Nissan Problems

THE 3.0-litre turbodiesel Patrol is regarded in some quarters as a grenade waiting to go off. I would steer away from them.

YOU would like to think the people servicing your car are up with its specifications, but sadly sometimes that's not always the case. As you've discovered, and Nissan has confirmed, your Navara does have anti-skid brakes standard. It's always a good idea to do the research before buying a vehicle.

The fuel gauge is an indicator of how much fuel is in the tank, but shouldn't be taken too seriously. It's there so you don't run out of petrol. Checking your fuel economy is easy. Simply fill your tank and reset your trip meter, then drive the car for a week or so until it needs refilling, refill it and record the distance you've driven. Divide the kilometres driven by the litres needed to refill the tank and you have your economy in km/litre.

THE Camry is a good choice. It's a reliable model and won't cost an arm and a leg to run. I would also consider the Nissan Maxima A32, which fits your budget, and don't forget the Mitsubishi Magna. You will get a later-model Magna for the same money.

GOING gas is an attractive option and the numbers now favour LPG over diesel. Repco recently opted to go that path with Mitsubishi Tritons and reckon the petrol engine running on LPG is cheaper than going with the diesel alternative.

YOUR Falcon does seem to be using more LPG than it should. Have it tuned to make sure all is well with the LPG system and the ignition. I would accept 18 litres/100km on LPG as reasonable given the Falcon would probably be getting about 14 litres/100km on petrol, but 22 litres/100km on LPG, if that's correct, is too high. Look for a modern gas-injection system for your Nissan -- it will use less LPG and you won't lose as much performance as you would with a Venturi/mixer system like the one I suspect is fitted to your Falcon.

THE guys at the Australian LPG Warehouse have a kit for your car, but they advise you take out a warranty policy because problems have been reported from the field with that engine. It seems the catalytic converter can fail and bits of the catalyst can be sucked into the engine through the EGR system. There are cases where the bores in the engine have been scored. They say they haven't had the problem with their kits, but they do advise caution.

CARMAKERS publish fuel-economy figures based on a standard test; they're intended to be used for comparison purposes so buyers can determine which car is more fuel-efficient. Because they're taken from a dynamometer test, they don't necessarily relate to real-world fuel economy. The best thing you can do is to review all of the things that can affect fuel economy, such as driving style, speed, hilly terrain, tyre pressure and roof racks -- and make adjustments to minimise their effect. That said, the Nissan X-Trail is one that is often complained about by Carsguide readers and some have resorted to LPG to fix the problem.

THIS is one of those situations that calls into question what is reasonable use. My guess is Nissan is saying your use falls outside what is reasonable, but I would think that it is quite reasonable for you to take your car on to corrugated roads and not have it fall apart. Keep the pressure on.

IT SOUNDS as though Nissan needs to do some work. The Patrol has a reputation for being tough and able to stand up to the rigours of the bush. Maybe it's gone soft.