4 months with my Nissan Teana

[IndulaC]

First of all sorry for being the least active member on the forum🙃. Now since I used my beloved teana for 4 months I'd like to share my experience + what i did with the car.

1. So when I bought the car it had some minor oil leaks so I redid all the oil seals in the car as a precautionary repair using original Nissan parts which I got from A*W (slightly rip-off price but hey atleast it's "original"). 

2. Redid my brake system with refaced calipers and original pads because of a minor braking sound which was noticable at traffic situations.

3. Installed KYB "New SR special" shocks and shock mounts. The new SR special is the only shock nissan recommends for the teana (finding this was a pain in the ass because almost all shops in Sri Lanka has KYB Excel Gs and nothing else)

4.Replaced 3/5 engine mounts using the original nissan parts from A*W. (Didn't knew japanese mounts costs that much😑)

5. Did a engine tune-up + throttle body cleaning since I felt like it's doing a bit less on fuel consumption.

6. Redid all the leather parts in the car back to the factory beige material

The shocks were a game changer to the ride quality and now it's actually comfy. After 4 months of usage the car feels nice and smooth, a car which you'll enjoy to be a passenger in but not so much to drive because it's a barge. (Can't do risky moves while driving). Other than that the car drives superb and people think I'm a government V*P since most these cars are used by government secretaries and such. Fuel economy is 7.5-8 kmpl on city and 10-11 on highways. I'm actually impressed by the VQ25s smoothness because I've never driven a V6 before.

Still i have much more to do in this car to bring back back to it's factory glory and here's a few I'm planning of doing within the next months, so if anyone can help me in the process I'm much appreciated.

1. Need to find original 16 inch alloy wheels that came for the car since the 18 inch alloys (aftermarket) that looks great reduces the comfort by a significant margin.

Current alloy wheel

The original 16 inch alloy that came with the car.

So if anyone can hook me up with these types of alloys it's much appreciated.

2. There's a slight noise coming from the AC compressor when the compressor clutch is applied so should investigate that before it blows up.

3.Rear passenger armrest wood trim piece is cracked so should replace or find someone to fix that up.

4. Need to do a full interior detailing but can't find a good place that'll do justice for the velvet seats. (Please let me know if y'all know any place).

So that's chapter 2 of my nissan teana journey. I'll try to post more on the forum definitely. Special thanks to @MaleCortana for recommending me the mechanic that did everything in the car.

 

p.s i installed an android infotainment system which is me going out of my way to bring the car back to factory glory, but i had to do that since it's a nightmare reversing this GIGACAR out of my driveway. The unit has all the OEM functions (A/C control, CD changer + modern functions like android auto and spotify.

 

[MaleCortana]

How did we both end up searching for Mark cars and settle with Land Barges 😛

Good Build ❤️

[iRage]

19 hours ago, MaleCortana said:

How did we both end up searching for Mark cars and settle with Land Barges 😛

because both of you are bargy guy ?

@IndulaC..nice work on the car....any pics of the leather work you did on the interior ? Who did the leather work ? So far Dean's and NCW have been considered to set the bar by most so would be nice to see if anyone ese out there is doing really good work.

Nissan does make really nice V6s...they still do...gearboxes are crap and suspension is pudgy but the V6s are silky and perky.

Why is there a picture of an onion on the info screen that is in/under the speedo ?

Any reason why you replaced only 3 of the 5 ? Are the other two less prone to getting spoilt because of positioning or type of mount ?

There are Teanas over here that have had suspension upgrades that make it more capable in the handling department. Mostly includes sway bars, stronger bushes along with harder dampers...of course the higher end of this includes electronically adjustable dampers. Yes..going for the 16 inch wheels will make the ride smoother..but that also means it will make cornering pudgier.  The Japanese market variant had a few different types of wheels (including what you had posted plus another one in both 16 and 17 plus a premium 17 inch wheel and Autech wheels) and the slightly higher trim variants came with 17inch wheels. This might be a better balance for you ? 

