| Boxty |
Hi all.
New Murano owner here.
I just picked up a 2004 midnight blue SE AWD with nav, DVD, charcoal leather and all the toys except rear camera. 45,xxx miles.
It's a great car (except for the woeful gas mileage. 20 city/24 hwy my behind - I'm getting 12.6 in town with an egg foot)
The only other problem I'm having is a rattle in the rear hatch. I just had my wife drive me around while I sat in the hatch area and it sounds like it's coming from between the plastic and the glass where the rear window wiper attaches.
I searched, but haven't seen any complaints like this - so my questions are:
how do I remove the plastic panel from the inside of the hatch to see what's going on and does anyone know what I should be looking for?
Thanks. |
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| nafddur |
quote:
Originally posted by Boxty
I just picked up a 2004 midnight blue SE AWD with nav, DVD, charcoal leather and all the toys except rear camera. 45,xxx miles.
It's a great car (except for the woeful gas mileage. 20 city/24 hwy my behind - I'm getting 12.6 in town with an egg foot)
Yikes, there is definitely something wrong with that car. We consistently get low 20's MPG's (mostly around town driving) with our 04 SE with 57K miles. Check around this site - I don't think I've ever seen anyone get in the 12's, especially driving somewhat conservatively.
And, oh yeah, zero rattles here so far as well.
Inheriting problems like these, however, is always the risk when you buy used. With cars - as with most things in life - you (usually) get what you pay for. |
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| njjoe |
Boxty-
Welcome to the forum!
That's a shame about the MPG. I have a 2005 with 31,000 miles and get about 15 mpg around town and up to 30 on the highway if I keep the speed at 55 mph. I would check the usual suspects - tire pressure, air cleaner, etc.
I have attached an excerpt from the service manual the lists the steps for removing the back door trim. I hope it helps.
-njjoe |
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| Eric L. |
Low mileage like that is not unusual if you drive a lot of short trips in the city with the AC/climate control on.
As for the rattle, I would check first that the jack is secure. Then you can try propping something against the plastic of the rear hatch when driving to see if that eliminates the rattle, in order to pinpoint where the noise comes from. |
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| Boxty |
quote:
Originally posted by nafddur
Yikes, there is definitely something wrong with that car. We consistently get low 20's MPG's (mostly around town driving) with our 04 SE with 57K miles. Check around this site - I don't think I've ever seen anyone get in the 12's, especially driving somewhat conservatively.
And, oh yeah, zero rattles here so far as well.
Inheriting problems like these, however, is always the risk when you buy used. With cars - as with most things in life - you (usually) get what you pay for.
Wow. Thanks for the lecture. Not to be "that guy" on a new forum, but what an utterly useless post. Where do you get off presuming to know what I paid for my car? Sorry I didn't happen to have $45,000 lying around to buy a new one. :rolleyes:
Thanks to everyone else. I think I found the problem. I placed small pads (used for the bottom of furniture) where the rubber feet on the hatch meet the frame. Seems to have solved the problem. It's odd that the rubber feet aren't adjustable, but this seems like a workable solution for now.
As for the MPG, the air filter is new and the PSI is 35 all the way around in cold weather. I have a lot of stop signs and hills around here, and this was the third model I tested before I bought. The other ones were about the same. On the highway, the little MPG meter usually bounces around between 20 and 30. I've turned off the A/C and removed the winter rubber mats, the rubber cargo mat and the privacy shade to try to shed some pounds. After doing some highway driving yesterday, the average was up to 16 MPG, so we'll see.
Right now, I'm running 87 octane and I have a feeling the previous owner didn't use synthetic oil. I don't know when the plugs were last changed either - so those might be some likely culprits. |
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| njjoe |
quote:
Originally posted by Boxty
I don't know when the plugs were last changed either - so those might be some likely culprits.
The plugs are platinum-tipped and have a manufacturer-recommended replacement interval of 105,000 miles. So they should be just fine.
By the way, the rubber bumpers on the rear hatch are adjustable.
-njjoe |
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| nafddur |
Gee, sorry to have `lectured,' but I found it necessary to point out a couple of things, most notably:
1. 12-16 MPG is WAY below what most (oh, OK, almost everyone else) here gets. I still say something is wrong with your car,
2. Rattles with Japanese made cars are also rare (none as I pointed out in my case) - but I realize they DO happen. And, since you only have the one rattle, that's not too bad, and
3. you still have another 50K miles to go before you need plugs.
