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Nissan Pathfinder

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Comments

  • mbuntingmbunting Member Posts: 158
    My 2001 PF LE has a problem:

    My passenger side body side molding is falling off near the front...

    What can I use/buy to re-secure it?

    Just under 32k miles on it - would this be a dealer/warranty issue?

    Needless to say - this is the biggest problem I have had with my 2001 PF since I have owned it (December 2000 Purchase)...which goes to show you what a great vehicle this thing is.

    Thanks for any help!
  • jiaminjiamin Member Posts: 556
    I think as long as it's not caused by an accident, it is a warranty issue. Do it quickly before it passes 36K miles.
  • sivi1sivi1 Member Posts: 82
    harley davidson was always talking down syn oils. they were even turning some down bad bearing claims. turned out they changed design on bearing. recently mobil came out with v-twin syn,and all of sudden harley comes out with their own syn @ $8.50 a quart ! i will still run mobil 1 in all my vehicles @ $4.50 a quart.
  • omega11omega11 Member Posts: 36
    Does anyone know of a safe way to remove spray paint from the body/bumper?

    I was driving downtown today when i was hit by the spray of a damaged can of spray paint on the road.

    thanks.
  • pathstarpathstar Member Posts: 201
    Quick, use paint thinner on a soft cloth before it hardens fully. Test the thinner inside a door jamb first (use a white cloth so you will see if it removes the original paint). Once you have the spray paint off, wash the area with car detergent and then wax it.
  • woodyr1woodyr1 Member Posts: 142
    Pathstar - I am considering synthetic oil for my Pathfinder (recommended by my service tech.). What price do you pay for oil at Superstore, compared with Wal-Mart? Their is neither of these stores where I live, but both are in the nearby larger cities.

    Thanks, Woody in BC
  • alwaysfordsalwaysfords Member Posts: 210
    Why risk your finish if you don't have to? Paint thinner will harm your clearcoat. Get some glaze or polish - 3M hand glaze is teriffic, Mother's polishes are good also. Depending on how much and how thick it is on there, clay bars will also skim off residue nicely.
  • gusterguster Member Posts: 4
    I have had my 01 (and a 1/2) Pathfinder for a few years and am generally happy with it (although not a fanatic as I used to be). Does anyone else have the following "problems":

    1) Power windows
    The windows go down fine but when I roll them up they go back down again unless I hold the button. Also, in any temperature less than 30 degrees, they are horribly slow or won't move at all. I had to drive in 10 degree weather with my window down because it simply would not go up.

    2) Washer fluid release
    Won't release any fluid at 35 degrees (temp) or less. Every other car on the road is fine but mine (forced to drive with unbelievable amounts of dirt on the windshield).

    3) Nicks / Dents
    I have a few very annoying nicks / dents. My Jeep body was flawless after 8 years and my Pathfinder looks "old" after just a few years.

    4) Decent, not great, in snow/ice
    I tend to fishtail more than I ever did in my Jeep, even when switched from "Auto" to "4Hi."

    Anyone else have similar experiences. The truck runs wonderfully and I have no complaints from that standpoint but the electrical problems and my impression of its ability in snow /ice are discouraging.

    Thanks for any help you can provide.
  • xplorx4xplorx4 Member Posts: 621
    1) no comment. ???
    2) Try a washer fluid that has a lower freezing point. The fluid could be frozen in the lines.
    3) no comment.
    4) How much torque and HP did your Jeep have? What kind of tires did it have? Your Pathfinder probably has more power and poorer tires than the Jeep, which could contribute to its sloppy handling.
  • alwaysfordsalwaysfords Member Posts: 210
    You chose the same two I was going to respond to, and gave the same answers. Double what xplorx4 said!
  • c182skylanec182skylane Member Posts: 64
    GUSTER, if you scroll up and check other PF discussions, you'll find numerous comments about the window problem in cold weather and how to have the dealer fix it. My PF is two weeks old, and I haven't had any problems with the windows in this latest blast of cold weather, but I'm not really rolling them down either. I pay tolls via an electronic transponder (Chicago).

