radin2son

I know this topic is of limited interest, but I always wondered how many NV 2500s were converted to camper vans by Sportsmobile in Fresno, CA. 30 were built and sold through Nissan dealers. All were sold. Ironically, it wasn't until our last trip through UT, WY, MT, SD, ND and ID that we saw one (low top) in Grand Teton National Park and another (high top) south of Salt Lake City. Where are all the others? The owner of SMB was unaware that Chevy vans will be NV 1500, 2500 and 3500s as of the 2017 model. More conversion opportunities for SMB and the possibility of the Chevy diesel being available in Nissan doesn't offer one.

TPSM update. Jim Click Nissan will redo the 30000 mile service, fix the glove box latch (see other post) and try to find/fix the reason for the check engine light that comes on intermittently and loose gas cap notice that comes on less frequently. No word yet from Nissan or NHTSA. 7/1 Nissan Consumer Services (615-725-7000 or 7144 to speak with Chris about this) contacted me by phone to discuss the TPMS issue. I'm not sure he fully understood the severity of the double error on the part of the tech or the problem resetting it, particularly if no Nissan dealers are in the area and tire shops have trouble with it. He indicated he was taking notes and would pass the info to the engineers. He did no know if other manufacturers use the same system. Anyone know? 7/5 NHTSA listed the safety report on their web site, but it probably will go no further. This is the only report for NVs. If Nissan uses the same TPMS for all vehicles, there may be similar reports for Titans, Frontiers and Quest (?) vans if there is a significant psi difference. I doubt this is a problem for other Nissans as psi tends to be the same, front and back. It probably goes unnoticed. 7/16 30,000 mi service redone to include the 35,000 oil change. Service manager and I went over all issues that have come up since we took ownership. This included the check engine light, loose gas cap warning, left rear door latch (enables the door to fold along the left side), got stuck inside the door, the broken glove box latch, and the sliding door track, which he found, that gets slightly hung up when fully opened. Only the check engine light was not completely resolved, as no code was recorded. The gas cap was replaced, so this may be the check engine. If not, he is willing to continue the search for the cause.

The glove was suddenly difficult to open. When I was able to open it, the plastic moveable part that engages the fixed latch in the back came out of its track exposing the spring. When I tried putting it back on, it fell between (small opening on both sides) the front and back molded plastic. I had to take the whole unit apart to shake the part out. I put everything back together and then removed the latch from the door. Put it back together, but whatever holds this plastic piece on the spring or engages the handle is missing or broken, most likely the latter, broken. I managed to get it to stay shut but another aggravation. I guess this will be covered by the warranty. Not exactly a wear and tear issue, as we keep very little in there except the manual, registration and proof of insurance. The bin between the seats gets lots of use. Plastic on plastic... Is that more durable? We'll find out. 7/1 Dealer had ordered the part and will replace it at next service (See TPMS topic.) 7/16 Replacement latch installed under warranty.

Returned from our 3 week trip, but heard nothing from Jim Click Nissan until I forwarded my email to the general manager. He responded immediately and cc'd the service manager to take care of this. The response from the service manager was a brush off email not an apology or offer to check the van to confirm that the rest of the service was done correctly. He has not answered my response which I sent 2 days ago. The end result is ongoing. In the meantime, I filed a complaint with Nissan and filed a safety related complaint with NHTSA. I don't have any expectations except there is a report filed. Next up is BBB in Tucson. On a more positive note, I think there should be a "Good Nissan Dealer/Service" topic where we can post and look up dealers/service in the event we are in the area.

Truck Trend reported Nissan has extended the basic warranty to 50,000/100,000. Not sure if this is for new purchases, as in date announced forward or if currently owned vehicles get this increase. Be great if they did; I'm at 33,000+ miles. Bates, any info?

Chris Brower, the Executive Manager of Brower Nissan, not a NV dealer, in Rock Springs, WY, listened to my tale, had me pull in and set about resetting the TPMS and recheck the tire pressure. In, out and no charge. Thank you, Chris. No word from Jim Click Nissan, the NV dealership responsible for this screw up. My wife described this best. We are not school teachers and we should not have to check Nissan's work! I'll go one step further. This is a real safety issue. One or the other incompetent behavior would have been detected. Not both! When I looked at the dash reading, while moving at more than 16 mph, I saw 75 and 77 psi. I didn't see LF or LR. Who would expect 80 psi in the front? This is a serious accident waiting to happen. I plan to send the email I sent the dealer to Nissan and NHTSA along with the dealer response if I get one. I probably will get a call but I can get around that with an email clarifying our phone call. I agree Nissan needs to fix this for tire shops and for people who do their own maintenance. There is a Nissan monitor who has submitted at least 2 posts. Wonder if or how he will respond? If Nissan expects only positive chit chat, they are wrong.

