MySwag.org The Off-road Camper Trailer Forum
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: Shager on March 08, 2012, 10:21:10 PM
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Looking at upgrading the Mazda bravo for a Nissan patrol 3Lt diesel auto. Just after some feed back on what you lot think about them as a four wheel drive. Needs to tow and will be the vehicle to take us to the cape in 2 yrs. is the auto any good, as all my previous vehicle's have been manuals, but the misses can only drive an auto.
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Oh NO!
This thread is going to go off like a bomb....or is that the sound of the 3L.
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I've got one. I love the auto. In most ways nicer to drive than the cruiser that replaced it. Now my wife drives it. Patrol4x4 (when it gets back on air) has some very good info on them.
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Wheres Badger? He just bought one. Pajero is another directly comparable price vehicle.
I have an older model and a manual so not really the same.
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HI Shager,
I have had a 2005 3L auto since almost new and it has been a fantastic vehicle. The auto makes it nice to drive through the rev range compared to a manual where they seem verry peaky. The auto is also fantastic offroad, climbs hills like you would not believe.
As far as the motors go, older than 2004 seemed to have more problems but no motor is immune to problems if it has been badly treated or not serviced and used with decent oil.
If you can afford it get as newer one as you can.
Good old TD4.2turbos (only up to 2005 or 2006 when they stopped selling them in Aus) are a fantastic motor but so hard to get now that you will pay heaps more and they are only available in manual.
There are a lot of threads on other forums about ZD30 motor problems and a few simple things to make them more reliable.
Offroad it is Wicked and it would be hard to find a vehicle that is any better; and nice for touring too.
(http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff353/geordie4x4/Patrol%20offroad/DSC_8172BRIGHT.jpg)
(http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff353/geordie4x4/Camping%20trips/DSC_9576.jpg)
(http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff353/geordie4x4/Camping%20trips/P1010836.jpg)
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Hi, mine is a 2008 CRD 3.0 auto and it's done everything we need it to do with ease. Mrs Squalo uses it as her daily driver, it tows a tonne of laden camper trailer with no complaints, and in the serious offroading it is all but unstoppable - caveat, I have 33" MTs and dual airlockers which help a lot.
Put a 3" exhaust and a chip on it and get another 30-40% torque, which makes it a very nice drive.
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Hi Shager
If its a brand new one you will be fine. Grab the extended warranty out to 150k and your on a winner (keep the servicing immaculate of course)
Second hand is a whole different ballgame. When it came time to upgrade I seriously looked at getting a patrol (best mate has a 4.2TD thats a beauty).
I'm a diesel mechanic so diesels are my game. I researched for weeks and the problem is that the 3.0l engines were still failing very late into the series, not ending with the 2002 like many say. And this is not a mates mates mates story but factual. The patrol website was also really good and had a genuine list of forum owners and their problems.
Many, even with the recommended mods, still failed. Late models failed. Nissan were less than helpful.
Its not poorly maintained engines either. If the patrol website gets back up there are some great threads that will provide you with hours of reading and you can come to your own conclusion.
In the end I really didnt need a solid front axle and wasnt going to buy new so went with another brand. New I would happily have had one.
If used, just go in with your eyes wide open
Update
Sorry forgot to say that the 4.8 petrol on sequential gas is a beauty. Easily as economical in the looooooong run as a diesel. Power is sweet too!
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I'd look at the Pajero first. or the Prado, or the Lada Niva
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Looking at upgrading the Mazda bravo for a Nissan patrol 3Lt diesel auto. Just after some feed back on what you lot think about them as a four wheel drive. Needs to tow and will be the vehicle to take us to the cape in 2 yrs. is the auto any good, as all my previous vehicle's have been manuals, but the misses can only drive an auto.
Shager,
Do yourself and your financial supplier a big favour and go to the web site; patrol4X4.com.au
This site contains eveything you ever wanted to know about Nissan Patrols, be it 4 cyclinders or 6, auto's or manual, and a host of stuff you've probably not even thought of yet.
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I drive the Patrol wagon for work along with others. they are problematic, mine for instance is a 2008 manual and at 140,000 engine and turbo went and at 96000km flywheel had to be replaced too. There are others in our fleet with similar problems, not just the one i drive. Overlander magazine reated them poorly for a reason, underpowered and behind the times. Having a 3 litre diesel like most of the others in the shootout, it was too slowand too heavy. If only they put a decent engine then it would be way better than cruiser, but it isnt. Pajero and prado have more power and are lighter too
And for those that think they are company cars so we flog them....incorrect as the older staff we have are suffering the same issues and if we have no car we cannot earn any pay!!
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the manual patrol has 10% more torque than the auto if that makes a difference to you.