 

 

 

[IndulaC]

40 minutes ago, iRage said:

any pics of the leather work you did on the interior ?

The steering wheel was on this condition and the gear lever + dashboard had some minor discoloration and now as I posted above the leather looks top notch. I did my upholstery work by a place called Lal cushion in Mount lavinia which a car salesman recommended me saying "Malli japanata wada hondata gahanawa" 

46 minutes ago, iRage said:

gearboxes are crap

As for the CVT I'm being on the safe side and changing oil every 20000 km using genuine NS2 cvt fluid, still she sings like an angel and delivers the power to the wheels effortlessly. Because no sudden acceleration i feel the cars laggy but in the real world the acceleration is on par with other barges (I feel like I'm doing 40 and viola I'm doing 80 on the meter). 

 

53 minutes ago, iRage said:

Why is there a picture of an onion on the info screen that is in/under the speedo ?

That's nissan saying me to push the brake to start the car😂

1 hour ago, iRage said:

Any reason why you replaced only 3 of the 5 ? Are the other two less prone to getting spoilt because of positioning or type of mount ?

Well 2 was completely gone and one was on the verge of going out but my mechanic said the other 2 mounts were replaced and holding on so I trusted his gut and replaced the 3. (2 of them are the biggest mounts which nissan calls as active mounts and I have no idea what they are).

1 hour ago, iRage said:

This might be a better balance for you ? 

I dig this flushed no wheel nut look on the stock nissan wheel so I'm inclined more towards that design, but i also like vosson VFS wheels that'll compliment the barge type look of the car. I'm in crossroads where keep/increase the looks of the car but decrease the comfort vs install stock wheels and big tyres to increase the comfort and diminish the looks of the car.

Your suggestions will be much appreciated

[iRage]

52 minutes ago, IndulaC said:

I dig this flushed no wheel nut look on the stock nissan wheel so I'm inclined more towards that design, but i also like vosson VFS wheels that'll compliment the barge type look of the car.

This came in both 16 and 17 inches....with 17 inches I believe you can find a profile tha is not as low as the 18 and not as high as the 16 and still get a balance of comfort with minimal wheel "flab roll". 

Sadly most of the after market wheels do have exposed nuts (innuendo/pun intended ). If you are open to a VFS type wheel you might want to look at something like WEDS Sport VELVA or SA series wheels as well. Those like RAYS Homura and ENKEI RS and SC series wheels might also tick the bill but obviously will be more expensive than the Weds Sports. But sometimes you do get these branded wheels at really low prices in SL (mainly because most wheel people have no idea what they are excet for them being Japang veal).

Edited January 29, 2021 by iRage

[IndulaC]

12 minutes ago, iRage said:

VFS type

This is the wheel i have in mind, i want something that'll compliment the land yatch type look, since most aftermarket wheels in Sri Lanka screams "look at mee i have black 5 spokes that'll go with red brake calipers" 

I just checked RAYS homura option and that'll look sick too. Do you know any wheel experts in Sri lanka that'll help me for this situation?.

[iRage]

Well....Sri Lanka is a bit funny that way....sometimes if you go to the usual car part areas and put in some eg work and a few miles on your shoe soles, you might find some pretty interesting wheels. I know guys who have literally walked up to owners of cars and offered money for a new set of wheels in exchange to the wheels they have.

On the other hand...you can talk to the usual "Performance parts" shops...the famous ones and they can look in to sourcing the real deal (brand new or used) or good replicas (not the cheap Chinese kind but brands like Atara, BR, etc...). 

This has a set of HOMURAs but the size is just messed up (there is way too much of a gap in the front.

[IndulaC]

1 hour ago, iRage said:

there is way too much of a gap in the front.

Well probably mine will look the same because I have stock springs but I like that look, compliments the white but not so sure that it'll compliment the color of my car.

