Hi All,
Not read through the whole thread yet but I assume this is the right place to share my situation.
Bought my Navara just over year ago, 140k, 05 plate. I was aware of the chassis issue so gave it a good inspection and all seemed fine so I went ahead with the sale. A year on it went for its MOT in September and it failed due to snapped chassis, well actually it didn't technically fail, they refused to MOT it as it was too dangerous to put up on the ramp. It has snapped passenger side on the front leaf spring mount, so basically directly under the rear seat. Not sure how common it is to snap in this location? Anyway I decided to take it apart to repair and strengthen the chassis (this was before I realised Nissan were actually doing something about the issue). I have already taken the bed and the cab off so I have the rolling chassis sitting in my drive. Having now read some posts on here and on the facebook page it seems that Nissan would buy it off me.
So basically I'm looking for some advice on my options;
Option 1 - Contact Nissan and have them inspect it, I assume I would have to put it all back together before they would carry out an inspection? Even if they buy it back then all i'm going to be able to afford with the money is another Navara which could have the same problem.
Option 2 - Continue with my plan to repair, strengthen and protect the chassis. I have already started it now and was kind of looking forward to the project. Not sure how long it would ultimately last or how much it would be worth, but even if I got another 5 years out of it then I would be happy.
Thanks,
Lee
Hello Lee
Apologies, I had meant to respond to you earlier today.
So, to answer some of your points, based on my experience and research, I can advise as follows:
1) The passenger side chassis rail near the leaf-spring mount is usually the first place to go. This is because the nearside (assuming you are in the UK) is where all of the grit, salt and other stuff is gathered on a typical road and then thrown up under the truck bed, where it collects and gradually starts to cause corrosion. The first tale-tale sign is the diesel tank drops, as the mounts on the chassis where the tank straps are attached to, rust through.
The stiffening plates that Rich (moderator on this forum) has designed and had laser cut, fit directly to the front of the chassis rails to address this area of corrosion and weakness; two inner and two outer.
2) Let's look at your attempts to repair. Ultimately, repairing is definitely an option, provided that your chassis hasn't gone too far. As you will no doubt be aware, you can only patch up and replace old steel with new steel provided that you are able to weld to something solid. It really all depends upon the condition of the rest of the chassis. If you are confident that the rest of the chassis is in good order then and you love the truck then repairing might be the most sensible and cost effective option. However, if other areas are showing signs of corrosion and are week, then you'll end up having to patch up again which might not be successful.
There is another member of the forum on here - his name escapes me but maybe one of the others might be able to help point you in the right direction (Lookskyward1?) who did a complete repair and refurb of his Nav's chassis. It looked like an excellent job too and really solid. That said, Nissan inspected it and decided that it 'failed' and ultimately swapped out his chassis for him under warranty. Unfortunately, this option is no longer available.
The key issue here is that due to poor grades of steel used in the construction of the chassis where Navs were built on a Spanish production line, and in the absence of basic and adequate sealing, the chassis are actually rusting from within the box section, out. So what you see on the outside is most likely to be far better than what is actually going on on the inside, so tread carefully if you are going to embark on a full repair. It might be worth purchasing a borescope; I bought one on eBay from China last month. It only cost me £65 with a three-metre camera cable, 5mm camera lens with adjustable LEDs for illumination which I am able to store still photo images or video footage (although I had to purchase an SD memory card in order to do this). It has paid for itself already and had many, practical uses and a similar unit with the same spec here in the UK would have cost at least £185 or more. There are cheap alternatives on eBay too which simply plug into your laptop or mobile phone which will do the same job, although I couldn't get the software to work.
Anyway, £65 would be a small price to pay if you wanted to convince yourself that the chassis was repairable by checking out the condition inside the box section before you committed yourself to anymore cost, time and effort. It might also help you decide upon whether you wanted to consider the buy-back option from Nissan, which brings me to...
...3) The buy-back. Essentially, all Nissan Navara D40 owners are entitled to a FREE inspection. Without going into too much detail, I found my Nav back in August, from an independent dealer. 2008 Aventura, great condition inside and out, 3 owners, 70k miles and full Nissan Service History. Seemed like the one to me. I got under her and she seemed in good order, with only age related surface rust that I would have expected. Having paid my deposit, I then registered on the nissan-navara.net forum and found, to my shock and horror, the problems that owners of earlier models were facing. I could have walked away, less the deposit, but insisted that the garage take it to Nissan of a full, complimentary inspection. To their credit, they did this and I received confirmation that the chassis was in good order and MOT worthy...and this is the key... The inspection does not involve any heavy tools or borescope - it is merely a visual inspection to MOT standard. It doesn't mean the chassis isn't corroding faster than one would expect, or would snap at any time in the future.
That said, I went ahead with the purchase, and on the basis the chassis was signed off by Nissan as fine, I booked it in with Rust Buster in Spalding, Lincs for full chassis treatment, together with Rich's stiffening plates welded on for good measure. While they don't remove the canopy and truck bed as a matter of course, when I made them aware of the D40's troubles, they said they'd do it for me to ensure a proper job. It comes at a cost due to the labour involved, but I simply had to do it to ensure she lasts me at least another five years. I'm due to pick her up tomorrow having been with them for three weeks in all. They have fully documented and certified the work that has been done, which is backed up with heaps of photographs, which I've promised to share with the forum once I've collected her.
So, where do you stand given your Nav is in pieces? Well, as this issue has gained momentum, Nissan are no longer inspecting chassis themselves. Instead, they are sending out the RAC to do it on their behalf. There are mixed reviews as to how comprehensive this inspection is. Some are reporting curt, unhelpful behaviour, visual inspections only with no borescope or tools. Others are stating a more open approach. I guess that the RAC need to remain impartial, but in my view, if your career is based on keeping people mobile and safe, then you have a duty of car to the motorist, not Nissan, so you'd need to do everything possible to ensure the structural integrity of a Nav's chassis is good enough before signing off. Your personal reputation as an RAC inspector would also be called into question.
My advice to you is that with just a rolling chassis, you'd make the RAC inspection far easier and on the basis they will come out to you, you don't need to piece her all together again. Depending upon the outcome of the inspection will determine whether Nissan pass or fail and it is at this point that you'll be made an offer to buy her back, assuming she fails. What I can't advise is whether this would be affected by the fact you have stripped her down. In theory, it shouldn't because all of the pieces are there, and at the end of the day, if she is a failure, she'd be scrapped anyway.
I suggest you call NCS (Nissan Customer Services UK). Their number is - 0330 123 1231
Get your case registered and ensure you are given a case number. At this point Nissan should confirm when the RAC will come out to inspect.
You should not be concerned that you have carried out works to your Nav already. As mentioned above, one owner did a complete repair and refurbishment and Nissan still addressed the problem. Other owners have repaired or taken precautionary measures (like me) and Nissan have still honoured a buy-back in the event they fail.
Do keep us posted with your progress as the goal posts are changing by the day and it would be good to have first hand experience from an owner who is about to embark on a case from scratch.
Any photographs you have of the current condition of your Nav and chassis would be worth posting so others can gauge/compare.
Do feel free to contact me if you want any further info.
Best wishes
Carouser