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Can we sort of keep this on topic, the OP has asked for advice on the 3.0 AUTO. Telling him about flywheel problems doesn't really help as the auto has no flywheel. The grenade issues were largely before mid 2002 some have had issues post that but not in the same numbers as before. By my research the autos had a far lower rate of issues than the manuals. I've done over 100k klm in mine with no issues that are not related to an accident my mother had in the car. The auto towed nicely, drives well on and off the road. Members of Patrol4x4.com (when it comes back on air) have come up with a package that allows you to monitor the engine and reduce the over boost that seems to be the issue.
My wife is now driving mine as her prado is suffering some engine issues (how very un-Toyota). Getting used to driving a diesel is taking some time for her to get used to but she is not complaining of how slow it is (the prado is 3.4 petrol) and is generally enjoying driving it.
Would I buy another in auto------yes.
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Thank you all for your feed back, much appreciated. You have given me some thing to think about, not sure weather to go for a Nissan at the moment will have to study up on this more than I thought I would, sounds like Nissan has a real problem and I had not head about it. Thank god I have asked the question here.
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i have a 2002 3.0 l and love it. i have the auto and touch wood have not had any problems thus far. Just clicked over 150000 kms
and its main use is for family holidays. we tow a camper and it has taken us to the rock, +, west macdonnell ranges. The Flinders and more recently fraser. I will highly recommend the gu patrol 3.0 l.
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HI, I own a gu7 patrol, it is a manual though, but saying that it is a great drive and tows my 2.5t van without any problems.
Another forum to check out is www.nissanpatrol.com.au (http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au), there is heaps of info on there as well.
Hope this helps
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Shager,
Do yourself and your financial supplier a big favour and go to the web site; patrol4X4.com.au
This site contains eveything you ever wanted to know about Nissan Patrols, be it 4 cyclinders or 6, auto's or manual, and a host of stuff you've probably not even thought of yet.
Just don't go to Patrol4x4.com at the moment, the site has had a virus attack
Cheers
Parry
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Thank you all for your feed back, much appreciated. You have given me some thing to think about, not sure weather to go for a Nissan at the moment will have to study up on this more than I thought I would, sounds like Nissan has a real problem and I had not head about it. Thank god I have asked the question here.
I wouldn't discount a patrol by any stretch as there are very few options left if you want a Rigid Front Axled truck. In the 4.8 petrol or 4.2TD they are a fantastic vehicle for off road duties. Maybe it would help to make a list of what you actually need the vehicle to do and go from there. You may be surprised with the outcome which may explain why lots of swaggers choose prados and pajeros (not quite so hard - better on road)
Its difficult to wade through all the comments. But mechanically there are a few home truths, such as;
Prados have weak rear diffs
Landcruiser 100 series have weak front diffs.
Early landcruiser IFS were prone to cracking
Jeep Cherokee Turbo Diesels overheat and repairs cost more than the vehicle
Prado D4D injectors cause problems
AND
Nissan 3.0l TD's overfuel and do pistons.
I have a prado and one day it will probably do the rear diff like many others. There is no point in me thinking it wont because its been fine until now. Same for all the other issues listed above (and Toyota are well represented).
I bought the prado with the rear diff issue because I can afford the $1k to replace the rear diff if it lets go. I wont buy a TD Cherokee because the engine issue kills it. I wouldnt buy a D4D Prado but would buy the V6 Prado. I would buy an IFS V8 cruiser and fit an IFS kit. I wouldnt buy a 3L Patrol for the same reason as the cherokee but would buy a 4.8 petrol one.
3.0l patrols are like marrying strippers. Sure they are fun, cheap and they get dirty. But you just know, in the back of your mind, that one day, your gunna find your mate keeping your bed warm for you. ;D
Have fun!
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who would buy a nissan supposerly B.I.S.S.A.N bogged in some silly ant nest.(http://)
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Mate, i think with the reasearch that u now intend to do, to further your knowledge u will find that the probs with the patrols were up until approx 2004 models, but thats not good enough really, when u think about it.
For a major car manufacturer to have those sorts of probs with a model line like the patrol is a joke, that said, I owned a 2005 DI GU patrol, and had no probs with it, in fact it was an awesome truck, whilst it defo wasnt the fastest 4wd on the market, it went more places easier then the faster ones did, and the drive train is second to none, IMO.
I now have a new CRD patrol, and again IMO they are chalk and cheese in terms of performance, i tow my OB swanny and it does it wth ease, now i'm a bit biased, but if u want a truck to tour with, and go the distance, which i think is great value for money, (price range), then the patrols should defo be considered, oh and a real bonus is that u can actually 4wd with it, not like some, who like to break.
Good luck with ur research and buying, hope u get wat ur after mate.
