[thoma]

Originally Posted by isodope

My car used to scrape its belly on large speedbreakers, but after a tyre upgrade the car doesn't touch anywhere, even with a full load.

To which size have you upgraded to? Were your OEM wheels R15 alloys or R14 steel?

[Chitta Pradhan]

Originally Posted by isodope

They've got some more firewall insulation in the petrol, so the engine doesn't sound as harsh. The audio system has better features and is easier to replace. There is a CVT gearbox available that isn't much slower than the manual.

My car used to scrape its belly on large speedbreakers, but after a tyre upgrade the car doesn't touch anywhere, even with a full load.

Do you mean that only petrol has better insulation & not the diesel. My friend has purchased a Pulse diesel three months back. He is getting an unbelievable FE of 19.5- 20 within city with 100% AC measured in my presence by TFM. I had driven his car & took that to 110 kmph quite easily. But after that progress was very slow. His car's cabin felt quieter than Micra-D ( old) I had Tdied some months back. The Pulse refinement-wise was very similar to Swift-D ( new model). What was your car's stock tyre & make and what have you upgraded to?

What are your remarks on my above observations? What about your ASS experience with Nissan?

Thanks

[isodope]

Originally Posted by Chitta Pradhan

Do you mean that only petrol has better insulation & not the diesel. My friend has purchased a Pulse diesel three months back. He is getting an unbelievable FE of 19.5- 20 within city with 100% AC measured in my presence by TFM. I had driven his car & took that to 110 kmph quite easily. But after that progress was very slow. His car's cabin felt quieter than Micra-D ( old) I had Tdied some months back. The Pulse refinement-wise was very similar to Swift-D ( new model). What was your car's stock tyre & make and what have you upgraded to?

What are your remarks on my above observations? What about your ASS experience with Nissan?

Thanks

I've got the petrol. Have retained the steel wheels, I don't think the alloys are worth the investment. Switched from the Maxxis MA302 to Continental EcoContact 3s, 185/70 R14. I couldn't stand the noise the Maxxis tyres made on concrete because most of my driving is on concrete roads. They also do not squeal when they reach the limit, which is very uncomfortable for me. Was going to spring for the Michelin Energy XM2 but got a great deal for these and am happy with them. I have approximately the same fuel efficiency as before, but with quieter highway runs and much better grip.

My ears tell me that the petrol has more insulation - the diesel always was refined enough for the segment, so I assume they didn't fix what wasn't broke. I manage to remove the aural harshness from my engine with STP engine oil additive. I'm not sure how much more refined the Pulse is over the Micra, as I haven't driven the Pulse much. That fuel efficiency figure is quite possible; my stock Scala diesel does well over 20kmpl when I do my highway commute with it. That's a round trip of around 400km over the course of a single day.

I've had terrible experiences with Nissan service in Mumbai. The cost of regular service is cheap, but to my bad luck I seem to find myself requiring non-standard parts. For example: my friend's dog, while chasing a rat into the Micra, managed to remove the right front fender liner of the car. It hasn't been available for many months now. Another rat has broken the motor that operates the flap that regulates the climate-control temperature, and that part isn't available, either - even the company hasn't responded to me directly. It doesn't help that they don't sell parts over the counter, so if Oxford Nissan in Pune has the part, I have to drive there with my car and have them replace it, even if I'm capable of doing it at home. Fair's fair, though, and I have almost never experienced a service center as good as Oxford Nissan's in Pune.


In other news, Kiirus in Mumbai is offering ECU tuneups for the Micra petrol and diesel. They claim a 10hp bump for the petrol, which sounded really lucrative until they quoted the price: Rs 28,000 (It fluctuates a little depending on the dollar). It is a map supplied by a European company, so it should work well, but that's too much investment per horsepower. Sigh.
More information is available on the Kiirus site.

[isodope]

I forgot to mention that my speedometer error has reduced to almost zero after the tyre upgrade.

Dieseltronic offers aftermarket ECUs for the diesel Micras. I haven't got a horsepower figure from them, but I've been told that it is a new unit that plugs in (unlike the Kiirus system which uses the factory hardware) and has four modes: Stock, economy, power 1 and power 2. The price for this is approximately Rs 20,000.

[W.A.G.7]

Where's the OBD port on the Micra located? I tried searching for it online; they all say under the steering, but I am not sure.

[thoma]

Originally Posted by W.A.G.7

Where's the OBD port on the Micra located? I tried searching for it online; they all say under the steering, but I am not sure.

Might be this post will be useful to you, I'm not sure.

[W.A.G.7]

Originally Posted by thoma

Might be this post will be useful to you, I'm not sure.

