Nissan Xtrail

We had the same problem with our 06 Xtrail, auto transmission locking, but it wasnt the vehicle's fault and after some research found the solution to this (which is in the manual)

Aparently there are a few vehicles that has this feature, auto locks when the car is even slightly in motion (or the car thinks it will be motion :-) ). There are steps to "unlock" the transmission as per the manual.

Yep, you have to have your foot on the brake to start it.

With ours you don't have to.

Whoops, you're right Kev - I got mixed up. Ours starts too, but won't move out of park without your foot on the brake.

Yep, but it does start in neutral with foot on the brake from memory.

Cheers Kev

Guess thats why I found the CVT so smooth - it was probably brand new!

Phil
Re your #4: Apparently the guys who run the beach recovery towing service at Stockton Beach have had plenty of business from Xtrail owners who have suffered this fate.

teege

Teege,
Yeah, but you shouldn't need a tow (unless the tide is coming in!). When it cools down, you get 4wd back. I personally think they worked hard because the owners forget the basics and don't let tyres down far enough. And they may also get stuck for clearance. I've also heard that if you run it in auto 4wd instead of full 4wd, it is less likely to happen.

Phil
The problem here is that we are so close to Sydney and Newcastle. Everybody who buys a softroader after seeing the ads decides to try them out on Stockton. Some weekends there is a queue 100 metres long of guys in Subarus, Volvos, Audis etc stuck in the sand right at the entrance to the beach. When you ask them what they have aired down to they look at you with a blank stare. There is never any thought of seeking advice first. And in that category most of them have you beaut low profile tyres with only about 40-50mm of rubber on them anyway. Then you get up to the Xtrail, Rav4,Forester type of vehicle - they seem to be able to negotiate the early problems ok, but still have no idea of lowering tyre pressures. These are the ones which are more likely to get into strife deep into the dunes. They wouldn't know what a viscous coupling was, let alone have the patience to let it cool down. But Wait , there's more!!! For some reason, a percentage of the guys with the dual cab utes and the big 4wd's seem to park their brains on the bitumen before they go onto the sand. You see them screaming up the beach at 70kph plus ( speed limit is 40), kids sitting on window sills or in the backs of the utes. I've seen kids being towed by 4wd's on skim boards at outrageous speeds.

Sorry about my rant, but being a local it terrifies me to go on the beach over the holiday season. And as the smaller 4wd's are becoming more and more capable, it seems more and more incapable people are buying them.

teege

Teege,
Some weekends Stockton is funnier than a 3 ring circus!

One of my favourite sports is handing those soft roaders a shovel. I reckon I couldn't shock them anymore if it was one of the local brown snakes!

One particularly memorable afternoon I came across a couple done up like they fell out of Rundle's window and bogged to the gunwhales in their lovely Mazda Tribune? Tributary? or Tribute?, something like that.

Asked them about tyre pressure, blank stare! Ok, you get out your tyre gauge and let them down to 16psi all round.
Umm, I don't have one and how do I let them down anyway?

Ok, so I drop them to 16psi and then hand the bloke a shovel. At this stage Mrs Pretty spits it.
"The salesman and my husband both said you can't bog a 4wd"
I says, "They might be right but it's not as if you've got a 4wd is it? Now if you want to get out dig. Otherwise give me back my shovel"

So they elected to dig and actually drove out! Surprise, surprise!

Listening to the UHF is a crack up! I remember one afternoon listening to 2 women in what turned out to be 2 families in a Pajero and a Jackaroo. Two quite capable vehicles.

They where having a lengthy discussion on what to do with that "really short gearstick" when they got off the beach because it was at "L now, whatever that means"

The frustrating bit is if the dills let some air out of the tyres they could use H4, be kinder on the tracks and their vehicle.

I think my grandfather was right, "you can't put brains in a statue"

Geoff

LOL, very entertaining reading Geoff (even if OT!) - every good campfire needs a good story teller like you! And such a provocative stirrer too: "They might be right but it's not as if you've got a 4wd is it?"