Regards Swanny
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I know I am only new to this forum, but there are many forums out there that bash and put down others for their choices in vehicle.
That said, the original post was not to bag the Nissan, just asking for advice.
Yes, I own a nissan, but I have also owned a rodeo, jackaroo, rav4, landcruiser and many other vehicles. You tend to buy want you think best suits you. Could I afford the extra $17000 to buy a landcruiser, no, could I really justify the cost difference, maybe. Would I buy one if I had the money, not sure.
It was a simple question, "Needs to tow and will be the vehicle to take us to the cape in 2 yrs. is the auto any good, as all my previous vehicle's have been manuals, but the misses can only drive an auto."
So, now that I have had my rant, lets get back to the topic.
is the auto any good?
I don't mean to sound opinionated, but it peeves me that a smiple questions gets turned into a mud slinging contest.
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I know I am only new to this forum, but there are many forums out there that bash and put down others for their choices in vehicle.
That said, the original post was not to bag the Nissan, just asking for advice.
Yes, I own a nissan, but I have also owned a rodeo, jackaroo, rav4, landcruiser and many other vehicles. You tend to buy want you think best suits you. Could I afford the extra $17000 to buy a landcruiser, no, could I really justify the cost difference, maybe. Would I buy one if I had the money, not sure.
It was a simple question, "Needs to tow and will be the vehicle to take us to the cape in 2 yrs. is the auto any good, as all my previous vehicle's have been manuals, but the misses can only drive an auto."
So, now that I have had my rant, lets get back to the topic.
is the auto any good?
I don't mean to sound opinionated, but it peeves me that a smiple questions gets turned into a mud slinging contest.
Mick, before you start to rant read the post properly;
This is the first part of the post;
Just after some feed back on what you lot think about them as a four wheel drive.
No one has bagged anyone for their choice of vehicle. Some have said they own them and love them. Some have said they drive them at work and they crap themselves, some of us are qualified mechanics and also throw our opinions in. Its a forum, I think thats what its about, good discussion with all points of view respected.
cheers
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I know I am only new to this forum, but there are many forums out there that bash and put down others for their choices in vehicle.
That said, the original post was not to bag the Nissan, just asking for advice.
Yes, I own a nissan, but I have also owned a rodeo, jackaroo, rav4, landcruiser and many other vehicles. You tend to buy want you think best suits you. Could I afford the extra $17000 to buy a landcruiser, no, could I really justify the cost difference, maybe. Would I buy one if I had the money, not sure.
It was a simple question, "Needs to tow and will be the vehicle to take us to the cape in 2 yrs. is the auto any good, as all my previous vehicle's have been manuals, but the misses can only drive an auto."
So, now that I have had my rant, lets get back to the topic.
is the auto any good?
I don't mean to sound opinionated, but it peeves me that a smiple questions gets turned into a mud slinging contest.
Well said mate.
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The interesting thing is there are many responses from owners of patrols all are good yet the two main against responses don't and wont own a zd30 auto. Just interesting.
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Here is my opinion and it's only mine.
Here is my resume in case anyone thinks I don't have first hand experience
I bought this truck new in 2002, I found it to be not bad and sold it with 88k on the clock.
Pros;
the purchase price was very good I paid $47k brand new.
Parts and after market access were easy to find
Drive train 2nd to none IMHO
Had pretty good fuel econmy when unloaded
was comfortable to sit in all day for me when driving to NT and back to bris each year for the 4 years I owned it.
CONS,
Clutch went at 28K $2500 replacment
Starter went at 60K (fought with nissan for 4 weeks to get them to pay for it under warranty) they did the no claim then parts only then labour only then after I applied to Fair trading they paid for it.)This was a very common prob I nhad they did not want to pay up in the event of a warranty claim.
Erg valve replaced 4 times
Radio 2 times
raer door lock 1 time
Drivers seat base 2 times
The Truck used to overheat under heavy laod towing and chewed lots of fuel. after speaking at length with nissan and diesal spec it was agreed that the only way to find out for sure was to pull the pump apart and have it tested. As it seemed to be overfueling under heavy load. I was about to do this when the service manager pulled me aside and had a word with me. He said the pump would be within specs for warranty claims. In short some of them run good and some not so good but they are all with specs which nissan sets.
So after coming home in 4th gear with aircon off on the last trip back from the gulf I decided I was asking to much of a 4cly truck . So I sold it.
In summary it was a good truck for the money it did over 40K towing a boat all over the place on crappy roads and did the best it could. I think they are value for money but do not suit my usage at present as the engine is to small for big loads IMHO. That said if they drop a decent motor in one I will be throwing them my keys so loong as thats all they change.
As others have said do your homework and don't be swayed by others as we have all used and abused cars in different ways, If i only needed it for normall camping duties then I would have bought one last year. I did preferr the DI over the CRD in a manual and would prob go the auto in the CRD as the gearing seems to suit the engine better.
