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Hi Chris ; Let me introduce myself ... 54 year old ASE master tech w / L1 cert.. Been getting paid to twist wrench's since 1974 . I was the GTR tech at the local nissan dealer, but left the dealer scene to pursue my first love , restoring old british iron ... I bought my '12 NV 1500 s low roof V6 after a very bad sales attempt at the local ford dealer (insulting , to be more specific!). I had wanted a fullsize van for awhile for traveling the countryside with my Trials motorcycle's to compete and camp . The NV fit the the bill perfectly and the CV manager at Morris Nissan made me a killer deal on the low mileage NV . It was a Avis or somebody's rental fleet vehicle before I got it and except for a mark on the passenger side dash where someone had laid something on it ? was in perfect shape w/18k on the clock , w/all service records . They had installed the full factory floormat from a SV the night before , and put full factory mudflaps on it for me to seal the deal . The best points of the NV for me ... The best rear veiw mirror's ever on a van ! :) IT'S A TRUCK !!! not a unibody wanna be !!! The size and strength of the frame . I get outstanding fuel mileage with mine ... (it's all in how you drive it :)) With a E350 2/3rds bench installed , I can still put a bike in the back or sleep 2 people with room to spare . IT'S A NISSAN !!!! Handles excellent for what it is , Great brakes too .! And the Cabin layout is so roomy !! I may be relocating to the concord area soon ( to be closer to all my riding buddies ! ), So let me know if you may be interested in a NV shop foreman/service manager/lead tech ... And don't worry about the new Transit , it's a made in turkey unibody ... it will never be what the E series was . The only thing ford has going for them is the dealer infrastructure ... And the new dodge is FWD ???? what's the point of that in a commercial van ? Good luck with the new position .:) Glenn

The tank pressure sensor may be the culprit , Between elevation changes and under vehicle latent heat , it may be seeing changes the ecu thinks are too big a change , although the system will still pass it's self tests ... Just a shot in the dark .... Glenn

I wish I had ran across that plug kit a few years ago !!!! Would've made life much easier ! Great Link , plug and play and run some wires .... Glenn

Andy ; Nice write up . I bought my bare bones rolling metal building to do what I wanted it to do . Haul me and my kids to motorcycle Trials events , wherever they may be . I've insulated , added O.E. side panels , a 2/3rds bench seat from a E350. And some speakers to the rear, along with a window in the slider. I love the van for what it is , not for what it isn't... It does anything I want it to do . I do get asked why do you drive that big thing everyday ? And I have to laugh when it's a guy in a shiny 1 ton 4x4 pickup asking ... Glenn

Unless Nissan has changed things , You have to add the pin connector's to the plug at the radio and run your own wires back . Look on here for my previous posts and you will find the info and schematic with the pin location info ... The pictures are in the gallery , if my memory still works . Glenn Read the Audio modifications post a few down on this page the info is there ....

That's what I'm waiting on too !! :) Glenn

And to add to all the above ... THE NV HAS A REAL FRAME !!!!!!! Hence the truckish ride ...:) Glenn

Thanks for the refresher !!!! Glenn

The OE floor mats are on the 'Bay for about $80.00 , Pretty heavy duty for the front .... Glenn

Can you refresh my memory ? Positive offset moves wheel center(mounting surface) to outside of rim , And negative offset gives the deep-dish look , moving the center to the inside of rim ? Or am I bassackwards ? And do we know the offset of the stock wheels ? Thanks , Glenn

It's the retainer strap tensioner inside the the door , Penetrating spray grease works ... At least on mine it did . Glenn

Did a Trials event in Thurmond NC last Sunday , Filled NV with ethanol free 93 , riding gear , Triton aluminum trailer with 2 bikes and 3 people in van . Reset mpg average at start of drive . 584 miles later back at home Sunday eve. , Display reads 25.1 average ...:) Has dropped to 21.9 after my weeks commute . I love this big ole' box ...! Glenn , it's all in how you drive , or mine is a freak ....

And the Bat. is part of the sensor/ valve stem ... No replacing just the battery . Big brother watching out for us !!!

I've got almost 55k on my OE's ... and they are still over half of their tread depth without weather cracks ... And from experience most tpms batteries last about 4 to 5 years , so save the future hassle and replace the sensors when you do tires ... less labor .... Glenn

Found some 17x9 rims that I like , They have a -6mm offset . Do those of you that have changed rims think these would clear everything with no issues ? Glenn

I'm back again , Now after about 600 miles on my new daily commute , my mileage has settled in at 19.2 on the average meter ... I put it down to a shorter commute with more time @ stoplights and summer blend fuel . And as to the fuel efficient semi's , I know if I'm drafting one with the lower side skirts etc. on a long trip , the frontal load on the van is much less while not being any where near as close to them as a standard old fashioned rig . And I'm a old Ford lover too , but look at the build quality of the nv closely , before you jump on a transit ... A real frame is worth alot in the long haul ... Glenn

I got my side panels and all the clips from http://www.factorynissanparts.com/Partlocator/index.cfm?siteid=214081 And if my memory still works , there are 2 or 3 different styles of retaining clips/fasteners for the side panels depending on the location . I don't remember how much it all cost , But I'm cheap ! so I know it wasn't much :) Glenn

