# 2006 Nissan Xtrail



## dec1pher (Aug 6, 2017)

Hey gents, 

I've heard good things about this forums and I've just recently acquired an amazing, in tip top shap 2006 Nissian Xtrail &
(290,000km on dash) and I would like to do the following to it to spice it up: 

- Paint metallic black 
- Add nudge bar (chrome)
- Add side steps (chrome) 
- Add LED side mirrors (not sure if I will add these yet) 
- Darken rear tail lights (not sure if I want to do this yet)
- Add Nissan Headlight eye lids 

I've attached a photo of what it looks like now and what I'm looking for it to look like with the mods below. Can anyone else tell me what else I should look at doing ? The car has been lady driven and has been rust profed.. she is in great shape and I'd like to check everything else before I decide to drop all the $ into the mods (a shop here in Toronto has quoted me $3200 for the work so far). 

Here are some photos of what it looks like now: 

https://ibb.co/fXSiGa
https://ibb.co/fPxThF

This is what I am aiming for it to look like: 

https://ibb.co/gfhQwa

Thanks! 

Eddy


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## otomodo (May 23, 2008)

Hi there
Congrats on your purchase.
If you did a complete inspection(mechanic) and body, you should be happy to begin your mods. 
In my opinion,even if it was lady driven, the suspension needs good attention (all components).
How are the fluids? brakes,coolant,transmission,ac. 

I would go for a performance upgrade instead to unleash the roar this engine has.


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## dec1pher (Aug 6, 2017)

Hi otomodo! 

It looks like the control arms were replaced recently - I've not checked the other items as of yet. It has very limited rust but I am concerned about a pipe going into the engine Bay that has quite a bit of rust - I'll take a photo shortly and will upload it. 

Fluids seem in good shape. 

Can you tell me which performance upgrades I should look at doing ? Is there anything else that is known to be an issue in this build/vehicle? Timing belt, fuel pump, etc.?

Thanks


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Sounds like you want to turn it into something very similar to what Jalal of the Aussie X trail forum did to his original T30 X trail. Of course he also installed an air intake and chrome wheels with oversize tires. I think he also added underbody cladding for off road protection. Personally its not my look. However if I could find such underbody protection in Canada I might be inclined. Do let us know where you find your stuff though. I am curious where you can still find eyelids for the exy. Your best first investment though might be best spent on a complete mechanical inspection. Enjoy your new to you X!


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

AH HA I was right, the pic you posted was Jalal's old Xtrail. In your shoes I would just seek to buy a black one and move up from the XE base trim. Not sure what you paid but anything with almost 300,000 would go for less than 2500 in the market I am in, so I cannot really see spending 3200 for cosmetics other than getting a better set of rims. Given age and mileage there is no way suspension parts aren't on the downward slope unless they have been replaced. In your shoes I would take it to a Nissan dealer for an alignment which will include a pretty comprehensive inspection of the whole vehicle. Unless you have records or know when all the fluids were changed, you should consider a plan to renew them all.
Keep in mind for 3200 you could replace all 4 struts, front and rear arms, redo the brakes completely even replacing the calipers plus get rims and tires at a Nissan dealer and even less elsewhere. Your pics show no rust, I cannot see why you would have it repainted. Mind you I am kind of partial to the Sunlit Sand colour.


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## MikeHJ (Mar 7, 2017)

I'm with Quadraria: first thing you need to do is get all the recalls done (air bag and gas filler neck, I think) if they haven't been and second: inspect, repair and/or replace all the things that are likely wearing out. Third would be to download the shop manual and at least scan through each chapter and read the inspection procedures in each chapter.

11 years and 300k km in Ontario's salt generally means something is corroded. Rustproofing is great, but it doesn't cover everything and it doesn't completely stop rust, only slows it down.

Would hate to see you spend double the price of the car on cosmetic upgrades only to have to spend the same again on basic repairs.


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## dec1pher (Aug 6, 2017)

Hi guys! 

Thanks for the detailed replies. It looks like they have replaced the front control arms already. Should I be looking at replacing anything else on the suspension?

I am planning on taking it to a mechanic sometime this week.


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## dec1pher (Aug 6, 2017)

There is definitely some rust here and there I am noticing in a couple of spots - I am actually concerned about a pipe going into the engine. I will take a photo now and you can take a look - should I replace it? I don't know what this type does but it looks important.

