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When I stop at red light, I can hear the engine has periodical noise (more clear at night). If I open the hood, the noise is pretty loud. I also feel a little bit vibrating when I stop the car with brake. Is that normal? Also the idle speed seems just at 550 RPM (should be 700rpm?). Is this the reason for the noise?
I had a old maxima which died one month ago. It had a similar idling problem before it died. But this sentra is a new car. Maybe it is normal in a break in period? Maybe I worry too much about it?
Anyone has the same experience? If it is a problem, I have to bring it back to dealer.
Thanks,
~alpha
Yeah, I guess you are right. I worried too much. The unexpected death of my old maxima makes me sensitive to all those idling, vibrating and noise.
Let the car break in a little more also.
The Sandman :-)
I just bought my first car, a 2004 Sentra 1.8S and I couldn't be happier. After driving that old '94 around and then a series of my parents crappy rustbuckets it was a welcome change.
#1608 - I have that same rumbling. It's normal. I've had a 27-point inspection and everything appears to be okay.
I also had the engine light come on, and I was told that it came on because of a flaw in the software on the trip computer and the software had to be replaced. Once they replaced it, the light never came back on.
I like that Sentra so much that I'll never buy any other car than a Nissan. I've driven Ford, Chevy, Daewoo, Kia, and GMC and they all suck compared to a Nissan. It's like driving in a luxury car to me. It's so responsive and powerful. I can't see why anyone wouldn't want one...
There are several other cars in the same category, like the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Mazda 3. These are all very good cars and I'll bet you would like them too.
Compared to an 11 year old Sentra any of these will feel like a luxury car!
But Edmunds did not have a "True Cost to Own" figure yet for the relatively new Mazda make-model to compare against Nissan's compact sedan, so I was reluctant to seriously consider the Mazda 3 ... and wonder in hindsight if I should have....
Also, I've been driving the 2004 Nissan Sentra 1.8 S for awhile...and I cannot seem to find a comfortable seating position, adjustment for the driver's seat, even though I'm not what you call "tall" by any means.
Even with the tilt steering and two driver's seat left-sided "dials" and the forward-back seat handle directly below the driver's seat, I seem to have a difficult time finding a position that doesn't make my legs feel cramped. Any suggestions?....
~alpha
* Do you know if the 2004 Sentra 1.8 S comes equipped, standard, with Nissan's Vehicle Immobilization System, or NVIS?
(NVIS, as I understand, uses a computer chip embedded in the car keys, like a miniature radio transmitter, that allows only the proper owner to operate the car and not thieves.)
* The 2004 Sentra 1.8 S has a radio antenna located on the exterior front of the passenger side that can be removed with a wrench if necessary.
Does the antenna need to be removed before taking the car through an automated, professional car wash? Will the brushes, etc. snap off or bend out of shape the antenna?
(And if the antenna should be removed to prevent damage, what about the hole in the hood that's left? How and should it be covered before going to a professional car wash?)
I've never taken the antenna off before going thru the car wash and nothing has ever happened to it. It's one of those whip antennas, so I'd just leave it alone.
Hope this helps.
The Sandman :-)
My question is: 1.Is the leaking sound after turning of the engine normal?
2. If not normal, would that be antifreaze problem?
Thank you in advance for any input!
After the engine is shut off, I still hear these
cracking noise (like metal is expanding and contracting) for a few minutes. I figured that it was winter and it was caused by contact of cold air and hot engine. But winter has passed and it is still making these noise. The guy at the dealer said is just the engine cooling down and is normal. My old car does not make this noise. Is this normal? Thanks for your help
No stress. Love the car. It flies and I still get 26 MPG.
~alpha
I hear it also in my 1.8 S and it is a normal phenomenon which happens in most cars.
Can't say however how long it will keep occuring , but I assume that it will occur less frequently as time goes on.
My 1.8 S is just over a month old and I still hear ir every once in a while.
Ed.
(I find it inconvenient at times to have to unlock the driver's door to reach the glove box from the outside, unless I use the remote control key fob and unlock all the doors with it.)
