Nissan Pathfinder

the_gladiator

I also have 1.95 kids using a carseats. One just moved to a booster. Expecting the other soon. I am preparing to purchase a PF. I would like to know if you have cloth or leather seats. How well did the upholstery hold up in regards to stains or other damage? Which upholstery would you recommend? Thanks, Brad

drew_

The IIHS has not retested the Pathfinder since the vehicle has not changed structurally since 1995 when it first came out. The results would be about the same, so there's no point wasting money on crashing a '01 model.


Drew
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Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards

wags6

Any new Pathy owners not enthused with their Bose performance? I have a 2001 SE 5 spd. with Bose 6 disc in-dash - only 2,100 miles. Love the truck to death...but still trying to coax those great Bose sounds into emerging. My wife's 2000 Maxima GLE has the Bose system and it sounds outstanding. Could it be her leather seats don't soak up the sound like my cloth?...speaker placement?...etc.? Mine sounds OK with FM, better with CDs, but not as clear, sharp and thunderous as hers. BTW - just changed the oil using Castrol GTX and stock Nissan filter -seems to purr just fine.
Would appreciate any feedback, pos or neg, on Bose satisfaction.
Thanks.

arianna17

This is in response to those who asked about the carseat spacing. I have an 8 month old and she uses a rear facing carseat. I know that the recommendation is to place the carseat in the middle of the backseats, but I prefer to keep the carseat behind the passenger side seat. I found that when I kept the carseat in the middle, I had a hard time getting the baby in and out of the car. With the carseat behind the passenger seat, I have no problems. It also gives you more space if someone wants to sit in the back with the baby.
With regard to the stains, etc. I have had no problems. I have charcoal cloth seats and I used fabric protector prior to using the PF. I also purchased (from babies r us) a backseat cover by Sassy. It has a charcoal cloth top, but a vinyl waterproof backing, and it has pockets on the bottom to hold baby things.
Trust me, I love my PF and the ride alone makes up for any shortcomings it may have! Not that there are many!!! You will be very pleased with your PF, too. Good Luck!

bkplant

Hopefully someone can help me out here

I actually have a 95 Kingcab 4x4 but I want to install a bush bar which I understand fits both the Pathfinder and Kingcab models for that year and earlier. I have found a Nissan bar at a really good price but it seems to need hardware for attaching it. The bar fits perfectly around the bumper and lights, but the bar's bottom mounting holes sit about 6 inches from the holes on the chassis. I am also assuming the bar would attach to some holes near the readiator above the existing bumper. Alas, all of the 4? contact points seem to need steel connecting pieces.

Installing the bar myself with some homemade pieces looks relatively straight forward, but I just wanted to see first if there is a "proper" method of attaching these things.

Thanks in advance, sorry if I posted this in the wrong forum
nacl@mailtag.com

dave210

I was searching around the net tonight when I came across this website http://www.canadatotwincities.com/buy_car.html It states that a car must be used in order to buy it in Canada and take it back to the US. I know others have gotten brand new cars from Canada, so what is this about? If anyone could shed some light onto this and the web site, it'd be great.

slickitysplit

This is a great site but does anyone know any good sites with Canadian pricing of used vehicles?
Thanks.

sanandton

We had both children in various vehicles both cloth and leather and various colors. (WE TRADE A LOT). We have had beige and gray cloth and leather. We elected to get the charcoal leather interior. The positive is that Kool-aid and juice stains are not as visible on the dark background capeting. The leather is a snap to keep clean, and doesn't stain like our previous cloth seats did. It is holding up very well to children climbing all over it as well.
One drawback that I have noticed is that the dark color will show all dust (ie footprints on the backs of the front seats). It also scuffs more visibly, but nothing permanent. These minor probs usually wipe off easily.

hattrick16

Slickitysplit,

You can try the following:

autobytel.ca
cars4u.com

Try dogpile.com and just do a search on Canadian Used car Pricing.

