2003 Nissan Terrano II SVE 3.0 Tdi from UK and Ireland
Summary:
Not something to own after the manufacturers warranty has expired
Faults:
Oil pressure switches (x3)
Windscreen washer system.
Door seals (x6)
Seat mechanism.
Door handles.
Exterior trim loose.
Various interior trim faults.
Rev counter failed.
General Comments:
South of the border, down Mexico way...apparently, that's where Nissan now source many of their electronic components from - and it is those components that are failing with monotonous regularity.
Add the 'Manana' element of the Spanish build quality and you've got problems.
Take the oil light sender switches. On the 3.0 diesel there are two of them - one each for higher and lower RPM.
They fail. The oil light suddenly come on and your heart nearly stops before the car does!
You telephone the dealer - "I'm on the side of the road and the oil light on my new Terrano has just come on! - what shall I do?"
"No problem, Sir, it's a known fault - just drive it in for us to look at"
"But, what if it's not the switch?, what if the oil pump has failed? - I'll wreck the engine as soon as I start it!..."
"Don't worry about it, Sir, we've had a lot of 3.0 engines exhibiting that fault - in fact, the necessary parts to fix it are on back order from Nissan"
"You mean you haven't got the bits to fix it?"
"No Sir, there's been a run on them - could take a couple of months"
"TWO MONTHS?!!" - what am I suppose to do in the meantime!?"
"Just keep driving it, Sir, and bring it in to us when you get a chance..."
(several weeks later, after the parts have been obtained from Nissan)
"Hello, Sir? - this is your Nissan garage, I'm afraid that the part sent by Nissan is also faulty...yes, Sir, that means that we can't fix the problem and will have to get another oil switch from Nissan... they're on back order again, Sir, could take a few weeks..."
{several weeks later when the replacement for the replacement oil switch has been obtained..)
"Hello, Sir? - this is your Nissan garage, I'm afraid that the replacement part sent from Nissan is faulty again...yes, Sir, I agree, it isn't really good enough...Yes, Sir, they are still in short supply...oh, about a month, I'd guess... just keep using the car until we get a new oil switch Sir..."
That's how it was for the oil switch - and that's how it was for the seat reclining mechanism that hadn't been properly installed during manufacture... and that's how it was for the exterior trim panels that were falling off... and for he glove-box that didn't fit... and for the door seals that kept falling off even though they were untouched by human hands!
That's how it was for the washer system that failed three times, that's how it was for the rev counter that is an integral part of the instrument cluster, the replacement of which means installing a new speedo with zero miles (which has to be explained at trade-in time..)
It's sole virtue is as a very good caravan towcar - but for quality and reliability look elsewhere... and look for something whose electronic bits were not made in Mexico!...
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 20th June, 2004
27th Dec 2004, 07:41
It's a shame you've had such a bad experience with the car, but Spanish people are not Mexicans and let's remember British build quality on ALL Land Rover products.. although British cars aren't known for their reliability this doesn't say that British people are incompetent. I am a Brit, by the way.