Dont take your navara stx offroad

[TheRealAndy]

Did my 10k service today, had a whinge about the squeek in the rear suspension. Went to pick it up, car still squeeking. Now this is not some old falcon built in 1985, its a brand new $45k 4wd with 12000 on the clock. Well apparently the squeek is because I got mud in the rubber bushes (not sure which ones) and that has dried out the rubber (I am yet to figure out how a polymer can dry out) hence the squeeks. Now this suspension fault, that i caused also makes the rear seat squeek for some reason. So this is all my fault, and they wont fix it under warantee cause i got mud in the bushes.

So, here is me praising village nissan (redcliffe and petrie) beacuse sale was best sale of a new car i have ever dealt with. But rest assured, if you have a problem you will deal with arrogance and ignorance and it will be all your fault. SUre its only a squeek, but I piad near on 50000 for this car and I dont want it to sound like a 1985 falcon, I want it to sound like a new car that I paid 50k for.

[BenDover]

Nissan has always been like that. look at all the people who burnt out 5th gear and or blew their new engines up. Nissan doesnt want to know you at all.

I take it the sqeek is in the rear leaf springs? Best thing you can do is go and buy some greasable shackle pins with polyurathane bushes. Never sqeek again and cofortable as. If there is still a sqeek somewhere, hit it with TAC2 (spray can lubricant) it has a chemical reaction when it hits the steel and doesnt come off easy at all.

[Roughasguts]

Silicone spray is also pretty good at stopping squeaks either permanantly, or at least a very long time.

[FNQCairns]

Yeah they have rocks in their head, they cannot win on the roundabout, but as mentioned before Nissan is like this:(

A can of Lanolin sprayed well in the general direction of the problem should sort it out each time, then road grime will do the rest over time possibly.

I am stuck, I have but one upgrade I can make from the GQ before all of the models of decent 4wd's are gone forever.

Town cars with 4wd will be a long term headache for me I suspect if I purchased any of the new crop.

cheers fnq

[BenDover]

I HEAR YOU AND SECOND THAT FNQCAIRNS. Now try adding to the eqasion (the tray back ute range) there are only 2. Cruiser and patrol. Not much of a choice. And patrol is the only company with live axle fronts (in the wagon range) they are going to clean up...

[Taroona]

I had a Patrol 2.5 turbo diesel and fought with Nissan for 2 years and I will never buy another Nissan again. and I tell everyone who want's to know that their after sales service is the worst money can buy.

[TheRealAndy]

I just got off the phone to the service manager, he was pretty helpful and wants to take a look at it himself. He has even organised a free courtesy car (they should always be free). So I guess I will try and remain optimistic and wait to see what happens.

Before I rang the service manager I rang the sales guy and asked him if the navara was a real 4wd or a toy, he laughed at me and asked if i was kidding him. So I then asked if it was suitable to take offroad, in the mud and on the beach. His response was that it can do all those things..

[steve99]

I had a Patrol 2.5 turbo diesel and fought with Nissan for 2 years and I will never buy another Nissan again. and I tell everyone who want's to know that their after sales service is the worst money can buy.

In April 2007 the turbo in my 5 month old D22 Navara developed a sickening whining noise.
Initially, I was a little apprehensive about taking the vehicle back to the dealer because I'd been having it serviced elsewhere.

Anyway,when the dealer inspected the vehicle, they said the bearings in the turbo were buggered and it needed to be fixed pronto.

48 hours later, they fitted a new turbo - no questions asked - and I drove away a happy little camper.

The moral of the story - every dealership is different when it comes to customer service.

Luckily, I struck a good one. Otherwise it could have been expensive.

Steve99

[BenDover]

Its a good mid range 4x4 Andy. Just like all the others with IFS fronts etc.., and usually perfect for people who only go in mud and on the beach. But not in the bush. Apart from completely rebuilding the set up on them (which costs 10's of thousands and is illegal). There is only so much you can do and so far you can get. People do super lifts on them to fit bigger tyres ie.. Higher ground clearance. But thats not enough and it weakens the front axles running them on higher angles. We all started with ifs hilux's ect and then when we couldnt spend anymore money on them and still couldnt get to where we would like to be (where the cruisers and patrols where with all their after market gear at the top of the runs. Even with lockers, tyres and as much suspension travel you can get out of them) you either put up with it or sell it and upgrade.

