wollip

Yes, it does. But my point is that auto shift mode can be disengaged (or unavailable, however you want to look at it) and you would not know that until you ask for that control and it is denied. As in - I'm getting ready to go down this 12 deg incline and I'd like to use my lower gears RIGHT NOW. If the can bus or whatever controls it, can disable my access to auto shift, it could certainly be made to throw a warning light when such an action has been taken. Finding it out the hard way is dangerous and irresponsible. Correct me if I'm still missing something here.

Well , my teeth are definitely not that white!

Daniel, We each have different experiences and I guess that helps the world go around. Sorry that yours have been mainly negative. When I was working thru my manual shift mode issue, I had nothing but positive experiences all the way around. The dealership (North Point Nissan) directed me to Nissan Commercial Affairs. NCA was always courteous and patient. The agent seemed to take a "let's see what the dealership can do" approach. The agent always called me back when promised/ as promised. The dealership at one point provided me with a loaner car for nearly a week. The dealership brought in a regional tech at another point in the process. Everyone I dealt with was just plain nice to talk to - and they stuck with it until we finally had an answer. So, just saying, we can't paint things with too broad a brush - negative or positive. Experiences vary. Best of luck with your problem.

The recent revival of this thread reminds me that I need to post an update to my situation described in multiple posts above. The metal washer is still in place but the electrical tape has been replaced with black heat shrink tubing which makes it stable and better appearance wise. The smaller opening in the washer keeps me from "fiddling" with the button absentmindedly or accidentally. It's been over a year now with that mod in place and not once since has the manual shift mode given me any reason for concern. I still think a warning light should appear whenever manual shift mode is disabled.

Daniel, Your problem seems unique enough to warrant its own thread - which might also help it from getting buried at the end of this older one. Unfortunately, I don't have any insights into your problem but hope you get it resolved quickly. Your experience with the dealership(s) reminds me of my initial buying experience. By the time it was finished, I was completely done with that dealer. They even got to keep their couple of free oil changes. I moved on - found a great dealer (North Point Nissan in Little Rock) for service and advice and have thoroughly enjoyed owning my NV for 4+ years. Best of luck with your problem.

Thanks to all of you that replied - I value your opinions. I'm pleased that there are no major concerns on this. In response to a question about what I added to amount to so much weight, I'll just say that I added the usual stuff and that yes it does add up quickly - weight and cost.

First, given the lack of workmanship on this job I'd be checking these windows with a water hose to see if they are even properly sealed. Then I'd be checking to see that the cut was primed. If you have any bare metal showing, get some automotive primer and use an artists brush or Qtip to cover it all. Bare metal will rust quickly. The installer should have first used an edge guard around the opening to not only protect you from the rough metal edge but to also provide a more finished look. It's a mute point now but you can look at trimlock.com to see examples. pro-dec.com will give you some ideas about decorative covers. But for cheap and temporary (and readily available), I'd be trying to fit some plastic wire nuts over the bolts. Rad has the right idea - check with a glass shop to see if they can cover this up after the fact. Or, go to Home Depot and look for Armacell 2 in. x 30 ft. R-1 Foam Insulation Tape - - or something like it. Might fit the cheap and temporary criteria. You just need something that is thick enough to protect and flimsy enough to easily remove later.

Caryn, That is a bad situation. We really need some photos (overall shot and some close ups if possible)to help us provide a solution. You need these photos anyway to help document what was done. Sounds like you will be having this botched up work replaced as soon as better windows are available. Since the dealership that messed this up is apparently unable to provide you with even a temporary fix, I'd personally have little confidence in them going forward. Post some photos and then pick from the solutions. We'll try to keep it simple, inexpensive, and temporary. If you are new to posting photos on the site, you'll need to be using the full version and not the mobile version of the website.

The first thing I should have done, of course, is to have gone with the 3500. I never imagined that the weight would add up that fast. I guess we are not unlike the majority of commercially built RVs which seem to all build right up to the limit - usually leaving little more than a 400 to 700 lb buffer. You raise another point of view but both lead to the same question regarding safety. Even if a conversion build isn't approaching the limit on its own, how much additional cargo can be safely hauled?

After recently weighing our 2012 NV 2500 high roof conversion (a diy project) at the CAT scale, I'm wondering about the driving and braking safety of our now "fully loaded" rig. Our new GVW is 8300 lbs and swells to 8700 towards the end of an extended travel trip. I know that the GVWR weight limit for this vehicle is 9100 lbs but I am wondering if I am "pushing it" at this point. So, I'm looking for opinions and recommendations. If this modified NV was yours, would you feel the need to change anything for the sake of increased safety - tires, brakes, rotors, whatever? And there is also the issue of shifting the center of gravity due to upper cabinets, roof rack, AC unit, etc. Is there any recommendation for equipment to help counter that new "upper body weight". Side note - I do not tow anything. [i'm defining Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) as the actual weight of the fully loaded vehicle, including all cargo, fluids, passengers, and optional equipment, as measured by a scale.]

ASD Dad - I get what you're saying. I "gave up" 2.5 mpg when I went from new empty cargo van to fully loaded conversion. With my current usage that means I "pay" approx. a $20 a month premium in gas consumption for having things like I want them. Not bad considering I would have no reason to even own it if I was going to keep it empty.

OMG - I feel like Charlie Brown listening to his teacher. I so didn't understand any of that - but in my defense I haven't looked into solar yet. Do they have dumb solar to match the dumb alternator? But, doesn't the D250s have a built in mppt controller? Or maybe you said that already.

One other thing - I had at one point one cable to use and it was red. So, you'll probably notice an instance of a red wire where a black one would have been correct.

I will attempt in this reply to post some pics related to my Ctek install - we'll see how that goes. As you can see, I don't have a solar panel yet, dragging my feet on that for awhile since I don't really have to have one. I don't know how to adequately talk shop regarding all things automotive so bear with me. I did not ground my system using a "home run" wire from front to back like I did with the positive side. Instead, I am grounded utilizing the passenger side rail of the ladder frame. Up front, I ran an additional grounding cable from the starter battery down to the rail of the ladder frame. It was a little less expensive to do it this way but introduced too many points for potential failure. So, if I were to do it again I'd just run the second wire. I did attach this to the negative post of the starter battery only to read later in the upfitters guide that they don't recommend this. They suggest in the guide that you use a grounding point near the battery. But, I haven't had any known issues with my setup so I have left it as is. (Note to anyone who knows - please advise if I am wrong to leave this like this.) My AGM battery is located directly behind the cabinet wall of the Ctek equipment installation. I also have a Victron battery monitor installed but that doesn't change the basic Ctek install. All clear as mud, I'm sure. More questions are always welcome.

I'll also say this about the Ctek dc to dc system - the company makes you work for information. It is like electrical engineers wrote a brief note to other electrical engineers. I've found it difficult to be confident that I had the correct information and that I finally had the bulk of the information needed to proceed with my install. All besides the fact that I have no background with dc systems so had to learn as I went forward. In other words, they really made me do my homework. But the whole point of DIY for me was to learn something new. I suspect many people could just look at the box it came in and say "no sweat".