* Is there an economical way to change the color of the instrument gauges like the speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge, etc.
(I prefer some other color than the yellow-and-red color scheme and was wondering if there was a way to change it, perhaps with a different colored light bulb or overlay.)
Changing the instrument lighting is not an easy job. I'm not sure if the Sentra uses colored bulbs but if it does (high chance it does), you would have to take the dash apart and pull out the gauges to get at the bulbs. If it uses LED bulbs, that could complicate replacement depending on how they are attached (they could be soldered in place). You could buy an aftermarket gauge cluster but that can get a little expensive and if it involves extra wiring, you are messing with your car's warranty. But yes, it is possible.
Interesting thing in my opinion!
The Sandman :-)
Just went out and saw that my '03 Sentra GXE also has no keyhole there...it must have to do with the keyless entry and not the factory alarm as I first suspected!
I was told by the service advisor that the 2004 Nissan Sentra 1.8 S does not have NVIS. I also asked about the protruding stereo antenna, whether it should be removed from the hood with a wrench before taking it through an automated car wash.
Two of the car salesmen I asked told me they thought the antenna did not need to be removed prior and could withstand going through the car wash without being damaged or being bent out of shape.
However the same dealership's automobile service advisor, who takes care of oil changes, etc., advised me differently; this is what he had to say:
"Yes, the antenna should be removed before going through automatic car washes. The small area that it leaves uncovered is not effected be the wash process, and any water that gets into the small recess gets pushed out when the antenna is screwed back in. However it is recommended that the end of the antenna remain lubricated with a small amount of grease, anti-seize, or equivalent. In the event the antenna, or any other component, is damaged during an automatic wash, it is not covered by warranty. This is because it is not a manufacture defect or premature wear that caused the damage, but the abnormal environment of an automatic wash."
Also I am not sure about newer products, but 3 years ago only SE version of Sentra had NVIS. XE and GXE which are equivalent to 1.8 and 1.8s - did not.
~alpha
~alpha
I have a quote from a dealer for $11000.00 Check if the dealer is talking about a trade in or cash advance on the car. Also let me know where this dealer is located. I may also be interested in checking this out. You may also need to check that he is giving you the car you desire with all options
~alpha
(I read tons of reviews on this website and others, looked at many photographs of the interior and exterior of cars, before even thinking about test driving the car at a dealership.
None of them mentioned the color scheme of the instrument cluster of the Sentra or even suggested test driving after dark, to see how easy it is to remember or reach the cabin controls in the dark, while driving for example.)
And other things, like the driver's side-only keyhole you may never even think of if you've been driving the same car for years, until you take a very close look and realize after talking to others it's a recent development or trend in newer models, cars.
~alpha
You might also want to look up the Tiburon discussions - welcome, and good luck!
The Sandman :-)
The '03's didn't have leather wrapped anything, would've liked it though.
The Sandman :-)
It seems a bit more noisy when driving at highway speeds than I anticipated (even with a test drives). Just wondering if anyone knows or thinks it may quiet down some as it breaks in. Had a '91 Honda Accord w/ 190,000 miles on it, even with that many miles (and a few mech. probs.) it was still quieter than the Sentra. And even at 13 years old it is still way more car than the Sentra. Don't get me wrong I love the peppy little car, I guess I had just grown accustom to my Honda. It's hard to give 'em up when they've given that many years of dependable service.
Also the mileage seems a bit low only about 29 mpg average (350 mi's on the Odometer). I expected a little better, I was getting 30 all the time with my old Accord.
Just looking for feedback.. hope to get 10 years of good service out of this Sentra.. based on the postings I've read this probably won't be a problem...
how can i add ABS brakes.
do i need to take it to the dealership or is it something that can be done at any place?
-Thanks
I went to a few Mazda dealers and they have a good selection of 6's and 3's with an ABS package.
Are there any fine-tuning that can be done for the braking, like a better brake pad from after market etc..