    I just ordered PIAA bulbs online for the headlights and the fog lights. I hope they improve the stock lighting...
  • phil47phil47 Member Posts: 394
    I had the exact problem with my 2001 LE. I finally took it to the dealer and they "adjusted the power window regulator". They essentially aligned it better in the tracks. Works great now (no slowing, stopping or reversing). They did warn me that this fix SOMETIMES leads to a slightly loose window in hot weather when if you leave it rolled down halfway. I'm very happy with the fix.

    Incidentally, I've found the Pathy to be very good at not showing dings, dents and chips. After 2.5 years (almost 3 full winters) it looks like new. It could just be bad luck...
  • omega11omega11 Member Posts: 36
    Thanks for the suggestions for ways to remove the spray paint from my pathy. I'm going to try some cleaner/polish from a detailing shop tommorow. Hope it works!
  • jiaminjiamin Member Posts: 556
    I'm not sure if I could provide a link here, which describes each step in details with pictures. This link is for Nissan/Infiniti parts order. Mr. Host, I don't think it is allowed, correct?

    I'll describe it after work today.
  • crikeycrikey Member Posts: 1,041
    Did you guys see this?
    image

    2004 Nissan Pathfinder Armada Set For New York International Auto Show in April Debut....

    The new V8-powered, eight-passenger full-size SUV is designed to take the legendary Pathfinder name and reputation to a whole new dimension - adding a sense of premium sophistication, power and size. The Pathfinder Armada goes on sale this fall as a 2004 model. It will be assembled at Nissan's new $1.4 billion plant in Canton, Mississippi.
  • intmed99intmed99 Member Posts: 485
  • bigorange30bigorange30 Member Posts: 1,091
    The Titan is a truck and it was introduced at the Detroit International Auto Show in January. This is an SUV and has no bed. As has been stated in the past though, it is on the same frame/platform as the Titan.
  • mjohnr99mjohnr99 Member Posts: 193
    I only have a sec, so notime to explain, but on the spary paint don't do anything other thean the clay bar suggestion. Check out the research into professional quality clay bars on the net. It ias the only product that wuill completely remove things like spray paint with 0 damage to clear coat, finish, etc. - - i know from experience, but gotta go! Don't rush in on this . . .
  • smokey75smokey75 Member Posts: 434
    Hey CRIKEY, where did that pic come from?
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Those pictures belong to Nissan News.

    tidester, host
  • pathfinder13pathfinder13 Member Posts: 110
  • sivi1sivi1 Member Posts: 82
    have 02 le for over a year. traded 96 4runner,and never regretted it. i'm concerned they might drop regular pathfinder for new ARMADA. just not interested in full size suv. had suv's going back to 1974 full size blazer, and for my use just need midsize!
  • pathstarpathstar Member Posts: 201
    They -may- still produce the Pathfinder as we know it and have different sized ones (that would be a first in the industry - and I like the concept). Perhaps they could call the small one coming out next year the Pathfinder "Micro". We'd have the Pathfinder Armada, Midi, and Micro. I think that'd be "cool".

    I suspect the current Pathfinder will have to be changed due to its' crash rating.

    I'll check out the prices for Mobil 1 this weekend. I presume it's ok to post, tidester?
  • world_travelerworld_traveler Member Posts: 153
    In order to keep the faith since I'm getting really fed up by the horrible MPG I'm getting with my new 03 Pathfinder I'm starting a MPG HIGH SCORE thread just for us to share our dismay and find a way to laugh about this.

    Last week: 23L/100km or 10.22 MPG

    I pulled in at the garage at 99.1KM and I pumped in 23.14L (so 23L/100). I could not believe it. I was looking for some cameras to see if I was not on those "candid camera" type of show... Unfortunetly not, so I had to pay.....

    My old 4Runner has not yet been sold by my Nissan dealer. Sometime I wish I could switch back (the worse I have ever done with my 4Runner is 18L/100km (13MPG)). I would give up the additional power any day just to stop that waste of money and energy.....

