# No time for new car to conk out



## tominsky (Feb 2, 2006)

http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.a...localnews&thesubsection=&thesecondsubsection=

16.02.2006
By NATHAN EVANS IT’S 10pm and your brand new $30,000 four-wheel drive conks out metres from the water on a sandy limb extending from the tip of Noosa North Shore into the mouth of Noosa River.

That was the situation facing Noosa North Shore Retreat human resources manager Michael Cates after what was supposed to be a relaxing fishing trip went pear-shaped on Tuesday night.

Left with no choice but to abandon his crippled, new Nissan X-Trail flagship overnight, Mr Cates returned early yesterday morning to every four-wheel-driving enthusiast’s worst nightmare: a stranded vehicle and quickly rising tide.



As early-risers watched agape from the banks of Noosa River as the waters edged closer to the broken-down 4WD, Mr Cates sat inside awaiting help to arrive – a wait that lasted until noon, leaving the expensive vehicle at the mercy of Mother Nature.

“We spotted it when we first came down (to the river) and we could see it was right down in the sand halfway into the wheels, and we thought, ‘Christ, it’s well stuck in there’,” said British tourist John England.

Thankfully, the waves stopped short of the vehicle’s wheels, but for its owner – a regular to the sands of Noosa North Shore – there was never any threat, as, he said, the water was well enough away from the car to cause alarm.

“The tide didn’t come in far enough, she just got stuck. To be honest, I’m not overly impressed (that it broke down) because it’s a new car,” Mr Cates said.

Clayton’s tow truck driver Justin Wall, said while it wasn’t uncommon to receive one or two calls to help bogged motorists in a month, it was not so common to rescue vehicles stranded close to the shoreline.

Mr Wall suspected the vehicle, which could not be driven, had suffered a broken clutch, which he said had been the source of a significant number of callouts to crippled 4WDs over the Christmas period.

Mr Cates said he would take the issue up with Nissan after the vehicle was towed back along the beach to Noosa North Shore Resort.

While the car escaped the volatility of Mother Nature, the rescue provided a show for onlookers.

“It’s going to cost him a fortune to have that one taken out,” Mr England suspected after the tow truck tried several times to shift the X-Trail.

“He (the tow truck driver) came around in front and tried to back up close to him, but even he was getting stuck in the sand there so they hooked a line on to him and got a good run at it.”

Fellow visitor Margaret Meckenzie was concerned other nearby four-wheel drive users weren’t offering to help.

Ken Wilson of Brisbane put his money on engine or mechanical damage rather than bogging.

Mr Wall said most calls for help from four-wheel driver users on the North Shore were from rollovers caused by night-time speeding.


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## SCHESBH (May 25, 2004)

*Jahal...Marc.... please forgive me.... *

It's the Aussie X-Trail...Different model... this would never happen in Canada! Oh I forgot it did but not sand.... snow.... right Marc!!! LOL It's just well Marc (Valboo) did not have press around.. heheheh


Stephen


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## ERBell (Aug 7, 2005)

That sucks. :loser:


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## Ryan_U (Apr 29, 2005)

I wonder if it was an automatic transmission or a manual. If it was a manual, what probably happened is he burnt the clutch. He will then blame Nissan for making a "bad" clutch that can't handle heavy slipping because he tried to get out of the mess he put himself into.


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## SCHESBH (May 25, 2004)

*LOL*

RYAN!!!


WELL SAID.... tha'ts why their down under!!! ... OK I appologize.... heheheh

Stephen


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## aussietrail (Sep 24, 2004)

*This is what NOT to do *

Before you jump on the "bashing van" guys (yes, you Mr. Stephen who never even attempted to drive the exy on grass LOL)  sorry just kidding

This is a classic example of an xtrailer who had seen too many TV. Adverts and thought the xtrail was a capable submarine 

Note this extract from the report:



> “He (the tow truck driver) came around in front and tried to back up close to him, *but even he was getting stuck in the sand there*


This shows that the exy should have never been in that spot in the first place.

Clutch problems do and WILL happen if you drive the exy over its capabilities and limits. We do not have a low range and this is something every xtrail owner should remember when venturing out.

The soft sand on Australian beaches is un-forgiving and you can get trapped in a matter of seconds.

The clutch problem he has experienced could have well been attributed by him trying to get out of too many bogged situations prior to this one and who knows, maybe he even forgot to engage the 4WD LOCK when it was needed and continued on 2WD or AUTO (not a good choice for soft sand driving)

Having been on 2 beach/sand trips, I usually stay well clear of the beach area, as this is where the sand is very soft and if stranded (like our friend here) you could expect the worst with the high tide coming towards you.

