Nissan reliability now that they are partners with Renault

ClutchIt

Hi All,

I'm thinking of buying a Nissan as they used to have a good rep for reliability. However, they are now linked heavily with Renault and the 1.5 Dci engine in the car I'm looking at is made by Renault. This doesn't fill me with confidence.

Are Nissans still as good as before? Are they at least more reliable than Renault?

Thanks

Leonard Hofstadter

Well that engine is exactly the same as the 1.5 dCi unit used in a lot of Renaults, so it is as reliable or unreliable in a Nissan as it is in a Renault:)!

One point of note is that well before Nissan had the tie up with Renault they were making some unreliable cars - the Almera from 2000 onwards is not an especially reliable car for example and that has nothing to do with Renault at all.

I would say that older Nissans are much better but the flip side is that Renaults over the past 2-3 years are a big improvement on before - so far anyway.

I wouldn't let the fact that whatever Nissan you're considering has a Renault diesel engine put me off buying the car - but you should think about whether or not diesel suits you. Low road tax is NOT a reason!

Are you going to be using the car to go around town mostly? Because if you are you should be buying a petrol engine, not a diesel engine. Most problems with modern diesels are as a result of people not using them the way the manufacturers intended them to be used.

While it is true to say that short and/or low speed driving does not do any engine any favours in the long run, petrol engines are considerably more tolerant of that type of driving than a diesel is. Items like the Dual Mass Flywheel (DMF) and Diesel Particle Filter (DPF) are significantly more likely to fail in repeated stop-start driving than in out of town driving. These items are upwards of a grand to fix - so think long and hard as to whether your usage actually justifies a diesel or are you going with one because that's what a lot of other people are (stupidly) doing in order to save 50 quid a year in car tax?

sanbrafyffe

do not mention a renault 1.5dci engine to me please

sanbrafyffe

do not mention a renault 1.5dci engine to me please lol

MidlandsM

nissan are part of renault a long time now, its not a recent marriage at all.

Re; the 1.5 diesel unit , proper servicing of them is key to keeping them running right.

Justin10

Renault had that terrible gearbox in the N16. I had to replace it twice!
Also think the timing chain that gives problems is from Renault too

ClutchIt

Hi Sandrafyffe. I will do just that. It seems you have had trouble with it?

Yeah Diesel would suit me alright I presume? Work is about 25km away on the dual carraigeway.

On a different note I'm currently driving a 1998 Fiesta 1.25 petrol. The thing is incredible. 4yrs driving it. I've done about 60k miles and NEVER has it failed to start. I love the thing.

shawnee

sanbrafyffe wrote: »

do not mention a renault 1.5dci engine to me please lol

I think they are a brilliant engine... do you have a problem with them ?

Saruman

I thought it was mainly electrics that Renault were rubbish at? And now they do electric cars.....

Leonard Hofstadter

Renault engines are usually fairly ok although they've had a few very unreliable ones over the years but they need to be serviced on time (well of course you should be doing that with every car anyway regardless of make, model and engine;)).

It's the electrics in them that are worse than useless.

OP, your driving is unlikely to give you any problems with a diesel. Make sure it is serviced by someone you trust at least once a year or every 20,000 km (whichever comes first) - there is no leeway with 'forgetting' to service a modern engine - you will pay heavily for not doing it on time in the long run!

Also remember that the current low tax rates for post 2008 stuff is not going to last indefinitely - they already hiked up the two lowest bands last year by as much as 63% (while other bands went up about 5%) so I think it is very likely that bands A and B will be heavily hiked up again in the budget especially with the way things are going. Just another thing to consider if you're buying used and thinking of spending a lot more on a 08 over a 07 because of the cheaper tax etc.

ClutchIt

Nah, it's a 2007 anyways

Leonard Hofstadter

Check that it has been serviced when it was supposed to be serviced. I wouldn't touch anything without a full service history. If it all checks out you should have no reliability issues with your kind of driving.

galwaytt

ClutchIt wrote: »

Hi All,

I'm thinking of buying a Nissan as they used to have a good rep for reliability. However, they are now linked heavily with Renault and the 1.5 Dci engine in the car I'm looking at is made by Renault. This doesn't fill me with confidence.

