Where can I go for service/inspection?

[Quiet7]

I'm confused.  Can only Business Certified dealers do maintenance/repairs on NVPs?  What about local auto shops?  Possible?  Bad idea?  

 

Also, what about inspections?  We are in PA, so the inspections are fairly lengthy and invasive.  I know they look underneath, and I think they maybe take the tires off, too.  Does anyone know if the NVP can be inspected at the regular official state inspection stations?  Is anything different about the inspection given that it is a heavier, commercial vehicle?  Thanks for any info!  

[radin2son]

You can take your Nissan anywhere for service just not to a Nissan dealership that is not a commercial dealership. You will find these are not that well known trucks, but the engine is well known.

 

Inspections will vary state to state, so someone from PA will have to let you know. It should be no different than any other van on the road in PA. "Commercial" shouldn't factor in. Have you had any trouble getting insurance?

[wollip]

I have had non-commercial nissan dealerships do oil changes for me but that is all they could/would do. Just change it myself now.

One was willing to do my minor recall work till they called and found out they wouldn't get reimbursed for it.

And of course any warranty work is a no go with a non-commercial dealership.

Very inconvenient for me (30 miles vs 100 miles) but it's been so reliable - not that much of a bother.

I imagine NVP family owners suffer the most from the inconvenience. I'd love to know the percentage of NVPs that are actually commercially used vs family used.

[jaredg]

My local Nissan dealer (30 miles away) said they have a tech trained to do the service work. However, they said they can't do any warranty work without permission from Nissan Commercial. I think I will have to make the 120 mile trek to a commercial dealer for that.

We only have about 2000 miles on our NVP so far. I'm hoping for reliability!

Edited July 26, 2016 by jaredg

[Quiet7]

Thanks, everyone, for the replies.

 

Radin2son, we have not bought yet, so not sure about the insurance. Will contact our insurance company prior to purchase to be sure.  We had contacted them about a Transit and they had no problem with it.  Hopefully it will be the same with an NVP.  I was worried about the inspections in PA because I believe they take all the tires off, and I had heard somewhere that non-commercial Nissan dealerships don't service NVs because they don't have racks heavy enough for them.  I wonder if it will be the same issue at state inspection stations or not.  Anyone from PA out there please let me know your experiences.  Thanks!

 

Interesting about the light recall work, wollip.  Our local commercial dealership is close enough that I wouldn't mind taking it in for warranty work (providing it doesn't need a lot!), but having to do all oil changes, routine maintenance, and inspections there is a little more difficult with young children to ferry back and forth.  And I, too, would like to know the percentage of commercial vs. family users for the NVP.  I think Ford pretty much dominates the commercial passenger van field still, especially with the new Transits.  I see them everywhere now.  I'm thinking more and more, though, that the NVP is often a better fit for larger families that don't need 15 passenger seating.  Or at least for us :)

 

Jaredg, I'm with ya on hoping for reliability!  That's pretty far to go.  Makes me grateful we do have one close by (just not in our backyard...lol).  I must admit that the NVP warranty is a big selling point for me, though like you I hope if we do buy one we don't have to use it too much!

[radin2son]

Three years ago, there were some minor recalls that are documented in this forum. None since. The Canton facility is doing a great job.

 

If I were buying a 2012 or 2013 NV, I would make sure the recalls were done.

 

If reliability was an issue you would be reading about it here. Mc2guy may be the only one who gave up on his NVP after it stranded him twice. The major repairs were covered by the warranty.

 

Annoying issues are few but well documented here, such as AC, front sensors, windshield leaks etc.

 

Unsatisfactory buying and service issues also are here. Better yet, we have identified good dealers to use.

 

And we have an old goat to keep trolls away...

[KMG]

I resemble that remark!

[Quiet7]

LOL!  Too funny.

 

Thanks.  I'll have to look through the threads about those issues.  No vehicle is perfect, unfortunately.  Still looking around and trying to decide whether to do a new SV V8 with tech package or a used SL.  A new SL is out of our price range unless we wait and save a bit longer.  I'm not sure if the SL is really worth the wait or not.

[radin2son]

i've always thought the SV is a better value and may avoid some of the "luxury" issues of the SL.

 

KMG mentioned in another post that the 2017 models may have a 7 speed transmission. Why mate this to the old 5.6 V8? So there may be a good chance the 2017 will have the new 5.6. This may be a reason to wait.

 

I'm surprised Nissan commercial dealers would tolerate non-commercial doing oil changes. The rumor was that non-commercial didn't have lifts to service NVs. The real reason most likely is the premium paid to Nissan to become a commercial dealership.

 

Our commercial dealership is 5 miles away; otherwise it would be 100 miles to Phoenix. I prefer using commercial dealerships just in case something surfaces when getting regular service. One recall was dealt with... Familiarity with NVs is my main reason.

[ASD Dad]

If the new V8 and the 7 speed show up I will seriously consider trading mine in.  We do a fair amount of driving and towing (25K miles in one year) and the much added power and hopefully better shift points and fuel economy of the 7 speed would be very welcome.  

 

I envy you all with close dealerships.  Mine is an hour away.  My next closest is near 2 hours.  I have 2 closer Nissan dealers but one told me they cant/wont work on the NV's and the other I dont like as a dealership.