Had 30,000 mile service with tire rotation by NIssan NV dealer in Tucson just prior to starting a long trip. Thought rear tires looked low but TPSM said it was 75/77 psi. Still thought they look low and again TPMS said "no problem." This morning at Natural Bridges National Monument, UT, in the middle of nowhere, I checked the pressure with a cycling floor pump. 80 psi in the front and 50 psi in the rear. They rotated the tires but didn't adjust the pressure or reset the TPMS. Incompetent and dangerous! I used my floor pump to pump the rear tires. A ranger stopped to say he didn't know you could pump a tire by hand. My comment to him was he was to young to know. Took it to Favory Tire in Moab, who tried to reset the TPMS by the manual and by a printout he pulled up. Neither worked. PSI is fine but TPMS keeps telling me to check the pressure. We came up with a solution, rotate the tires back or worse take the tires off the rims to rotate them Decided to wait and go to one of two non-NV Nissan dealers in Rock Spring, WY to see if they can reset the TPMS. Stock rims and tires. Nissan moderator. Are you listening? NVs are not just city vehicles. What were you thinking when you set this up? 5 minutes at a Nissan dealership versus 30 minutes + in a bay at a tire shop snd it doesn't work. The owner of Tire Factory stopped what he was doing to try and help me. He told he can't afford to tie up a bay for this. Regarding the dangerous tire pressure, I'm waiting for a response from Jim Click.

I can't help you with the majority of your post, but go to www.sportsmobile.com (not just camper conversions) and you will be able to compare the E series Ford, Chevy, the new Dodge, Sprinter and Nissan interior dimensions. The new Ford has not be added. We had an 8' exterior height limit, and only the Nissan standard roof conversion worked for us. Their Nissan offering primarily is through west coast dealers, but in theory, SMB will custom convert any van you bring them. So if you can find a new 2013 low roof Sprinter that was misplaced on a back lot, and can live with white at a great price, this may be the best option for interior height. The Promaster may work as well, both in terms of interior height and Fwd. Nissan's NV web site also had/has van comparisons if you are unable to take your tape measure and crawl around in the work vans, rather than the passenger versions. www.trucktrend.com is also a good site. They have some good info on the new Ford. Also, check out the long term Sprinter test. At the 20,000 mi service they spent over $700. I think total maintenance to date was around $1100. I don't know why so many report 12 mpg. On our last trip, we averaged over 16 mpg. The computer said 17.6 mpg, but this is too high. Good luck on finding the right van. 6/1 Periodically, I look at the new/used vehicles at the 3 SMB locations to see if there are any NVs. Mainly Ford 4x4s for sale. SMB in Austin, TX has an interesting, used Sprinter conversion that may help with your needs, help with a design or fall in your price range. Not sure about that "brush/cattle" guard on the front but it might be a novel look in your neighborhood.

Multiple choice a. Budweiser (FL) has one in its fleet. b. FedEx (CA) has one in its fleet. c. Enterprise (AZ) has one in its fleet. d. Carmax (AZ) has one on the lot. e. Chevrolet/GMC will be replacing the Express/Savannah with the NV chassis f. All of the above.

With tow mirrors it is 102.8" according to Nissan's commercial website. When parked in your garage you will probably fold in one or both side mirrors, as they stick out farther than you think. Speaking of mirrors, the tow mirrors are excellent and pick up vehicles next to you until your periferral vision sees them.

www.trucktrend.com (go to features) has just put out a quick review of 2014 light trucks and vans that includes the 2014 NVs.

There is an interesting post regarding fuel consumption on www. sportsmobileforum.com for Sprinters (16-19 mpg) that probably can be applied to all vans. Basically, drive your automatic like a stick shift and keep the rpms at 2500-3200. With heavy loads the computer upshifts way to early and downshifts too late. Also a steady foot on the throttle can lead to increased fuel flow until it downshifts. Seems counterintuitive to me. It took a long time for me to try the D4-1 button on the end of the column shifter. It works great, and we use it all the time on narrow, twisting and steep roads. The commercial manager at Dublin Nissan said this was more fuel efficient than leaving it in D and letting your foot, brakes or more likely the computer make the decisions.

Didn't know there was a Nissan monitor or anyone monitoring this. Problem with posting/responding on the correct thread has more to do posting/responding to only one topic. It would be great if there was a way to easily post in multiple topics at the same time. Maybe I missed this. Another minor issue is keeping dealers/vendors on their own thread or at least identified as such. There has only been one dealer that I'm aware of. I know this doesn't address your volunteer request...

Remote door locks have sometimes been a problem; don't always unlock. Thought it might be the key fob battery or the angle I or the key was at... Seems to work best when on the slidding door side. May be where they have the sensor, or not. Not consistent enough to be an issue, as never had to use the actual key. Locking is a different issue. Locks remotely, but lights don't always flash. May be that rear door not completely closed, but can't tell this visually. Will unlock, open and close rear door and lights flash when locked.

We don't use our NV, low top camper conversion as a daily driver, but we have put 21788 miles on it since October, 2012. During 2012, we averaged 14.13 mpg over 4954 miles, based on gallons used/pumped per miles driven. (The trip computer generally shows ± a mile better.) This included towing our car from Fresno to Tucson (13.1 mpg). We averaged 16.15 mpg over 16834 miles during 2013. Truck Trend did an year long test and averaged 14 mpg.

