radin2son

Each NV is purchased for a specific use or need that other vans didn't meet. We tend to forget this when our NVs fall short of expectations. Getting issues resolved; however, is all over the map and too dealer dependent. Meaning, one dealer will brush you off and another will go well beyond... I just wish Nissan Commercial was more available and responsive to real world use. I also wish Nissan Commercial played a role in this forum, particularly since the commercial call center is severely lacking. (The other call center for Nissan non-commercial is so much better, more responsive and has a way to write your comment/complaint.) Never the less, the forum moderators have put together a good site and participants are a good group, small in number, but perhaps reflecting NVs market share. Our expectation is to keep our NV for 10 years and at our current rate, that would put us somewhere around 160,000 miles.

Peace of mind is always a good choice. Now all you have to do is pick the color...

RICK, Since you received your 2015 NAV card, you have kept us in suspense regarding low mpg. How did you make out with Nissan's customer service referral to the new service manager and/or dealer?

Fred, This has nothing to do with towing or warranty and maybe moot if you decided to sell your 2012. Mahu brought up an interesting point about SL only being available in 2015. If your NV says SL on the rear door, I would check to see if there was any previous damage to the door etc. or if it was replaced. Typically the chrome letters are removed/replaced when repairing/repainting. The letters don't really matter, but undisclosed damage could be a problem down the road... or not, if it was cosmetic only and the previous owner couldn't spell.

Great review. Thanks. Since this is the first V8 we have ever owned, we did not know what to expect. Glad we chose the V8 over the V6, given the SMB ads just shy of 1000# and our gear, water, food and bodies ad another 1000#. No issues with power, mpg or shifting. Still have to decide whether or not to go with a better air filter...

Sorry, I didn't see your reply. The whole unit, sensor and short wire to the plugin is what will be replaced if the sensor doesn't work or you can't get it to stay in place. On our NV, after a rear sensor was punched back into the bumper, the system beeped until I disabled it the same way you did. The sensor probably still worked, but I really didn't think It would stay in place. Basically, it is a cheaply made, expensive ($235.20) part to replace. Even worse, they are exposed...

The pop up would really test the love, tolerate, or hate aspect of RVing. And these can happen on the same trip, but then there is selective memory and the next trip...

Fred, Based on your earlier posts, you need the NV first for family use and second to tow an RV. The latter, I believe is a new direction for your family. You may love, tolerate or hate RVing. ASD Dad brought up the "pop-up" which is easy to tow and set up, but not as comfortable and spacious as what he had and now has. We see plenty of pop-ups in campgrounds. You could also consider a used RV on the small side then upgrade to a bigger one as needed. There has to be a good used inventory... ASD Dad previously mentioned towing his RV 4 to 5 times a year. Using his last trip mileage, that means 4 to 5k a year. You trip west will cover about the same mileage, but may eat up all vacation time unless you have summers off. If you are able to do other trips they would probably be closer to home. So, is it worth selling your NV? Having said this, it all comes down to your comfort level both in terms of extended warranty (the 3 year expiration date is approaching unless the previous owner had a transferable extended warranty or you buy one) and your need for tow mode.

We ran into a similar situation in Yosemite last year. We got lucky and they opened the west end of Tioga Road the day before we got there. The road wasn't damaged but it was part of a fire break and the burn areas we saw were a control burn. The smoke was noticeable. Otherwise we would have had to do an in and out from the east entrance. We are seriously considering going first to Joshua Tree NP, then take 395 along the eastern Sierras and cut over to Red Woods NP and head north from there. We have done this route several times. Our concern is that they won't reopen the eastern end of Going to the Sun Road since it will be late in the season. We may just put it off... Everywhere we go in the west, fire and insect damage is extensive. You just have to get used to standing dead trees. On the plus side, there are new vistas, and there is new growth. 7/27 Road isn't open but the eastern visitor center is. The big ? is when will the fire crews not need the 18 mile eastern section of road and campgrounds.

The plastic sensor will cost you $225 each or so to replace. Dealers don't stock these so it will take a day or so to get one/two ordered. The plastic around the sensor breaks and there is little left to hold it in place. Someone suggested a grommet and glue... I went ahead and replaced a rear one that I or someone else knocked out. Before you do anything, check to see if it still works. That is if you can get it to stay in place...