    Please note that this has not much to do with the sky-rocketing price of gas. It is simply awful to think that a relatively small mid-size SUV like the Pathfinder can use up so much gas to do so little. For example this morning I drove my kid to his hockey game, 40km (23 miles) round-trip, so I used up 8 liters (around 2 gallons) driving him this morning????

    Don't you guys that this is sick ????

    World

    PS: sorry for the rant but I'm not finding it particularly funny these days.....
  • baddestbob1baddestbob1 Member Posts: 96
    I had the same thing happen to the hub covers when I had tires rotated by local Firestone store. Manager quickly agreed they were at fault and paid 100% of replacement (about $38 x $ 4). Sure as s--- a Nissan dealer should know better. Those hub covers just snap off and on, any fool would know to remove them. Go back and raise hell IMHO. They have insurance to cover that kind of stuff
  • mattman055mattman055 Member Posts: 57
    WT, you said you drove 100 KM (62 miles) last week. I'm sure you have heard all this before, and I am going to assume that this is the same amount of driving that you did with your 4runner, so the only difference would be the vehicle, but that might sound right. Its colder, longer warm up times, etc. If all your trips are really short ( < 10 KM ) that could be a "normal" mpg that you are getting, you did say you drive your son to hockey which is 40 km away (is that round trip with a stop between?)

    At any rate, my last tank was 262.5 miles, and I took in 16.125 gallons for a MPG of 16.46 MPG. Its been real cold here, so this includes my engine warming up for a few min in the mornings (but not in the afternoon). I am about 60 / 40 city / highway, however at times its stop and go on the highway. My commute is approx. 17 miles each way, depending on the route I take it can be approx. 7 miles city, 10 highway, or other times a bit more highway less city.

    I also take a bunch of short trips around where I live (2 miles or so) sometimes I leave it running when its real cold outside if I am going into the store for a few min.

    My lowest tank that I had this winter was about 14.9 MPG, I had maybe 2 hours of idiling there, about 1 hour or so on the side of a highway and the rest warming up after a large snowstorm.

    This winter I have been around 15-16 MPG, and about the same in the summer, when I use the A/C though (on those 90-100ºF days) my millage can drop to the high 14's.

    Heres a summary:
    Last tank: 262.5 miles, 16.46 MPG
    Avg this winter (15-16 MPG)
  • phil47phil47 Member Posts: 394
    I've now put almost 30,000 km on my 2001 LE. The worst I've ever seen (and I track this almost every tank) is 18.5 L/100km. That's in very cold weather, city driving using winter formulation gasoline and AWD (and a fair amount of idling). Even during winter I usually average more like 16-17 L/100km. This thing is bad on gas in the winter...but 23 L/100km!!! I don't think I even did that during the break-in period.

    If it doesn't improve DRAMATICALLY this summer (say 14-15 L/100km around town), I'd be looking for some sort of mechanical problem.
  • world_travelerworld_traveler Member Posts: 153
    That is what I'm thinking now.... 23L/100 is totally out of whack !!!

    I do mostly stop and go city driving these days but it does not justify 23L/100 at all....

    Mattman: I have exactly the same driving pattern than with my 4Runner, same commute, same hockey trips, etc. That truck was bad during the winter but nowhere near me Pathfinder. My son was playing another city, this 40KM trip was mostly highway driving (90%) with 3 sets of traffic lights between the highway and the arena.

    23L/100 was on a week where I did not do much highway driving I admit. But when I do highway driving I don't even come close to the city driving ratings.

    Here are some of my habits: I park my Pathfinder in a heated garage, so I consider that my truck does not need to be heated up much when leaving home. Obviously I pick up my truck completely cold at the train parking in the afternoon and I warm it up by driving slowly to the parking exit (where I get stuck for 5 minutes before exiting). I have a 6km commute and 20 stops each side on a 30MPH street. On weekend I put a bit of highway driving on the truck by driving my kids left and right (hockey, etc) and some more city driving (groceries and stuff)

    I leave the climate control to AUTO at 22 celsius. Oil was changed 10 days ago. I use AWD twice a week for an average of 5 miles when I use a wrecked and icy road as a shortcut.

