Nissan X-TRAIL Engine Problems

I'd question their diagnosis of the engine coating burning off; I think it could be deeper than that.

The vibration could be coming from a variety of sources on the engine and in the transmission.

The dealer is doing the correct thing in getting the car in for a proper investigation that will hopefully reveal the cause of the problems.

At this stage, as the car is new you should co-operate with the dealer while they are trying to resolve the issues, but at the same time maintain a watching brief to make sure there is a genuine attempt to fix your car.

The fan only comes on when the temperature reaches a certain point under normal running, but always runs when the AC is turned on. It could be the thermostat sticking, but I would be getting a mechanic to pressure test the system first.

I doubt that it’s the battery or starter that’s causing your problem. I would suggest digging deeper into the engine itself, perhaps even check for a leaking head gasket.

It’s possible water has got into something in the engine bay when you were cleaning it, and I doubt it would come good just by driving it. Get it to a dealer or mechanic to have it checked.

We'd recommend the Nissan T32 X-Trail Series II from mid-2017-onwards and Subaru S4 Forester (2013-2018), since they both make strong secondhand buys due to their reliability, economy, ease of operation, spacious interiors, practicality and strong resale values.

The reason why we'd buy the 2017-onwards X-Trail Series II is because it standardises Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB). With the Forester, you'll need to skip the lower grades 2.0i-L (manual-only) and 2.5i-L (auto only) for the S and XT for that important safety technology Subaru calls 'EyeSight'. 

The X-Trail comes in front-wheel drive (2WD) or all-wheel drive (AWD) configurations, but the Forester is AWD-only. All automatics are of the continuous variable transmission (CVT) variety, which priorities fuel economy but can make the engine drone under hard acceleration. Subaru calls its CVT Lineartronic while Nissan dubs its version X-Tronic.

Our recommendation is to check the service and maintenance history of any car you buy, to ensure every interval has been met and carried out by a proper dealer or brand specialist. This is especially important with the Forester, as it is a slightly more complicated vehicle mechanically. Note that all Subarus of this generation require six-monthly service intervals, not 12-monthly ones like the Nissan, which might be an inconvenience. 

We'd steer clear of ex-rentals as they tend to have a very hard life (both models were popular with such agencies), though they're almost always the base X-Trail ST and Forester 2.5i-L grades that end up as rental fodder.

If you're thinking about diesel engined versions, the X-Trail in middle-range TL and up-spec TS guises switched from the earlier (2014-2017) Series 1's 1.6-litre turbo-diesel to a much more powerful and effective 2.0-litre unit, so that's worth remembering. In the Forester the 2.0D equates to the mid-level petrol models in terms of equipment levels.

Finally, we recommend a mechanical check-up to see that your potential used-buy has not been subjected to punishing off-road treatment. While both the Forester and X-Trail offer good ground clearances, they're not for off-road use, only light gravel, snow or trail driving.

We hope this helps. Good luck. 

It could be any number of things I’m afraid. It’s clearly not the battery. If it doesn’t turn over when you turn the ignition key to start it could be a faulty starter motor; if it does crank, but doesn’t fire look at the ignition system.

Yes, you can, providing of course it’s the petrol engine and not the diesel.

I don’t believe that what you want is out there, and can only reiterate past advice, buy a Patrol/Pajero/Prado/LandCruiser.

If it has made by a reputable spare parts manufacturer, then yes, it probably is ok, but I would be looking to replace the leaking seals rather than the whole cover assembly.

There’s not much between them, but the Honda is regarded as being a little better than the Nissan overall. It’s well-equipped, good value, and practical. Another to consider is the Mazda CX-5.