And now they are phasing out the live axle fronts and its really sad to see. Giving us no options but to buy an older truck and do it up. Or go a patrol :).

Unfortunately you have to start with a live axle front if you want to be able to take it anywhere and not have to stress. (mostly due to stronger and only 1 CV joint on each axle. And suspension travel to avoid roll overs). A few months ago i would have agreed that IFS drive nicer on the roads than coil fronts, but thats all changed now after fixing all my problems. Its a dream now... :)

[ozbizweb]

It seems the Nissan culture has not changed.

Years ago I bought a new Nissan Civilian. When the gearbox collapsed at 110,000 Km (10,000 over the warranty at that time) the dealership wanted to charge me almost as much as a third of the original vehicle cost for a complete replacement as the gearbox was unrepairable. I cut up rough and they came back to me with an offer to do it for $3.5K. I do not know why but I agreed to this.

When that gearbox collapsed 50,000 KM later the dealership refused to repair it under warranty because the previous repair had been made with a second-hand gearbox. (My fault for not reading the fine print).

I never get tired of telling that story.

[squizzytaylor]

The company I last worked for had a fleet of 2.8 Turbo Diesels (around 40) of which no less than 12 had turbo failures and 5 total engine failures. All vehicles had been serviced by non-genuine workshops however the 17 had been serviced by over 9 different workshops in 5 different states. The case is still going through the courts. Nissan cited the issues as being due to inadequate service practices.

Geoff

[TheRealAndy]

Fortunatly mine has been great aside from the squeeks. Mechanically it is great, and is a fantastic car to drive both on and off road. Hopefully it will stay that way.

[BenDover]

I knew nissan where bad. But these stories are crazy!!!!!!!!!! Im glad and dont think i would ever buy a brand new nissan. It was a joke when the sales man asked me if i could "FEEL THAT POWER" when i was taking a new GU 4.2td ute for a test drive. I asked him if he rides a skateboard to work. And then he told me the price...... The brakes work well :)...

[steve99]

I knew nissan where bad. But these stories are crazy!!!!!!!!!! Im glad and dont think i would ever buy a brand new nissan. It was a joke when the sales man asked me if i could "FEEL THAT POWER" when i was taking a new GU 4.2td ute for a test drive. I asked him if he rides a skateboard to work. And then he told me the price...... The brakes work well :)...



So what did you end up buying - A musso ???


Steve99

[squizzytaylor]

The reality is, of the millions of cars produced each year there are bound to be issues with a percentage. Not neccesarily the manufacturers fault. By the very nature of mass produced products these faults can and often do happen in batches.
My story probably sounds worse than it is, as being a large company its a pain in the backside but not nearly as bad as it might be for an individual who relies on the vehicle for personal transport.
IMHO most vehicles in each class are all very similar now so to a large degree it comes down to your personal choice of badge and the small variations and differences that each one offers.
The true test of these companies mettle is how they respond to these warranty issues and wether or not they are prepared to take responsibility for them and address and rectify them.

Geoff

[BenDover]

So what did you end up buying - A musso ???


Steve99


Oh, I got a patrol. :) only because I need a ute for work and they have coil cabs (ahhh comfort). But i purchased mine second hand from a dealer after checking everything with a fine tooth comb and it was just outside of warantee so i could do my engine conversion and not worry about nissan. thank god...

I even rang the people who owned it (farmers from nsw) and asked them why it had so little k's for a 3 year old truck. They said because they have a cruiser and that patrol on the farm. And it was sooooo slow "couldnt tow anything" so it just used to go to town and back until they traded it in on another cruiser.

Great truck but everytime it rains red water comes from undiclosed places. ;D

[wazzab]

gday andy, ive got a D40 i lifted it 2inches put air bags on it, a set of bash plates and took it all over NT, SA, towing a camper trailer with no problems and take it off road any where blokes with crusiers patrols ect go. going to the cape in july. the D40 has a great low range plus LSD. but ive got the same bloody squeek i cant get rid of it either, nissan told me it was my fault because i changed suspention.

