Legally where do we stand ?

[missinnissin]

Hi all, I'm new to the forum & have had (are continuing to have) the following issues -

I've had the seat moving automatically issues
I've had the airbag mod
I am now mid way through the clutch issues...

29,717 miles down the line & 1 clutch replacement later (credit to the dealership who repaired it, they were quick with the job).

Whilst I am happy with the new clutch, on return of the truck I noticed that when cold, it took 5-10 seconds before the throttle actually increased engine speed, once it is warm it acts fine though.
On driving the truck, it now appears to have lost some performance & feels 'sluggish' compared with how it used to be - which is one of the main reasons why I went for the Nissan over the others.
I spoke to the service dept of the dealership, they admit to a re-map of the system which is farely obviously causing the reduced performance.
Whilst I realise the clutch had to be replaced I am a little bemused why the engine map needed altering, this is something I never asked for or was advised of. (I think it is a 'de-tune' to protect the clutch for the future??)

I have written to the main dealership I got the truck from asking for their opinion & what they intend to do about this, the truck is still (just) within the 3 year / 60k warranty.

Has anyone else faced the remapping issue, if so how did you get on with this? Surely they cannot just alter the vehicle characteristics without my knowledge / consent?
The contract of sale should deem the vehicle should be as sold & Nissan can't surely alter spec when it suits them?

Any issues / comments / similar experiences would be appreciated !

Thanks,
Missinnissin.

[Niall Scott]

This article appears in a magazine serving the interests of engine machinists and rebuilders called The Engine Rebuilder August 08 www.the-engine-rebuilder.co.ukIt has a front page title and photographs of worn bearing shells.

WWW.Knackerednavara.CO.UK


No, I’m not kidding there really is such a website – look it up on your computer. I’m not surprised either in view of the problems the engines are giving.

Two engine reconditioners I have interviewed for this article have seen so many failures that they can illustrate each progressive stage prior to the catastrophe, as the accompanying pictures in this article show.

The website goes on about a “con-rod problem” and I suppose that’s how it looks to the uninitiated. I have sent many photographs of big end top halves from the back two cylinders (it’s always the top half and it’s always cylinders #3 and #4) to my former teacher and mentor on bearings for his opinion. He reckons that the problem is fatigue damage and comments that the damage is always in the same place relative to the oil hole. Whilst he wasn’t sure, from an examination of the photographs, whether

Fatigue of the upper big end halves in the back two cylinders occurs first. Continued operation would appear to initiate a crack on the big end housing of the connecting rod – again, always in the same place, viz across the oil hole in the housing.

Where engines have been pulled down for other problems and fatigue damage has more or less just started, the connecting rod has exhibited no cracking. It would certainly seem that the connecting rods are fine until the fatigue damage becomes considerable.

I was given connecting rods to photograph which showed initiation of a crack, propagation of the crack and eventual failure – all from different engines.

Indeed, no two pictures in this article are of components from the same engine. Just in case it was alleged that the big end bolts had caused the problem, I was given a detached connecting rod big end with both bolts still firmly in place !


So we have bearing fatigue, followed by connecting rod fracture, so it’s not rocket science to predict that the third stage is a hole in the side of the block/crankcase necessitating a new engine. Costly, very costly and what are Nissan doing about this problem ? Well not a lot as far as I can see. Certainly, our friends on the “knackerednavara” website seem singularly unimpressed by Nissan’s customer service back-up.

Getting a quart out of a pint pot is the ambition of many vehicle manufacturers. Could this be at the root of this problem ? There are rumours that these vehicles are not as troublesome when they are serviced by certain main dealers. It is thought that they go on the computer during servicing and get the ECU altered, whereas the one’s that are serviced outside the dealer network obviously miss out on this.

One of the engine reconditioners has had a major energy pipeline constructed past his front door and the civil engineers building this pipeline were apparently supplied with Navaras which were, he thinks, leased directly from Nissan presumably with a servicing agreement. Not only did these vehicles sound better with running but he never heard of one failing with fatigued bearings, cracked connecting rods or ventilated blocks. Yet during this period, farmers and other individual users suffered from all these problems.

What is worrying is the obvious dissatisfaction of Nissan’s customers. People have spent a lot of money on their vehicles and Nissan Customer Services are not doing the job their clientele expect. Not only are they not advising and helping to resolve this problem for all buyers but they are not admitting that there is a problem. Unless Navara owners are looking for pen friends or similar, Nissan Customer Services would do well to remember that loyalty is a two way thing and identify and resolve the causes of this problem.

Yet another engine reconditioner confided that the Navara engine was not the best example of the engine maker’s art in his opinion. To be fair, he did mention that the TD27 was an excellent engine from Nissan – so good in fact that he hardly ever saw one and certainly stocked no parts for them. Perhaps the best quote I got was from him when he said it was difficult to believe that both engines came from the same manufacturer ! I suppose in this day and age one could be forgiven for asking the question, “Do they ?”-------------------- Mikes article suspects engine de-tuning,Nissan have denied this Regards Niall PS Have you been to Trading Standards?

[missinnissin]

Cheers Niall.
I havent been to trading standards... Im awaiting a reply from the dealership HQ, pending their responce it will be trading standards or anyone else I can think of to get this out in the open.

Are there any other owners who suspect that their trucks have been de-tuned? I hope I'm not the only one...!!