Nissan X-TRAIL Problems

It's borderline at the moment, so I wouldn't panic, but I would monitor it over the next 12 months or so, and use a good quality 10w-50 oil. X-Trails do have a reputation for using oil at high mileage, and it's usually wear in the rings and bores.

It’s obviously frustrating and of course will affect the resale value when you come to move it on. There’s not much you can do about it; perhaps you could consult the consumer affairs people to get their opinion on whether Nissan should provide some compensation for what would seem to be an issue with their cars. One way of reducing the wear on seats is to slide the seat back before getting out, that way you won’t rub the seat as you exit. It’s the same when you get in, if the seat has already been slid back you won’t rub across the bolster as you enter, and of course you then have to slide the seat forward to your normal driving position.

It should tow your trailer without a problem, as long as the trailer is braked, and you are sure it weighs less than 1000 kg when loaded with all of your gear. In addition to the cars you are looking at there are plenty of other cars that could also tow your camper, like the Hyundai Santa Fe, Nissan X-Trail, Honda CR-V etc.

The problem is that your driving routine doesn't meet the requirements for the Diesel Particulate Filter to conduct an automatic burn that it must do to get rid of the carbon that has accumulated in it as part of its normal function. The auto burns happens without you knowing, there is no effect on the engine operation while it's going on, but if it doesn't happen the warning light comes on, the engine warning comes on, and eventually the car goes on to a limp home mode that virtually forces you to go to the dealer who can do a forced burn to restore the filter to normal operation. If it's not done it can result in a damaged filter, and can also result in damage to the catalytic converters and that can lead to a very large repair bill in the many thousands of dollars. There isn't much the dealer can do, other than what they have done on your car, and the suggestion to buy a new car is a sign of the frustration they are feeling. Nissan's reputation in the trade is that they are very uncooperative when it comes to warranty claims, although in this case there is little they can do, the solution needs to come from Japan.

Our Nissan specialist Jerry Newman says it is not unusual to find oil in the air cleaner on diesels, Nissan and other brands, but the issue really comes down to how much there. A small amount, such as a smear, is nothing to be concerned about. It would have come through the breathing system. If there's a lot of oil then it would be a problem, and you should look at the engine breathing system to find a fault. Newman says that's most unlikely on such a new car.

It depends on the weight you're going to tow and the terrain you'll be traveling over. Your caravan is well within the X- Trail's weight limits, but remember the weight the fully loaded weight, not just the weight of the caravan. If the caravan weighs 1300 kg fully loaded, and if the roads you will be traveling on are relatively flat then you should be able to get away without a cooler. But a cooler is good insurance against overheating the transmission, and overheating it is a good way to kill it.

I'm not aware of any affordable equipment you could purchase to diagnose problems at home. If you want to save money you could use an independent service agent who would generally charge much less than the dealer.

Since we last responded to your question we have found out that the X-Trail does have an issue with the breakdown of the catalytic converters in the exhaust system, and the abrasive powder formed can be sucked back into the engine because of the valve overlap Nissan employs to control NOx. Once in the engine it can cause rapid wear of the bores and rings, and the oil trial like yours shows.