I get " Why ? " ..... :sing_rain: B) Glenn

You can disconnect both battery Terminals from the battery and touch the 2 cables together (away from bat. ) For about ten seconds and that will discharge all the capacitors in the control units , The only thing that should not start from scratch is the odometer , All the other inputs and outputs will have to be relearned . (BMW calls this a battery dump in their tech language ...) Glenn

Backfire1 ; No Worries , I feel your pain ... I try to fill up at about a 1/4 tank , to keep my fuel pump cool and give it a long life :) It usually takes 20 to 23 gallons to top off my tank when I fill up and I've gone around 425 to 450 miles . on one trip I did see see 552 , but I had driven a scary distance with the low fuel warning glaring at me ... I don't trust gas gauges .....! Get your Dealer or a good alignment shop to check out your alignment , it is crucial to these heavy weights , And remember , your driving around a 6000 pound + box , Learn to let inertia be your friend . Have a great day :) Glenn

In a heartbeat ! :) , But mine is a no frills bare cargo , I haven't any exposure to the passenger van , I added a 2/3rds bench seat to mine . Which I believe Nissan should offer for the contractor / working truck types ... Glenn

And not to rub salt in the wound , But I just got home from a trip to my mom's house to do a quick tune-up on my stepdads 98 frontier . As I said previously I had just reset the mpg monitor to check the mileage on my new commute and it had stabilized @ 19.6 again , but without doing anything out of the ordinary when I backed back into my driveway just a few minutes ago the monitor said 21mpg ... So 160 miles on my commute (stop and go with 45 mph speed limits ) and another 80 miles at 55 on backroads and about 15 miles on the freeway at 70 my mileage average increased a bit . But I know it will drop back to 19.6 when I'm commuting again next week ! it'll take it a few miles but the average will drop . But if you are a math wiz , you could figure out she had to be getting fantastic mileage today to raise the average like that . I still love this van for what it is and what it isn't :) Glenn

Hi Backfire 1 ; I'm one of those 'must be full of it guys ' ! I'm a 53 yr. old master mechanic and I love my NV 1500 V6 . I've got 56k on it now and I use it for a daily driver and for road trips and camping with my Trials motorcycles . My 2012 has the mpg average monitor and Nissans logic in the program is silly . But after not resetting it for over 15k , (it showed 19.6) forever ... I reset it last week to see what my new commute would show , and it settled right back in @ 19.6 . And yes I back it up with a paper and pencil too and it is fairly accurate . I get into the low 20's when traveling with aluminum bike trailer in tow / draft behind the van ... How I do it ... 1: on your new van , use the manual shift option when decelerating when possible , to let some compression braking slow the van . Helps float the rings a little so they will seal better , giving better performance . 2: I run a K&N drop in with 0-20w or 0-30w mobil one oil . 3: Learn how to accelerate ! Roll away from stops , it's not a race to the next light ... 4: I run ethanol free 93 octane , makes a serious all around difference , in NC you should have sphynx stations so you can get ethanol free regular easily , your on your own to find good premium :) 5: a deflector for your ladder rack would be a plus . 6: Have your dealer check your alignment ! Mine is setup with 1/16 total toe in , and rolls with almost no resistance (aka when you let off the gas on level ground it doesn't slow much on it's own !) , still has the stock tires inflated to spec and they are wearing perfectly , still better than 1/2 of their tread depth . ( I wish they would wear out so I can get some Michelin's on some cool rims ! :) ) 7: Watch your driving habits , it's fuel injected so warming up the engine @ temps above freezing is futile , a few seconds while you buckle your seatbelt is all thats needed ... 8: learn how to anticipate stops , roll to them and roll away , it's alot of mass to start and stop ! conserve energy and you brakes and fuel will last longer . :) 9: Relax when you drive , In the end you don't get there any faster by speeding ... 10: enjoy the van ! They've got the best mirrors ever !!! 11: I'll be going back and forth between Charleston SC and Monroe NC alot between now and November to lay out a trials event up there , so if you see my white low roof with a bike trailer behind it, stop me anytime to have a look at my mpg and speed average displays , it's all in how you drive your ark ...:) 12: have fun ! Glenn

You might try a New Key from your local dealer if the issue seems to be the lock cylinders and not the mechanism connected to the cylinder. Sometimes a little WD40 or graphite will go a long way . Mine are all manual too and I've had no issues at all yet . And I say a OE key to save time and headaches with some of the after market ones . And if I remember correctly the keys are chipped for the ign. lock cylinder , so it does need to get programmed for your ecu to recognize it .... Glenn

While washing my NV last weekend and giving it a serious spring cleaning , I found a spot to keep my eye on for rust prevention . If you have the OE mudflaps , check the rear ones . Dirt & debris will fill up between the flap and the bottom of the fender in the gap between them , potentially leading to a rusty rocker panel . The front ones don't seem to do it as bad . I have a at times muddy driveway and my rears were full of stuff , A minute with a hose nozzle cleaned them out , I was amazed at the size of the rocks and things that was stuck in the gap . Just something to keep your mind on before it rusts at the rocker :) Glenn