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Also, are the specialty cloths for waxing, etc. worth it.....yea, I know one should wash their car with a sponge, but I don't want to scratch up the vehicle....I hate those fine scratches......
Let me know...
Thanks !
/direct/view/.eea42c7
There are topics specifically for your questions.
http://www.zainobros.com/
or if you're Canadian:
http://www.car-fanatic.com/
Instructions are there as well for cloths and sponges.
Here is the question. I want a cargo liner for the back, and I thought I saw someone said that someone makes one that covers the wheel wells and everythin. Anyone have detials?
Lastly I want a nice brushguard for the front. Has anyone found one that is nicer than the Nissan offering?
If I had known we were getting a dog, I would never have gotten the leather. Mine seems to tear easily.
Thanks.
If anyone has suggestions on how to protect the leather, please let me know.
good luck. They have paste or liquid. The paste might be better
I can't tell. I also use a small part of an old towel to wax and polish.
Some car wash liquid have wax in it and helps between waxes.
Have fun!!
However, this year during the first snowfall, I found that I could shift in but couldn't shift out on the fly. The only way to get it out of 4H was to either take a sharp turn or stop and go in reverse.
When I brought it to the dealer (3 times overall) they finally change the transfer case and still couldn't get it to work the way it did when I first got it. They proceeded to tell me that the system was functioning normally.
I've called Nissan NE Region and they too contend that this is normal. Something isn't right.
Any suggestions???
we have 3 dogs and one of them is wild when he rides in the car. i had a pet divider for the explorer i used to drive and it worked okay. but with the pathfinder, i put his crate in the back and he rides in the crate. it works much better than the divider when you have an active dog.
Steve
Host
SUV and Vans Message Boards
Thanks for the help.
MOW in Atlanta
PS - use Lexol cleaner and conditioner on your leather...Rolls Royce recommends this product as well
Drew
Host
Vans and SUVs message boards
I've seen numerous postings basically asking the same thing...but I'd like some advice from all you Pathfinder owners...
I'm in the market for a new SUV and I have narrowed it down to the Pathfinder LE or the Qx4. I realize they are virtually the same vehicle with the QX4 being the snazzier of the two.
I cannot make up my mind...
+ an -'s
I like the exterior style of the Pathfinder much more than the QX4. The QX4 is just a little too "tarty" for my taste. Although the wheels that come with the premium package look great! I like the wheels on the Pathfinder LE just as much.
Although the Pathfinder's interior is nice, I love the interior of the QX4. I prefer the "Lexus" like dash, the wood trim (yes, I know its fake) that covers the dash and the console + the leather and wood (I know, fake) steering wheel.
The Pathfinder has white gauges, that are apparently all the rage these days, but I don't care for them. I find the color distracting. I also noticed that the console in the Pathfinder is just plastic...cheap looking plastic @ that. Does anyone know if you can get wood or wood grain on the console of a Pathfinder as an option? I'm talking about the area around the emergency brake handle and the cupholders, transmission stick....I saw on a site that had a "build your own" option for the Pathfinder that Nissan offers a "real wood dash" option, but it didn't provide the cost or if it included the wood console, etc...
I haven't studied it much, but based on the postings, it appears that the QX4 does not hold its resale value as well as the Pathfinder. I am looking to finance my purchase, not lease it. I generally keep my cars 5+ years or more, so resale is somewhat important to me. Is there a difference in resale values?
Most of the reviews I have read on the QX4 in car rags, have not been that positive...they generally always end with something to the effect that your better off buying a Pathfinder and saving the extra $$$. Obviously, if your driving a Pathfinder and considered the QX4, you followed their advice. Any regrets?
I keep thinking that I will get better service from my Infiniti dealer. ??? Many years ago I owned a 280ZX and the Nissan dealer I took it to was the worst! They're out of business now + this was in the early 80's, so I don't think I should compare then vs. now. I guess my concern is that I hear a lot of complaints from folks regarding Honda dealers, but I guess I have been spoiled by mine. I didn't feel hassled during the purchase of my Honda Prelude. When you bring your car in for service, they offer a free loaner car (you have to schedule it in advance) and they wash my car each time free of charge. Everybody is friendly, helpful and professional. Is this your experience with your Nissan dealer?
I know that the local Nissan dealers I have visited swarm on me like buzzards when I drive up. That doesn't make me very comfortable and I usually shrink back into my car and come back on Sunday's when they are closed.
So what about your purchasing experience?
What about insurance costs for the Pathfinder? Reasonable? High? Is it considered a "high-risk" vehicle to own?
So please, help me make a decision, your opinions are appreciated! Any other things you can think of that may have been important to you during your decision making process, please share with me.
I envy all you folks driving the Pathfinder LE. I really believe its the most attractive mid-size SUV on the market, especially the 2001 model. Help me get past that white dash and plastic console!
Also, love the Pathfinder commerical with "Barracuda" by Heart as background music...takes me back to my teen-age years!
Thanks!
The center stack can be removed. I have done it to pull out the cd changer. You have to take off the smaller portion over the upper vents first. It just snaps in. This will expose 2 screws that need to be removed from the lower section. As I recall, the rest is snapped in place with clips. Proceed carefully and look for any extra screws I may have forgotten about. I unfortunately can't remember how much space was behind the knock outs. Mine has the heated seat switches there. It seems that it was a tight fit. They are about 2" square each. Hope this helps.
If you are turning alot on semi-loose surfaces or dry surfaces, this could happen, but if you are always on very loose surfaces (snow, ice, etc), then something is wrong.
