Car; Almera 2.2 di Sport, year 2002, mileage when bought; 30,000.
Problems
1. Steering vibration which took approx 18 months to fix, and only appeared AFTER the main dealer replaced the brake pads. t was only diagnosed after the 'nissan technical specialist' from Sunderland came down to check it out that I was told that it was dirt on the wheel hub which was making the wheel sit incoorectly on the hub, hence giving a 'flat spot' on the tyres and causing a vibration. However this has still not fixed the issue, albeit it is 99% better.
2. After fixing the vibration it took several attempts to centre the steering wheel.
3. Steering wheel centred, car now pulls to the left and scrubs tyres, still not fixed.
4. Car takes three attempts (sometimes) to start. Glow plugs?
5. Plastic 'catch' broken for the dashboard cubby hold, cost to fix - £30, the size of the plastic catch is about the size of a pencil sharpner.
6. Fog light smashed, replacement lense? Nope, you have to buy the whole unit at cost of £80, yes I think that is extortionate, so purchsed a set from Halfords for £30, whilst not asthetically as nice as the Nissan ones, they're muh cheaper and do the job equally as good, to be honest I think they are slightly better.
7. Plastic face vent broken, I daren't have a quite for that.
8. Oil filter housing which is made of alloy and requires a 17mm socket to undo, has rounded twice at a cost of £100 replacement, second time I have not had this done and now do not request the filter to be changed.
9. Rattles from the roof and dashboard.
10. Car wouldn't start once, RAC came out and found a loose battery terminal, (I have never touched this) and found a couple of other nuts and bolts loose.
11. And finally the last chapter that is yet to complete, the Air bag light started to flash, took the car in on Friday, another £115 bill, picked up the car to find that the steering wheel is now not centred again. Finally lost my paticence with the garage, told the to fix it and I wont be paying anymore money, if they are unwilling or cant fix it without cost forget it. The car is going I can honestly say whilst I understand that every manufacturer has problem cars, I have NEVER EVER experienced issues like this before. And my last car only had brake pads and new exhaust, tyres, oil and filter changes and went for over 100,000 miles no problems and is still in my garage which I hope to take out of retirement until the nissan can be sold and replaced, what is it I hear you say? A Rover 218 SLD turbo diesal.
I was talking to one of the mechanics who told me he has worked for Nissan for 20 years and "would never buy one" makes you wonder doesnt it?
OK this got me thinking, why not hold a survey and let the mechanics out there tell us who they work for and if they would buy one of there cars? Would this be legal?
Arrgh, thats better.
All the best.
BMDUBYA
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I am a little unsure of what you are complaining about.
Nearly all the above faults seem to be the fault of the dealer, rather than the car. The car is heading towards five years old and it seems that it has two faults - rattles and the airbag light coming on. The airbag fault must have been fairly minor (dodgy connector?) for it to have cost £115 for the repair.
Of the other faults: 1,2,3 - down to the dealer.
4 - yes, probably glowplugs (you don't state the mileage) - hardly the end of the world and not expensive so long as you stay away from the dealer.
5. - trim bits are dear, not just on Nissans....
6. - again, the price does not surprise me. Check out the retail price of the equivalent part for a Vauxhall for comparison, it won't be much different. Of course aftermarket llights from Halfords will be much cheaper - that's to be expected.
7. - ....?
8. Dealer should use a 6-point socket on this - it will not round off if the correct socket is used. This is dealers fault. If possible put a strap wrench around the housing.
10 - presumably someone disconnected the battery and didn't properly do up the terminals? I'm sure the car didn't undo it itself!!
Nissans are good cars, but they are not idiot proof. Hardly the fault of the car or its manufacturer if the dealer puts a badly trained monkey on the job. Check out some of the other posts in 'technical' and the problems you have had will seem minor.
The Almera is a straightforward car to service - get yourself a good independent and don't put up with main dealer ineptitude.
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My tales of woes - 1997 R reg Almera 1.4 GX, the earlier model, bought in 1999, now has 77,000 miles
1 - somehow and somewhen the rear light cluster was smashed on the morning of the MOT about three years ago. Replacement one was £45 via a Ford garage
2 - last MOT, the car needed the sills welding. Hardly surprising as the car gets washed once a year and i use country lanes.
3 - I currently have a rumbling crashing sound from the front and a not right feeling when cornering quick. I suspect something is needed on the front suspension, the car will on a ramp this week to have a look.
4 - the battery went flat when we left it for 3 months. Again not surprising.
In 8 years and 67,000 miles, that is honestly it. The car still goes, stops and steers ok and carries what i need. Still get 35mpg in city commuting and 45mpg on a run, and until the crashing at the front started, a hoot to drive.
Just my 2p worth
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