Faults:
Replaced air filter and had to perform an ECU re-learn procedure as the car started "revving" at the lights and jerking on acceleration.
Replaced rear engine mount.
Required new clutch at 34000 miles!
Required all discs and pads replacing (discs width below minimum wear limit) at 41000 miles!
General Comments:
I bought this car on the basis of previous Nissan experience, however I have been seriously disappointed.
The Flare variant gives you electric windows all round, alloys & cruise control.
The drivers side window is supposed to have auto up/down, but seems to have a mind of it's own.
The electric windows don't seem to have "object detect" which my previous car did - this has led to one of my children trapping their fingers.
The car looks big and solid from the outside, but on the inside the ride is very harsh, and the room, particularly in the back, is quite sparse, which means our 3 kids are cramped.
The doors lack rubbing strips, which leads to marks when left parked anywhere, and the metalwork appears to be so thin that you can push the boot lid in just by trying to shut it.
Acceleration from the 1.8 litre petrol engine is OK, but the only way to accelerate quickly is to run the revs up to the red line - obviously doing this takes its toll on fuel economy, which isn't exactly stunning to start with!
Fuel consumption seems to average around 34 Mpg - The highest I've ever achieved is 42.6 on a long run driving about 60Mph and the lowest was around town at 27 Mpg.
I replaced the clutch at 34000 miles, £120 DIY or £390+ at the main stealer - I thought both prices were outrageous.
All in all, I wish I'd never bought the car, but it's depreciated so much in the 9 months I've had it that I now can't afford to get rid of it.
7th May 2009, 16:11
Update on the Primera, almost 3 years old now, no problems to report. 100% reliable, has never let me down, and now done 79000 kilometers, although I think clutch release bearing is on the way out, groans on releasing clutch.
Other than that, the car still runs perfect and looks new after a good wash.