per hour, then there’s the cost of the badge on top of that. Take your car to an independent mechanic next time and you’ll probably save quite a bit of money.

It’s probably not doing any serious damage, but it’s unusual that the synchroes should be worn as is suggested. Make sure you’re fully disengaging the clutch when you shift and try shifting a little slower and giving the synchroes a little more time to work. You could also try double de-clutching to see if that helps. If it proves to be a case of worn synchroes have the gearbox rebuilt and replaced.

There have been issues with the catalytic converters overheating and breaking up and being ingested into the engine with Pathfinders running on LPG and installers generally don't recommend it. The guys at the Australian LPG Warehouse tell us that they have recently fitted a Pathfinder with one of their JTG liquid-injection systems.  They tell us that the combustion temperature with their system is the same as it would be on petrol, alleviating the problem with the cat converters.

We haven’t heard of any problems with the new liquid-injection technology, but it is relatively new and yet to be fully proven like the alternative vapour-injection system. There is plenty of debate over the benefits of liquid-injection, the proponents of the technology claim substantial increases in power and economy, while opponents, those who favour the well-proven vapour-injection technology say the benefits are minimal and not worth the risk that comes with being a pioneer and adopting the new technology. As an aside we have heard that Ford has delayed introduction of its Euro 4 E-gas engine, which was to use liquid-injection, for at least six months. While the reasons for the delay are not clear, it has been suggested it could be because of refueling problems at high ambient temperatures. That’s speculation at this stage, but whatever the problem it’s serious enough to have Ford going ahead without an E-gas option for the next few months.

When new Nissan claimed the 1.6-litre would do around 8.0 L/100 km and the 2.0-litre around 9.0 L/100 km, so the fuel consumption of your car is a little higher than it should be based on those numbers. But you have to consider your driving conditions, the terrain, the condition of the car, and the fact that the engine is now worn. Check the fuel and ignition systems to make sure all is well with them, I would also check the compression and make sure it’s on the mark as well.

I have to assume you are talking about diesel engines here and want to swap a 3.0-litre turbo engine for a 4.2-litre non-turbo. In that case it is possible to make the swap without major surgery, but it is likely to be hard to find a decent 4.2-litre engine and gearbox. You might be better to install a 4.2-litre turbo diesel, that way you would get the better performance, but again finding an engine for the swap would be difficult. It would be more economical to swap your car for another one with the engine and gearbox combination you want.

Cheap doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting a poor quality job, but you do need to be careful about selecting an installer. Find out what brands of system you’re being quoted for and talk to the manufacturers of those systems to confirm the competence of the installers involved. I would choose a well-respected brand of system and a well-established installer with a good reputation, and it might help if you could talk to other owners who have used those installers.

For starters you don't have to have it serviced by a dealer, your warranty won't be affected if you have it serviced somewhere else providing it is done by the book. You could phone around and get quotes from other service outlets and other Nissan dealers. You could also ask your dealer to explain what things need to be fixed. Never be afraid to question your dealer and have them justify their charges. Oh, and three sets of tyres and four sets of brakes in 80,000 km is totally unacceptable.