[BenDover]

same old story...

[TheRealAndy]

If they dont fix it this wednesday I will get stuck into it and find out what it is. I used to be quite handy at tracking down squeeks, but I have not had to do it for sometime now.


BTW, me quizzing the sales guy about it being a toy was just to get him to tell me I can use it in mud so that I could throw it back to the service department. Nothing better than having 2 people in the same company contradicting each other!

[PinHead]

stop messing aorund with the dealer..fire off a fax or email to the head office in Aus and also one to Japan...that usually gets a response.

[Outdoor Guy]

Well good thing i got a Triton then

[TheRealAndy]

Well good thing i got a Triton then

If it were not for the body shape of the dual cab triton thats what I would have bought.

[wazzab]

same old story...thanks to a suggestion on this fourm i went mad with a can of silicone spray and bugger me the squeek seems to have gone first thing the family noticed when they got in 8-)

[BenDover]

Noworries mate. Silicone 808 is a the go. Wait until your engine is hot and do all your leads and wires in the engine bay aswell. And then the beach and water crossings youll have no troubles with either. ;)

[martinies]

The D40's are great utes, with nice interiors. But the most common problems is as stated, they can't handle off road and the mechanics from Gold Coast Nissan can all attest on the sub-par turbos

The D22 seems to fare better on all areas and its made in Japan, unlike the D40.

[wazzab]

[quote=martinies;779806]The D40's are great utes, with nice interiors. But the most common problems is as stated, they can't handle off road and the mechanics from Gold Coast Nissan can all attest on the sub-par turbos

The D22 seems to fare better on all areas and its made in Japan, unlike the D40.QUOTE.Mate as a d40 owner that came out of a landcruiser ute i can take the nissan any where the crusier went and do frequently,its been all over NT.SA. across two deserts draging a camper trailer all the time. up the fink river, oddnadatta, strez, birdsville tracks. fraser island and had no problems. all they need is a bit of a lift for ground clearence i put TJM shocks,springs ect plus air bags, with a great low range top LSD they do the job.

[martinies]

[quote=martinies;779806]The D40's are great utes, with nice interiors. But the most common problems is as stated, they can't handle off road and the mechanics from Gold Coast Nissan can all attest on the sub-par turbos

The D22 seems to fare better on all areas and its made in Japan, unlike the D40.QUOTE.Mate as a d40 owner that came out of a landcruiser ute i can take the nissan any where the crusier went and do frequently,its been all over NT.SA. across two deserts draging a camper trailer all the time. up the fink river, oddnadatta, strez, birdsville tracks. fraser island and had no problems. all they need is a bit of a lift for ground clearence i put TJM shocks,springs ect plus air bags, with a great low range top LSD they do the job.

Sweet ;D

I'm just basing my opinions on some opinions of D40 & D22 owners, mechanics and warranty jobs.. these two cars are on top of my list to buy for their towing capacity

[BenDover]

I dont think you should be making qoute's like "It can go anywhere cruiser's and patrol's can go offroad" unless your talking about your old cruiser. Because I know alot of people who are into hardcore 4x4ing will get anoyyed. Including myself.
There is NOWAY you can out do a cruiser or patrol in the bush. Your truck is a good mid range 4x4. Nissan vs nissan. Why do you think patrol is nissan's top of the range 4x4. Apart from running gear your truck has no suspension travel. The best thing you can do is put locker's in it and then you'll roll it. Its the way its always been.

As qouted and proven on here before. You wont even make it through the tracks to get into the bush.

[wazzab]

I dont think you should be making qoute's like "It can go anywhere cruiser's and patrol's can go offroad" unless your talking about your old cruiser. Because I know alot of people who are into hardcore 4x4ing will get anoyyed. Including myself.
There is NOWAY you can out do a cruiser or patrol in the bush. Your truck is a good mid range 4x4. Nissan vs nissan. Why do you think patrol is nissan's top of the range 4x4. Apart from running gear your truck has no suspension travel. The best thing you can do is put locker's in it and then you'll roll it. Its the way its always been.

