V9x engine problems

[V9x]

Hey guys ,

I have had my 2012 stx for a year now , and I have had some ongoing issues with it . Love the car to death but I'm really sick of constant trips to Nissan with not much success in fixing the problems . I would be keen to hear from other v9x powered nav owners if they have been having problems also. A bloke I work with owns one and he has already had fault codes coming up and had to replace pads and rotors at 20k service !!!

1 check engine light comes on around 15k mark ,take to Nissan they plug in and tell me multiple fault codes , need to reset computer .

2 take car for 20k service , cruise control not working properly on occasions , check engine light still on , not staying in 1st in 4L (did read thread on forum about this issue ) Did service they said they reset computer , engine light fixed , also said transmission code was related to low range issue, and cruise control fixed , also said they repaired faulty earth .

30 mins down road check engine light back on !

3 take back to dealers second service centre , they replace EGR valve , service manage tells me that was the problem all along . Car was driving a lot better (more power ) but went to use cruise control , and surprise it's not working .


So now I have to go back again , and I don't think they really know how to fix it , but I'll give them another shot.

Is this a general issue with these cars and Nissan mechanics ? I hate to say this but i never had a problem with my mitsubishi , and I feel like I may as well take it to ultra tune or someone else , cause Nissan seem to know nothing about there own vehicles ..


I'm feeling a little bit frustrated by all this . Please share your experiences with me

 

[180degrees]

Trouble is alot of the dealers technicians know nothing about cars and can't fix things unless the fault codes tell them what is wrong.

 

[Leprechaun]

Borrow or buy a OBDII reader, so you can check for yourself what fault code is coming up.

Where in Vic are you? There are a few good diesel mechanics you can try that are going to know 100x more than Ultratune ever will.

 

[V9x]

Trouble is alot of the dealers technicians know nothing about cars and can't fix things unless the fault codes tell them what is wrong.

It seems to be the case .. Bit sad really .. No such thing as real mechanics these days

 

[V9x]

Borrow or buy a OBDII reader, so you can check for yourself what fault code is coming up.

Where in Vic are you? There are a few good diesel mechanics you can try that are going to know 100x more than Ultratune ever will.

Is that like a scan tool type device? I thought about that ,but thought it unfair to have to buy such a device when I just spent over 50k on a new car lol .

I'm in s/e suburbs near carrum... Open to recommendations for decent mechanics ..

Cheers

 

[Leprechaun]

Must have seen you around, as I live in Carrum. If you still have the engine light on swing around my place I have a scantool to check it.

I'll PM you my number

 

[V9x]

Thanks for the generous offer mate ,your a gentleman . Nissan managed to fix the engine light when they replaced the EGR valve. It's the cruise control that plays up now. Where do you get your Nissan serviced ? I take mine and the mrs xtrail to ferntree gully Nissan , and have been pretty happy up until this point .

 

[Old.Tony]

Trouble is alot of the dealers technicians know nothing about cars and can't fix things unless the fault codes tell them what is wrong.

100% accurate.

For some people, being a mechanic is about passion. For some, it's a buck. A good mechanic who's been to TAFE and done some work experience at a private yard will get snapped up by a private yard at a reasonably decent rate of pay.

Unfortunately it means the guys at the dealerships at the lower rate of pay are usually the guys who didn't do so well, or impress as well, and can't demand as good an hourly rate.

Add something very, very important to this. Nissan are very aware of this, and to prevent it from being realised in the big wide world Nissan developed the service manual with a step-by-step guide that a blind monkey could follow. Nissan REQUIRE their dealers service techs to follow this "recipe" absolutely perfectly. The price for following it: Nissan pay the mechanic. If the recipe isn't followed, Nissan don't pay.

That means that your car goes in and MUST be examined in accordance to the recipe. This does guarantee that 95% of problems will be addressed efficiently, but those 95% are rarely mentioned here, we only get the 5% because they're quite a headache. Those 5% often have properly working parts replaced unnecessarily simply because the diagnostic steps required it and they'll always take longer - it's just a sad fact of life.

I also doubt that Nissan is alone in this.

 

[V9x]

100% accurate.

For some people, being a mechanic is about passion. For some, it's a buck. A good mechanic who's been to TAFE and done some work experience at a private yard will get snapped up by a private yard at a reasonably decent rate of pay.

