Nissan Micra 1.2 03 new shape good or bad buy??

Louise03

Does anyone have good experience of the frog shape Micra???

I have read alot of people complaing about the dodgy timing chains fitted to the new Micra......stretching, resulting in expensive repairs. This happening at low milage.

Surely chains are supposed to go on for ages with regular oil changes.

Is there anyway to tell if a Micra has a rogue chain, or is it potluck???

puddy

does an automatic have a timing chain?

if so, i havent had any problems with my car, its a 54 reg (2005), it was 13k miles when i bought it in sep 07 and its now 25500 miles,, so is still low mileage i think although its done a lot in less than a year so far. the only thing im noticing now is that when im sitting in traffic with the hand brake on but the foot brake off, it feels like its vibrating a bit, although its not making any noise, so may get it looked at

Louise03

Think automatic probably does have timing chain, its the deisel that has cambelt. Good to know you have done lots of miles with no problems.

I was really surprised to read about chain problems on the Micra as I thought Nissan had exceptional reputation for reliability, but I suppose its always the horror stories you read about.

puddy

i think its in the top 5 for reliability isnt it? according to auto express or something like that
the only things ive heard for the new shape micra was the intelligent key which sometimes didnt function but mine is an old fashioned ignition key so i think its ok

Louise03

I don't have intelligent key either.

Also had no problems, but only owned for a couple of months so too early to say. Mines done 20,000 very quiet engine and I am really happy with it, but decided to do some research (belatedly) and people are reporting chain stretching. Wondering if these people are not chaingng oil, supposed to be every 9000 miles.

I love the curvy shape and being able to see my headlights while driving.

iolanthe07

My OH had an 03 automatic 1.2 Micra for four years and loved it. Utterly reliable and lots of kit for the money - only problem was very slow overtaking and up hills.

Louise03

iolanthe07 wrote: »

My OH had an 03 automatic 1.2 Micra for four years and loved it. Utterly reliable and lots of kit for the money - only problem was very slow overtaking and up hills.

Yes have to say I don't feel 100% confident overtaking in mine.

Was OH Micra chain or belt driven??

iolanthe07

Definitely had a cam chain, not a belt. I made a point of asking the dealer about this when she bought it.

anewman

Not heard about problems with timing chains on micras.

All chains stretch over time. I suspect it is just like the Skoda OHV engines. They have no tensioner included in the design to take up the slack, and then start getting noisy (although apparently will happily stay noisy for ages and ages without causing any damage). So if the noise bothers you it's relatively easy to change yourself if you're into diy with a parts cost of around £40, or total for job £200 at Skoda dealer or £160 at an independent garage. So it costs less than a cam belt to change.

So I suspect the people who have had problems with Micras have had their engines get noisy and just left them to it till they go bang.

Louise03

Thankyou Anewman for that information.

As I do alot of miles and stopping and starting do you think if I changed oil and filter every 6,000 miles it will keep the chain running nicely.

My Micra was only 18,000 miles when bought a couple of months ago (I know this is not neceassarily a good thing as it is 5 yrs old) but it is very quiet on startup and while idling.

Could you also please tell me, when I look under the bonnet I see two belts, the fan belt and is the other the alternator belt? if so do these have to be changed at any regular intervals or do they just go? I remember a few years ago having a VW POLO diesel and the alternator went, in total it cost me about £750.

Thanks

SusanK_3

I'm about to get rid of my 2003 Micra! It runs well and has a very quiet engine but the EMS light is on and Nissan diagnosed a stretched timing chain (40,000 miles) - cost to repair over £1,000. The thing is, there is absolutely no noise, when the car is idle it almost sounds like it's stalled it's so quiet. You can't see a timing chain unless the engine is removed so how did they diagnose a stretched one? The cam sensor is being changed which should put the EMS light out and then I'm trading in for a Honda Jazz. I just don't feel I can trust the Micra any more.