What do you guys think about the engine bays condition ? 

Eddy


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## MikeHJ (Mar 7, 2017)

quadraria10 said:


> A Not sure what you paid but anything with almost 300,000 would go for less than 2500 in the market I am in, so I cannot really see spending 3200 for cosmetics other than getting a better set of rims. Given age and mileage there is no way suspension parts aren't on the downward slope unless they have been replaced. In your shoes I would take it to a Nissan dealer for an alignment which will include a pretty comprehensive inspection of the whole vehicle. Unless you have records or know when all the fluids were changed, you should consider a plan to renew them all.
> Keep in mind for 3200 you could replace all 4 struts, front and rear arms, redo the brakes completely even replacing the calipers plus get rims and tires at a Nissan dealer and even less elsewhere. Your pics show no rust, I cannot see why you would have it repainted. Mind you I am kind of partial to the Sunlit Sand colour.


300km is on the high side of average for 11 years. But if it is a high % of highway, it hasn't been used for towing and has been proactively maintained, then it could be solid for a few more years. The X trails will do well over 300k, but you'll find that the ones that do are owned by people who know cars and do a lot of work themselves.

OR...the previous owner was tired of paying for repairs. 11 years and 300k of Ontario salt is going to leave its mark, rustproofed or not. That mileage and that year makes the car a disposable thing for a lot of people.

Wheel bearings are a typical issue for X Trails and the tranny doesn't like towing for long. You can pretty much count on brakes, struts and exhaust work at 300k. And a bunch of annoying type things: door lock actuators that don't like cold, sticky tailgate handle, HVAC fan squeaking

I bought my 2006 2 years ago @ 150k and I've probably put $600 of parts into it. But that's $600 of junkyard and ebay parts, not with dealer or mechanic markup. And I did probably 15-20 hours of shop time labour myself, so probably $1500+ in labour costs saved. Brakes all round, exhaust from the cat converter back, both control arms, one strut, sway bar links, alternator, brake master cylinder. 

What I'm saying is that is easily $3500 of repairs (not maintenance) that only cost me $600. I'd consider that relatively normal on a 2006. I'd have a hard time justifying spending more on cosmetics.


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## dec1pher (Aug 6, 2017)

Hi guys - thanks for the notes!

The previous owner took pretty good care of the car; they did alot of highway driving and no towing. I've uploaded some photos of the engine bay and the control arms - they had replaced the control arms recently. Check them out below and let me know what you think - I'm concerned about the rust right underneath and the pipe connecting to the engine (not sure if anything would need to be replaced here).

It looks like I may need to do the brakes and potentially struts. I do hear a bit of a whining noise during the initial start - not sure what this is yet but taking it to the mechanic this week.


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## dec1pher (Aug 6, 2017)

Images:

https://ibb.co/k2OB4v
https://ibb.co/eEOYHF
https://ibb.co/i7Q2Ba
https://ibb.co/fR97cF
https://ibb.co/dcADHF
https://ibb.co/jLxtHF


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## otomodo (May 23, 2008)

Let s hope that oil on the control arm is from the rust proof not from the oil filter


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## MikeHJ (Mar 7, 2017)

It looks like it had been rustproofed at some point, but not recently. Most surfaces look pretty dry with fresh surface rust.

And yeah, there was a leak from the oil filter since the control arm was changed. Hope the bushing is okay. Looks like an old leak from the fill hole as well. Could be just a sloppy job from a quick lube place. Been going on for a while though and hasn't wiped, so I'd assume the filter hasn't been tightened up.

Things like that are usually no big deal, but just show sloppy workmanship. They make me want to look around a lot more and read through the service records looking at dates and mileage. The thing is: the owner may well think that his car has always been well maintained because he always did what the mechanic said to do. I took a hard look at the service records given to me by my car's previous owner. He had been getting ripped off, he once paid $700 + labour for single USED rear strut. He paid for an OEM muffler with OEM spring bolts and gasket, he got a Bosal muffler with generic walker spring bolts (much cheaper and half an inch too short)

That said, the heat shield on the exhaust manifold is better than mine. Other than that, it looks like a car.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