Thanks. I will check this out over the weekend and post here. In the UK micra forum, it has been mentioned in the same place i.e. under the steering.

[bravo82in]

Originally Posted by W.A.G.7

Where's the OBD port on the Micra located? I tried searching for it online; they all say under the steering, but I am not sure.

Though i am clueless about its location, I am wondering why are you looking for micra's OBD port. Does it serve any good to end users like us? I have seen a few bluetooth devices that connect obd to mobile apps, but is it of any use to us?

[bravo82in]

Time for thread update. It has been 30 months and 45000kms with my micra.
So far pretty happy with the car, its drivability in city, mileage, effectiveness of ac in summers etc etc
Got the 30 months service done. Service bill was close to Rs 7800/- which included 1500/- optional injector cleaning. I feel it is bit on a higher side. Not so happy with the service centre though. This time it was Sterling Nissan Gurgaon. I was suggested
1. AC service ( approx 1500/- labour and 1500/- for parts = 3000/-) as flow of air was low.
2. Replacing the disc plates as they have thinned out ( not disc pads)

I refused both and went to another workshop for second opinion
1. Ac filters were cleaned (~ 100/-) and flow is now restored. AC is working perfect
2. Neither disc plates nor disc pads need replacement.

It looks the service centres are habitually inclined at milking customers in some way or the other. I have written to customer care (Hover Automotive India, HAI) couple of times but in vail. With HAI exiting the scene hope services will improve.

Off late i started getting pain in right ankle joint after extended hours of driving. I believe it was due to high position of accelerator lever. Started using high heel shoes and the pain was better. Any suggestions to bring down the lever??

Over all i am happy with the product as a whole.

[thoma]

Originally Posted by bravo82in

Off late i started getting pain in right ankle joint after extended hours of driving. I believe it was due to high position of accelerator lever. Started using high heel shoes and the pain was better. Any suggestions to bring down the lever??

Do you drive close to the steering or away from it? I have no issues driving farthest away from the steering and noticed this ankle issue while driving close to the steering. Initially, I used to drive with a 3/4" thick wooden plank under the mat to raise my heel but it was this extended driving position that helped me. I also keep the seat less inclined to the back so that my back is mostly upright fully supported, and my hands stretched fully so that it just rests on the steering.

In fact, for continuous long drives, I found the ergonomics better for the Micra than the Vento; by the way, I'm 5'7".

I do not know if this exactly helps, as ergonomics is relative to our body frame.

[bravo82in]

I am 5'9'' drive with seat farthest from steering and back slightly reclined. Will try will back upright. What were the dimensions of wooden plank that you used?? Wooden plank is worth a try.

[thoma]

Originally Posted by bravo82in

I am 5'9'' drive with seat farthest from steering and back slightly reclined. Will try will back upright. What were the dimensions of wooden plank that you used?? Wooden plank is worth a try.

The wooden plank used to shift places, so it was a nuisance for me and I took it off. It was a tad bigger than a mouse pad and ~ 3/4 inch height. Plywood piece would be easier to source.

Farthest away means really far so that I rest my ankle completely relaxed, my knees are dead straight (well almost) and the hamstrings (whatever, I mean the back of my thigh) pressed on the edge of the seat. You bend your knee a bit and you will have to apply force on your ankle to lift your toes.

To add, my feet size may be the smallest on T-BHP; I use 6 and 7 size footwear!

[thoma]

Originally Posted by bravo82in

...

Hi, a few queries.

Does your a/c compressor switch on and off too intermittently? Do you experience any slightest drag on the acceleration with this intermittent on/off? Does the a/c come on with a loud hiss in the mornings?

[bravo82in]

No on and off issues. Yes there is a drag sometimes with the compressor on. But thats happens once in a blue moon and that hardly bothers me.

[pinksaturday]

Originally Posted by thoma

Hi, a few queries.

Does your a/c compressor switch on and off too intermittently? Do you experience any slightest drag on the acceleration with this intermittent on/off? Does the a/c come on with a loud hiss in the mornings?

Hi thoma, I have a Micra dci original 2011 XV diesel - The compressor on/off is rare - I think I have noticed only on my non-city drives (Delhi-Chandigarh) and that too when I'm stuck in a jam on a hot day.

Theres no hiss at all when it comes on and the drag is very little and noticeable only when I'm consciously checking for it. I love the fact that there is a little delay between my switching on the AC button to the compressor actually switching on.

My only problem is the 2-3 minutes of belt noise on starting and the fact that I keep hitting one pavement or the other while parking and keep losing the plastic pin locks on the front bumper in the process.

Happy driving mate! Hope I was of help!