Unfortunately it means the guys at the dealerships at the lower rate of pay are usually the guys who didn't do so well, or impress as well, and can't demand as good an hourly rate.

Add something very, very important to this. Nissan are very aware of this, and to prevent it from being realised in the big wide world Nissan developed the service manual with a step-by-step guide that a blind monkey could follow. Nissan REQUIRE their dealers service techs to follow this "recipe" absolutely perfectly. The price for following it: Nissan pay the mechanic. If the recipe isn't followed, Nissan don't pay.



That means that your car goes in and MUST be examined in accordance to the recipe. This does guarantee that 95% of problems will be addressed efficiently, but those 95% are rarely mentioned here, we only get the 5% because they're quite a headache. Those 5% often have properly working parts replaced unnecessarily simply because the diagnostic steps required it and they'll always take longer - it's just a sad fact of life.

I also doubt that Nissan is alone in this.

That's a good way to put it tony. I am starting to see the reality of all this now . Nissan specialist technicians are bearly fit to change your cars oil lol

Sad really, I'm getting nervous about the future problems I may have with this vehicle if they can't even get ontop of these minor mechanical issues . Starting to consider not investing anymore money in this vehicle. Or perhaps I'm being overly negative . I can be a little fussy lol

 

[V9x]

On a positive note , I do love the car like a child ..sometimes I sneak outside to have a peak at her and have a quiet beer together : ) my wife is concerned about me and thinks I may have a problem hahaha

 

[user 10312]

That's a good way to put it tony. I am starting to see the reality of all this now . Nissan specialist technicians are bearly fit to change your cars oil lol

Sad really, I'm getting nervous about the future problems I may have with this vehicle if they can't even get ontop of these minor mechanical issues . Starting to consider not investing anymore money in this vehicle. Or perhaps I'm being overly negative . I can be a little fussy lol

Yeah mate you buy a newy, not the best $ for $ value but think oh well if something does go wrong at least I'm covered only to find out like I have how incompetent most Nissan Service centers are. Gone thru all those emotions including the having a beer with my car. My wife thinks I need help to. So your not alone
I was ready to off load mine To the point of taking off all the accessories I have added. I love the way it drives, looks... but when I considered how much doh I was going to loose (resale is pathetic) I thought wouldn't it be better to spend say half of that addressing (mods) to the things that are likely to give problems. So that's my little project atm. I know i shouldn't have to do this but I figure I will end up with the truck that hopefully will serve me well. I bought it as keeper.

As for the probs I've had. A lopsided truck. Took Fulcums to find the problem which ended up to be a defective sway bar which was eventually replaced under warranty. What I thought to be excessive rollover noise in the gearbox turned out to issue that Thai trucks built after Mid 2011now have single mass flywheel as opposed to the DMF. The bozzoes changed out the clutch throwout bearing to try and rectify the so called problem then to eventually discover their own Nissan service bulletin that states (I read it myself) the D40's with SMF's will experience more rollover noise in the gearbox along with slightly more vibration. Muppets! These problems took nearly 12 months to rectify but got there eventually.

As for your no cruise control problem I've Had that to that was after they took the G'box out to replace the clutch throw out bearing. After some investigative work myself discovered all ABS sensors in the wheels along with the speed sensor in the gearbox output has to output a signal or no cruise and no 4WD either. So if the truck looses the output signal from the gearbox output sensor it then looks at wheel speed as a reference. In their hasty job they didn't replace the sensor on the g'box properly (loose) and that's what caused the problem. I unpluged it sprayed some contact cleaner on it and been faultless since. So maybe checkout if it goes into 4WD. If not it could something other than the g'box and wheel sensors.

Good luck!

 

[sterlo]

60k on mine now, only problems i have had is nissan not servicing it properly. so everytime i get it serviced i have to check that everything has been replaced. i only go to nissan for warranty.

 

[BJJ84]

60k on mine now, only problems i have had is nissan not servicing it properly. so everytime i get it serviced i have to check that everything has been replaced. i only go to nissan for warranty.

no need to go to Nissan for warranty. almost every mechanic offers logbook servicing these days. My 40k service would've been $1,100 at Nissan, my local guy did it for $650 and I'm much happier with his knowledge over the Nissan tech's.