The auto-4wd is clearly better. It is a very reliable system having been used on the Nissan Skyline GT and the Infiniti QX4 for many years. I haven't heard any serious concerns to date regarding it's ruggedness or reliability. You still have the option of 2wd only, or PT 4wdHi or 4wdLo (locked center diff), but you can also choose to just leave it in auto-4wd all the time. When in the PT settings, it acts just like the the PT system above (both the good and the bad except much easier to engage 4Lo). When in auto-4wd, you would think you were in 2wd until it gets slippery. It then engages seamlessly and give you the traction you need. You don't get the oversteer problem or the feeling of "resistance" you get with a PT system as the clutch-pack in the center diff in auto mode allows slippage between the front and rear wheels. The best part for me is not having to remember to engage/disengage the PT system as road conditions changed (or I entered the parking garage at work after driving in the snow). Hope this helps.
hold the panel together. I can e-mail them to you if you like. There is about
4-5 pages. Steve
I wanted to know a little bit more about air shocks. How do they work? How do they affect the ride of the car? Do I need them or are they recommended to tow a boat as described above long distances (I live in Miami and frequently tow my boat two or more hours to the Keys)?
Any comments are greatly appreciated.
How To Tow a Trailer
Steve
Host
SUV and Vans Message Boards
Center ventilator
Hook a cloth-covered flat-bladed screwdriver into the right-side
groove section, and pull out.
CAUTION:
To prevent the screwdriver from slipping and causing damage
to the surface, pull out while applying pressure on the screw-driver
towards the right.
It shows a (cloth wrapped) screwdriver stuck into the right side of the right vent. Pull out on this side. I know steveinwshingtn has done this and says it's in there tight. Once you have this panel out, the panel below it is held in with two screws with a few more clips. Obvious from there to remove additional components.
-Jon
with the ABS. If air shocks or other devices are installed on the
rear to keep the rear of the vehicle level with a load it will "fool" the ABS and
the pressure to the rear brakes will be reduced. You need as much
braking on these SUV because the brakes are marginal at best.
The 2wd does not have this feature. Cheers
Tom
Does the rear washer fluid come from the same reservoir as the front washers? I can't find any kind of fill in the rear hatch area so either it is well hidden or the tube runs all the way through the body.
uses fluid from the same container.
I know what you mean about the white gages. When I first saw them I thought they were the ugliest feature on the pathfinder. I wound up overlooking that item and buying an LE.
What I found out later was that the white face gages are actually one of the coolest features on the pathfinder. As it gets dark out the white face turns to black and the black markings and numbers turn bright. Now, I have absolutely no idea how they do this but I like it.
I have been working on and driving Nissans for over 20yrs
and have no problems with injectors. Just keep them clean and I change
the fuel filter very often. You might have other problems.
stevinwashingtn: The white insruments are great. I like them too!!
Steve
****
Also there is a HUGE gap between the back of the tonneau cover and the back seats.. I thought the cover was supposed to hide valuables underneat it but this gap is a huge opening that you can look right down into. I think this is a major flaw except that you can fold down the back seats way down to minimize the opening.
The 2001 is obviously a great ride. How do the 97-00 models compare in terms of value, performance, HP/Torque, transmission, ride comfort? Is 2001 the first year with the 240 or 250 HP engine? Thanks in advance!
Yes the 2001 PF and QX4s are the first year to have the 240-250hp engines. I have had mine almost one year now and it has thus far been a flawless design powertrain. About 12k miles so far.
Zemroc,
My parents have had a 90 PF XE with the older engine. It is a 3.0 or 3.3L engine with 175hp (I think). I believe yours in in this range. While the critics could not gripe about the majority of the PF it was always the lack of power to be mentioned the most. That is until the 2001 model year. My parents PF always has problems ascending long hills, frequently downshifting to maintain speed. On the other hand they have put almost 140k rough miles on it. Towing a 3800lb camper, trailer, boats etc and it has been up to the task. It is one of the reasons I bought a PF. It is still going strong.
Maybe someone sells an aftermarket tonneau cover like this for the PF.
TC
Yes, that's how I got my shop manual. Actually I called the 800 number, but it's the same people. I think the CD is great. It's just over 2500 pages in acrobat form split up into manageable sections. So you can transport it anywhere and print what you want. I guess we have to get used to paying $200+ for manuals these days, but I would sure have been nice to have been half that cost. Email me with any questions.
When I got mine in Oct there was not a selection of two different VIN ranges. I have not seen a 2001 Path in either the US or Canada that did not have a VIN other than 3xxxxx as the last six sequence digits.
-Jon
jonlofquist@aol.com
Yes in theory you can also go to Canada to get a used Pathfinder, but of course you don't get to see what you are buying until you get there. Buying new you know exactly what you are getting. Not sure what years/price range you are thinking of, but around here 2-3 year old Paths with 20K-30K miles are advertised for about the same as I paid for my brand new 2001 in Canada. And you get the new 3.5 engine and all the other goodies (warranty too). You would not be the first from VA to go up there at all. Write me for more info.
-Jon
jonlofquist@aol.com
Driving route and methods are identical to those of the two previous seasons.
Dave -
I replace the front tires this past summer with the spare and an identical match (Bridgestone H/T Dueler 693 series). In fact, the dealer was told by Nissan to replace all the tires to see if this would fix the problem. It didn't!
Phil -
I use the 4WD system very infrequently. This season in the NE we have had several storms which have kepted the secondary roads snow covered. I keep it in 4H until I get to a road that has been plowed and sanded and then try to take it out of 4H. I have even tried to anticipate this change and shift out on snow covered roads. No luck!
Thanks for your responses. Any other suggestions welcomed. What's making me upset is that Nissan NE is telling me that a condition that didn't exist when I purchased the vehicle and is now present is normal. Anybody have good contacts at Nissan?
thanks