    So maybe some of you have suggestions or ideas on how I could improve things ????

    World
  • mattman055mattman055 Member Posts: 57
    Means A/C. Use the ECON button, it has the same effect, it just does not use the compressor (which eats some gas). If you need to defog of course you use the defroster (which sets it to auto) but once down use the ECON button.

    A 6 KM commute with 20 stops sounds brutal on the car. I can see how with the A/C running, the mileage being low (but not down to 10 MPG).

    The only suggestion I have is the first one, which is not to use the "AUTO" feature (read: A/C).

    Matt
  • wildcorgiswildcorgis Member Posts: 84
    My second to last tank got me 14.0 mpg and the last was 16.6. I only have a 2WD!!!and the weather hardly gets below 45 or above 80(F).

    Price for mid-grade gas 89 octane is now over 2.00. I'm starting to have second thoughts about my purchase and half heartedly am looking at other more economical vehicles. All that propoganda about gas usage equals terrorism is starting to work on me ; )

    Still it would be hard to give up all the nice things about my PF, cargo space, power, looks, craftsmanship, quality of materials,etc.

    Happy pathfinding!!!

    Steve
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Isn't your Pathy just a month or two old? My Nissan van's mpg kept getting better for the first 10,000+ miles. Between breaking in some more and warmer weather coming, I bet you see some relief in a month or three.

    Steve, Host
  • pf03bobpf03bob Member Posts: 3
    Lets see..

    Approximatley 25% of oil is imported. So for every gallon of gas at $2, the terrorist get 50 cents. A honda civic buys a gallon of gas so, the terrorist gets 50 cents. So the honda driver gets twice mpg as the suv so he sends the terrorist $2 for every $4 you send. The honda driver should take pride in this? Nonsense!

    PF = 4000LB Vehicle + Race Car Engine doesn't equal high mpg. DUH!
  • world_travelerworld_traveler Member Posts: 153
    You are right, my Pathy is 5 days shy of 4 months old. With only 2900 miles on it we might consider it still in the breakin period.

    I hope I won't have to wait to 10,000 miles to get over the breakin period. In my case it will take me close to a year to get there !!!

    Despite the cold and the breakin period I still think that 10MPG is awfull.

    One little thing helps me get over this, I read on a local automobile board/forum a guy complaining that he is doing 27L/100km (or 8.7 MPG) with his Jeep Liberty..... wow....
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Approximatley 25% of oil is imported.

    Actually, it's over 40%.

    tidester, host
  • smibradsmibrad Member Posts: 34
    I have a 2001 LE with 44,000 miles. I switch between 89 & 92 octane, use Mobil One, and keep my tires inflated to 33psi. Last time I checked my mileage I got 19.5MPG highway. I think that is great. Local driving I don't track MPG. My experience has been my gas mileage has been getting better as I put more miles on my PF.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    From 2100 to 2500 miles my Quest got ~14 mpg from two tanks, in April in Anchorage. At 2915 miles, I had my best tank to date, at 23.8 mpg. Then it slipped back to ~18 to ~21 for several months, with the lifetime average gradually increasing.

    Any chance you can get out for a longish road trip, say 150 easy highway miles, and check that? Assuming you don't run out of gas before you get that far :-)

    Steve, Host
  • mattman055mattman055 Member Posts: 57
    I have a 2002 PF, part time 4wd, original tires (toyo's). it doesn't have any of the fancy options, like AWD that the LE has, nor the VDC that the 2003's can get.

    how is the PF in the snow? I've driven it a few times, but this was only a few inches, I could easily fish tail / slide. We have a large storm coming down now, almost up to 20 inches, but I'm leaving it in the garage until its over, unless I really have to go out (read: emergency)

    I could get better tires, which would help out, I was driving a Mercedes ML320 eariler today, and that has traction and ESP (comparable to VDC). The traction/esp only kicked in a few times, it was mainly the ABS that kicked in a bunch.

