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·Please please can someone out there help me with the nightmare I'm having with my X-Trail 2.2 DCi Aventura??
It was manufactured late 2006, purchased brand new last April 2007 from Trade Sales in Slough. I think in the UK it's one of the first Xtrails with a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF). I love the car, except that after I'd had it a couple of months, the DPF warning light would suddenly start flashing at me. I do mainly town driving - only about 5000 miles a year - and when the light first started to appear, I'd have to take it for a 40 mile round trip along the motorway until the light disappeared. But the problem progressively got worse and the light would appear on a weekly basis, so that ultimately I would only get 20 miles out of it before I had to do a 40 mile burn. It has been to Nissan so many times, but they seem to be at a complete loss as to what to do. They replaced the catalytic converter (although it took Nissan literally 6 months to send the right one!) but it made no difference - the light kept coming on. The final straw was when I went for a 250 mile return trip over Easter - the DPF light had just started flashing so I thought a motorway trip might clear it, but the warning light came on permanently (ie. no longer simply flashing), the car went into limp mode, restricting the revs to c.1800, and the speed to max 50mph for the whole journey. After that, Nissan did an engine regeneration, replacing the oil and oil filter, and resetting the computer, and told me the problem was sorted. But 2 weeks and 100 miles later, the flashing light was back!!!
The car was taken back to Nissan again, but after 2 days they turned round and told me the following:
1. There is nothing wrong with the car, but the problem is due to the way I drive it. The diesel Xtrail is not made for short journeys around town (even though this was denied by other Nissan dealers to whom I posed as a potential buyer)
2. I must always use expensive low particulate diesel
3. Nissan are reluctant to investigate further because I purchased the car from Trade Sales - even though it has a 3-year worldwide warranty until Dec 2009. If I had bought it from Nissan direct, I would have been trained on how to use the DPF (similarly denied by 2 other Nissan garages).
4. When the DPF light starts to flash, I must take it out IMMEDIATELY onto a dual carriageway/motorway and drive at over 45/50mph until the light clears. If any delay in doing so results in the light coming on permanently (which it actually does after only a few miles), then another engine regeneration will be required, and this will be at my expense and not under the warranty. This is really worrying because if the warning light starts flashing while I'm in Central London, then by the time I've struggled through traffic onto a dual carriageway, the light could be on permanently.
Incidentally, fuel consumption on the car is ridiculously high - the best I've ever had out of iton long motorway journeys is 28mpg, and around town it's 24/25mpg - but Nissan say that this is okay!
Please does anyone have any suggestions as to what this could be caused by, or how it can be sorted????? I'm just desperate to get rid of the light forever and to start enjoying the car!!
Beverly
It was manufactured late 2006, purchased brand new last April 2007 from Trade Sales in Slough. I think in the UK it's one of the first Xtrails with a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF). I love the car, except that after I'd had it a couple of months, the DPF warning light would suddenly start flashing at me. I do mainly town driving - only about 5000 miles a year - and when the light first started to appear, I'd have to take it for a 40 mile round trip along the motorway until the light disappeared. But the problem progressively got worse and the light would appear on a weekly basis, so that ultimately I would only get 20 miles out of it before I had to do a 40 mile burn. It has been to Nissan so many times, but they seem to be at a complete loss as to what to do. They replaced the catalytic converter (although it took Nissan literally 6 months to send the right one!) but it made no difference - the light kept coming on. The final straw was when I went for a 250 mile return trip over Easter - the DPF light had just started flashing so I thought a motorway trip might clear it, but the warning light came on permanently (ie. no longer simply flashing), the car went into limp mode, restricting the revs to c.1800, and the speed to max 50mph for the whole journey. After that, Nissan did an engine regeneration, replacing the oil and oil filter, and resetting the computer, and told me the problem was sorted. But 2 weeks and 100 miles later, the flashing light was back!!!
The car was taken back to Nissan again, but after 2 days they turned round and told me the following:
1. There is nothing wrong with the car, but the problem is due to the way I drive it. The diesel Xtrail is not made for short journeys around town (even though this was denied by other Nissan dealers to whom I posed as a potential buyer)
2. I must always use expensive low particulate diesel
3. Nissan are reluctant to investigate further because I purchased the car from Trade Sales - even though it has a 3-year worldwide warranty until Dec 2009. If I had bought it from Nissan direct, I would have been trained on how to use the DPF (similarly denied by 2 other Nissan garages).
4. When the DPF light starts to flash, I must take it out IMMEDIATELY onto a dual carriageway/motorway and drive at over 45/50mph until the light clears. If any delay in doing so results in the light coming on permanently (which it actually does after only a few miles), then another engine regeneration will be required, and this will be at my expense and not under the warranty. This is really worrying because if the warning light starts flashing while I'm in Central London, then by the time I've struggled through traffic onto a dual carriageway, the light could be on permanently.
Incidentally, fuel consumption on the car is ridiculously high - the best I've ever had out of iton long motorway journeys is 28mpg, and around town it's 24/25mpg - but Nissan say that this is okay!
Please does anyone have any suggestions as to what this could be caused by, or how it can be sorted????? I'm just desperate to get rid of the light forever and to start enjoying the car!!
Beverly