 

1 hour ago, iRage said:

. I know guys who have literally walked up to owners of cars and offered money for a new set of wheels in exchange to the wheels they have.

Exactly, whenever I'm searching for stock wheels people look at me like I'm retarded or something. They always say "Sapa wageda Malli Gamma" but e ayyala doesn't understand whenever I go over potholes my whole interior shakes. 

On a different note, this is the first time I'm using a direct injection car and do you know any tips I can do to keep this engine healthy cause from my experience valve soot is inevitable in DI cars.

[iRage]

9 hours ago, IndulaC said:

Well probably mine will look the same because I have stock springs but I like that look, compliments the white but not so sure that it'll compliment the color of my car.

I thikn that car looks like that because of the size of the rim vs. profile of the tire. If you go with 17s and go for a chunkier profile than that I thikn it will balance out a bit more.

9 hours ago, IndulaC said:

On a different note, this is the first time I'm using a direct injection car and do you know any tips I can do to keep this engine healthy cause from my experience valve soot is inevitable in DI cars.

Drive it like you stole it  The the occassional throttle clean up, etc...there are some places that do foam cleaning and stuff (I don;t think you will have to go over board like some service guys freak you out in to doing). Pump fuel from a trusted shed so you know the fuel is not mixed with all sorts of s**t in dirty tanks. Start off with a good fuel filter and keep it clean (this you might have to check a bit frequently). Might help if you use an additive just to chase away any debris and keep the lines free of moisture. Some additives say they work for DI engines, and it seems like these do not do a complete burn so they get circulated through valve inlets....even Toyota over here carry it. No idea if it actually works.

[IndulaC]

15 hours ago, iRage said:

Drive it like you stole it

I do press the gas sometimes so I can hear the glorious vq sing but the shit cvt always shifts the gears up so the rev counter drops. 

15 hours ago, iRage said:

Might help if you use an additive just to chase away any debris and keep the lines free of moisture.

I heard people had bad experience with these additives, do you know any specific brand that'll do me good? 

Also fun fact the teana has a sports gear and I was like what in god's name can make this land yatch sporty but hey it surprised me by reasonably quick accelerations😂. But my fuel drops to 5km/l on sports mode 😑

[Quiet]

On 1/29/2021 at 2:58 PM, IndulaC said:

The steering wheel was on this condition and the gear lever + dashboard had some minor discoloration and now as I posted above the leather looks top notch. I did my upholstery work by a place called Lal cushion in Mount lavinia which a car salesman recommended me saying "Malli japanata wada hondata gahanawa"

Can i have the contact no of this place pls. I have same sorta work to be done (Not that bad though)

[Magnum]

On 1/29/2021 at 8:28 PM, IndulaC said:

 

I have seen steerings in similar condition in Skyline V36, so I assume its safe to assume that it was a common Nissan problem in this era

[Ruslan]

That's a nice Car @IndulaC Lal is in the business for sometime and are reputed and known for Cushion plus their Dashboard repairs (141s). me too also looking for a place to do the Fronts of the Vitara's Leather. scuffed and no tears. thought of showing it to the Deans and check their prices first. also in two minds whether convert it to the Fabric but need to do the Door cards if needs to convert it to the Fabric 🤔 Leather would be easier with the kids and spills etc.

With DI engine, i think you need to use the additives anyway at some point, since top of the valve anyway not getting cleaned by Gasoline like non DI cars. Enjoy the Ride!

[iRage]

1 hour ago, Ruslan said:

With DI engine, i think you need to use the additives anyway at some point, since top of the valve anyway not getting cleaned by Gasoline like non DI cars. Enjoy the Ride!

See..that is the thing....even if you put a normal additive...it will get burnt up before the additive gets re-circulated to the valves. Some additives say has some stuff in it that is able to go through the re-circulation and gets fully burnt at later iginition cycles...but no idea if it work....I suppose scientifically it is possible.