Definitely use the manual shift when you know you will not be using 5th gear. Experiment with this now. Just check your speed and tach. Push the button at the end of the shift lever and it goes into 4th, no fuss or bother. Manually shift it into 3rd with too much speed, you will feel it shift with a slight clunk and jerk. No problems up shifting when ever you want or pushing the button to reactivate 5th gear. This is a great feature.

The transmission is the same, but when you push the tow mode button, "Grade Logic" adjusts automatic transmission shifts when pulling a trailer or hauling a load up grade. "Downhill Speed Control" automatically downshifts when driving down a grade with a trailer or heavy load to help control vehicle speed. Source: 2012 owner's manual. No need to sell your NV...

All V8s come standard with the needed cooling. I think Nissan did this for city driving, heavy loads, high temps and full on AC. In 2012, the "tow mode" option comes with the same 5 speed transmission, but different, that is electronic or computer "components" not found in 2012 NVs without the option. My questions are: Does the NV design, V8 and tow hitch/weight distribution etc. trump (non-political, lower case t) tow mode? Can you tow just as much/well manually? It won't be inexpensive to set up your NV correctly. Add towing/driving skills and I would guess your 2012 NVP SL will work out fine.

Wait to see what the "towers" solution is... After all, people for years towed without benefit of packages, just horsepower. I like the old photos of caravans of stationwagons pulling Airstream trailers around the world.

The tow package in 2012 V8s was an option ($460), unlike more recent years when it was included. Assuming you can add on or modify what is on your NV, you will not be able to exactly replicate the "tow mode" button. Downshifting with the shift toggle should work. The tow package also included extendable side mirrors, front tow hooks, heavy duty battery and pre-wiring. I think someone had to replace a side mirror at $400+, so this could get expensive. Depending on what others say, if you bought it from a dealer, you may be able to take it back.

As a SMB owner, I rate the quality as excellent in terms of materials used and conversion. Like the NV, it is solidly built. If there are any used NV SMBs out there and for anyone interested, do not hesitate to buy one. The reason being, only 30 were built (all sold). There was one listed on Craigslist out of Bend. Unless the info is archived, it is gone. I don't know if any new NV SMBs are being built. Only SMB West (maybe a few from Austin SMB) converted NVs. SMB West is now more focused on Sprinters, Ford Transits and their 4x4 Ford E-series cutaway project with a custom molded fiberglass E-series rear portion attached to it for $110k. (Truck Trend did a review and I saw a print ad for one in Overland magazine. They also may have done are review.) The NV buying process is cumbersome unless you live in the west. 3 Nissan NV dealers in CA, 1 in UT and 2 in WA are the only authorized dealers. It would be great if it was possible to order a NV, have it shipped to SMB in CA, TX or IL and built. We chose to pick ours up rather than pay to have it delivered; this avoided the delivery fee but we had to pay CA taxes which were applied to AZ taxes. Actually, CA taxes were more and there was no refund. We would have saved a few $$$s if we had it delivered. No fun in that. Chris at Scott Clark Nissan looked into this but got less than a "can do" answer. I have said this before; SMB in theory will do a custom build if you provide the van. At least 2 NV 2500 HT conversions were build; both floor plans looked very similar to the SMB HTs sold through dealerships. One had surf board racks on the inside. The other had a basic (shower pan, drain and curtain) interior shower at the very rear along with a cabinet to store a portapot. The portapot fit into the shower pan, I guess so the curtain could provide privacy. We are not fans of wasting space for either. The exterior shower works fine for us, and I will leave the latter to your imagination or solution...

ASD Dad, Is your NVP also a daily driver, not just a tow vehicle? Do you expect your "daily" V8 mpg will be better than the 14 to 15+ mpg average people, not RICK, are getting. Or, is your primary concern more power when towing? Thanks for the info. I wonder if any other NV 1500s are getting similar mpg as axulsuv. If so, Nissan should exploit this and go after diesel buyers.

We have been to Banff/Jasper and will probably return when we check out Waterton Lakes, but not on this trip.