As qouted and proven on here before. You wont even make it through the tracks to get into the bush. there was no mention of trying to ''OUT DO'' any one or mention of hardcore offroad work just sensible off road driving and as some one who lives and works on rough dirt roads pulling six decks of cattle in three trailers ill manage to keep the nissan up right. my guess is you live middle of syd, bris ,melb ect but glad to take all opinons on board with out getting annoyed as some apparently might a little to serious i think;D

[BenDover]

Yep all good mate. I understand where your comin from now :). I just hear it all day from lots of yobbo trademan at work. And it wears thin. As I spend all my time and money on my truck and fabrication of new gear for it. And they think there's is better or as good straight off the bat.

And then i have the diesel heads in my ear aswell. How there's is better because.... ::) jeleousy i recon ;D .
Check out this beast.

http://home.iprimus.com.au/promotive/_Personal/Patrol.htm

[Reel Hard]

It is true that the manufacturer is not liable for warranty isues with regard to enviromental cause. But a smart service department would have just lubed your springs and advised you of the need to apply this extra form of service when using your vehicle for offroad conditions.
Any good offroad driver will be aware of extra service needed when offroading.
Any good service department would have given you the good advice and not shrugged it off as not their problem.

[novice 1]

I had a Niisan pulsar. I spent nearly $1000 on clutches. After I ran out of mony I spent $30 on a manual that showed a messurement from the floor to the clutch peddle. Three turns of the adjustment screw and all fixed.

PS I now have a Toyota Prado, Its Great. I wouldn't say much for the politness of the Toyota service agent though.

[TheRealAndy]

It is true that the manufacturer is not liable for warranty isues with regard to enviromental cause. But a smart service department would have just lubed your springs and advised you of the need to apply this extra form of service when using your vehicle for offroad conditions.
Any good offroad driver will be aware of extra service needed when offroading.
Any good service department would have given you the good advice and not shrugged it off as not their problem.

I could handle the fact that offroad work requires non warantee maintenace. What I cant handle is being outright lied to. I would bet money that they never even tried to find the noise.

My car does stuff all offroad work, and when it does go off road it going up the beach and on dirt tracks. Point is, I paid nearly 50k for this car so it could do exactly that. Now having someone tell me that a bit of mud in the suspension dries it out the rubber bushes is not right. Furthermore, they try and tell me that it is these bushes that cause the rear seat to squeek????

So why am I pissed off? Firstly, rubber is a polymer and does not dry out. I have studied material science at uni and I find that a pathetic excuse like that an insult to my inteligence. I understand the failure mechanisms of rubber and that is not a valid one. Its more likely a design flaw. 10000km is not enough to cause deformation to rubber unless the design is flawed or it has suffered extreme temperature changes.

Secondly, About the worst track I have ever done is Harrys Hut Road which is barley even a 4wd track, if it candle handle that then the should not be marketing the car as an offroad vehicle.

[TheRealAndy]

I had a Niisan pulsar. I spent nearly $1000 on clutches. After I ran out of mony I spent $30 on a manual that showed a messurement from the floor to the clutch peddle. Three turns of the adjustment screw and all fixed.

PS I now have a Toyota Prado, Its Great. I wouldn't say much for the politness of the Toyota service agent though.

I have had to deal with toyota with comapany vehicles and I cant say there service departments are any better than nissan.

[BenDover]

Some friends of my mates (a new couple) got a honda cv or something like that/ maybe a rav 4. And took it 4x4ing on the beach through creeks and a little bit of bush work. And the car was totally stuffed. Burning bearings, bent things. leaning to 1 side etc.. They took it back to the dealer and asked them to fix it. A 1 month old car. But they said it wasnt covered by the warantee. But they said "we only did exactly what the add that enspired them to buy the car did" They took it to court, but i dont know what happed.

[Reel Hard]

I could handle the fact that offroad work requires non warantee maintenace. What I cant handle is being outright lied to. I would bet money that they never even tried to find the noise.

My car does stuff all offroad work, and when it does go off road it going up the beach and on dirt tracks. Point is, I paid nearly 50k for this car so it could do exactly that. Now having someone tell me that a bit of mud in the suspension dries it out the rubber bushes is not right. Furthermore, they try and tell me that it is these bushes that cause the rear seat to squeek????

