Problem with my 07 Nissan Xterra Off Road

[07OffRoadXterra]

Without photo evidence - you realise this is only a rumour ........

Found the problem with your Nissan yet??

the dealer is ignoring me now. nissan called me today and are arranging a nissan rep to come look at the car at the dealer... they said they'd call me in a week or two

you think i'm going to post a pic on an all-man offroading web site? i'll post some of my nissan pics though later.

 

[4hilux]

the dealer is ignoring me now. nissan called me today and are arranging a nissan rep to come look at the car at the dealer... they said they'd call me in a week or two
QUOTE]

Full negative bonus points for Nissan PR dept...............ya could always ask them if they can point ya in the direction of the nearest Toyota dealer so you can trade it.........

Next time you go to the dealer - have yr kids sit in the most expensive car in the showroom while you're in there..........odds are they will start to be fairly accomadating in a short amount of time.......

Quote - "you think i'm going to post a pic on an all-man offroading web site?"

I dunno - its sounding like its not all blokes here..........& the idea has some merit I reckon.............

 

[fowldarr]

Funny about the dealer horror story, when were buying the aforementioned quest, I got in a fight with the salesman, because he had lied to me about the price, among other things, he threw his pen at me, and basically told me to get out. My wife had originally found the certified used van online, so Nissan contacted me for comments about my experience. So I told them. The next morning, the guy who OWNS the Nissan dealership was on the phone apologizing for the way I had been treated, and surpise surprise, They actually could sell it for less than I had even been told originally. (I got such a good deal, I'm sure they took a loss)

So you get it fixed yet?

 

[Big Daddy Chia]

I have that same deep rumble. Oh wait I have a gibson exhaust. n/m

 

[madizell]

Full negative bonus points for Nissan PR dept

Off Topic: My experience with Nissan dealers is limited to Lamb Nissan in Prescott, AZ. The sales staff was quite pleasant and accommodating, but then I was offering to purchase a Nismo for cash.

The service department and the national corporate support folks, however, are a different story. The service writer at Lamb is so dumb I would not trust her to write the service ticket correctly, much less advise on tech matters. I know they are not technicians, but one can not reasonably interface with customers over matters relating to their vehicles without technical background. For example, when I asked how I was to overcome a constant TPMS warning light, the service writer suggested inflating my tires to AT LEAST 40psi and leave them there. Max inflation pressure cold is 44psi, and for the weight of the vehicle, 32psi is plenty. I didn't even try to explain to her how insane her suggestion was.

National has yet to respond to ANY inquiry I have made regarding the Nismo, and I have made three separate comment/complaints in the past year. Whether no response at all is better than hopelessly useless suggestions is a matter of perspective.

Sorry for the rant, and good luck dealing with your local dealer.

 

[07OffRoadXterra]

So you get it fixed yet?

No. I'm getting a lot of bologna though but no fix. The dealer hasnt' returned my 3 calls sinec Monday morning ("the service manager had a family emergency today" "is with a customer" "is at lunch" ETC ETC). Today i called corporate again and demanded that they get me a rental to use until they feel like fixing it. She says "oh is the problem getting worse?" i have to explain that it already was worse and that i now hate this car.

why in god's name would they want to lose a customer who's given them more than $165,000 over the years not including service, oil changes, etc? Oh wait, thats peanuts to them, right?

 

[07OffRoadXterra]

I should add that my dad has purchased approx. 10 new Nissans over the years (lots of loaded Maximas). So if you add up everything my family has given them, we're talking about .5M. and, they could give a ******* less.

 

[edsd90]

I had a very similar problem with my 07 Frontier, and it couldn't be located with two prior service visits. Then while having my oil changed at a local independent shop, I went under the truck while on the rack and started pounding on everything and found a missing skid plate bolt. This allowed the thin OEM skid plate to set up a harmonic vibration at certain rpm ranges. Put in new bolt - problem solved.

 

[07OffRoadXterra]

I had a very similar problem with my 07 Frontier, and it couldn't be located with two prior service visits. Then while having my oil changed at a local independent shop, I went under the truck while on the rack and started pounding on everything and found a missing skid plate bolt. This allowed the thin OEM skid plate to set up a harmonic vibration at certain rpm ranges. Put in new bolt - problem solved.

Thanks i've added skid plate/skid plate bolts to my list of things to carefully check. i finally heard from dealer today and they have a nissan tech meeting me at the dealership next week before the holiday. praying for a quick resolution/fix...

 

[07OffRoadXterra]

Wish me luck tomorrow! My biggest fear is I'll get this guy in the car for the test ride and the sound will miraculously not be there. But, as of this afternoon, it was there and as annoying as ever.

 

[07OffRoadXterra]

So had the car looked at by the Nissan guy (from corporate)... we went on a test drive together (he was very nice)...and he heard the sound but unfortunately, couldnt figure out what was causing it. he did find that one of my skid plates was bent into my gas tank that he believes was damaged when my car was put on the lift for my oil change... but he took it off and the noise was still there (so he says, i wasnt there), but he fixed that and put it back on. he said my exhaust hangers "looked suspect" but then when he compared them to a new xterra he said they looked exactly the same.

Ultimately, he ended up increasing my RPM by 25 in the computer... so when i'm idling at a stop it rests about 700 and that *SEEMS* to have done the trick. I can still hear the noise but its nowhere near as bad or painful as it was....

So, hopefully i'm done having to go back for a while - until the next oil change.

Now, i can pursue accessorizing the car a bit. I'd like to add some kind of decal or something and i need a bull bar or brush guard...

 

[madizell]

Changing the idle rpm only alters the at-rest harmonics of the vehicle. It does not eliminate the source of the noise, only the rpm at which the noise is loudest. Auto makers go to lengths to control NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness). Unless yours is a one time deal, Nissan should want to know what is causing the problem, and solve it.

I would suggest that there is something about your vehicle that is causing the noise, and that it can be found. Once you find it and fix it, the idle set won't be that important. Not to mention that you will probably have very slightly increased fuel consumption with the higher idle speed, a "fix" at your expense.

 

[The BN Guy]

Wanna NOR sticker? That'd be a good accessory!

 

[07OffRoadXterra]

Changing the idle rpm only alters the at-rest harmonics of the vehicle. It does not eliminate the source of the noise, only the rpm at which the noise is loudest. Auto makers go to lengths to control NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness). Unless yours is a one time deal, Nissan should want to know what is causing the problem, and solve it.

I would suggest that there is something about your vehicle that is causing the noise, and that it can be found. Once you find it and fix it, the idle set won't be that important. Not to mention that you will probably have very slightly increased fuel consumption with the higher idle speed, a "fix" at your expense.

No, i realize the problem hasnt been really fixed. The nissan guy referred to the sound as a resonance, versus vibration btw. Honestly though i asked him if he checked every single skid plate bolt and he acknowldged that he hadn't. How much additional expense could the higher idle cost me? I drive about 8,000 miles a year....

 

[07OffRoadXterra]

Wanna NOR sticker? That'd be a good accessory!

Whats a NOR sticker?