sampson

Welcome S Grondin, Take a look at this short promo video by Nissan. It seems to have a decent layout for what you plan to do. www.youtube.com/watch?v=acygBIqdTd8 Might be good for some ideas anyway... Have fun!

ItzNota, same gripes at my house... For your point 3, I assume you want to have both Average and instantaneous MPG? Our 3500 SL has average, accessed via the control knob in the instrument cluster on the left side. Push=Select and spinning it left/right toggles through the various options I beleive. It shows Avg MPG, Range, Tire Pressure, etc...

Ask the dealer for a price on #999L1 HX000, Mirror Assembly Power/Chrome http://www.nissan-techinfo.com/asistgc_1/diskdocs/1/T/H/1TH32.PDF Link goes to a dealer tech bulletin about how to install the heated tow mirrors. Let us know how much they want for them if you happen to find out. Good luck!

In the NVP Each light has a slider switch on it with 3 positions. ON-DOOR-OFF. Additionally, each of the 2 lenses on the light itself have an on/off touch switch, allowing you to have half a light on as required. No master switch to control all the interior lights (as there was in the Chevy Express). A sorely missed omission by Nissan...

Though obviously not critical to the function of the van, it may enhance occupant comfort? We might need the Mythbusters for this one :) Our dash is frequently "dusty" somehow, so I figure it was worth a shot to try a filter. We never drive with the windows open, so I surmise the dust must be coming in through the HVAC system somehow. We live in a suburban, paved subdivision but there is some farming in our surrounding area. My in-laws live in the "country" so we encounter about 200 feet of gravel road when we visit them a few times a month. I'll check the filter for visible dirt after 10,000 miles or so, and decide if the $20 filter is paying its way. I'll try to remember to post my highly scientific findings :) The rear HVAC looks as if it recirculates cabin air only. If not, it may be a more significant source of dust & pollen than the front unit. The majority of the Rear system appears to live below the floor on the drivers side, about 3/4 of the way back. If it is drawing in outside air somehow, it should most definitely be filtered in a manner that doesn't require a screwdriver IMO. No mention of a rear filter in anything I've read to date. I'm with Tom that Nissan had a price point they needed to hit and tossed a number of nice to have, but not essential, creature comforts we've been missing. The list so far at my house: Vanity mirrors in the visors ($20?) , rear venting windows ($250?), trim over the rear door latch ($125?), a master dome light switch & associated additional wiring ($50?), and now this filter ($20) That's about $415 in part cost so MSRP might be down say $750-$1000 as a result? Would we pay the extra $1000? Not sure now that it is all added up... Maybe I'd forego the rear venting windows :)

Try this reset after you make sure the seat wiring connectors are fully installed. Copied from another user's post regarding removal of the passenger seat completely and maintaining airbags. "Turn on the van as so as the air bag light comes on, turn off (note you are NOT starting the van during these cycles) do this 4 times and then start the van on the last round.. Air bag light goes off and you have full air bags up front.."

We have a small but growing army of kids in car seats and boosters. When people stop and ask me questions about the NV, it is usually about gas mileage, with seating capacity being a close second. Specifically, they are often curious about how it handles car seats. I thought I'd post what seats we have and add comments about their fit as I add/remove/change seats in case it helps anyone. I'll go through our newest one first... Recently we added a diono radian GTX to our seat fleet. We choose this seat as it feels as sturdy as the NV itself, has a high rear facing weight capacity, is a 3 in 1, and is a little narrower in case we need it to go in the last row beside other seats/boosters. Currently we have this seat rear facing in the first row middle position. The bench is in the forward location, with the single seat in the same row in the aft position. The single seat has a rear facing child carrier seat installed. Width of the GTX is not an issue for either an adult seated behind the driver occasionally, or for the carrier seat beside it. I would not expect it will be an issue, even if the single seat is in the same fore/aft position as the rest of that row. Depth of the GTX is an issue. This seat in rear facing mode is very deep due to the shallow angle of the seat. As the middle seat somewhat overlaps the drivers seat (it is not perfectly centred in the van as I had assumed it would be to take advantage of the void above the console) it severely limits the driver's choice of seating positions for all but the shortest drivers. I purchased the diono "angle adjuster" (code for foam pad) which puts the GTX in a more upright position to allow it to fit nicely in the NV with the drivers seat all the way back at a comfortable recline. Install was easy as the centre seat has LATCH and the NV is tall enough for one to put their weight onto the seat while tightening the strap to get an excellent install without much effort. Seat frame provided an excellent additional tether for the gtx in rear facing mode using the anchor strap included with the GTX. GTX looks comfy enough and no complaints from our 19mo so far. I'll get some pictures as requested and comment on the rest of our seat fleet as I have occasion to move them around. Kindly add any data you may have on car seats fiiting ( or not fitting) in the NV in hopes that others may benefit from your experience. Thanks!

Thanks to Tmbrook and Vanguy! I can confirm Fram CF10743 fits as well.

Congratulations Lisa! We have 6 in car/booster seats and it is really nice having a choice of who sits beside whom now :) I imagine the snow won't be a huge issue for you in PA, provided you drive according to the road conditions and bear in mind you no longer have 4wd... We are in Ontario, Canada and the van did a fine job with just the all season tires last year. The 3500 with only 6 kids (under 300 pounds total) in the back really wants some additional weight. 4 big bags (66 pounds each) of road salt helped keep the tires planted better on steep, snowy hills. A Rubbermaid plastic bin for wrapping paper (long and shallow) held the bags of salt neatly and didn't take up too much cargo space in the rear. That being said, I plan to buy some winter tires this year if I find some I like. Not many choices for 10 ply rated winter tires to fit the NV. Have fun!

I've often thought the exact same thing. I look into the mirror and see smiling faces, leather headrests, and the nasty unfinished rear door latch. I plan to get a good look at a conversion NV and copy their methods. I'll post any pictures I get.

Hi TJS6, I was looking at those for our van too. I've had a fiberglass set previously from a differnt manufacturer that I wasn't impressed with in the flexing department. Please let us know how yours perform once you receive them. Also curious to know how close the paint match ends up. Post a picture if you can. Thank-you!

No problem Josh, happy to help. Now for the question we all want answered... What are you planning for the roof? I'm secretly hoping it is a 400 pound, 13 foot long Hershey bar ;) Good luck!

13 feet is just short of the windshield at the top. IE Your 13 foot mystery object will not overhang the windshield at the center assuming you have it flush with the rear hitch. If you have your roof payload flush with the top of the van at the back, I'm guessing you will overhang the front by about 8 inches or so. This is all relative to a low roof model. A high roof van has a much smaller "flat" area on the top of the roof, due to the angled portion of the bulkhead. I have some poor photos I'll attempt to post...

Hi there, I have a low roof model but 13 feet from the rear hitch will be just short of the windshield at the center of the vehicle. It is right at the seams in the A pillars. I'll grab a picture tomorrow.

Hey bobby, before you found the VSS wire, did your Jvc head unit " think" you were stopped at all times? That may prove useful if someone happened to find it annoying that your co-pilot can't operate certain features of the factory nav while the vehicle is moving... Just curious :)