So why am I pissed off? Firstly, rubber is a polymer and does not dry out. I have studied material science at uni and I find that a pathetic excuse like that an insult to my inteligence. I understand the failure mechanisms of rubber and that is not a valid one. Its more likely a design flaw. 10000km is not enough to cause deformation to rubber unless the design is flawed or it has suffered extreme temperature changes.

Secondly, About the worst track I have ever done is Harrys Hut Road which is barley even a 4wd track, if it candle handle that then the should not be marketing the car as an offroad vehicle.

I work for an OEM dealer, I am only trying to provide some helpfull advice on their standpoint. I think you have been poorly looked after and they could have done better.
All dealers are going the same way these days, the mechanics are just apprentices or TA's on stuff all money. Any good mechanic goes out and gets better money. This does not stop the dealer charging premium prices.

[JOHNBULL]

Well i did buy a new nissan STX 2006 with heaps of extra's for around 62 grand and have done 36000 kms now. Most of these on the tar but about 9000 kms on the dirt and offroad and it loves it. I did have a few little problems when i first got it and they where more than eager to help me out and went beyond there call of duty to get it right. I can say truthfully say that i never been treated so well from the dealer i brought my STX from, from the first time when i went in to ask about the STX until now they have been nothing but great.;D ;D ;D

[steve99]

Well i did buy a new nissan STX 2006 with heaps of extra's for around 62 grand and have done 36000 kms now. Most of these on the tar but about 9000 kms on the dirt and offroad and it loves it. I did have a few little problems when i first got it and they where more than eager to help me out and went beyond there call of duty to get it right. I can say truthfully say that i never been treated so well from the dealer i brought my STX from, from the first time when i went in to ask about the STX until now they have been nothing but great.;D ;D ;D


$62,000 for a D40 Navara.

No-wonder they have been great - they want you to come back !

Steve99

[TheRealAndy]

removed double post

[TheRealAndy]

I work for an OEM dealer, I am only trying to provide some helpfull advice on their standpoint. I think you have been poorly looked after and they could have done better.
All dealers are going the same way these days, the mechanics are just apprentices or TA's on stuff all money. Any good mechanic goes out and gets better money. This does not stop the dealer charging premium prices.

Cheers mate, I appreciate the comments. Fact is I would rather pay a few extra bucks for a decent service. I paid about $360 for the service and I bet all they did was change the oil. Being an ex tradie I should understand the issue with staff, but I often forget.


This is what the service report says:
All Squeeks seem to be coming from suspension, vehicle has been driven through mud which has dried out all the bushes and id (sic) causing the squeeks


I almost forgot to add, the driver door handle sticks open too, so often i pull the door closed and it will not stay closed. I have to make sure the handle is closed on the outside.

[BenDover]

I blame the mud for drying out your door handle.

[TheRealAndy]

Well the Navara is now sqeeek free. Turns out the bushes were not dried out from the mud after all :) and it was the leaf springs (as suspected). So now I know they lied to me, cause they said the only way to fix it was to replace the bushes and that was not done. Anyway, the service manager was really good about it all and I am now happy cause all the small anoying problems are now fixed and I did not have to pay a single cent for it.

[GBC]

The squeak will return - all cart sprung vehicles do it - only some are loud enough to give you the sh!ts.
Like the boys said, just hit it with the lube when you get home.

Judging by some of the posts about this model, squeaky springs are going to be the least of your worries - good luck.

P.s. anyone worked out why the rear diff has cooling fins yet?

[martinies]

The squeak will return - all cart sprung vehicles do it - only
P.s. anyone worked out why the rear diff has cooling fins yet?

The design is suppose to aid the cooling of the rear diff reservoir.

[Apollo]

Secondly, About the worst track I have ever done is Harrys Hut Road which is barley even a 4wd track, if it candle handle that then the should not be marketing the car as an offroad vehicle.


Strewth Andy, I have been to Harry Hut in my Falcon Wagon. Hardly a track to knock your 4wd around. You would expect better.

[TheRealAndy]

Strewth Andy, I have been to Harry Hut in my Falcon Wagon. Hardly a track to knock your 4wd around. You would expect better.

I have been up there in my old mazda 929 with no problems either!!!