[GTO]

Originally Posted by mentalmaxout

For the 50000 kms service , gave the car to Ritu Nissan Saki Naka, as they are the lone rangers as regards Nissan in Mumbai.

Just saw their location. It's like 1.5 hours from my place! I'm glad my warranty is getting over soon. Will be sending the car to my trusted mechanic for work then.

However between May 2014 and May 2015 i hadn't got the car serviced, as there was very little running of just over 6000 kms in the year, plus i was frequently travelling for work, and didn't get a reminder from Torrent Nissan. Hence as a combination of these factors, the 30,000 kms or 6 monthly service was missed between May 2014 & May 2015

As of today, the car is still at the Service dealership. After a lot of explaining, they have agreed to give 50% discount on the replacement costs of these items. However if my extended warranty were used, these would have been covered fully

Take the offer and pay 50%. Technically, they can refuse you warranty coverage because you missed a service. Understand that the incremental revenue from services is considered when deciding the price of extended warranty.

[thoma]

Hi GTO, I am really put off with the NVH of my Micra D in general and especially annoying when the a/c is on. The compressor cuts off and on every 12 seconds or so, after being on continuously just for the initial two minutes. And whenever it comes on, the whole car shakes a bit if idling; and if driving, it is felt on the accelerator pedal and a momentary pull back in the the power delivery.

Wanted to confirm if the same behavior is shown by the Sunny D.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by thoma

Wanted to confirm if the same behavior is shown by the Sunny D.

Nope, not at all. The air-con's operation is pretty seamless. You should get it checked up. Something is definitely wrong.

[thoma]

Originally Posted by GTO

Nope, not at all. The air-con's operation is pretty seamless. You should get it checked up. Something is definitely wrong.

Originally Posted by amalji

If it's mostly during idle, it could be due to a faulty ac fan, loose contact in Ac fan, or a blown fuse.

I did complain to the service manager at the Nissan ASC and he assigned his best man to check this out. It was the job controller who knew better rather than the service advisers. He took me for a spin and found nothing wrong, then we checked out a brand new Micra D to find similar characteristics for the a/c cut off and on, once the initial pressure is built up.

A slight jerk on the floor pan was also observed even on the new car. However the gear shifter and the clutch pedal had better NVH characteristics in the new car. He connected the scanning tool for both the cars and found no anomaly with the a/c cut off and on; the compressor cuts off once the pressure is built up. Further he took in the car to check the quantity of refrigerant and returned it after a day (as I also had a dent correction) with noticeable improvement to the clutch pedal. They have changed the clutch pump (?) and now the a/c jerk is not felt on the pedals. However, the plastic part of the gear lever slotting (which can get some wear and tear leading to much play and thus bad NVH) is unavailable. They are doubtful if the part will be acknowledged by Nissan for replacement as was the case with an earlier customer.

I conclude that NVH characteristics is bad with the diesel variant of the Micra; I'm not sure with the Sunny. It's not the engine sound and vibration I'm that concerned (I love the old Mahindra diesel jeeps in good condition); but the a/c jerks, the gear shifting in total and the hard front suspension for the diesel.

[GTO]

Looks like air-con components are the Sunny's weak area. While the car has otherwise been supremely reliable, the air-con has suffered its 2nd failure.

Remember last year in March, I got the evaporator replaced under extended warranty? As if on cue, in March this year, the cooling dropped drastically. Well, the cooling coil has failed.

Now that the car is out of warranty, thank goodness I no longer have to deal with Nissan stealerships. Doesn't help that Nissan doesn't have any dealerships in South or Central Mumbai anymore. Sent the Sunny over to trustworthy Mr. Sunil Shanbagh. Should be back in the evening.

Besides the failed air-con, the car is performing flawlessly. Tight engine, no rattles, no creaks. The single part showing 4 years of wear is the steering whose cladding has started to wear off. The suspension doesn't feel worn out either. As it's the beater car and doesn't see the highway, I'm going to push this suspension a little more.

[Masda]

Originally Posted by GTO

Now that the car is out of warranty, thank goodness I no longer have to deal with Nissan stealerships. Doesn't help that Nissan doesn't have any dealerships in South or Central Mumbai anymore. Sent the Sunny over to trustworthy Mr. Sunil Shanbagh. Should be back in the evening.

I concur with you on this. But even with regular servicing, you need genuine consumables like air/oil filters. Are there specific brands to look out for when looking at aftermarket options? I am yet to reach 50,000 Kms with my Duster, but I am seriously considering getting it serviced from outside once I am through with the warranty period. Since Nissan and Renault are practically the same company, I feel there is much to learn from your Nissan experience. Any advice you can provide will be super useful.

[thoma]

Originally Posted by GTO

Looks like air-con components are the Sunny's weak area. While the car has otherwise been supremely reliable, the air-con has suffered its 2nd failure.

Same with my Micra. A leaking tube replaced first, then a (flap) actuator motor gone kaput leading to less cooling. Still, at times, the actuator needs to be 'restarted' by cycling through the different a/c modes And a bit of outside smell creeps in at re-circulating mode (don't know if 'a bit' is normal).