Hope this helps!

lofquist

I saw this site for the first time when I was doing my research last August about buying in Canada. The person is also from Minnesota like me. It's a nice writeup, but the statement about the car having to be used is wrong. Forty of us have proved it wrong. What he may be thinking of is that most manufacturers do not allow their Canadian dealers to sell new vehicles to the US. But it's not a law. And Nissan has no such dealer sales restriction.

Also, note that he says to wait 'til you get home to get insurance. No. Call your agent before you leave. Even if you bought the vehicle just down the street, you would call your agent as soon as you got it, right? The temporary driving permit is just registration, not insurance. But some people call it that.

dave210, write me and I'll give you my info sheet if you'd like.

-Jon

milsteen

I took my '01 LE in because the steering wheel was off about 10 degree to the right and the car was pulling left. It also had a shimmy in the wheel around 65 to 75 mph. (The car has around 3,000 miles.) The dealer aligned the wheels and balanced the tires. I also had an oil change done at the same time. Now the steering wheel is about 5 degrees off to the left and the car is pulling right, so they still don't have the alignment right. More troublesome, though is a vibration that is fairly constant that can be felt in the gas pedal, the seat, the armrest, etc. It is noticeably worse when starting out and the car hits 1600 and then 2100 rpms. I would have suspected the vibration was due to the back tires being out of alignment (they really are noisy as well - Bridgestones), but the fact that it gets worse around certain rpm levels, rather than at higher speeds on the highway, make me wonder if its not something else. Any clues?

highup

Hey wags6. I also noticed the high end limitations of the Bose system in my 2001 LE. I have added a 10" subwoofer and amp for the bottom end and was very pleased with the results with the added bass, however, the treble setting was always maxed or close to it to get a more sharper and clear definition sound from the music. Not content with the frequency response, I pulled the "A" pillar plastic panel to check out the tweeter and then swapped one side out with a spare tweeter I had from a previous install. I used an MB Quart tweeter rated at 7 ohms and a 10uf cap for a high pass frequency around 2.3k hz. With the driver's side left stock, I then stuck a Denon test CD and played a 10k hz signal and checked out the "sound" by fading the balance left and right. The difference was very apparent. The stock tweeter was raspy and output level was low. The MB tweeter in comparsion was sharper, clearer, louder, and the imaging was now higher up around the dashboard level because of the lower high pass crossover. Needless to say, I replaced both stock tweeters with the MB's and man did it make a difference.

mallen240

Having had a 2000 Maxima GLE with the Bose system, it's my impression that the sound quality from the 2001 Pathfinder LE Bose system is not as good. I don't think the cloth vs. leather seats has much to do with the difference. The main differences are that the Maxima has a smaller passenger cabin for the speakers to fill and an excellent small subwoofer to handle the bass. Apart from that the speakers seem to be very similar in both. In the Pathfinder the door mounted speakers have to handle all of the sound range except for the highs which go to to separate tweeters in the front pillars. The sound seems considerably more muffled than in the Maxima. The Pathfinder system is good nonetheless and like all Bose/Clarion systems used by Nissan has enough power to prevent distortion at high sound levels. Still, I wouldn't rate it with the Maxima's system which had the best sound I've ever heard in a car within its price range. The only problem I have with Bose systems is that they are difficult to modify without scrapping the whole system and starting over.

ballfire8888

I just inflated my tires to approx. 34 psi from the dealer set 26 psi. My initial thoughts are that the PF is MUCH more responsive but handling doesn't feel compromised. I imagine my gas bill will decrease with the higher tire pressures as well. :>)

Any comments on pros and cons of the higher tire pressures?

maxzoey

Slickitysplit : a good site for Canadian used car pricing is :

www.carsoncd.com

I have found this site most useful for both new and used car pricing.

the_gladiator

Thanks for the info.

mtt999

All cars equip with similar Audio/Speakers as Truck/SUB, The car audio system sounds better than Truck/SUB due to the car trunk space the rear speakers mount. If you really want to do the comparison, try to listen to both systems on your ax/Path with the front speakers only.

mtt999

I mean SUV(Sport Utility Vehicle) not SUB.

kmrq

Recently my OEM Bose's CD player keep showing ERROR signs. It plays, but skips when I don't hit the bump. I believe the laser has gone bad. So rather than replacing the head unit by buying BOSE head unit from the dealership, I've decided to get after-market head unit system. Someone told me that if I change my head unit, I also need to get all the BOSE speakers(he said BOSE speakers are SOLID state-only works with BOSE head unit) replaced because it will not work with other head units.

bgritz

I run ours at 34 psi. w/ the reco 26psi, the car feels like it's driving through 3" of mud. no thanks!
w/ 34, it feels much more responsive.

