Common Problems with Automatic Nissan Micras (sorry to all who replied to me, the original topic has been deleted)

try

and look under car by car guide#

I've copied the most interesting bits - basically change oil frequently, use a "good" petrol and check the CVT box

Clocking. Dirty oil. Must have clean oil. (VITAL to change the oil at least every 6 months especially if the car does an ultra low mileage.) If the timing chain rattles on a car you're thinking of buying, walk away. You could be in for a £400-£500 tensioner replacement job. Stretched timing chains upset the timing and the running of the engine. Big job to replace. Previously reliable CVT started to develop same electromechanical clutch problems as Puntos. If it thumps when you move the lever to drive, or if the lever is hard to move, leave the car alone.

At 6 years old or more, front chassis cross-member may fail due to rust (the metal strut below and in front of the radiator). The rust can result in MOT failure and costs £208 to replace the part, most of it labour. Cross-member itself costs £55. Sills also rust and result in MOT failure. Check rest of underneath carefully for rust.

Can suffer from poor starting in damp conditions due to suceptibility of the spark plugs to condensation. Poor starting can also be caused by the wrong temperature sensor which leads the combustion chambers to flood and the ECU to shut down the engine to prevent spiking the catalytic converter.

Throttle body incorporates mass airflow sensor which fails and quite a lot of complete throttle body assemblies reported to have needed replacing at £450 to £500 a go. Throttle bodies also get choked by short runs from cold starts and slow running on cheap detergent free petrol. But worth checking the small fuse box located behind the radiator near to the battery. One of the fuses in that box supplies the fuel injection system. Road dirt and moisture can enter the fuse box resulting in corrosion and overheating of the fuel injection fuse. Simply cleaning the contacts and renewing the fuse might solve the problem of misfiring/cutting out. Another possible cure (from Australia) is to remove the throttle body (quite an easy task) and in turn remove the square metal plate on the side. This reveals a PCB with a number of soldered joints which over time can become "dry", a soldering iron is then used to touch each of these joints, preferably adding a blob of solder. Fix for hiccups by e-mail from snipped-for-privacy@proprep.freeserve.co.uk

Alternatively, exchange reconditioned throttle bodies at sensible prices from

Recalls

1994 (Sep 92-June 94 VIN 000001-237783): floor may crack next to handbrake. 18/3/2003: Concern identified with driver's seat walk-in device. If ignored may cause unintentional movement. Fit a modified component to the walk-un device mechanism. 6/5/2003: The steering wheel retaining bolt may not have been tighetened to the specified torque. If ignored it can potentially lead to loss of steering control. Check torque of the steering wheel retaining bolt and tighten where necessary.

Not quite correct. It should say

"By 12 years old, the front chassis cross-member WILL have failed due to rust, resulting in MOT failure. It costs =A3320 to replace the part, about half of it labour. The cross-member itself costs =A3150, or rather did cost =A3150, since Ian Johnston bought he last original one from Nissan UK in December 2008. Patterns ones are available, but are not as good and may require more fitting."

Ian