Nissan X-Trail - Any owners?

[Conscript]

Been looking at a second car for my girlfriend as I'm tired of sharing my GT86 with her and her disgustingly muddy horse ownership hobby :/

We didn't have many requirements for the car other than it needed to be able to two at least one horse, and to be able to do so "off road" (read: muddy tracks, wet fields, etc), which meant something 4x4 and a bit rugged.

Having kicked around a few options over the past few months, we've decided on a 2.2l diesel Nissan X-Trail. It fulfils the requirement of being able to tow one horse (2000KG braked), 4-wheel drive and generally pretty rugged, but also able to double as a practical every day car for the weekend (something I thought the likes of the Hilux, Navara and L200 might fall short on, as well as being more expensive)

We've seen a local example - a 2006 2.2 DCI with 101,000 miles and a FSH. It looks to be in immaculate condition and is up for a shade under £5K, and is well specced.

To be honest, I'm pretty much set on just buying the thing - I'm tired of shopping for cars that don't interest me, so I just want to get her in a car that does what she needs ASAP. It's within my budget, I'd be buying it outright, and tax/insurance are affordable.

But I have ever owned a diesel, no idea what to look for, and was wondering if any X-Trail owners here might have any tips on what to look out for when purchasing? I'm not usually one of the "omg 100k miles, car's dead!!!" crowd, but even though it's a Nissan and should be reliable, in the back of my mind I'm thinking about all the dieselly things that could go wrong (injectors, turbos, etc).

Does anyone have any pointers on what to look out for on second hand X-Trails?

 

[rodenal]

Sorry to be so vague, but I remember there being xtrails with serious (common) issues and i'm pretty sure it was the diesel that had it.

Worth reading up on, could be that problems were sorted before yours was built

 

[Conscript]

I've found some people talking about DPFs when using it for short journeys. This is the most worrying problem for me, as she'd probably only be using it at weekends for stable work.

However, she commutes by train during the week, where as my daily drive is just under 40 miles, so I would probably use for at least a few days every week so it gets run regularly.

 

[mikeh501]

x-trails are properly reliable. probably one of the most reliable 4x4's you can buy. i wouldnt worry about buying an x-trail. only caveats concern issues which can effect any common rail turbocharged diesel.

 

[Sirrel Squirrel]

I have the facelift model and it's a great car. If you're going for a 2006 model it won't have a DPF, this is the most common problem that people report as it can get clogged up when making short journeys as the exhaust gases don't get hot enough to burn away any build up in the filter but as I say you don't need to worry about that!

 

[Conscript]

I have the facelift model and it's a great car. If you're going for a 2006 model it won't have a DPF, this is the most common problem that people report as it can get clogged up when making short journeys as the exhaust gases don't get hot enough to burn away any build up in the filter but as I say you don't need to worry about that!

I didn't know that, I thought it would have the DPF. One less thing to worry about then.

I know it's a very vague one, but can anyone comment on price? One part of me thinks that £5K for a 7 year old car with 100K miles might be a bit much; but then condition is good and you get a lot of car for the money. Having never really looked at these sorts of cars before, it's hard to gauge what's a good deal and what isn't.

Thanks for the replies so far guys.

 

[rodenal]

Wasn't a dpf issue I was thinking of, for some reason I thought the diesel had chain related issues and also premature turbo problems, but I can't really find anything so it was either early cars or a figment of my imagination

 

[Hawk Tuah]

Hi there. I have a 2005 2.2 DCi X-Trail.

They are indeed great cars, and generally very reliable, extremely practical, and relatively fuel efficient for the year and class. There are however two main areas to look out for.

Firstly, the intercooler / turbo. The original intercooler was crimped at the sides. After a few years, these relaxed and ended up leaking a bit. As the pressure sensor is also in the intercooler the turbo ends up getting over worked to meet the boost requirements. End result is turbo failure.

The tell tale sign of this is oil coming from the intercooler, followed by a whine from the turbo. Our car was at 80k when our turbo exploded.

However. Don't let this put you off the car. You can get fully seam welded replacement intercooler for about £170 and the turbo can be exchanged for a hybrid for about £400. Provided you're able to do a bit of spanner work, some nice chap also wrote a guide how to swap it over.

http://www.x-trail-uk.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=4479

The other known issue is the suction control valves. Ours is up to 150k, and we've not had this problem. However there is a decent guide on the XTrail forums on how this can also be replaced.

Other than that, regularly replacing the fuel filter is advisable. If they get any moisture in them, the clog up and reduce fuel flow.

 

[Snax]

Mum has an X trail; she takes it off road, down motorways and all over London. It has never missed a beat. She wrapped it around a lamp post and it is still trucking at 120k miles.

She cant find anything she likes to replace it, which is irritating because I want it.

 

[Conscript]

Hi there. I have a 2005 2.2 DCi X-Trail.

They are indeed great cars, and generally very reliable, extremely practical, and relatively fuel efficient for the year and class. There are however two main areas to look out for.

Firstly, the intercooler / turbo. The original intercooler was crimped at the sides. After a few years, these relaxed and ended up leaking a bit. As the pressure sensor is also in the intercooler the turbo ends up getting over worked to meet the boost requirements. End result is turbo failure.

The tell tale sign of this is oil coming from the intercooler, followed by a whine from the turbo. Our car was at 80k when our turbo exploded.