On top of it, the compressor cuts off and then comes on jerking the floor of the car every 10 seconds when the a/c fan is kept low (I verified this at the service center of a new Micra and it is the same; the compressor cuts off when the pressure inside the system builds up).

Will sourcing Nissan spares from outside be easy?

How much kms has she munched now? How do you rate the service cost in comparison with say a Toyota or a Ford (~5k per 10k kms) or a Maruti or even a VW (~10k per 10k kms)?

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Masda

Are there specific brands to look out for when looking at aftermarket options?

Just look for OEM. Because this engine is so popular (from the Logan to the Duster), parts are easily available.

Originally Posted by thoma

Will sourcing Nissan spares from outside be easy?

Didn't take any time at all to source the cooling coil in Mumbai.

How much kms has she munched now? How do you rate the service cost in comparison with say a Toyota or a Ford (~5k per 10k kms) or a Maruti or even a VW (~10k per 10k kms)?

50,000 kms.

Service charges are standard-fare. Didn't find them to be expensive.

[Safety is Param]

Hi GTO, good day!

Have you changed the tires yet for your vehicle or still running on OEM?

I have a situation where in becuase of issues with 1 tyre I need to change the complete set of 4 since they have already run 43000 kms - so no point in replacing only 1 or 2.

Would you suggest sticking to Bridgestone B250 or are Yoko Earth 1 worth a shot? Any other brand? I can spend a max of INR 22,000 for a set of 4.

Any significant positives and negatives in your opinion if I upgrade from 185/65/R15 to 195/60/R15 or 195/65/R15. The former will decrease the ground clearance while the latter would do just the opposite. I was looking at the wheel wells of the Sunny just now and was unable to decide if 195/65/R15 would throw up any issues when fully loaded.

If up sizing pros out number the cons, I am willing to give it a shot.

I must mention here that I have had absolutely no issues with the OEM Bridgestones 185/65/R15, but just for a varied experience I am willing to upsize.

Also, I doubt if OEM quality is the same as market quality ( I have no reasons for that doubt) so not blindly going with Bridgestone.

Kindly advise!

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Safety is Param

Have you changed the tires yet for your vehicle or still running on OEM?

I got 185 mm Yokohama A-Drives. Since the Sunny is a comfort-oriented sedan, I chose this tyre + size. Here's a short note from Vid on the tyres.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

GTO had changed the tyres to Yokohama A-drives and they were quiet. The Sunny always had a nice soft ride and with the A-drives, this was even better. Being one size wider, it gave the steering some amount of weight although it's still on lighter side on the highway.

[Ace F355]

Originally Posted by GTO

I got 185 mm Yokohama A-Drives. Since the Sunny is a comfort-oriented sedan, I chose this tyre + size. Here's a short note from Vid on the tyres.

A Drives are good tyres. I have had a set of A Drives on Civic's stock alloys and a set of A Drive R1s on 17" ones. Although, there is only one issue with them, they are quiet in first 15k kms or so and then tend to turn noisy!

If I were to compare that phenomenon to Michelin Primacy LC on a friend's car, his tyres were quite even past 30k kms of tyre change. So IMO PLCs are worth their extra money if comfort and quietness are top priority.

[rupdeb]

Originally Posted by GTO

I'm glad my warranty is getting over soon. Will be sending the car to my trusted mechanic for work then.

Originally Posted by GTO

Just look for OEM. Because this engine is so popular (from the Logan to the Duster), parts are easily available.

Hi GTO, I've a diesel Nissan Micra and the extended warranty for my car expired this June.
Micra and Sunny both share the same platform and 1.5 K9K DCI engine, with different state of tune, so they would probably use same kind of spares. Have you tried doing any routine service(oil change, brake pad change) by your trusted mechanic? It would be really helpful if you could share some specs for filters and engine oil. Then it would be easy for me to fetch it from the spare market in Kolkata as original spares are not available in the open market.

Regards.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by rupdeb

Have you tried doing any routine service(oil change, brake pad change) by your trusted mechanic?

Yep, got her serviced earlier this year at Sunil Shanbagh. He was able to get all the required spares from Opera House.

Then it would be easy for me to fetch it from the spare market in Kolkata as original spares are not available in the open market.

Look at a major parts market in your city? Alternatively, try Shetty Motors (they ship all over India) or online sources like this one.

[rupdeb]

Originally Posted by GTO

Yep, got her serviced earlier this year at Sunil Shanbagh. He was able to get all the required spares from Opera House.

I could get hold of the OEM oil and air filter by paying 100 rupees extra per item from a spare shop. Now comes to the engine oil part, she has run on 15w40(till 60000kms) from service center 1 and 10w30(60-80000kms) from service center 2 and during the 8th scheduled service it was again the 15w40 grade. Please suggest the grade and brand of engine oil for the 90000 kms service and there after. Is it ok to go for synthetic after the car has been driven on mineral for so long?
Regards.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by rupdeb

Please suggest the grade

Best to simply stick to the grade recommended in the owner's manual.

Is it ok to go for synthetic after the car has been driven on mineral for so long?

Nope. I don't think it's a good idea to move to synthetic after so many km. It's not a high-revving engine anyway (even my Sunny uses regular mineral oil). Just ensure you stick to properly timed oil change intervals . This engine is known to last 2 - 3 lakh km with the right maintenance.