Best of luck mate ;D
JET ;D ;D
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Mick, before you start to rant read the post properly;
This is the first part of the post;
Just after some feed back on what you lot think about them as a four wheel drive.
No one has bagged anyone for their choice of vehicle. Some have said they own them and love them. Some have said they drive them at work and they crap themselves, some of us are qualified mechanics and also throw our opinions in. Its a forum, I think thats what its about, good discussion with all points of view respected.
cheers
Actually thre are few posts that criticise them, but hey, that is what I'm reading from those posts.
I was not questioning the comments made form others about the patrol, just that there always seems to be a few who like to go off topic and criticise other peoples cjoice in vehicle, when the intial post was there to get opinions on the Patrol and the auto option.
Sorry for my stating my opinion, I didn't mean to offend anyone.
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Actually thre are few posts that criticise them, but hey, that is what I'm reading from those posts.
I was not questioning the comments made form others about the patrol, just that there always seems to be a few who like to go off topic and criticise other peoples cjoice in vehicle, when the intial post was there to get opinions on the Patrol and the auto option.
Sorry for my stating my opinion, I didn't mean to offend anyone.
all good mate I know what you mean about the responses , but after a while you will see on here(myswag )that we just ignor the silly posts and the authors tend to disapear.(not yours :D )
Without being rude at all mate after you have been on here a little while you will see the post counts, if the person is new (low count) they tend to take a while to bounce into it, and may make the odd out there comment that is common on other forums but after a while everyone tends to keep on track. Stick with us mate we are a decent bunch ;D
Kind regrads
JET ;D ;D
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Looking at upgrading the Mazda bravo for a Nissan patrol 3Lt diesel auto. Just after some feed back on what you lot think about them as a four wheel drive. Needs to tow and will be the vehicle to take us to the cape in 2 yrs. is the auto any good, as all my previous vehicle's have been manuals, but the misses can only drive an auto.
My opinion:
As a 4wd - they are great, taken many of my mates to great places. Good solid truck
Towing - no problems but they are a 4 cylinder deisel
Auto - You won't be dissapointed with the patrol auto but each to their own. Personal opinion only between auto and manual
I honestly wouldn't own a 3lt Patrol deisel as I have seen too many problems with them, but many of my friends have and love them. At the same time I drive a D4D Prado and I know that many people wouldn't as they have injector problems.
Just do your research and make an educated decision. I think the Patrol as it has with many, will do every thing you need it too
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The interesting thing is there are many responses from owners of patrols all are good yet the two main against responses don't and wont own a zd30 auto. Just interesting.
I feel the bone being pointed at me ;D :angel:
Seriously, whats interesting about that? It would be strange if someone who wanted to own one bagged it out or went and bought one knowing the truth about them.
My posts are seriously against the 3.0lt and the reasons are pretty clear. I have never bagged out anyone for buying one but if someone asks then I will tell them what I think, warts and all. Just as I have done for a number of Toyota products. For some reason owners get upset when their inanimate object gets criticised.
I think I have been more than fair to the Patrol. I love the 4.2 and the 4.8. The 3.0l is a dud that was never designed to go in it and was a stop gap to meet euro 4 emissions. Nissan deserve to be flogged over it as does any manufacturer who screws its customers and that is certainly what nissan have done.
The bottom line is if you are buying new you should be ok. If used then you pay your money and take your chances. Just dont whine if your one of the statistics and smile when you fork over $15k for a rebuild. :D
Happy camping! :cheers:
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Ok I don't own a 3 lt patrol but I test drove one prior to purchasing the 4.8 auto. My thoughts on the 3 lt auto was apart from being gutless didn't like the 4 speed auto. If the 3 lt came with the same 5 spd auto then I could have worked with the 3 lt. My thoughts take both for a spin and see for yourself. Just my thoughts
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I didn't mean to start an argument here, I was just pointing out that sometimes things get taken off track by some people who just like to put down other peoples choices in vehicles.
You are right, take them for a drive and choose for yourself, that is what most people do anyhow, but if the auto is the only option, which from what I gathered from the original post, then as a group we should be focusing on that point, not ridiculing the choices made by other members.
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I own a late 2003 3lt Patrol auto.
I have had it for about 18months now and it has served us well. It is fitted with a chip and 3" exhaust which helps torque it up a bi,t but still no race car. The dawes valve and needle valve setup makes the turbo spool up and pressures more predictable/linear which has made a huge power difference and improved the fuel economy somewhat.
I find the auto to work fairly well, especially as the car doubles up as the daily driver. gear changing is something you don't have to worry about when offroading.
Overall a decent car for what you pay for them.