radin2son

To get this choice, V6 or V8 on the same model, high top or standard, you are at the SV trim level. There is a lot of mpg data for both engines on this site. The worst cargo, high top V8 was 8 mpg. The best cargo, low top 1500 (V6 only) was 21+ mpg. Most fall into the 12-15 mpg regardless of the engine. It all comes down to use and load.

You have to be willing to put up with FB. The main issue besides the snooze feature is lack of response from those that post questions and never get back.

Wait long enough and technology will develope more efficient ac units for class B RVs that will run off house batteries (lithium) and shore power. weretherussos.com has posts on using their unit off grid with 340 watt solar panels. On this forum, Jon Nelson also had a unit that could run off grid. Maybe the new owner will show up here...

Found the sale info. Jon sold his 2013 NV 3500 high top in October, 2017. Had $100,000 into it and sold it for somewhere between $56 to 65,000. Reasons for sale included job changes and need to have a “garageable” vehicle. Mileage was 45,000. Daily driver with 50% highway. Colorado Camper Vans did the top and windows. Interesting that he was able to insure his NV for $85,000 as an RV. Assuming his 4x4 NV cost $55,000, he should have only been able to insure it for $65,000 as a diy camper conversion. Since he bought his van out of state, it appears he was able to convert it sufficiently during the temporary plate period to convince CA MVD to classify it as an RV. Great thinking on his part, plus the second owner got a great deal on a RV...

Rarely use this as our VW is an around town car. Tried it on a short trip out of town to a place we know the best route. Siri had her own thoughts and didn’t adjust as well to alternate routes as the NV nav unit. Finally, I verbally canceled the route while driving and Siri’s response was very close to “whatever” rad. You can cancel the route with NV nav using the touch screen while driving. Keeps your eyes off the road for awhile... Speed limits are shown on Apple maps and change with each speed limit sign. Nice feature. Frequent map updates? In general, the NV nav card is at least one year older than your NV. Sirius offers real time nav for a fee. Apple or android works with your plan with no extra fee. I suspect CarPlay will not work well on dead zones. I hope it works a little better given the antenna should pull in a sketchy signal. Don’t get rid of your NV nav for this. Happy New Year!

Updated list ALABAMA Benton Nissan (Hoover) ALASKA Stanley Nissan (Fairbanks) ARKANSAS North Point Nissan (Little Rock) ARIZONA AutoNation Nissan (Chandler) Jim Click Nissan (Tucson) CALIFORNIA Future Nissan (Roseville) COLORADO South Colorado Springs Nissan FLORIDA John Lee Nissan (Panama City) MICHIGAN Elhart Nissan (Holland) Fox Nissan (Grand Rapids) NORTH CAROLINA Scott Clark Nissan (Charlotte) Classic Nissan (Statesville) Hunter Nissan (Hendersonville) OREGON Tonkin NIssan (Wilsonville) SOUTH CAROLINA Nissan of Greer VIRGINIA Sheehy Nissan (Manassas) CANADA ALBERTA Grande Prairie Nissan Updated: 12/26/17

Hi Steve, Interesting placement of the solar panels. Are they hinged to swing up? Thanks for the info on AutoNation Nissan. As you travel, keep us posted about other dealerships you use. The software update has been posted.

I think it was Quigley who posted a prototype photo of a NV high top with a rack mounted or the “forehead.” It looked more like a basket. That way you can bash the rack and hope it doesn’t dent the body... It doesn’t take much of a hit to do visible damage. Cosmetic damage is the most annoying, particularly when self inflicted.

Next we’ll have an official hat... Unless your head gear is determined by your employer or some obscure personal preference, all occupants must wear the same NVP hat. Exception for today is a Santa Clause hat. Merry Christmas

Since you purchased your 2012 NVP recently, the airbag notice may not find you. Check the post to get to the web site to see if it is part of the settlement. No recall pending on ours; probably yours as well.

The backup camera will certainly help. The nav package places the camera near the license plate. Is there an advantage to using a higher mount? The great thing about NVs is the absence of change until this year’s new V8. Dependability is another.

Welcome. Love the hockey stick on the wall. That’s a new one, make the sensor louder. I have not noticed a volume control for this. If it is in the manual, someone will know.

