radin2son

Rarely do I go to the full site when using my iPhone, but this topic is rated "hot" or is it KMG, good looks I presume. Wollip, since I am on the full site, I'll try to post a picture... It worked! This is the campground at Capitol Reef National Park in November 2012, our second NV trip. It also was just before an early winter storm hit us at Arches National Park. Next month, we will be returning to this area.

A shaving mirror...wait, you don't need one. Looks good. We have a metal "signal" mirror that I thought about attaching to the visor clips. Always forget we have it and end up using the tinted side windows when standing outside putting on sunscreen etc...

Welcome. See what I mean, 1 relatively new poster and 3 "old" posters...

It is good to hear from new owners that have recently posted. As you can see from the posts on this thread, we are the same bunch who post over and over... Generally, most NV owners are happy with their trouble free NVs and many disappear after a few posts. When issues do come up, we'd like to hear how they are resolved or not. Same for mods...

In 2013, trucktrend staffers had the same complaint when doing their long term test of a high top cargo NV. Good fix... Next up, illumination. Are you using a Mac? Export your photo to desktop, jpeg medium, go to other options on your post, select photo, attach and there it is. I still don't know if it is possible to attach a photo with an iPhone or iPad. You will have to explain your user name...

Has anyone driven their NV in the area of the Paria Widerness, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and Capital Reef National Park, all in Utah? We are putting together a return trip to this area, but unlike the past in our NV, we will be getting off paved roads. Most are maintained dirt roads. OK when dry. Two major dirt sections will be Hole in the Rock Road and Burr Trail Road from Boulder (UT) through the Waterpocket Fold (dirt) to Fruita. We did a portion of Hole in the Rock in our VW in the 90s and 4x4 is not needed unless you go to the very end (56 mi one way). We plan to get our 4+ year old tires checked to see if they are up to the trip. If they need to be replaced, we're going with AT tires.

Thanks, will do...

Welcome. Great to have another "commercial" user to put the NV through its motions. Too few on this site... If it is a 2014, you still have your warranty; have your Nissan dealer do this if convenient. No problem having an auto parts store pulling the code but they won't delete it. Also check the Nissan Frontier forum for rough idling. Awhile back, Mc2guy had the camshaft sensor on his V8 go wonky and some other things go very wrong. The dealer he ended up being towed to had 2 V6 NVs on the lot with similar problems. Not saying this is your issue, but the Titan V8 forum discussed this, difficult to start and rough, for older V8s. Part of the problem was due to poor placement of the sensor, which made it easy for fluids to cause the sensor to malfunction. The only fix was to replace the sensor. Wouldn't you know... Driving to an REI sale in our '05 VW tdi, the check engine light came on with a "emission workshop" message. No problem, I have a reader and will check it later. Later, I checked the manual to see what this message was and to find where to plug the reader in when I couldn't find it. It is supposed to just to the right of the hood release. No problem, the hole was there and nothing but air. Oh well, time to take it to our mechanic anyway. CV boots need to be checked and probably be replaced. Desert heat does a number on these... NEVER MIND. I had to wait for some shade, too hot to kneel on the ground. I found the plug in where they said it was. Coolant sensor. Cleared it to see if it trips again. Sufficient coolant but will watch temp. Still need to get the CV boots checked...

Curious. Why CB? No cell coverage or do your clientele use CB? You and Axulsuv are on the same wave length, so to speak.

Funny, desert rats tell us to turn off our AC just prior to pulling into a rest area or into your driveway after long use. I tend to do this and leave it off after the engine is started. Why? Ice build up in dry heat? Who knows? Certainly was not my father, who told me to do this; he ran the AC full on no matter what. Froze in the passenger seat. He would cycle it on and off manually no matter how many times I asked him to reset the control. There are however no AC problems with the 2012 cargo. No dual zones...

When Dented (?) gets his NV back from Advanced 4x4, maybe he will break it down. From what I remember about Quigley conversions, very few if any Titan parts were used/usable. Not sure about Advanced. The new Titan may be different. I still have not seen the new Titan on the road; the local dealer has 3 on the lot. KMG, did you get breakdown on parts/labor or was it all rolled into the MSRP since it was sold that way by a dealer.

Like your set up and graphics on your NV in the photo gallery. Can you use the area near/on the left mirror and run the wire through the door where the mirror is located? Sort of the trucker look, unless it has to be mounted on metal.

macman58, The SMB forum formula for a used SMB is the going price for the vehicle and 50% of the conversion cost. Good luck on that! In 2012, a V6 SV sold for $27,650 ($28550 for the V8) MSRP. Rear glass was $190, side door glass (fixed) was $70 and $995 destination. The ph in 2012 added $5719 plus $99 for zippered screens, $425 for the ph bed and $739 to have the ph painted. I believe the ph when up can hold 100 pounds. Check out all the racks and stuff people put on these tops. No idea what options are on the NV or what the rest of the conversion cost or if there are house batteries. If there are no batteries, I think the goal zero solar powered generator is a perfect application. Remove the generator from the van when not needed. Expensive, however... The footstool gives you a leg up to get into the ph. I would add a few floor level open cabinets to hold the generator+ and use the top of the cabinet to help get up to the ph. Very comfortable by the way. Wollip, Bad, no make that terrible marketing by SMB and Nissan. That dealer wants too much and when people find out the price, they walk away knowing they can get a bigger rig for less money. What they don't know... Nissan apparently is no longer involved in this venture and SMB still does a terrible job of marketing them. Maybe when the Ford E-series 4x4 group need to replace their Fords, they will finally see the value of NVs. The SMB web site is loaded with used 4x4 Fords... The new $147,000 4x4 Chevy SMB sold. Who has that type of money? rad

