Member - Kevin H (WA) replied:

Muzzgit, what year was the patrol as i have a 2001 and starting to get a little worried

fourstall2000 replied:

In my Experience Nissan never say go away,that is if you present your case directly to the customer relations at head office,in a proper way.
I have had an engine,and later a Turbo replaced,both well out of warranty period.
Do not muck around with dealers,go straight to the top.
As to the other correspondent,you have every reason to be concerned as the fault does exist,despite claims by Nissan that the larger oil capacity fixed the problem.
My advice to any 2000-2001 owner is to write to head office( before it fails) stating that your are aware of the piston failures of your model and to seek reassurance that Nissan will stand by you if this occurs.
I did this and was given a reference number to quote in the event of problems,six months later I made my claim for engine replacement using this number.
Important to have service records(not neccesarily Nissan) to prove that oil was replaced along with filters at regular intervals when making claims.
Regards

Damon replied:

My July 02 engine blew on 12 July (three weeks ago exactly today). I got it back last Friday with a new 05 engine (it was within the warranty period). The dealer was completely supportive and this in my opinion was what made process so quick and hassle free. They were the ones who pushed it through. They explained every step as they made it. I think the favourable response from Nissan Motor Co. came within a week, the rest of the time was getting/installing the engine.

I have had some stupid warranty discussions with another Nissan dealer in the past, which encouraged my move to Blackburn Nissan (I have no affiliation). I would suggest that your dealer may be the problem.
Regards,
Damon.

Damon replied:

Head gasket went. I didn't see any warning signs, it just suddenly started making white smoke off the lights on the way to work. Pressure test had water and oil coming out exhaust. I could speculate what caused the head gasket to go, but nothing for sure.

The old engine was apparently ok to be rebuild, however they were slightly concerned about some pitting in the cylinder walls and they wanted to be 100% sure it wasn't going to go poof in 3 months. They also said it makes it a lot easier for them to put in a whole new engine. If there wasn't an 05 engine in a crate in Aus, they were going to get one flown out immediately from overseas. They looked after roadside help as well. I also had the clutch replaced at the same time, parts cost only. I have some vehicle mods also, they weren't a problem for the warranty. Also, I get the old engine.

Damon replied:

Once again, it probably comes down to the dealer. They said it technically remains the property of Nissan Motor Co. for 3 months. After that, I can go pick it up, they are going to keep it for me. It's the block, sump, head, etc - all the external bits and pieces are used for the new engine.

Member - Geoff M (Newcastle) replied:

Sort of off the topic here a little.
What life are people expecting from these engines?
I was talking to one of the pimple faced sales force at the local Nissan dealership a couple of weeks ago about life expectancy of these engines.
His answer, "last heaps, 180 - 190,000 k's"
My answer, rhymed with Donald Duck.

Geoff.

gregr replied:

ill throw my 2 bobs worth in the ring
i have done a wee bit of checking on the 3.0 L TD

anything built before oct 2002 is defintely at risk- and the earlier builds appear to be more at risk - maybe nissan made some changes to alum cylider types in late 2001 that helped the prob but did totally not fix it - they wont say

any thing after Nov / Dec 2002 should be ok
which is why i traded my July 2001 on a series 4 not long back - the change over deal was ok and i sleep easier with the later model

the 3.0 L TD engine is reputedly ok for 300 k plus but hey people its not a old style 6 cylinder diesel its a new high performence engine more like the life of a petrol donk than an older style diesel so dont buy it if you want it to last 500K plus cause maybe it wont or maybe it will - no one knows yet

me i am happy with the Nissan patrol 3.0 L TD as i think its reasonable good value for money i can afford it (unlike a toy 100 auto TD) and i like the way it performs both on road and off

it is however definitely improved by the fitting of a dtronic which is the same for all the patrols from Series 2 thru to series 4

see you