Enjoy your trip and take that one photo that is picture perfect...

Happy Holidays, all that apply, and a peaceful New Year, here and abroad. Our NV has been grounded through no fault of its own. Too many things to do and not enough time to get out of town. The weather is almost always better than elsewhere this time of year. Took this photo in November, 2012 in Arches National Park. We were hit by an early winter storm. Not sure if this is a ranger or volunteer enforcing the law...

We have a similar system, “flat plate” to heat the water in our NV. Unless you have hot water storage, “on demand” engine heated water cools quickly. “On demand” is optimistic at best and you really need to run the engine to keep it hot. The good news is little fuel is used at idle. Sportsmobile West installed ours as an add-on when we purchased our NV. 5 years ago it cost $871. We also had them remove/exchange the 10 gallon water tank for a 20 gallon tank, $211. This included labor. They also install espar products, most often on MBs. We only use the hot water/engine idle for our external shower; house batteries also charge. Getting the mix right is a challenge. It is hard to tell the difference between verbal noises when it is too hot or cold. Same for expletives... We don’t have a heater for our NV. I can think of only 2 occasions in the mid-teens, when we turned on the engine for heat. We were up,making coffee and waiting for the sun. I’ve said this before, but diy conversions rarely mention installing smoke and carbon monoxide monitors. We have both. If I were to use an espar, I definitely would install both. Another issue is “no idle” and no gray water in many areas. Some states will even prosecute... Thanks for the resource info.

Prior to this NV, he had 2 or 3 MB based RVs. He needed the poptop to be able to stand up. He works in commercial video and photography, if I recall correctly and used his NV for work and meetups. I wonder if he replaced it with another van. Advanced did the 4x4 conversion.

That belongs to Jon Nelson.

Recalls appear to be based on vehicle age and location, primarily because the problem is too widespread and too few and no problem free airbag replacements. I don’t doubt that all NVs have the problem Takata airbags. Eventually our NVs will be recalled. I read somewhere that these air bags are still being installed to buy time. Probably safe enough.

I haven’t specifically requested this, but thanks for the suggestion. There are no problems with braking in general and presumably were checked during “major” service. “Your brakes are fine...” (Our independent VW mexhanic would let me know even before I noticed a problem.) Next service, I’ll have them checked. Shimmy may not have been the right word to use regarding wheel balance. Thump? You feel something through the steering wheel similar to driving on minimally rough or uneven pavement. With free balancing for 3 years, I have them check it when the tires are rotated or as needed.

If terrain does not factor in, ckeck the wheel balance. The front left oem wheel and tire on our NV had no weights at all (made it easy to see if they rotated tires). When new tires were put on, all wheels needed weights to be balanced. Not surprising, but they have been rebalanced twice. At 60+ mph there was a slight shimmy. Nothing compared to hard braking on steep hills...

On fast, steep, long downhill sections, our 2012 NV intermittently starts shaking when brakes are applied (hard) and in 5th. I assumed it had something to do with abs. The way to avoid it is to put it in 4th manual mode. Getting into third is another matter. It goes away when slowed down. Another issue has been a faint whining, noise, but no shimmy when applying the brakes on hills. Dealer service has looked at me like I’ve lost it... No tire or brake issues. Since we put new tires on, I don’t recall this recurring... Maybe I just anticipate it better and get into 3rd sooner. Put it into tow mode and see what happens.

You just have a better memory... long before we had our NV, I’ve only used our phone. 2200 NV travel photos saved; many deleted. Many only good enough to document where we have been. Vertical photos now post correctly.

I read somewhere you should take fewer photos and rely on your memory. Another was take only 1 photo, not a to be edited photo. So here a few from the past 5 years of NV travel.

So, what does it cost to have a “dedicated” 2012 NV campervan? $29,635 (MSRP $31,605) +35,582 (conversion) + 1,168 (modifications at SMB factory before delivery) $66,385. (Does not include taxes and registration.) Then add $51,005 for 28 trips (longest was 60 days) over the course of 5 years and almost 68,000 miles. Here are photos of some of the many places we’ve parked our NV for the night or several days...

First glance shows little change. “800,000 miles” of road tested reliability.