    What is everyone's experience with snow?
  • world_travelerworld_traveler Member Posts: 153
    Steve, I'm looking forward to put some highway miles on my Pathy to see how MPG improves. We usually open up the cottage in April and I do not plan any major highway trips soon. I'm looking forward to next Thursday fill up, I have done some local highway trips (60 miles +) and this tank should be 60/40 (road/highway). Last time I've done so I was close to 13 (but with highway miles..... I would have expected 15 at least)

    Mattman
    Driving the Pathfinder in snow is quite fun. VDC and ABS do a great job trying to keep you in control. Despite this the truck wants to fishtail a lot. I think the culprit are the poor 4 Season Dueler tires I have. I bought the truck late October so I thought the tires could handle a leat 1 winter season. Next winter I'll put some good winter tires (Toyo...).

    If you don't have the VDC toy the fun is driving in snow in 4WD (not AWD), the balance between traction and propulsion is at its best in snow, at least to my taste. All this is really fun but be careful not to become another SUV driver caught in the ditch ;-)
  • phil47phil47 Member Posts: 394
    Actually, Canada is a net exporter of oil (all to the US).

    pf03bob: if by terrorists you mean Canada, Venezuela, UK (North Sea), Russia and all Middle East oil exporting countries....get real.
  • wildcorgiswildcorgis Member Posts: 84
    My statement about gas usage equals terrorism was a tongue and cheek silly statement and without going on a lengthly diatribe to explain myself I'll just say that the world is much too complicated to be summed up in short sentence (like mine).

    For the mileage, heck I would be pretty happy if I was between the 16/19 listed

    I know this is the wrong place for this but I wonder if poor mileage vehicles will start falling out of favor?

    Personally I think the hydrogen and hybrid cars will start taking over.

    Happy pathfinding!!!
  • woodyr1woodyr1 Member Posts: 142
    World_traveler:

    Ii have 39,000 km on my 2001 Pathfinder, and frequently check fuel consumption. Last week, on an out of town trip, I averaged 20 mpg (imperial). I have dedicated winter tires at all 4 corners, and being 'sticky' they do attribute to lower fuel economy. In the warmer months, with non-winter fuel, I get up to 24 mpg (imperial gallon) on the highway, much similar to my old 95 Pathfinder with the 153 hp engine. Around town, the 2001 delivers poor economy. I had the dealer do a computer check after the first year, and everything checked out fine. Should you mileage fail to improve, I would ask the dealer to do a computer check.
  • world_travelerworld_traveler Member Posts: 153
    Thanks Woody,

    20MPG (imperial) is very good this time of year.

    You are now at 39K, do you have any memories of the the first 10K ? Was it very bad when you first got your truck and then improve over time ?

    For now I plan to take it easy, wait for the breaking period to be over (10K miles) and see if things improve dramatically when the warm temprature of spring will be upon us.

    For now I just think that all the elements are against me:
    1) Winter city driving (short distance, stops)
    2) Very cold temperature (around 0F these days)
    3) Breakin not over
    4) Lots of very cold starts
    5) Etc

    But where I live these conditions last over 4 months around here so I can expect to have poor MPG at least 4 months a year (eurkkkk).
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Actually, Canada is a net exporter of oil (all to the US).

    Yes - I think the context was U.S. oil imports. As a net exporter isn't Canada qualified to be a member of OPEC?

    tidester, host
  • woodyr1woodyr1 Member Posts: 142
    Actually, there has been little change in fuel consumption since new. I was concerned about poor economy in city driving, which still is the case. By the way, I always use 91 octane fuel. A salesman at a Nissan dealership recently told me that his Pathy customers mostly use 87 octane, as Nissan "only recommends 91". Using 87 octane may increase fuel consumption due to the engine computer retarding engine timing due to lower octane fuel.