Second golden rule which our friend has overlooked:

"Never go for a beach or off-road trip ALONE!!!" and if you do, make sure you have all the needed recovery equipment, as the person pulling you out and giving you a helping hand might not have it!!

This concludes our lesson for today. hehehe 

Stephen, you can now go and put the above lessons into practice and show us the results LOL :thumbup:

_PS:I don't claim to be an off-road driving expert (far from it) but I use my head before pressing on the accelerator_


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## SCHESBH (May 25, 2004)

*To Be Honest*

Bieng up in the great white North of the frozen Canada... we canucks only live in igloos and drive on ice all day... and ski as well... yes the view of Canada... oh by the way... we have running water in oour tents... LOL

It's so much fun to poke good clean fun at each other... I just laugh at some of the things people do with their vehicles and then try to blame the dealers and or manufacturer.. just because it is an SUV does not imply that it is an SUV... lol...

Well Montreal had a wonderful winter dump of everything today and of course our beloved civil servants did a wonderful job of not listening to the weather report and did no cleaning.. I guess they were having breakfast or golfing... ... the roads in Montreal were lousy and I never have seen my slip light go on so many times...

I have come to the conclusion that Montreal Drivers need to learn to drive again...I am not a perfect driver but they should make a renewal of driving lessons mandatory for everyone in Montreal.... there is no respect for anyone including the law.

Ok... I am off topic, got it off my chest, Marc will clean this topic up because he like to be in charge (LOL) and now everyone Down Under is making fun of me because I can't drive on grass... oh well that's life.. but heck were all friends and I really enjoy being ribbed by all of you... LOL...

hehehehehe

Stephen


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## evjm (Jan 11, 2006)

LOL

First of all, I have to agree Montreal drivers are probably amongst the craziest I've ever seen! I think it's because they're frustrated they can't turn right on a red  (at least you couldn't when I travelled there)

I also agree that it sounds like this is not an X-Trail problem but is a Driver error.


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## tominsky (Feb 2, 2006)

SCHESBH said:


> Bieng up in the great white North of the frozen Canada... we canucks only live in igloos and drive on ice all day... and ski as well... yes the view of Canada... oh by the way... we have running water in oour tents... LOL
> 
> It's so much fun to poke good clean fun at each other... I just laugh at some of the things people do with their vehicles and then try to blame the dealers and or manufacturer.. just because it is an SUV does not imply that it is an SUV... lol...
> 
> ...



How does the AWD handle in todays kind of weather....the roads were pretty greasy on the ride home. does AWD help in conditions like this. You did say your slip light went off often.....


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## ValBoo (May 19, 2003)

tominsky said:


> How does the AWD handle in todays......


It handled GGRREEAATT  
I love AWD 

BTW Stephen, have you been drinking ??? :cheers:


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## SCHESBH (May 25, 2004)

*Handling and Drinking*

Well not while driving... anyways.... to Marc... no I just had a great day so no drinking... To Tom....

As Mark said... it was great... yes the slip light (VDC) was flashing like a Disco Light BUT I gunned it (no cars around) and it just worked... going straight, cornering.. it was wonderful. I am also glad to have the Ultra Ice from GoodYear... great tires.

Stephen


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## aussietrail (Sep 24, 2004)

To you, Steve. hehehe

Make sure you leave that Ultra Ice on the road and not in your glass. hahaha

This thread is turning from the biggest drama one aussie xtrailer has experienced to the funniest piss-up LOL 

To everyone! :thumbup:

P.S. Am at work, so no, am not drinking….yet!


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## SCHESBH (May 25, 2004)

*Agreed!*

On persons poor luck turned into great entertainment for all of us! Ok..

Marc - YOU CAN DO YOUR JOB AND CLOSE THE TOPIC!

LOL



Ok I better quite while he still likes me!!

hehehe

Stephen

P.S. Off to Drink a cold one with my Ultra Ice... great suggestion Jahal! Cheers!




aussietrail said:


> To you, Steve. hehehe
> 
> Make sure you leave that Ultra Ice on the road and not in your glass. hahaha
> 
> ...


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## aussietrail (Sep 24, 2004)

SCHESBH said:


> P.S. Off to Drink a cold one with my Ultra Ice... great suggestion *Jahal*! Cheers!


Now I know that you're on the booze for sure, cause you can't even remember my name correctly. hahaha

Marc, have you got the "forum breathalyser" handy there? This should be mandatory on logging-in


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## SCHESBH (May 25, 2004)

*Other post*

I never said I could type!!!  I already answer your name issue in another thread... and I can't repeat it ...! LOL

Stephen

OK... I will stop ...



aussietrail said:


> Now I know that you're on the booze for sure, cause you can't even remember my name correctly. hahaha
> 
> Marc, have you got the "forum breathalyser" handy there? This should be mandatory on logging-in


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## aussietrail (Sep 24, 2004)

No problems Stephen 

Back on topic, apparently there was a follow-up in the local Sunshine Coast papers about this incident and it was reported that this particular spot claimed many 4WDs and the inexperienced drivers are the ones how usually got in trouble the most there.