However. Don't let this put you off the car. You can get fully seam welded replacement intercooler for about £170 and the turbo can be exchanged for a hybrid for about £400. Provided you're able to do a bit of spanner work, some nice chap also wrote a guide how to swap it over.

http://www.x-trail-uk.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=4479

The other known issue is the suction control valves. Ours is up to 150k, and we've not had this problem. However there is a decent guide on the XTrail forums on how this can also be replaced.

Other than that, regularly replacing the fuel filter is advisable. If they get any moisture in them, the clog up and reduce fuel flow.

Ultra thread bump!

So, we ended up buying an X-Trail. 55 late, had about 112K on the clock. Had it for a year now. It's been great so far. Last winter, kept getting an EML, fault code, EGR valve stuck or something. I took it out on the motorway, gave it a good thrashing, threw a load of soot out the back and the light went away. Happy days

Apart from that, no trouble except it drips a bit of oil (but strangely, the oil level hasn't dropped at all, so might be diesel). Just had it's last MOT - failed because a couple of spring clips were missing from the lower ball joints, replaced for pennies, then just an advisory for the rear drop links which I'll replace as soon as it stops raining. Serviced it myself recently too (just new brake pads and oil change)

Anyway, reason for the thread bump is that we had a problem driving home tonight and whilst Googling to see if I could find the problem, came across my own year-old thread and Bug One's reply.

We've been up to London tonight in the car, taking a friend to view a room. Drove all the way up the A2, no problems, temperature fine, etc, like normal. Car was turned off for 20 mins outside the place we visited, then driven home again - again, no problems, 30-40 minutes on the motorway at 70MPH, nothing strenuous.

Got back into Strood, and as I was driving up quite a steep hill, the car suddenly lost power. No warning lights or anything; it was as though I'd taken my foot off the accelerator, but I hadn't. Pedal flat to the floor, max revs about 2300RPM, but no unusual noises, warning lights, smoke, smells - nothing except lack of power. Crawled home at 20MPH max. Parked outside, left the engine running, popped the bonnet. Engine running as smoothly as normal (ie, like a tractor) - no misfires, no leaks, all air pipes/hoses seemed intact. But engine still wouldn't rev up.

Bit perplexed, so I shut it down. Just to make sure it did, I restarted the engine and everything was back to normal! Ran it up and down the road, no problem.

BugOne - could this be the suction control valve you mention? From my searches so far, it looks as though this is the cause. And I think I've found the guide you're talking about (http://www.x-trail-uk.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=6371&sid=15b8e23b32aa55baaf9858cfdf800f63), so was hoping to have a crack at it myself. Just wanted your opinion before I spend £150 on the valve.

Also, have you replaced the fuel filter yourself? I don't think it's been done recently (car is now on 120K), so I assume it might be a good idea to do that too. If you've done it, is it a relatively easy job do you know?

Apart from that, car has been pretty sound so far. The only other problems I've had is the air-con doesnt work (belt was missing - bought a new one but the bolt holding the tensioner has sheared, so I need to sort that first), a blown main battery fuse and this mystery oil leak which I'm hoping it just a gasket somewhere. It seems to be coming from the back of the engine, so maybe I'll get the chance to inspect it if I end up changing this valve...

 

[BigT]

Although a completely different car ( petrol Mercedes ML) I had exactly the same symptoms a while back. Eventually I could replicate the problem by breaching 3000rpm every time and turned it off and on again and it would be fine. I thought it was intermitent because my lazy driving style didn't push the revs that far unless I was on a motorway or going up a hill.

Anyhow that turned out to be a faulty MAF which was an easy job to swap out, even for me with no spanner knowledge. I have no idea if this helps you but your symptoms sound so similar to mine I thought I would share.

 

[Sirrel Squirrel]

I'm not sure if it affects your model but the later ones had very picky fuel filters especially if you used supermarket fuel.

I only say that because I had a similar problem in my 2011 and replacing the fuel filter fixed it.

 

[Conscript]

Although a completely different car ( petrol Mercedes ML) I had exactly the same symptoms a while back. Eventually I could replicate the problem by breaching 3000rpm every time and turned it off and on again and it would be fine. I thought it was intermitent because my lazy driving style didn't push the revs that far unless I was on a motorway or going up a hill.

Anyhow that turned out to be a faulty MAF which was an easy job to swap out, even for me with no spanner knowledge. I have no idea if this helps you but your symptoms sound so similar to mine I thought I would share.

Thanks. I didn't think the MAF sensor would cause such a problem, but I will check it and clean it up.

I'm not sure if it affects your model but the later ones had very picky fuel filters especially if you used supermarket fuel.

I only say that because I had a similar problem in my 2011 and replacing the fuel filter fixed it.

We've been running it on whatever's cheapest and local, usually standard Esso diesel - sometimes supermarket, although it's not given us any trouble so far. However, funnily enough, the last time I filled it up was just before the MOT and I gave it a full tank of Esso 97, and we're just coming to the end of that tank. Maybe it's throwing a strop because it can't handle the good stuff

Took the car for a quick run this morning and didn't experience any issues. I've found the SCV online for not too much money, and a more detailed guide on how to replace it, so I might do it anyway. Thanks for the help gents.

 

[lemonade]

Just to say post 2000 Nissan's are not fully Nissan's, they are essentially part Renaults, that said X-Trail is generally reliable unlike some of other models since that time.