Gritz

highup

I run mine at 34 psi as well. Explorers/Firestone ran theirs at 26psi which according to Firestone generated more heat and thus the failures (build quality as well?) . I think Nissan recommends the 26 PSI because it assumes correctly that most of the PF will never be driven offroad and for that comfy carlike ride 26 PSI would be the correct range. At 34 PSI the tires have less rolling resistance, improved treadlife, better gas mileage. The tradeoff is a fimer ride. Ok by me.

tonveranga

what exactly is the purpose the redline that runs vertically in the middle of the windshield? Is this the outside temperature sensor? or for the compass?

jim225

I have a 2001 Pathfinder and am considering purchasing a tent trailer or small travel trailer. Do any of you have any experience towing with the Pathfinder and in particular how much weight you can comfortably tow from a power viewpoint? I live in the Sierra Foothills in California and expect some up and down hill driving. Appreciate your comments and also would like to know how much weight you have been towing. Thanks!

Jim

xplorx4

I own a 97 Pathfinder, which doesn't even have the 3.5 liter 240HP motor, and I frequently tow a boat and trailer totalling 1200 lbs, and I hardly notice it's there while on the highway. Of course, the braking distance is greater and cornering ability is reduced, but this is expected for towing. I imagine that the 240HP motor will have no problem towing a pop-up tent trailer.

meca2

Shouldn't hav any problem with a tent trailer,but there will be a greater braking distance.

li_sailor

I tow a boat/trailer totaling about 4000#. While I definitely know it's there ;-), the PF pulls it quite nicely, even up the ramp out of the water. Acceleration and braking are quite good (I do have surge brakes on the trailer). Haven't pulled it on the highway, though.

I note that you're looking at the Tribute...very nice drive...keep in mind that it only has a class II hitch (not III like the PF).

Tom

bgritz

tonveranga,

The rust colored line down the middle of the windshield is a diversity antenna. It's called a diversity antenna because it helps keep static and other interference down when driving areas with tall buildings (ie down town), or weak signals that that "walk on" other frequencies.

how, I don't know? sorry
Gritz

jeckles

Hi All!

I just recently towed my trailer with my 01 PF for the first time. It was a pleasure!

My old tow vehicle was a 91 Explorer and I didn't like towing with it...

The PF has plenty of power (hp/torque), and steering is great for controlling sway problems I had with the Explorer towing...

You shouldn't have any trouble, but watch the weights and pay attention to braking!!

pathstar

Diversity antenna (or more info. than you ever wanted).
Take two antennas that are physically spaced a calculated distance apart and combine the outputs of them (using proper RF matching techniques - not just connecting the wires together). Now, when one of the antennas receives a poor signal (usually due to multipath fading, where the direct signal is cancelled by a reflected signal), the probability is the other receives a good signal. The user therefore does not experience poor reception. The magnitude of the probability is calculable and controllable by the spacing and type of antennas (e.g. one antenna is vertical and one horizontal, or other variations).
The diversity antenna doesn't help if you travel out of range of the station.
A little RF engineering for the layman.

