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Thread: 2015 Nissan Micra SR (owner)

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    2015 Nissan Micra SR (owner)

    Hello everyone, my name is Aidan, and i am an owner of a 2015 Nissan Micra SR 5MT. It is Caspian Sea Blue with 32,500 KM. Crazy right!? I began financing this little gem strictly for my job as a full time pizza delivery guy here on Vancouver island B.C. Ive had the car for 5 months now, and was the first person in Ladysmith to have one. It gets lots of attention! So far i have put on over a years worth of driving in less than half the time it usually takes. I know this car very well already. As my basic review, this is quite a positive car to buy. I Have encountered a few problems already, but i blame my job for that. So much work is required of this car. Here are a few Pros and Cons.

    Pros:
    - Looks great inside and out
    - Decent fuel economy (I average about 5.6 L/100KM)
    - Ride quality is smooth and tame
    - Has an amazing turning radius and extremely light electronic steering which makes for super easy parking
    - SR comes with a nice amount of tech and gizmos
    - Comfortable interior and well laid out controlls

    Cons:
    - HR16DE motor is noisy. Rattles and clicks during certain rpms. Transmission whines in first gear (manual)
    - Clutch is too light and can be difficult to use with thick soled footwear
    - Manual transmission gear lever doesnt always go into gears smoothly. sometimes feels stiff
    - A/C engages very abruptly and loud. puts a hugely noticeable load on the engines performance
    - Factory speakers rattle when playing music and so does the headliner when driving on slightly rough surfaces

    And thats pretty much it. I could probably think of alot more things for both Pros and Cons, but those are the most important i think.

    Something to take interest in, was the fact that my motor has been faulty since i got it. Between synthetic oil changes every 8000 km i would lose 3/4's of my engine oil in the combustion system. Eventually the oil consumption clogged the first O2 sensor and caused a check engine light. The dealership replaced the 02 sensor with much confusion until the light came back on a week later. They checked the spark plugs and found that cylinder number one was leaking oil into the engine causing a misfire. Nissan has since ordered a new bottom end (the block) and will be replacing that part of the motor under warranty.

    See thread: 2015 Nissan Micra SR engine problem (oil consumption - head gasket)

    So if your micra starts consuming oil, be aware that the head gasket has a chance of pre mature failure. Hopefully this is just my car and not all of them!

    So thank you everyone for taking the time to read this. I believe the Micra is a great little car and i do recommend it. Do not be concerned with my personal engine problem or nit picks. You will have to take one for a drive before you judge. Its A great car for the money.


    Last edited by MetroMPG; 01-17-2015 at 09:18 PM. Reason: (added link to engine thread)

  2. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to audi-driver1126 For This Useful Post:

    lbarouf (01-26-2015),MetroMPG (01-17-2015),Sebastian (01-18-2015)

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    Administrator MetroMPG's Avatar
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    Hi Aidan -

    Thanks for the review. 5.6 is good fuel economy for a delivery vehicle - congrats! Obviously you know how to eco-drive.

    I've read a number of owners mentioning the abrupt A/C engagement. I didn't notice it when I had the SR loaner from Nissan, but I didn't use the air much that week.

    So you're going to be doing about 70k km a year?? How long do you plan to keep it? We have another member whose old Sentra went over a million km as a delivery vehicle. Keep us updated... thread: How many km on your Micra so far?

    As a professional driver, I'm curious about what you were driving before. (Could it be an Audi? ) And what other cars were on your short list?

    And... welcome to the forum!

    Darin

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Micra S manual: 5.0 L/100 km ... 56.5 mpg (Imp) ... 20.0 km/L ... 47.0 mpg (US) ...


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    Senior Member dani3d's Avatar
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    Interesting. I have none of the cons that you mention, no rattle in the engine. I never heard my AC when I turn it ON and never saw a drain from it either. Since I don't have the manual transmission I don't have the problem you mention either. I don't hear any rattle from the speakers, even if I put them loud.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Micra SR automatic: 7.0 L/100 km ... 40.4 mpg (Imp) ... 14.3 km/L ... 33.6 mpg (US) ...


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    Senior Member Howie's Avatar
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    Some people have a certain rattle at or around 2000rpm. Keep an eye on it, but I wouldnt worry. The micra is a little noisier then the norm, but sound insulation is expensive. XD

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Micra S automatic: 7.9 L/100 km ... 35.7 mpg (Imp) ... 12.6 km/L ... 29.7 mpg (US) ...


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    Hello Darin, thanks for the reply! Since ive already been behind the wheel of my Micra for so many hours ive basically learned the art of driving it perfectly. Smooth shifting 90% of the time, rev matching on downshifts for a nice smooth non jerky deceleration and most important of all, keeping a healthy average fuel economy during my constant back and forth commute during work. It sometimes had 5.4 L/100KM before the engine began having misfire issues. Im definitely looking forward to the repair and lowering my average again. Every shift at work i always try my best to eco-drive as much as possible.

    The A/C isnt always really noisy or abrupt, its kind of an intermittent thing. Some days it will come on very smoothly and quiet and other days it just comes on with a noticeable abrupt sound. Maybe the A/C clutch just needs to work a few times, who knows. The only thing i notice as i have to push farther down on the throttle when the A/C is on. It definitely drains performance a little amount.

