advice re sorting out a 2008 crd engine

[brianc]

Hi all,

I'm seriously considering purchasing a 2008 model CRD patrol. Its an ex police vehicle (I know, I know - but its cheap and got all the gear I need). This will actually be for my wife/kids to go to the shop in (400k round trip in a desert area) as I will have a work vehicle.

I spoke with the guy who used to drive it. He was from a country station. He said that car is fine, apart from the fact that one time, after a service, he noticed that it had less power. He complained to nissan and they checked it, but the problem never got rectified.

Anyway, its got 80,000 on the clock and its still in warranty until the end of the year (or 100k I guess) - not that Im pinning any hopes on Nissan re: warranty work!

When I drove it I noticed that it was quite sluggish, until the turbo kicked in. I thought it just must have been more noticeable because it was an auto, until I spoke with the last owner. Other than that single issue (sluggish until the turbo kicked in) - I'm pretty happy with the car and Id like to grab it before someone else does.

So, my questions are:

* Are the CRD engines generall sluggish before the turbo kicks in?
* What do you think might be the cause of the loss of power?
* Should I take this car to a specialist (if so who - I live just west of Sydney) to take a look at the engine.
* Should I just walk away?
* What mods should I be looking to do to this engine for constant, long range desert driving (and hopefully keep this car as my long term "play vehicle". Ive been looking at this forum and I'm quite keen on some of these mods but unsure which are most applicable to the CRD engine.

Any thoughts would be appreciated (other than simply sledging ex police cars in general).

Thanks in anticipation.

[the evil twin]

1. Yes
2. Could be lots of things, I'd start with simple stuff like new Air filter clean the MAF reset the ECU
3. Absolutely
4. No, why?
5. Well, they are pretty good straight out of teh box. You can buy an extended full factory warranty (another 3 years and 100K) for $1400. The CRD's like a 3 inch exhaust and a Chip to get them zinging (don't tell Nissan about the Chip) I personally have had no warranty issues in any of my claims but others have had horror stories. Depends on the story the Dealer tells Nissan so suck up to the Dealer big time.

[my third 256]

extended warranty is nissans own and is very good

[the evil twin]

extended warranty is nissans own and is very good

Yep, X2

For anyone considering it... Just be certain it is the Factory Warranty Extension and not some Dealer 3rd Party useless Warranty limited to one claim of $50

[brianc]

Hi all,

I had a look at the Nissan extended warranty. The fine print says it doesn't cover vehicles that were used as emergency services vehicles. So that's that I guess. Anyway, as I stated in the introductions section; I ended up just missing out on that Patrol anyway. I started scanning around and I found an ex-rental patrol in Adelaide that I'm off to go and pick up tomorrow. I hope that things are alright when I get there; otherwise I'll be flying back and would have wasted $ in flights, money that could have been spent on accessories :).

The dealer tried to sell me some sort of other warranty for $250.00, but I don't think I'll go there.

I'll be sure so go over the engine as soon as I get back. Im already considering some minor engine mods. I think a quick trip from Adelaide to Sydney tomorrow should give me some idea of how the engine is running anyway !!!

Just out of curiosity, whats a spare MAF sensor worth?

[my third 256]

hey brian what did you buy model /year/ price /klm if not being too rude

[Maxhead]

Just out of curiosity, whats a spare MAF sensor worth?

Which vehicle did you end up getting?

I got a new second hand for my CRD for $200, but I think they're more like $300+. Around $250 for Di models.
PM Nizzbits for a price, he does all genuine Nissan parts at a good price

[brianc]

hey brian what did you buy model /year/ price /klm if not being too rude

Hi, I originally PM'd mythird because I was worried about breaking the rules, but I have been assured its okay to divulge prices etc so here goes.

The ex police car that I almost got was a 2008 DX auto with 80k on clock. It had cruise control, a smart bar, Nissan tow bar and a warn winch. the body was fine but the interior was more than a little bit rough. It was also gutless as previously discussed. It was however in new car warranty until the end of the year. I missed out on that one. Although it had no service history I know for a fact that NSW police service their 4WD's in the bush every 5000K's.

I ended up getting an 2007 Dx auto with 100K on the clock. It is completley "naked" except for cruise control (some DX's didn't have it). It's service book only has a notation that it had a 90,000k service and that's it. The rest is a mystery. It looks neat and tidy however it clearly is an ex rental and its rattles and other tell tale marks suggest it has had a hard life. Its nearly out of rego as well. I picked it up for 26K.

My research tells me that this is around the going rate for these trucks (including ex police Patrols.)

If anyone wants any further information about the research (prices) etc that I gathered over the last few weeks on these late model DX's, feel free to PM me and I'll respond as long as the moderators allow. I do not want to get kicked off in my first week!

[Bigrig]

Hi, I originally PM'd mythird because I was worried about breaking the rules, but I have been assured its okay to divulge prices etc so here goes.

The ex police car that I almost got was a 2008 DX auto with 80k on clock. It had cruise control, a smart bar, Nissan tow bar and a warn winch. the body was fine but the interior was more than a little bit rough. It was also gutless as previously discussed. It was however in new car warranty until the end of the year. I missed out on that one. Although it had no service history I know for a fact that NSW police service their 4WD's in the bush every 5000K's.

I ended up getting an 2007 Dx auto with 100K on the clock. It is completley "naked" except for cruise control (some DX's didn't have it). It's service book only has a notation that it had a 90,000k service and that's it. The rest is a mystery. It looks neat and tidy however it clearly is an ex rental and its rattles and other tell tale marks suggest it has had a hard life. Its nearly out of rego as well. I picked it up for 26K.

My research tells me that this is around the going rate for these trucks (including ex police Patrols.)

If anyone wants any further information about the research (prices) etc that I gathered over the last few weeks on these late model DX's, feel free to PM me and I'll respond as long as the moderators allow. I do not want to get kicked off in my first week!

All good mate - you won't get the boot for revealing prices etc after good research ... Thanks for the effort as I'm sure others will be more than interested!!!

[brianc]

The ex police car was reduced to 28000 from 34000. They reduced it to move the car off the lot because it wasn't selling. That was the cheapest I could find in NSW (and I reckon pretty good value for money). The other ex NSW police Patrols are advertised for about 33 to 34K. They car yards need about 31K at sale to make it worthwhile. They go for auction around the 26K mark, but remember that they are fitted with bullbars, towbars, cruise control and warn winches but you don't get to drive them beforehand. Although they get serviced regularly, some are absolutely punished where others have a relatively easy life.