Faults:

I, ve had no major problems with this car. It hasn't ever been in the shop for repairs. t has some idiosyncracies however:

No anti-lock brakes- Any hard braking locks the brakes and you can easily lose control of the car if not careful. Don't get a Sentra without ABS!

The water pump became noisy around 35K miles. Water pump lubricant quieted it for a while.

The car is hard to start sometimes when warm. I believe this may be the fuel pump pressure bleeding out. If it acts up, starts on the second try.

General Comments:

It is a reliable, economical, peppy car. Great gas mileage. Has a few glitches, but a great car for the most part.

Faults:

Head gasket was faulty since I don't know when. There was staining on the engine block below the head and I questioned the dealership about it September 2003 14000KM, they said it looked fine/normal. I finally did an oil analysis March 2006 48000KM and it showed a coolant leak, but wear metals were not too bad. The dealership replaced the head gasket under warranty.

There was paint discoloration on multiple body panels. Dealership fixed it under warranty.

The heater fan box has foam that became unglued and interfered with the heater box door operation. Foam could be seen coming out of the cabin vents. Dealer fixed it under warranty.

General Comments:

Performance is about standard for an economy car.

Combined hwy/city fuel economy has been 7.2 L/100KM, approximately 33 US MPG, or 39 IMP MPG since new.

Seats can be uncomfortable after about 120 minutes of driving. I've adjusted the controls and not found a solution, the problem could be my back and not the seats. A 5-10 minute break solves the problem.

Oil changes are not a simple procedure. The oil drain bolt is easy to get to, but the oil filter is on the firewall-side of the engine block, one must contort their arm to reach up to it and it is difficult to get a tool onto to aid in the removal.

The faulty head gasket appears to be a small trend with the QG18DE. Before the power-train warranty expires I advise getting a used oil analysis done just to verify the status of it.

Faults:

The CD player ate a CD, wouldn't eject, or play. Replaced under warranty. New player makes funny noises, sounds like it's scratching the CD.

Temperature knob broke, got stuck on heat in the middle of the summer. Also replaced.

General Comments:

This is my first BRAND new car and I have to say that I like it a lot.

Pretty peppy for the base engine.

I drive it pretty hard, and have suffered no mechanical issues what so ever.

Engine sounds a, but tinny, buy only on acceleration, and not from inside (I noticed it when I loaned it to a friend and was standing beside it when they pulled away)

My big complaint is the service...

The dealer where I bought it (small city-only one Nissan dealer- also an Infinity dealer) was awesome, always friendly and provided quick service.

HOWEVER...I moved to a large City soon after purchased the vehicle and I have tried multiple local dealers here and the service is BAD BAD BAD!!

For instance, when the temperature knob broke (in the summer-with it stuck on heat) they wanted me to make an appointment and live with that for almost a week! (they were "busy" that week).. I explained that I was heading to the cottage 2 hours away in 3 days, and couldn't drive in the scorching hot weather (30 degrees Celsius) with my infant daughter with the heat stuck on... they didn't care.

I then showed up at the dealer, unannounced, and DEMANDED to speak with the owner. It took a bit of yelling, but it was fixed in 20 minutes.

I have had other small problems with the dealer as well, like wanting me to drop it off for several hours for just an oil change- not acceptable

I now drive 2 hours to the dealer where I bought it for all service.