That rusty pipe in the engine bay is a cooling pipe. Should be just surface rust. You may want to use a wire brush to carefully clean it a bit. Near as I know that is one of the parts on the X that will probably be dealer only. I have only ever read about one person who had to replace his due to leaking, but that may grow in the future. Yours is rustier than mine.
You may also want to get as much oil as you can off the control arm bushing. As Mike said it was probably a sloppy oil change. One more reason to start doing it yourself. Other reason is that almost every place I ever used to change oil would grossly overfill it and use the cheapest oil filter known to man, unless I would pay a premium. 
Have the mechanic check your serpentine belt and tensioner. If you are not going to do work yourself, find a mechanic who will let you bring him or her parts. Buying smartly can save you big bucks. Dealer prices for the X trail are often on par with luxury cars. Rockauto is often a good source for quality parts at a reasonable price.

Word to the wise, before trying to narrow down any squeaks from your suspension, replace the roll bar bushings both front and back. I doubt yours were ever changed, and its surprising what those chunks of rubber do. Have the links inspected as well. At your mileage I would have thought all 4 struts would have already been replaced once but maybe not. If doing the front you will want to replace the strut mount as well at the same time. For these stay away from the dealer who want to charge 2 to 3 times the price that you would pay for the same KYB struts. If you do not tow or carry heavy loads the back ones should last longer than the fronts. I hope your inspection goes well. Let us know the result, and whatever you find out research it here and you should find a fair bit of info to help guide you and save some money.


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## MikeHJ (Mar 7, 2017)

Couple more thing that stick out to me looking at those pics:

Why is the tranny dipstick so clean when the oil dipstick and the brake reservoir are so dirty? Was the tranny fluid changed recently? (good news) Or just topped off? (suspicious)

Is the big coolant hose from the top of the rad to the engine block starting to deteriorate near the engine block or is that a poor quality picture?

What's up with the surface rust pattern on the oil pan? Been driven on gravel roads a lot?


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## MikeHJ (Mar 7, 2017)

Couple more thing that stick out to me looking at those pics:

Why is the tranny dipstick so clean when everything around it has a coating of grime? Was the tranny fluid changed recently? (good news) Or just topped off? (suspicious)

Is the big coolant hose from the top of the rad to the engine block starting to deteriorate near the engine block or is that a poor quality picture?

What's up with the surface rust pattern on the oil pan? Been driven on gravel roads a lot? Doesn't look like any kind of serious corrosion, just like the kind of rust that forms quickly on bare metal. 

Just kind of funny how some things are clean (like the ABS sensor wire) but they're attached to a grimy part like the strut mount. Or the oil stain on an otherwise shiny control arm.

Do you have the service history?


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## Bela Balint (Apr 17, 2020)

Hi gents,

I'm not sure if this thread is still alive but I have some error codes that you probably can help with.

Codes:

p1720
p1574, ASCD vhl speed sen
p0500, veh speed sen/circ*6

Symptoms:

orange awd check light is on
abs check light is on
cruise control doesn't work
4wd doesn't work
speedometer and odometer are not working
shifting is a bit rough. Used to put neutral at red lamp otherwise you feel a little tension

I checked the circuit in the abs/speed sensors at each wheel, the front left was shortened so I changed it. The car behaves better(shifts smoother) but all of the issues remained.

My main question what circuit 6 means?

Thanks in advance,
Bela


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## tonyvancity (Jan 2, 2017)

Bela Balint said:


> Hi gents,
> 
> I'm not sure if this thread is still alive but I have some error codes that you probably can help with.
> 
> ...


hi....look thru this engine code website and see if this gives you any help....https://www.engine-codes.com/p0500.html


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## tonyvancity (Jan 2, 2017)

https://www.engine-codes.com/p0500_nissan.html....specific code for Nissans.....the Xtrail not on te list ( probably because it is an American website and the Xtrail was not sold in the usa...) but perhaps go with the Altima engine codes, 2.5L is the same engine)


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## ShaneE (Sep 8, 2021)

Bela Balint said:


> Hi gents,
> 
> I'm not sure if this thread is still alive but I have some error codes that you probably can help with.
> 
> ...


Any luck resolving your issues?

Just picked up a project t30 with the EXACT symptoms you described. Done extensive wire checks but everything is so far so good. Let me know if you figured it out!


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