meca2

On page EL-163 of the Service Manual about the audio system if the AM stations are weak or noisy and FM is ok check the antenna. If the FM stations are weak or noisy check the window antenna. It looks like they are using different lengths of antennas for different frequencies. I might disconnect each one this weekend to double
check. Steve

djeanclerc

Hey, Highup. I read your recent post about swapping out your original speakers. I also have a 2001 LE and am pretty disappointed in the Bose system. Regardless of what they say, all factory systems sound the same to me - all mid-range, no crisp highs or deep bass.
I'd love to replicate the setup that I had in my last car before it was totalled (Infinity component tweeters and mids with an amplified SAS sub), but am reluctant to have a shop pulling apart my new vehicle.
Could you give me some quick info on the ins and outs of upgrading the speaker package? Specifically,
1. How hard is it to remove the "A" pillar plastic panel, get to the original wiring, remove the original tweeter, and then replace everything? Any special tools I would need?
2. The Crutchfield website had a step-by-step on installing an amplified SAS Bazooka onto an existing OEM system. Their recommendation was to just splice the wiring from one of the rear door speakers and then lead that to the back. Again, how hard is that to do? Also, since the PF doesn't have a power antenna, how should I connect the sub to the battery without constantly draining it?
Finally, where did you get that Denon test CD?
Thanks for any help that you can give me.

Dave

tim_hooligan

Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone in here has had the same problem, or have a little mechanical experience. My 1996 Pathfinder is making a horrible "buzzing" sound coming from the engine/drivetrain when it shifts into 2nd gear. There is also a rough shift 1st-2nd while driving for the first 5 minutes. If you push the gas pedal lightly, there is no buzz. But once you push the engine a little bit, BZZZZZZZZZ. It's mostly intermittant, but rather bothersome.
If anyone knows alot, either post it here or email me at : seventim3@aol.com

Hope everyone enjoys their 2001's! (i'm JEALOUS!!!)

palmares

Has anyone recently purchased a 2001 Pathfinder in the Washington DC area? I negotiated a price of $27,800 for a 2001 SE 4wd Pathfinder (auto). The specs are listed below. I'm going to purchase this car tonight. Does this sound like a fair deal?

2001 SE Pathfinder:
Automatic
4WD
Sunroof package
Limited Slip Differential
Micro-Cabin Filter
Floor Mats
Body Moldings
Sunroof wind deflector

kmrq

I have 2000 PF, and I need to get a shop manual. How much do they cost at the dealership??? or is there a two separate manual for PF. One for regular and other one just for electrical wiring. Where can I get the manual cheap??

mallen240

Can anyone explain axle ratios to me? I've seen that the Pathfinder XE and Infiniti QX4 have axle ratios of 4.36 to 1, while the Pathfinder SE and LE have axle ratios of 4.64 to 1. Does this make any difference to how the vehicles perform? Acceleration? Towing? Fuel economy?

Palmares, congratulations on working your deal for the Pathfinder SE. You seem to be beating the price I paid for an LE by about $200-$300. The quote you got sounds good, probably a few hundred below "dealer invoice" although I'm not sure dealer invoice price means as much these days for Nissan as it does with other manufacturers. Nissan dealers, even those in the affluent DC area, seem to have some additional incentives to move their products that aren't reported anywhere. The True Market Value postings on this website seem to help judge the market very well if you find a decent salesman.

li_sailor

http://www.nissan-techinfo.com/

the_gladiator

Well I did it! My SE awaits in Vancouver. Bayshore blue with charcoal cloth, sunroof wind deflector. I hope currency exchange will start improving again (it slipped a little). Certainly the $1500 discount will help. $36,550 CAD, includes destination and all charges except the deflector and gst. I scheduled to bring it home on June 28th. I can't wait. I have a business trip next week, otherwise I'd pick it up earlier.

I'd like to personally thank Jon, Don, Steve for their assistance.

ballfire8888

Is your SE automatic transmission? auto 4-wheel drive? $972 destination charge?

tonveranga

does anyone know if i can get the factory Nissan Nav. as an aftermarket accessory installation?

highup

djeanclerc...email me joecruz2@hotmail.com

kmrq

Wow I did not know that PF service manual was that expensive. Anyone help me out here, person with a 2000 PF service manual send me copy of part on the manual about electrical wiring. Especially under the dash board wiring. Which color wiring does what. I know this is little selfish but I don't want to spend $250 just for looking up a wiring part. my e-mail add is mr.q@onebox.com --e-mail me please

captainron

I clearly understand what you're trying to do...I looked into this while I was buying my LE (with nav). I was finding great deals on Pathfinders without nav and whenever I brought it up with the salespeople, I'd get, "Oh, we can just add that for you." "Really?" I'd ask... "Do you know that it's a different dash panel, a CD changer, a GPS antenna, getting rid of the coin-slot changer and moving the Bose head unit down?" Then they'd get that furrowed brow look and say, "Oh, I had no idea there was that much involved." I know...a salesperson who didn't know their "A" from their elbow...go figure.