    As for how many Km per year, i think you are right about 70,000. quite possibly a bit more. I dont like to think about it honestly...Because i am financing it, i have a 5 year (64 month) term of 318 per month, so unless i pay it off early or sell it ahead of time it should most definitely be 5 years of ownership. I have been thinking about selling it though once it gets to 150,000 km so i can still make some of my money back on resale value, but who knows. Its a tad bit early to decide that. Over a million K is very impressive. I am 19 years old and have already gone through 12 cars not including the Micra. Delivery is a very cruel job for a car to endure for long periods of time. It accelerates the wear by huge amount, usually the interior gets destroyed by spills and smells. I specifically opted for the rubber all weather floor mats to help prevent spills or smells. I also have fake leather seat covers to protect the lovely fabric the SR's come with. I am doing my best to keep it in great condition despite the work it goes through. Its going very well so far (in terms of visual condition) I also need to repair one of my alloy rims. Unfortunately curbed it. New OEM replacement for one rim is $816 at the dealership. Im going to ship it to a place that will re machine it for a quarter of that price!

    My username is kind of a giveaway of my last car, also my favorite brand, well one of them.

    Here goes a list of previous cars:
    #1 free 1987 Audi 4000S 2.2l 10v inline 5 auto fwd 212,000 km - SOLD
    #2 $100 1987 Audi 4000S 2.2l 10v inline 5 auto fwd 250,000 km - salvaged
    #3 $1000 1989 Audi 100 2.3l 10v inline 5 auto fwd 180,000 km - salvaged
    #4 $1100 1994 Honda Civic CX 1.5l 16v 5MT fwd 340,000 km - SOLD
    #5 $1000 1985 Audi 5000 CS Turbo Quattro 2.2L turbo 10v 5MT AWD 250,000 km - salvaged
    #6 $900 1995 Nissan Sentra 200SX SER 2.0L 16v SR20DE 5MT fwd/w lsd 394,000 km - SOLD
    #7 $1000 1996 Volkswagen Jetta GLS 2.0 8v auto fwd 240,000 km - SOLD
    #8 $1000 1999 Volkswagen Jetta GLX VR6 2.8L 12v 5MT fwd 380,000 km - SOLD
    #9 $2450 1997 Audi A4 S-line quattro 2.8L 12v auto awd 250,000 km - SOLD
    #10 $19,0074 2015 Nissan Micra SR 1.6L 16v 5MT fwd 32,500 and counting - CURRENT
    #11 $1000 1989 Audi 100 Quattro 2.3L 10v 5MT awd 209,000 km - FOR SALE

    Okay, maybe ive only had 11, but i swear it was 13. Could be missing a few. My favorites where my Audi 5000 turbo quattro and my Nissan 200SX SER. Those where very fun cars. each one accumulated at least 30,000 Km before being sold or salvaged.

    About the engine noise and rattle. It sounds like its coming from the top of the motor. and definitely comes to play around 2000 - 2500 rpm. I dont like it and will likely ask the dealership about it. The motor will be repaired on the 19th so wish me luck.

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    Senior Member Howie's Avatar
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    Definitally a german car enthusiast here. One good part of the work you do is that it will give us a torture test of how well the micra holds up in the long run, with tons of km.

    As for the noise, there is a faint possibility that it could be the rod knock issue we've noticed with other micras/versa/sentras. But as the engine is being replaced, that will probably never be figured out as I expect it to be gone with the engine replacement..

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Micra S automatic: 7.9 L/100 km ... 35.7 mpg (Imp) ... 12.6 km/L ... 29.7 mpg (US) ...


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    Torture test for sure. Though i tend to drive my Micra like a grandpa. I want it to last a long time...or at least last for a few years until the warranty is gone. So this noise is a common issue then? Thats a bit worrying. Hopefully if its something that will break, it breaks while im covered. Ive spent more than my Micra costs after taxes in used cars and used car maintenance. I got this car to give myself a financial break Im exited to lead the way in high mileage Micra statistics. Just think of me as somebody from the future who will warn you of the HR16DE's Achillies heel.

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    Senior Member Howie's Avatar
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    There is another thread on thread here on the forum where a few have noticed a rod knock, or something similar. Its really hard to tell edge wise at this point. But I dont believe that a bad rod bearing is completely your issue. Even if the rod bearing fails, im not sure how that would equal a shot head gasket.

    That and loud ac compressor clutches are norm for the hr. A few versa owners have complained about it. At this point its all under warranty.

    With that, there are probably well over 100000 hr series engines out there, if theres a couple bad ones off the lot, not a big deal. Happens to all carmakers.

    The main thing here to focus on is what you bought the car for, what makes you love it? If it still puts a smile on your face, you made the right choice.

    I bought mine for its price and handling. Couldnt beat it. Still love my micra.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Micra S automatic: 7.9 L/100 km ... 35.7 mpg (Imp) ... 12.6 km/L ... 29.7 mpg (US) ...


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    Anonymous, Ive just finished reading through the other forum about the rod knock. I can tell you right now that i have it very serious. Ill see if i can record it before they replace my motor on Monday. It happens like so:

    Gently accelerating with very minimal engine load, between 1500 and 2200 rpm a rattle or knock happens but goes away with higher rpm and increased load.

    Despite hearing about all this i still love my Micra. People make fun of me at work for having a new car with such problems. It doesnt bother me one bit. Ive been very satisfied with my Micra since the day ive had it.

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    Administrator MetroMPG's Avatar
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    That's quite the car collection! Even more impressive by its inexpensiveness!

    My parents had a mid 80's 5000 turbo - a very nice machine to drive. Automatic, though. Lots of electrical and other glitches!

    My German car phase was buying beater mk1 Rabbits, fixing them up, and driving for a year or so. Then sell, rinse & repeat. I went through 6 of those.


        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Micra S manual: 5.0 L/100 km ... 56.5 mpg (Imp) ... 20.0 km/L ... 47.0 mpg (US) ...


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