Good point. I live in an area that has seen "single party rule" since
before I was born -- and I'm 48 years old. If you ever want to hear a
bunch of hot-air-hooey from ruling-class, gold-plated politicians, come
to Iowa City, IA some day...

;-)

However, that still pales in comparison to someone who can apologize
for an auto maker that builds trucks that dissolve into dust before the
engines are worn out. Dammit, the FRAME is not supposed to be the
FIRST thing that breaks on a truck!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
'95 Nissan Pickup
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Jay Honeck" <jjhoneck (AT) mchsi (DOT) com> wrote


Jay, you'd rather have a Fix Or Repair Daily with lousy pulling power and a
crappy engine that lasts forever? I live in Scotland where the roads are
icy in winter and cars get rusted out from the salt that has to be put down.
My old man had a Nissan that lasted 14 years in those conditions with never
a problem whilst people with other makes were crapping out after 8-9 years.
I have a 4 year old Nissan now that has been solid and I am looking to keep
it until it goes to the breakers yard. Every Summer, I get it up on a ramp
and I blast it and if it needs it underseal the areas that need it. That
should make it last another 12-15 years.

--
Fidei Coticula Crux

On Jan 23, 5:32 pm, "Oso" <osobear(beard)@(moustache)ntlworld.com>
wrote:
The point Jay is making however is that this isn't a normal wear & tear
rust type issue. Rather, it is a recognized concern with Nissans which
covers several years models. It's as common as the manifold stud bolt
issue, which Nissan has recognized and yet done nothing about so far as
reimbursing the consumer. Over the years these manifold studs have cost
me at least $1,000.00. The frame problem will now cause me to trash an
otherwise very roadworthy vehicle. The truck has been exceptional in
every other way. But as Jay points out; the frame isn't generally a
first concern, whether it's rust proofed or not. For that matter, more
often than not, you're better off not adding additional rust coating.
Applied improperly it can act as a highway for moisture and create a
greater rust concern than if left as is. It is after all, coated at the
factory. The sales guys don't tell you that.

Right. And I've lived in the Upper Midwest of America my whole life.
This is where all the natural bodies of water have an ocean-like salt
content every spring, thanks to the lunatic politicians insisting on
salting EVERYTHING whenever it snows.

That said, I've owned many vehicles here over the years. ALL of them
suffer from the salt, to some degree -- usually cosmetically.

But this is different. Cosmetically, my Nissan is still fine. A bit
of surface rust here and there, but for a 12-year old vehicle, it looks
great. The frame, however, is toast.

And it's criminal. Nissan has lost my entire family as customers,
forever.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

And you have lost my attention, whiner. The only vehicle I've kept for 12 years
was my 240Z, and it sat in the garage the last five. years.

"Jay Honeck" <jjhoneck (AT) mchsi (DOT) com> wrote

And this is significant....why?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
'95 Nissan Pickup
www.AlexisParkinn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Study after study and most recently, one performed by Consumer Reports say
that dealer applied undercoating does nothing to halt rust and may in fact,
hasten it in many case do to the methods by which it is applied.

That being said, frames should not rust out before fenders or other body
parts and most certainly shouldn't be rusting out in ten years. That's
pretty damn crappy.

--
R. J. Talley
Teacher/James Madison Fellow
NAR #69594
NRA #133073736

"And you have lost my attention, whiner. The only vehicle I've kept for 12
years
was my 240Z, and it sat in the garage the last five. years."

Well, I guess old Chuck sure told him. Brother, Gimme a break. The guy has a
valid complaint. You don't pay over 20K for something and expect that it
should last maybe 10 or 12 years. That';s stupid.


--
R. J. Talley
Teacher/James Madison Fellow
NAR #69594
NRA #133073736

Reece,

Maybe you're right. A truck frame should last more than 12 years. About
three years ago I sold my 1990 F-250 and the frame was essentially rust
free. But, the truck had never visited the rust belt where salting roads is
commonplace.

Vehicles used in areas where salting is commonplace require extra attention
to last longer. Owners manuals and common sense tell you to rinse the
undercarraige/frame after driving over salted roads. If a guy had a brain
and desired to maximize the life of a truck he/she would inspect and deal
with anything resembling rust each Spring. Amazing what a little
sanding/wire brushing followed by paint will do to prevent rust.

Sort of like a person who never changes the engine oil and after a couple of
hundred thousand miles whines that these dang Nissan engines ain't no good.
Mine give out at only 200K and I topped her up once't a month regardless.

Maintenance guys, maintenace!!

Butch
"Reece Talley" <omgb (AT) comcast (DOT) net> wrote

Here's my perspective from living in the snow and salt belt. I've owned many
vehicles over the years, with varying rust infestations. True that keeping
the vehicle clean will help to prevent most of the rust - this is about all
that can be done. But try washing your vehicle when it's -40°C. It is
unrealistic to rinse down your vehicle after every drive. At best, it gets
done 2-3 times per month in the winter. Some people get away without washing
their vehicle at all in the winter.

Despite having salt sit on the vehicle for prolonged lengths of time, I have
yet to have frames rot out. I haven't even had bodies rust out. Every
vehicle seems to have differing susceptibility to rust. Some seem to be
nearly immune to it, others rust at the first sign of salt. But my 95
Pathfinder has been the absolute worst. I treat it no differently than all
the other vehicles I've owned. No undercoating, frequent washes, rust
brushing and re-painting. My other vehicles looked fine - no noticeable
rust. My PF - rust everywhere. The sheetmetal is rusting, the frame is
rusting, all fasteners, the bumpers, even the window frames. The vehicle
looks worse than anything I've ever owned.

But what surprises me is that you can find two identical vehicles - one
pristine and the other rusted beyond recognition. And speaking to the
owners - they have both cared for their car in the same way. How is this
possible? A friend paid through the nose to have his car "Diamond Kote"
protected against rust. The result: a car that was unroadworthy in just 8
years. His neighbour had the exact same car, not protected, that looks brand
new. Explain that.

So my 95 PF will be sold soon if it can even be safetied due to the rust.
Will I buy another Nissan? Probably. I've seen rust on almost all makes of
cars. It doesn't seem to be a manufacturer problem necessarily. At least not
in my opinion.

DS


"Butch Davis" <butch1277 (AT) earthlink (DOT) net> wrote