If something goes wrong with the car, Nissan would have to prove the mechanic is at fault to not uphold the warranty. In case, you then get the mechanic to fix it at their cost, most (GOOD MECH'S) work on reputation and word of mouth and would be happy to do so

 

[V9x]

Yeah mate you buy a newy, not the best $ for $ value but think oh well if something does go wrong at least I'm covered only to find out like I have how incompetent most Nissan Service centers are. Gone thru all those emotions including the having a beer with my car. My wife thinks I need help to. So your not alone
I was ready to off load mine To the point of taking off all the accessories I have added. I love the way it drives, looks... but when I considered how much doh I was going to loose (resale is pathetic) I thought wouldn't it be better to spend say half of that addressing (mods) to the things that are likely to give problems. So that's my little project atm. I know i shouldn't have to do this but I figure I will end up with the truck that hopefully will serve me well. I bought it as keeper.

As for the probs I've had. A lopsided truck. Took Fulcums to find the problem which ended up to be a defective sway bar which was eventually replaced under warranty. What I thought to be excessive rollover noise in the gearbox turned out to issue that Thai trucks built after Mid 2011now have single mass flywheel as opposed to the DMF. The bozzoes changed out the clutch throwout bearing to try and rectify the so called problem then to eventually discover their own Nissan service bulletin that states (I read it myself) the D40's with SMF's will experience more rollover noise in the gearbox along with slightly more vibration. Muppets! These problems took nearly 12 months to rectify but got there eventually.

As for your no cruise control problem I've Had that to that was after they took the G'box out to replace the clutch throw out bearing. After some investigative work myself discovered all ABS sensors in the wheels along with the speed sensor in the gearbox output has to output a signal or no cruise and no 4WD either. So if the truck looses the output signal from the gearbox output sensor it then looks at wheel speed as a reference. In their hasty job they didn't replace the sensor on the g'box properly (loose) and that's what caused the problem. I unpluged it sprayed some contact cleaner on it and been faultless since. So maybe checkout if it goes into 4WD. If not it could something other than the g'box and wheel sensors.

Good luck!

Sorry to hear about your saga tappet : ( no man should be subjected to that kind of piss poor service from any car manufacturer. It is disappointing after you shell out your hard earned then feel violated in the process. Sounds like you have a handle on your problems though and she will look after you in return .

 

[V9x]

60k on mine now, only problems i have had is nissan not servicing it properly. so everytime i get it serviced i have to check that everything has been replaced. i only go to nissan for warranty.

Good to hear all is well with your vehicle . Messed up about the nissan services though mate : ( I think I will be joining you in a boycot of nissan service centers . Both my car and the mrs x trail will be getting serviced else where. I have had a good relationship with tyres and more at Chelsea heights .. Always good service and the guys are all passionate 4x4 nuts . My mind is made up now nissan have got enough of my money , time for change

 

[BJJ84]

My mind is made up now nissan have got enough of my money , time for change

good call!!

 

[3ltflogga]

good call!!

And the misses won't be so suspicious of you drinking beer with the bonnet up

Yes dear, just servicing the car!

 

[3ltflogga]

Seriously though, I just did my 10,000k service on the weekend and my only concern has been corrosion. Being a Spanish build date April 2012 and a licence date May 2013 I think it has seen a bit of weather in its travels....

At around 2,500 k mark I had trouble selecting high/low range out spotlighting in the rain and mud. I sprayed lanolin inside/on every plug I could find and it hasn't reoccurred. A bit of circle work last weekend in a cow paddock didn't bother it

I also found and replaced a badly corroded earth wire directly under the air filter housing. As the manual says poor earthing may cause error codes so I would recommend checking that one...

 

[V9x]

And the misses won't be so suspicious of you drinking beer with the bonnet up

Yes dear, just servicing the car!

Hahaha yeah I think it's a jealousy thing , women just don't get it.

I had a faulty earth done under warranty the second time I had the car back to Nissan .

Where might I find a copy of the service manual for the v9x motor ? I would hate to buy one off Nissan lol

 

[LLadnar]

It seems to be the case .. Bit sad really .. No such thing as real mechanics these days

Yes there is, they just don't work for dealerships haha.
most dealership only have 1 or 2 tradesman, the rest are apprentices.
Nearly all your true really good diesel mechanics work for truck companies, diesel specialist or in the mines. It's where the money is.