The main problem seems to be that no one knows what a NV is. We had to educate our Farmers agent and their computer. It was added as a van to our car policy. It turns out this was not the way for us to go, as our NV is a camper. That is another story. You are just going to have to call around to get the policy you want and emphasize it is a passenger van.

This is a great conversion for those considering building their own. vimeo.com/79569858 Quigley (?spelling) also has a new high top 4x4 concept conversion.

When we purchased our NV Sportsmobile (SMB) camper van last September, our insurance agent didn't know what a NV or SMB was. Even though we faxed all the info and emailed the SMB info, we have been traveling in an underinsured van. Basically, he added our van to our car policy and insured the conversion for $10,000, the maximum. This was $30,000 short. Today, we corrected this and moved our SMB to a Class B motor home policy. Not all companies will insure camper vans, particularly if they are 4x4 and will be driven off road. This may impact "build your own" NV campers if your camper van adds up to more than $10,000. Don't use the word conversion; rather, say it is a "Class B motor home." I don't think this will impact any other NVs.

Hi madsadsalad, Congratulations on your van purchase. Although it was "cold" here in Tucson last winter, we didn't winterize it at all. Actually, I spaced this out. It sits in a carport when not traveling. Last November, when winter came early in Arches and Canyonlands, everything froze one night, except for the water tank and some water bottles we had in a canvas bag. We used the water in the bottles to make coffee and waited for things to thaw. We had cold nights on our Alaska trip, but didn't feel we needed a heater. We earlier opted not to buy a portable heater, as we were not sure where to safely set it up. (In the high top, there may be more room or options.) So, waking up on cold mornings is the same as tent camping. Where is the sun? Unlike tent camping, you have some place to sit while making coffee. Regarding the flat plate; the idea is great but we haven't reaped its benefits. We have tried filling a large thermos with hot water when we get to a camp site for dish washing later on. It starts hot then gets progressively cooler. We have tried this with the engine running; same result. Waste of limited water. (Someone on the SMB forum suggested a recirculating pump. Others say to go with on demand hot water, your other option. There are others who praise the flat plate.) It may be we haven't used it and the external shower very much... SMB can help you with this. While on the subject of water: if you have the 10 gallon water tank, have SMB install the 16 or is it 17 gallon tank. Reduces storage a little bit. (The demo high top they had for sale listed a 20 gallon water tank, but Jonothan said it didn't. 10 gallons is their standard tank.) Thanks for the comments regarding the SMB posts. I think you bought a great van. We certainly like ours. Get used to people asking you about it all the time. Enjoy your trip home. Even if SMB doesn't add a flat plate or larger water tank, it is worth the detour to see their facility and people.

I tried to convince the SMB forum admin to let me create a separate topic for NVs similar to the one they have for Sprinters. They refused. I did set up 2 threads under "General Sportsmobile" and "Meet up/Trip report" for NVs if you have any interest. I agree there is a lot of chatter on this site from the same group all about their Fords. Some is interesting...

Do you have the high top SMB? This was the first version they built to shop around to NV dealers. It was for sale as a demo at SMB west, but it disappeared from the web site. SMB in Texas also has/had a high top. It is hard to tell how many conversions were built; not many, maybe 12? 2 floor plans were offered and I always assumef most were built around the same time with few changes. When did you purchase yours? We have never seen another NV SMB on the road. Did see the Road Trek conversion.

I have a 2500 camper van converted by Sportsmobile in Fresno. They have limited info related to the Nissan conversion on their web site, but they do list several Nissan dealers who sell the Nissan SMBs in your area. You may be able to get some of the dimensions you need from the SMB web site and some ideas about floor plans (use Ford) as well as more info regarding 4x4 conversion, not just Quigley from the forum for owners and/or those interested in all things Ford E series and 4x4. There is a Quigley 4x4 passenger conversion in this forum, and I believe he mentioned a 2" lift...

Fixing this will let you hear the drip, drip, drip onto the back bumper...

Prior to our trip to Alaska, we purchased driver/passenger screens from www.theskeeterbeater.com and made a side door screen with materials we bought from them. The are held in place with magnets and work great. Another company makes a similar product, but had never heard of an NV. Nissan's fault, not theirs.

We have had the 2500 standard top, converted into a camper van by SMB, since 9/12. The conversion brings the weight up to 6.917 from 5,996. Set up for travel typically adds 1,000 pounds. In 2012 we drove 4954 miles and averaged 14.13 mpg (miles divided by gallons used). The computer said 15.3 mpg. This was not all interstate miles; there was a lot of narrow, 2 lane, twisting, hilly roads. We just returned from an almost 11,000 mi. trip to Alaska. We averaged 16.44 mpg. Except for I-15 to get to Canada and I-10 to return from California, it was again mostly 2 lane roads. The computer said 17 mpg. We are happy with this, but not so happy with the $320 charged for the 15,000 mile service; this included an "engine oil system flush," a new air filter, fuel injection cleaning and other checks. I think the dealer forgot this is a truck and not a sports car; however, after a trip like this I wanted more than an oil change. Everything was fine. In the future, I will stick to the regular oil changes per the service booklet. The 7,500 service cost $61.77 in Grande Prairie, Alberta.