Conclusion: Driver error. Not an xtrail problem!


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## tominsky (Feb 2, 2006)

Bogged? Join the club, say drivers

17.02.2006
By Neil Hickey

WHEN Dean Campbell bought a brand new 2005 Nissan X-Trail last year the vehicle came with a glossy pamphlet proclaiming it could easily handle any surface.

But after it became bogged the first time he drove it on a sandy stretch of Noosa North Shore on Christmas Eve – and a repair bill of almost $4000 later – Mr Campbell is in the market for a new car.

“They give you a glossy magazine and it has pictures of it in creeks, up hills and on snow and then the first time I drive it on sand, that happens,” he said.

“Next time I’ll buy a real four-wheel-drive.”

Mr Campbell spoke out about the vehicle after reading in yesterday’s Sunshine Coast Daily about a fellow X-Trail owner who became bogged on the same stretch of sand on Tuesday night.



The owner of that X-Trail, Michael Cates, said the incident was the third time he had become bogged in just 12 weeks.

He only bought the vehicle, also a 2005 model, in December after trading in a 2002 model which had served him without drama.

Like Mr Campbell, the clutch burnt out as he tried to free the car.

“I’m no mechanic but we were driving on quite hard sand and it bogged very easily,” Mr Cates said.

“And after trying to get out the clutch burnt out, which you don’t expect from a four-wheel-drive.”

While Mr Cates is yet to have his car fixed, Mr Campbell has – and has paid the price.

Towing, transfer and a new clutch cost him more than $3850, none of which comes under warranty.

He said during the repairs he was angered after a Nissan manager told him the car was a “changeover” vehicle designed only for sealed and gravel roads.

“They said it was not designed to do four-wheel-drive work, that it was in the same category as a RAV-4,” he said.

“If I had known that I would have bought a Pulsar.”

Justin Wall, the tow truck operator who extricated Mr Cates’ vehicle on Wednesday morning, said his company had been called out to tow several X-Trails over the new year period after they came to grief on stretches of Coast beaches.

“We had quite a few Nissan X-Trails pulled in over the Christmas break due to burnt-out clutches,” he said.

“It would have been not quite half a dozen. Maybe three or four.”

A spokesman from Nissan headquarters in Melbourne maintained the X-Trail was designed for off road activity, including driving on beaches, and that the company would be investigating the incidents involving Mr Cates and Mr Campbell.


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## aussietrail (Sep 24, 2004)

Yep, just read it and I have now sent a letter to the editor  will post it here shortly. This is gonna be very intresting 

HERE is the letter I sent to the editor of that paper and I'll let you know if they respond


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## ron519098 (May 4, 2005)

This story reminds me of a local incident about 8 years ago, when Vauxhall (the UK General Motors subsidiary) was about to launch a new version of its 4x4, the Frontera (really a re-worked Isuzu). 

A TV company were persuaded to test-drive an example and they took it to a local beach to try it out along the sand and mudflats. Unfortunately they forgot that the tidal range in these parts is phenomenal, second only to the Bay of Fundy in Canada.

You can guess what happened.........yes, they drove it out on to the mud and got well and truly stuck (and this vehicle had a low range and lockiing diffs). Then the tide came in.

Result..........one trashed Vauxhall Frontera some very red faces at the TV company, and some less than welcome publicity for prior to the launch of the car. 

There's a guy locally who makes a fortune towing out cars from the mud. He owns an ex-military tank recovery vehicle. Needless to say he got lots of the right type of publicity.


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## Avery Slickride (Jan 6, 2005)

Wow, these two long, long news stories could have been summed up in one parargraph:
"I took my new X-Trail way too far into the deep, soft sand on the beach. I got stuck. Then I realized the tide was coming in, so I flew into a panic, threw sand all over the place digging myself deeper and deeper, and finally burned out the clutch. Imagine how embarrassed I was when the tide stopped short. Then a tow truck came and he got stuck, too. I'm talking to this reporter to put some pressure on Nissan. Maybe they'll pay for my mistake just to shut me up."


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## SCHESBH (May 25, 2004)

*letter*

Excellent and well written letter...When and if you get a response, please let us know.




aussietrail said:


> Yep, just read it and I have now sent a letter to the editor  will post it here shortly. This is gonna be very intresting
> 
> HERE is the letter I sent to the editor of that paper and I'll let you know if they respond


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