    Woody
  • dieselonedieselone Member Posts: 5,729
    I would think retarding the timing would actually increase consumption not economy. My salesman said the same thing regarding using 87 oct. When I have used 87 I definitely can hear some initial pinging until the knock sensor kicks in. It is especially noticable when I'm towing my boat. I generally always use 91-93 octane and just accept the fact that the pathfinder is thirsty. I generally avg about 15mpg with most my driving being in town and about 10-12 while towing.
  • yipikyayipikya Member Posts: 5
    Hi guys,

    Just picked up a used 2002 Pathy LE this past weekend. The Nav CD included MCA #9 and as Ilive in VA I am looking for #8. I will be talking to the local dealer about getting one for me for free, but I would also be interested in swapping/purchasing copies (if possible?) of other areas. I mostly travel up and down the East coast so I'm trying to get MCA 5-8. As I don't travel these areas enough to warrant a full purchase I would be interested in buying copies for say $20 each. Or, if you good folks have any better ideas or suggestions please comment.

    I look forward to future discussions with you all. Thanks.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    No buying or selling (or trading) on Town Hall. Try eBay perhaps.

    Steve, Host
  • bd70bd70 Member Posts: 30
    Living in the New York area, we were blanketed with about 2 feet of snow today. I figured it would be a great opportunity to test out the 4WD ability of my '03 LE. I've only had it for about 3 months now, and have only put about 1200 miles on it, almost all of it on dry pavement.

    My buddy came out with his GMC Envoy which incidentally, costs quite a bit more than the Pathy. We started pushing the trucks around on an empty field. I had the VDC off as it really hindered the playfulness of the ride.

    I tried it out in Auto, 4HI and 4LO. I actually felt like I had the most control in 4HI. My Pathy never made it feel like I was out of control. Good ridin'. No problem in the 18-24 inches of snow. Even blazed through 3 foot drifts, no problem. Unfortunately, most of the time out in the field was not spent thrashing around in the snow. It was actually spent digging out my friend's Envoy, three separate times. Money well saved.

    Back on the road, I actually kept the VDC off. VDC seems to be a really good feature for most people, especially those who aren't too good at correcting skids or overcorrect. VDC to me felt very unnatural however. This is my first vehicle with any form of traction control and I have done okay for the years of driving in crappy weather without this feature. It almost seemed like the VDC fights what I naturally feel like doing when I start skidding or fishtailing. Its still a good feature. It caught a skid or two in previous, lesser snowstorms, that I probably wouldn't have tried to correct as they weren't so severe.

    The bottom line is that I am extremely satisfied with my Pathy's performance in the snow. I even have to say that the Duelers that everyone seems to hate, haven't let me down today, or on any previous occasion. Regards to all.
  • sivi1sivi1 Member Posts: 82
    02 le, 9000 miles. 12 to 13 mpg pulling 2500# mcycle trailer to fla. 15 mpg ,maybe 16 without trailer. always use 92-93 octane & check every fillup. would like to find one of those 20 mpg pathfinders!
  • pathstarpathstar Member Posts: 201
    I also filled up on the weekend, and calculated 20 l/100 km, which works out to 20 mpg Imperial, as I recall. Kind of a shock. I'm not upset however, as I love the power. My mileage improved a great deal as the vehicle broke in, past 10,000 km (now just at 30,000). I'm using Mobil 1 (10W30). I usually see around 15 to 16 l/100 km in city driving (I only drive on the weekends - walk to work). I've seen 13 l/100 km on the highway in summer (but that was on highway 99 - Duffey Lake portion - typical speed of 80 km/hr but very curvy and hilly (18 % grades). That good mileage surprized me as well, especially as I was in full "play" mode. I use the 10% ethenol premium 92 octane from Mohawk.

    I fill up once a month (and only a half tank), so it's not much of an expense issue. I put the most km on the vehicle in the summer, on trips out to the coast.

    Mobil 1 is $26.56/4 litres and $6.64 per litre at Superstore here in Edmonton Alta. - haven't made it to Walmart yet. Using it (this is the first change to it - 24,000 km to 30,000 km) improved my mileage about 10%, though it's hard to see the change in winter city driving.
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