Rek
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| posted on 1/9/07 at 08:25 PM |
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Used Micra Advice
Anything special nasties to look out for on a K reg Micra thats being bought for a 17 year old as a first car?
Or anyone know where I could get a buyers guide?
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adithorp
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| posted on 1/9/07 at 08:56 PM |
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Good car for the purpose.
Watch out for corroded front cross member (replacement is available and easy enough to replace if you can weld). Check weather the engine temp sensor
has been modified (resistor between loom and sensor). If not they tend to over fuel and flood when started 1/2 warm.
adrian
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McLannahan
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| posted on 1/9/07 at 08:59 PM |
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What's Good
Jewel-like 16-valve chain-cam engines; 1.0 with 53bhp and 1.3 with 75bhp. 12' 2" long by 5' 2" wide and weighing from 775kg.
Broadened the market for the Micra, making it a young person's car as well as an old person's. Well built, in Sunderland. Sensible parts
prices (cats are £200). Special pre-facelift 1998 run out 1.0 litre model had CVT and power steering. Restyled in 1998. 1,275cc '1.3'
engine increased to 1,348cc in July 2000, with increase in power from 75 ps to 82 ps and torque from 76 lb ft to 80 lb ft at 2,800 rpm. 16th from top
of 100 models for reliability in Auto Express 2002 survey. Joint 20th from Top in 144 car 2002 JD Power / What Car? Customer Satisfaction Survey of V
and W reg cars. Nissans generally had slightly below average warranty repair costs in 2003 Warranty Direct Reliability index (index 94.77 v/s lowest
31.93). Link:- www.reliabilityindex.co.uk 1995-2003 models rated fewest problems and faults and average for breakdowns in 2003 Which survey. 1998-2002
Micra 6th most reliable car in 2005 Warranty Direct Reliability Survey with 13 repair claims per 100 cars. Link:- www.reliabilityindex.co.uk Most
reliable supermini in 2006 Reliability Index survey.
(Note Haynes manual for 1993 to 1999 cars.)
What's Bad
Cute 'blobby' styling works for some, not for others. Most did not have power steering. Average performance in NCAP crash tests. Must have
6-monthly oil changes to avoid timing chain trouble. 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 entere 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 at eric@proprep.freeserve.co.uk
Replaced by new car on same platform as new Renault Clio in early 2003. High 7 out of 9 point death rate from accidents in 1998 - 2000 models.
What to Watch Out For
Clocking. Dirty oil. Must have clean oil. (VITAL to change the oil at least every 6 months expecially if the car does an ultra low mileage.) If the
timing chain rattles and the car is out of warranty, leave it alone. You could be in for a £400-£500 tensioner replacement job. Japanese
'March' models look the same but many parts are not interchangeable. May have suspension damage from kerbing - most likely and most
damaging on power steered cars. Clutches of early cars don't last, but most will by now have been replaced. Previously reliable CVT has started
to develop the 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 cost £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. On 1996/1997 Micras the plastic headlamp bulb holders can eventually melt due to an electrical
fault. Not covered by warranty.
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.
Taken from Honest John. Really useful site!
http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/
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UncleFista
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| posted on 1/9/07 at 09:01 PM |
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Dodgy throttle bodies, make sure you check for uneven idle and a hesitation when under acceleration.
There are no Micra TBs in any scrapyard, its a very common problem, a replacement is expensive.
Easy enough to fix yourself though if you have a soldering iron 
DIY repair guide in PDF
Tony Bond / UncleFista
Love is like a snowmobile, speeding across the frozen tundra.
Which suddenly flips, pinning you underneath.
At night the ice-weasels come...
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Russell
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| posted on 1/9/07 at 09:23 PM |
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Check the bodywork under the front bumper. MOT testers have divided opinions as to whether it's structural but it's prone to rust and can
need welding.
Don't worry if the timing chain rattles. They tend to either when hot or cold (can't remember which) but it'll go on like that for
ever.
Also some are prone to water leaks from the windscreen.
And changing the oil filter is more fiddly than it needs to be. It's on the bulkhead side of the engine.
Having said all the that, they're usually a decent car with above average reliability and not too tricky to sell later. 
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BenB
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| posted on 1/9/07 at 09:37 PM |
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I've got a K11 Micra.
Headlight connectors rust and stop working- repaired both sides.
Fuse box connectors go rusty....
Clutches wear out pretty quickly (about 40-50k on mixed driving).
Throttle bodies go a bit wonky (just means a bit of heal+toe action on mine until it warms up)....
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Peteff
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| posted on 2/9/07 at 08:34 AM |
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Where the sill joins the rear arch on two door models seems to go a lot as well, I've welded a few of them in the last couple of years.
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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BenB
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| posted on 2/9/07 at 10:46 AM |
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Oh yes, forgot that too!!!! Did a little welding a couple of years back on the rear sill and there's more to do this year....
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