Every so often I look at the Sportsmobile site to see if they have any used NV conversions. Here is one that may fit your needs. It is a 2012 V6 for $34,500 with 15,500 miles that probably was a custom build. Keep in mind the pop top, aka penthouse, now costs between $7000-8000. It is a very basic conversion. If the rear mattress is like ours, it comes out and the platform can be removed. Same for the upper bed platform with mattress. When you have the top up, the platform is suspended. You just drop it down when you need it. The table is something to leave at home; not sure what the "footstool" is all about. Looks like it could be a portapot. The van is in Moro Bay, CA (central coast). Nice area to pick it up. The contact person is at Sportsmobile West (sportsmobile.com) or 559-233-8267. Looked at the photos more closely. Included with the top are lights. Also the bottom the side window can be opened and works quite well for ventilation, just not while driving. several of us have these same windows. My guess is that the whole mattress/platform comes out as a unit... Easy enough to add seatbelts to the bench seat. In ours, only the outboard seat has a shoulder belt; except for dogs, we don't carry passengers.

I was at Discount/American Tire getting 4 new tires for our '05 VW, pre-TPMS. They sell new TPMS for $65 a wheel vs $135 at Nissan. If the batteries are still good they replace cores and seals with new tire installs. Their batteries will last 7+ years vs the 4+ in our NVs. They also say replace all 4 when one dies.

Nice spot. $11,000 is the starting point. A little more clearance and AT tires might be all that is needed; this and dry roads. I think I remember you not wanting a roof vent/fan. Did you go with the window system KMG has and still need the rear screen for better ventilation? Or is it the view?

If you get service there, let us know how you rate it. Generally, NVs are relatively inexpensive to maintain, so you may not see them that often...

Welcome. Is there a dealership in Bakersfield?

Welcome. Somebody is going to get a very clean Pilot. If you drove your Pilot into the ground, you have met your challenge. We see lots of cargo NVs driving north and south from Phoenix. This includes the Above and Beyond NVs featured in a NV from long ago... Still see very few NVPs.

One of my wife's aunts was a rancher, and she drove her 60's 2x2 GMC pickup all over her 10 or 11 section (about 7000 acres) ranch in southern AZ. To move the cattle along, she would hit the side of the door panel with her hand. We saw lots of cattle and wild horses on the road shoulders but didn't think the NV sheet metal could handle "whump whump..." The roads aren't that bad, but I still worry about getting stuck or finding a place to turn around. On this trip, we parked and walked when the road was questionable. The tow bill would be enormous! It will be interesting to see what Dented had to pay for his 4x4 conversion. You will have to come west sometime. Utah is an amazing place! A friend said you can come back every vacation and never be able to see it all. Same can be said for most western states. Going from national park to another is a great way to see the area but crowded. This is why we like isolated national monuments. Hovenweep had 31 sites for $10 and it rarely fills up. Great base camp.

You're welcome. The best time to visit this area is April/May or October/November. That said, climate change is messing with this. Had we gone earlier, temps would have been in the 20s with snow and rain. We wanted warm weather camping and ended up changing our route home due to new snow in Durango, CO. It still surprises me that so few people we meet on the road know NVs exist. We met 4 couples on this trip, who were looking for a low top camper van for the low profile or need to put it in a garage. Even when I warned them about the $7-8k cost of a pop top they weren't deterred. One lives close to SMB West in Fresno, so maybe more will be built. Don't know if anyone looked, but I posted a couple of photos of other new SMBs, Transit and Chevy. NVs are a bargain.

FOUR CORNERS (AZ, UT, CO, NM) This is another area you have to really want to visit, although to is just west of the much visited Mesa Verde National Park. We spent the better part of a week in Hovenweep National Monument (UT) and Canyon of the Ancients (CO) hiking and seeing the ancestral pueblos. Mostly pot holed, paved 2 lane roads and some dirt/slick rock roads. We would have liked a little more clearance, scrapped the right front splash guard on a drop off. 4x4 not needed as long as roads dry. Lots of ruts, however in the dirt.. Very nice campground with flush toilets, running taps and soap. People had to use the tap and small water bottles to get water until they opened the outside tap just before we left. 5 gallon daily limit. We used over 30 gallons of water and had to drive to Cortez to buy water. Speaking of water, I was able to find the leak. It was at the intake, but not where I thought, the water hookup on the side of the van. It was under the van; the pex line was fine, but the plastic "hand tight" nut was loose. Easy enough to get to, sort of like fitting yourself under the kitchen sink, only dirtier and subject to move... No bugs except bees and hummingbirds due to all the wild flowers. Also too cold, 37*. We did use the insulated front screens. Very easy to put in place. We would recommend every one get them. Met a guy driving a 16 year old Ford E-series SMB. His pop top had the electric lift. No problems. If we keep this long enough, we may have to retro fit the electric lift. Unlike our SMB, his had a propane cooktop and he also ran a propane line for a B-B-Q he could hang on the side of his van.

Welcome. Be sure to let us know where you travel. We have no reason to tow, but thanks to ASDad I now cringe when I see what vehicles people use to tow.

It was a 4/1 joke. Bates in Canada checked it out. (Where has Bates been?) Notice how you see many more NV 200s than the Chevy variant.

The curb weight for the cargo NV 2500 is 5996. The SMB conversion increases the curb weight to 6917. The cargo 3500 may be different. Either it is a typo or they are mixing vans.