Nissan Problems

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.