2013 NV2500 Van has major engine problems.

[Bobby54]

Dealer told me this NV2500 Van has 160,000 miles on it and has major engine problems that will cost 3,000 dollars to fix. Just wondering if this engine has a future of problems in other NV2500 vans. Engine is the V-6. Van is a rental unit from a big company. Nissan said they kept maintenance records updated. 

[Chris_CommercialManager]

There are no regular occurrences of such things.  You'll see things go from one vehicle to another, whether it be a window motor, or at worse a major drive train component randomly on any brand make or model of vehicle.  It in most cases is no more than an anomoly, which is what I would suggest here.  I would also ask, did you see maintenance logs first hand?  Was the rental agency from their fleet or rental side?  I think you get where I'm going.

 

Even more to the point, I just had a HUGE company that does industrial rentals complete a comprehensive cost analysis before replacing their aging fleet of thousands of vehicles, guess who it boiled down to in the end, toyota and nissan.  They are going with Nissan.  

[vanguy]

If you got 160,000 miles out of an engine I think most folks would think you got your monies worth. I'm not experienced with fleet vehicles. Maybe those folks expect more out of a vehicle. 

 

I've had friends with Nissan & Toyota family sedans with over 200,000 miles. For a gasoline engine I think that is exceptional.

 

Anytime my vehicle has over 100,000 miles,  I realize it's living on borrowed time. Anything above that, I consider a bonus.

[Mc2guy]

A modern gas engine should see 200-300k miles in a "normal" application.  YRMV.  Asking a V6, driven by people who did not own the vehicle (lead foot anyone?) to pull around a 7,000 lbs van, is not a "normal" application in my opinion.  Rather, that is a pretty heavy duty application and I would expect a shorter service life.  Gasoline engines tend to last in proportion to engine maintenance, and inversely to average engine load as a % of peak.  Any engine driven at or close to its limits throughout its service life, will generally have a shorter lifespan.

 

For example, Ford boasts in it's new marketing brochures that their new Transit was designed and tested to provide a 150,000 service life.  In other words, they are proud to tell you that they designed the van to last 150k.  If you get more than that, lucky you.

[axulsuv]

It all boils down to how the vehicle is driven and maintained period . I had a 81 celica coupe that I got 170k out of the OE clutch , and the car turned 450k without any major issues . I've seen folks destroy new cars/trucks in less than 20k , and them folks that buy a Hyundai excel new for 4 grand and get 300k out of it with good driving and maintenance habits . Engineers today design every component to take virtual life cycles to just past the warranty period . Based on what are considered normal conditions . Hence all the plastic and cheap components in all new vehicles . and alot of pieces these days are just flat disposable .... There is just no money to be made for the manufacturers by building steel and long life components ... The days of the 55 Nomad and 66 Mustang are long gone ... Vehicles have just become a means to a end , Major appliance's for most folks these days ...

Grumpy old mechanic rant over now ....:)

And I actually bought my bare bones 1500s 'cause it is just about the most BASIC vehicle you can buy new these days , and it is quite stout ,almost overkill for my intended purpose/ use . So I expect to get at least 3 or 400k out of mine without any major issues ...

Glenn 

[Backfire1]

Another reason why I wish I had purchased the V8.