Bottom line is: Of course it can be done (there are people who have built computer monitors into their dashboards), but don't expect that it's a bolt-on type of install. I'd view it as more of a "conversion" and as such, may be hard to find someone to do it and at what price?

I hope this helps...

Captain Ron

lofquist

Gladiator: You did good. Glad I could help a little. For those of you without a calculator handy that works out to about US$24,700 even including the duty at the border.

balfire8888: In case Gladiator is already out of town, I know the answer. It's an SE AWD auto trans with cloth. Includes the freight charge.

-Jon
(on two weeks of vacation starting Monday. Maybe I'll find an internet cafe in Istanbul to check in)

xplorx4

The 4.36:1 axle ratio is numerically lower than the 4:64:1, so it's actually a higher gear. What this means is that, for the same size tire, the engine will rotate 6% slower with the 4:36 gears than with the 4:64, resulting in better fuel economy at highway speeds, but a little less performance (acceleration).

However, it's likely that the models with 4:36 gears have smaller tires than the 4:64 models. The difference in gearing compensates for the tire size difference.

Beyond that, there's no other major advantage or disadvantage to either gear set.

ballfire8888

WOW >>>that is an excellent deal. I took delivery late March of my 2001 PF SE AWD. I paid $37,000 CAN + frt + txs. That included bug deflector (which dealer installed incorrectly as it scuffed up the paint), sunroof deflector & wheel locks. BTW, Nissan had 2.8% financing then; it's now 1.8%.

So far, my PF has been great except for fuel consumption.

the_gladiator

I'm still here til Monday morning. I see Jon already answered your question. With the economy going the way it is and the rebate offering, its has really been favorable for me. There was no need to haggle. Told the sales mgr that I was familiar with the paperwork, been in contact with previous buyers, and asked him for a good offer. Very professional. If others are seriously interested in saving money, ask Jon for his info.

FYI: One of the currency exchange houses mentioned to me that Friday is not one of the favorable days to have your currency converted.

omega11

Gladiator, what a great deal! I'm planning on purchasing the same vehicle with the same options/color in Vancouver except I will be getting the manual. Could you tell me which dealer you went to? If possible, could give me a breakdown of what items they charged you for and how much it was in Canadian dollars? Thanks!

johnmei

I am trying to decide between a Pathfinder and a Subaru Outback. I live in Maine and am retired. My wife and I have to go up and down a hill with 2 switchbacks and need a great snow vehicle that is reliable and comfortable. Gas mileage also is a factor and so is the ability to tow light loads.

Please give me your experience in snow/icey roads, both moving and stopping. Any recommendations/ advice would be appreciated folks.

Please evaluate pros and cons.

Thanks-John

palmares

Well guys, I got the Pathfinder. Mallen240, thanks for your comments. Your right about what invoice price really means these days. Kelly Blue Book and Emunds had different invoice prices. I had considered buying in Canada after nearly a month of visiting various Nissan dealerships in the Baltimore/DC area. Every dealership I visited quoted a price of about $29,500. One dealership tried to sell me a 2001 SE with 5000+ miles for that price. With the help of this fourm and other car websites, I had an idea what price I should be paying. In the end, I found a dealership that sold me a Pathfinder for $27,800 + TTL with 3.9% financing and 60 days no payment. That's at least $900 under invoice. Well, its time for me to blow doors off a Toyota 4Runner.

tonveranga

captainiron,
I completely agree with you 100%. The salesman doesn't have any clue about the LE NAV.
How can you sell a vehicle and not know everything about it? They told the same thing they told you. Until now, I haven't heard anything from my dealer. I think that Nissan should require that their sales people be knowledgable about their line!!!