Airaid is based just up the road in Phoenix. There are quite a few choices, red/dry filter or blue/oil filter and 2 types of air boxes ($297 or $374). No reviews but there was a generic warning that these may not meet California and other states' emission standards. Airaid has a "contact us" on their site and they should be able to say what they can sell in California etc. At least I hope they could... In the alternative, do you or Axulsuv think Airaid's washable cotton fiber filter oem replacement ($78) is worth considering. They claim better air flow etc. Unless driving in extremely dusty conditions, they recommend cleaning the filter every 30-50k. No reviews. Thanks for the explanation.

If I got this right, you replaced the oem air intake, that was previously modified by moving the intake hole to the center to improve air/filter flow, with the airaid intake kit (about $350 if I was looking at the right one). I looked at the kit on line, but how does the airaid improve air flow and mpg when compared to oem? 7/31 Actually, I got the modification description wrong... I misread it. Other posters said was so simple so I re-read it and now get it. You cut down the snorkel (inside the air box) to increase the air flow across the filter. The interior snorkel end was too close to the filter...

We have started to piece together destinations. There are very few straight lines, more like a series of Ws after we get off I-15. Our plan is to go to Glacier NP, North Cascades NP, Mount Rainier NP, Olympic NP and other places on the peninsula, and maybe Redwood NP. In some ways, reversing the route makes more sense, but we will run into more closures, both seasonal and weather. El Niño is supposed to (may) bring record rain to the deserts and California this fall. But probably not to the northwest? We decided not to go to Waterton Lakes NP in Alberta, Canada if I read the BC boundary correctly. The road to Red Rock closes on 9/6, but who knows, someone may convince us to go there. Bates? We'll have our passports and "chipped" credit card... We do intend to return to this area maybe next summer. Whitebread250, We probably will start this trip on Labor Day, so we may miss you unless you have enough time off to be able get lost in this wilderness... I may have misread your posts, but Signal Mountain also has a lodge, as does Jenny Lake if you are not camping. We used the Grand Tetons as a base camp and did day trips into Yellowstone, which is huge and takes a long time to drive through to see all the sights. We exited via Mammoth Hot Springs. KMG, We may still be somewhere in the area of Seattle when you and your son get there. At this point, we have no idea how long we will be in each park.

Dealership name? Add it to the positive service experience thread, even though it took forever to resolve this. It seems service is dependent on the competency of the service manager. Hope he stays put, or if service managers move around a lot follow him.

It's funny, but the '30s red "jammers," touring buses, are 25' long. (Yellowstone has yellow and black jammers, as in gear jammers.) I doubt Glacier monitors restrictions... A good campground in Grand Teton NP is Signal Mountain. From the campground there is a nice hike to the summit. Black bears in the area but we didn't see any. Bear spray? A volunteer at a cash register in one of shops/visitor centers in Yellowstone had a bear spray canister on his belt. The guy in front of me asked, "See many bears in here?" This will be the first time for us at Glacier.

This is not the most efficient forum for searches, compounded by our tendency to morph original posts. Running rails, racks and av posts are here, but not in accessories and modifications topic. You will have to surf each topic title, but you should be able to find what you want.

It will depend on the ranger or volunteer. After Labor Day, it might not be monitored at Glacier on weekdays. I would start out with the mirrors extended, then fold them in. We may end up folding them in when we encounter on coming traffic. Full size pickups will have the same problem. Edit: Looked at some Glacier NP videos, and I don't think there will be any problem driving this. Their shuttle is a high top Sprinter, albeit narrower than a NV. Also saw a new Transit, that looked like an extended bed. There is a tunnel in Glacier but it looks like a lane and a half, so honk or yield. Maybe not honk, because there is a sidewalk. Most people enter Glacier from the west (35+ miles to Logan Pass, while the east entrance is about 18 miles to Logan Pass). Unfortunately there is road construction... Looked at the average temps. Should be 38 to 66* in September, or it could be 18 to 95*. Normally a good chance for rain. Welcome to the west if you haven't been... When we see "No RVs" signs we ignore them because we are a van. No one has questioned this. We do pay attention to length limits in case there are no or tight turnarounds etc. Zion will be monitored and folding in mirrors will not work, but when allowed and you pay the $35 fee, or whatever it is, you will be fine. '30s roads are picturesque but not build for NVs.