Any real probs bar the cvt. Lady owner so won't be towing done 70 ks. Thanks
thejazzpianoma,
Jul 25, 8:09pm
Take it for a good long drive. They are actually a nice car but in my opinion, but they have one very odd major failing. They have the really nice French ride quality inherited from their parent company which makes you think they would be a nice cruiser. However the steering setup is awful and it's not apparent until you have been on the road for at least half an hour.
The steering is very wooden, to the point that I find my wrists get sore on long journeys because all those minor corrections you make subconsciously to keep the car in the lane take far more effort than they should. Given there is no real feedback in the steering anyway they would have been far better to have done what Mercedes do and crank up the castor angle while also increasing steering assist. At least then it would have sat in the lane beautifully and returned effortlessly to centre after turns.
If you still like it after a long trip and intend flicking it before 120k (due to transmission) probably OK.
For my taste, they just are not a long life vehicle despite the solid appearance (although far better built than the Tiida). It's a shame because they come so close to being something quite decent. I can understand many getting seduced by them and becoming disappointed over time.
Hope that helps.
Edit, I should add. Even if your wrists don't get sore, I find the fatigue factor of the steering very noticeable on a long trip. I hopped straight out of one in to an old 90's Polo and was glad to be able to relax again.
stevo2,
Jul 26, 12:57am
My daughter in Perth has one and we took it for a 2000km road trip while I was over there. Nice car to drive, felt solid on the road and reasonably economical with 5 aboard and our luggage. She's had it for a couple of years and its been trouble free motoring so far. Must be around 100,000km by now.
msigg,
Jul 26, 1:55am
Yes not a bad machine, I like the look of the latest model more, these things are economical and easy to drive, they were a huge seller in the UK, seems like everyone had one, get the gearbox serviced and you should be all good. I prefer the RAV4 over the dualis, but hey each to their own, go for it.
tgray,
Jul 26, 2:19am
Jeremy Clarkson once said "I can honestly think of nothing wrong with it" (or something similar. Great vehicles and I would definitely own one. Took one to Gisborne and back once to visit a family member. Comfortable and no problems at all.
jeff1234,
Jul 26, 2:46am
Most of them sold (if not all) in UK would have been manuals so don't use that as a gauge of transmission reliability, but family have diesel ones over there with no issues, but all manuals. If its the same gearbox as a tiida, that's an 'acquired taste'
thejazzpianoma,
Jul 26, 6:18am
Just to clarify, but I think you realise anyway. If it's CVT it's running the JF011E transmission which is the very short life lemon unit found in Tiida's etc. Hence my comment about bailing out by 120K regardless of how well you have serviced that transmission.
Otherwise factor in a few thousand to replace it with a fully refurbished unit to get some more life out of the vehicle. Don't bother with one that has just been "fixed" as it likely won't last.
kazbanz,
Jul 26, 11:58am
no problems and no issues. nice easy comfortable vehicle to drive. being honest IMO the Dualis is a Nissan Primera on stilts. Space wise its about the same as a Primera wagon and power wise not a lot different.
tgray,
Jul 26, 12:42pm
. I couldn't disagree more, but respect your right to an opinion.
thejazzpianoma,
Jul 27, 3:40pm
I am really only repeating what I have been told by a friend who's entire business is rebuilding just this model transmission. He is picking them up from Nissan dealers who have multiple cars in at any one time needing replacements. They are a nice transmission in that the design is delightfully simple and they actually perform well (in particular they have a nice quick takeoff which not all CVT's have). However they are short life, multiple different issues but once over 120K they are due for something. I suspect dealers don't realise the scope of the issue as they are importing these cheap and low km, so they are well out of CGA before the trouble starts. PLUS people tend to think they are just unlucky when their Nissan fails, just as Toyota owners tend to due to their reputation. If nothing else, the fact that Nissan themselves have got totally pissed off with Jatco (the manufacturer) over this transmission spoiling their reliability ratings should be enough to convince you.
tgray,
Jul 27, 3:49pm
I'm only repeating what many rental car companies tell me when they buy my Tiida's and the fact I have not had a single one come back from over 60 sales to the public. If you want to take your friends word over my first hand real life experience, that's fine by me. The fact there are so many Tiida's out there tells me there will always be someone who's business is fixing them, whether it's Toyota Corolla transmissions or Nissan Tiida's.
thejazzpianoma,
Jul 27, 3:52pm
Hey if you want to take a rental companies word over the Manufacturer and the guy repairing them. be my guest.
Also not sure how much more first hand I can get given the hours I have spent surrounded by racks of them discussing and viewing the various issues first hand.
I respect your right to an opinion too though.
Do you know at what km the rental company was retiring their vehicles?
tgray,
Jul 27, 3:54pm
Well you did call them a short life lemon unit. In my "first hand" experience they are one of the most reliable CVT transmissions out there. I am not relying on a friend opinion. I actually sell a lot of them - you don't. Believe it or not, I know that I am talking about.
thejazzpianoma,
Jul 27, 3:56pm
Read edit above.
Now you are just being silly, they are not even close to being the most reliable. Anyone can see that by simply looking at the design.
Likewise trying to discredit my friend who is a qualified mechanical engineer and his entire business is just these transmissions. That is pretty silly indeed.
Let alone Nissan themselves. What proof do you need? Would the French board of directors have to come and visit you in person to tell you how annoyed they are with Jatco?
tgray,
Jul 27, 3:58pm
I have know Idea what you do for a living, but the amount of time you claim to spend sitting around talking about Nissan transmissions surprises me. I buy them, I sell them (over 60 so far) and I stand by them under the CGA. Still waiting for my first claim.
tgray,
Jul 27, 3:59pm
I stand by that comment through first hand experience. You just want to trust your friend. Don't you get it Jazz? I sell at least one a week and have been doing this for 15 years. Never had a single bad one. Tell you what - go and trust your 'friend' over my dealings over many years. I could tell you how terrible most Euro transmissions are but you would never believe me. Why don't you stick to your level of expertise? It's not Nissans is it? OK I'm done, goodnight.
tsjcf,
Jul 27, 4:03pm
Jazz's experiences was based on delivering food to workshops.
bumfacingdown,
Jul 27, 4:21pm
Is that the French board of directors that hold 43% (or near enough) of the Nissan shares?
The thing with dealers is they are bringing these Tiida's and the likes in with very low km. They are usually well out of CGA reach and probably on the subsequent owner before the transmission dies, typically around 120'000km.
thejazzpianoma,
Jul 27, 4:55pm
This one is really interesting, the statistical average failure mileage they found is very close to what we have found in NZ.
Further to what I was saying about dealers not seeing the problems. There are 1300 Tiida's for sale on here and only about 70 are over 130'000km.
Given the 130K mark appears to be the standard failure mark that should speak volumes.
meow_mix,
Jul 27, 5:29pm
How many kms should a good trans last? As we were discussing in the Rover 75 thread the other week, the trans in Mum's 75 failed at about 110,000kms.
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