Are Nissans still as good as before? Are they at least more reliable than Renault?

Thanks

The reason the Nissan has a Renault engine is that Nissan didn't have a good engine to put in it themselves.

The whole Renault reliability thing is a 70's hangover. I mean, do you still ask if Datsun's Nissan's rust overnight ?

Guy:Incognito

OSI wrote: »

Yes, because the mid '00's Megane and Laguna were both stellar in the reliability department.

According to the ADAC stats a couple of years back, at its worst, the Laguna II still had less faults than that generation of Transits.

How many people say to avoid a transit at all cost when buying a van?

My next car is likely to be either a Laguna II or a C5. I have no issue buying either.

jjf1974

OSI wrote: »

Any trades men that I've spoken to and has owned one has said to avoid the last 2 generations of Transits.

A lot of them bought renault vans aswell and had problems!

galwaytt

OSI wrote: »

galwaytt wrote: »

The whole Renault reliability thing is a 70's hangover. I mean, do you still ask if Datsun's Nissan's rust overnight ?

Yes, because the mid '00's Megane and Laguna were both stellar in the reliability department.

Yes they were : I bought 2 new, and put 90k miles on each with no problems. I bought a 3rd, used. Their 16v 1.4 with 95bhp was a very good engine, and put VAG's to shame.

sanbrafyffe

it hought they were good at the start till renaults and nissans main problems started,,guess what,,,sensors,,,oh ya light up the dash board like a xmas tree,,,,crank sensor,fuel sensor which left fluctuations in the fuel pressure and this sensor and that sensor,,,then came engine trouble,,,rings were gone and plenty others,,,a drum of oil barely lasted me a week

shawnee wrote: »

I think they are a brilliant engine... do you have a problem with them ?

Guy:Incognito

sanbrafyffe wrote: »

a drum of oil barely lasted me a weeek

44 gallons a week is definately a bit more than normal, ill give you that :-)

Guy:Incognito

sanbrafyffe wrote: »

a drum of oil barely lasted me a week

44 gallons a week is definately a bit more than normal, ill give you that :-)

rolion

You know what i love to hear from this kind of topics :don't buy French cars,buy Japs or Germans ! Keep going...

Got myself ONLY french cars (3 Espace) and they run purrfect.
Purchase cost...perfect for the status and the safety /comfort !
So,by keping this old thinking style,i can get my hands on a good second hand french car...

The only car that doesn't give you hassle is the one kept in the back garden,covered and locked !


Please...stay away from french cars,let people that know what and when to buy them ...

godtabh

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

According to the ADAC stats a couple of years back, at its worst, the Laguna II still had less faults than that generation of Transits.

How many people say to avoid a transit at all cost when buying a van?

My next car is likely to be either a Laguna II or a C5. I have no issue buying either.

I'd go with the C5. Better looking car (new shape) and the hDI engine is class

ClutchIt

thanks everyone. Was getting worried on page 1. By page 2 things were looking up.

'It's a thread of two halves'

SgtBob

Myself, My Dad and Sister all had a nissan with a 1.5 DCI over the last three years.

In general we were all fairly happy with them.

My car had a timing belt slip after 52,000 KM, but was sorted out by Nissan, with a bit of complaining. (Car was fully serviced by Nissan at set intervals).

My Dad's was spot on, no issues over about 50,000 KM.

My Sister's car had about 160,000 KM racked up over 3 years and gave her no issue.

So take what you will from that.

Jhcx

In fairness no car is perfect. Its about how you drive it and maintain it. 1 person says one thing another says the opposite. Its like a computer can go at anytime

Personally i never liked Nissan just something about them. Specially the Micra, I have noticed with the Almera's the key barrels seems to go :eek: and the engine sounds like its in sitting on the passenger seat at start up. But got to say im contemplating buying an Almera first time driving one thought twas grand ride. Although i found 3rd gear a bit funny are the gearbox's funny on them?