Finally, we all know here what 04 SE's with 45K miles resell (approx.) for, and what they cost new. But the fact is that, regardless of what kind of a deal you got, there are always reasons for such low mileage cars as yours being back on the market in the first place. And, yes, I know there are instances of leased cars being resold but as with any used car, it's always buyer beware.
Again, sorry to have offended you. |
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| BikerJohn |
Boxty; Are you referring to you MPG by using the fuel consumption "readout" on the dash? I would suggest trying a more accurate reading by filling up and keep track of your milage when you refill. Then calculate your actual consumption. You might see that you're actuall getting a little more.
I don't get much more than you in the city either (maybe around 16-18). But then; I have a roof rack that will make a slight difference in the overall MPG. I don't have many hills but lots of neighbourhood stop signs. |
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| BEACHN |
| In the city I have been getting 14.5 to 15.5, but now that the temps have dropped below freezing I'm getting into the 13's. Unfortunately I only get to do city driving. I think when I last filled up I had gone about 170 miles and had about 80 miles left til empty. Same as you I never expected to have such low gas mileage with this vehicle, but with gas being only $1.97/gallon and only driving 4 miles a day I'll hold off on complaining. |
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| Boxty |
quote:
Originally posted by BikerJohn
Boxty; Are you referring to you MPG by using the fuel consumption "readout" on the dash? I would suggest trying a more accurate reading by filling up and keep track of your milage when you refill. Then calculate your actual consumption. You might see that you're actuall getting a little more.
I don't get much more than you in the city either (maybe around 16-18). But then; I have a roof rack that will make a slight difference in the overall MPG. I don't have many hills but lots of neighbourhood stop signs.
Yes, I was talking about the readout. I just filled up, so I'll see how much I actually get. |
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| Gonzo |
quote:
Originally posted by Boxty
I have a lot of stop signs and hills around here, and this was the third model I tested before I bought....I've turned off the A/C and removed the winter rubber mats, the rubber cargo mat and the privacy shade to try to shed some pounds....
Right now, I'm running 87 octane.
The hills and stop signs will kill your milleage especailly until the car warms and the TC locks up.
You might try 93 octane that could help
With an engine this size I don't believe the AC useage has much of an impact
Removing a few pounds worth of mats and accessories will do nothing for your MPG in a 1000+ pound car. This isn't an aircraft you know. :p
I had that same rattle on my hatch... I too found the rubber feet the issue but I cleaned the rubber pads with water and adjust them then the noise was gone. (for now)
I would be concerned with the felt pads as they may hold moisture for long periods and could led to rust forming if the paint is compromised. |
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| looniepincher |
| I own an '05 SE and noticed after owning it for a year that there was an odd rattle coming from the rear hatch, especially when crossing railroad tracks. I finally found the problem. The latch on the bottom/middle of trunk space was very loose. In fact one of the two screws wasn't even making contact with the frame. After re-tightening both, the rattle disappeared. I would try tightening those to see if that fixes your problem. |
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| Boxty |
You know, I was just reading on this wonderful forum that the plastic snowplow looking thing under my car is actually a "fuel tank shield" that was installed as a recall.
That thing and the air scoop have got to add a ton of drag, right?
I think I'll be spending this weekend unrecalling the undercarriage. |
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| njjoe |
quote:
Originally posted by Boxty
You know, I was just reading on this wonderful forum that the plastic snowplow looking thing under my car is actually a "fuel tank shield" that was installed as a recall.
That thing and the air scoop have got to add a ton of drag, right?
I think I'll be spending this weekend unrecalling the undercarriage.
Boxty-
I think you are seriouly overestimating the effect of 25 pounds of incidentals and the drag caused by the CVT scoop and fuel tank shields.
Your MO weighs close to 4,300 pounds with driver and fuel. Shedding the mats and privacy shade drops maybe 25 pounds. That's a decrease of less than one percent. The effect on fuel efficiency would be negligible at best.
The airflow on the underside of most cars (non exotics) is extremely turbulent. Removing the CVT scoop would have no impact, in my opinion. However, I would think the fuel tank shields may impact the airflow, but I am not sure if removing them would yield a measurable improvement in your MPG.
The MO is a relatively boxy and heavy crossover powered by a 245-horsepower engine. It's definitely not a fuel miser.
Do you have OEM tires on your MO? The reason I ask is because another member, hfelknor, verified through testing that many replacement tires did not roll as effortlessly as the Goodyears. He went through several sets of tires until he found ones comparable to the OEMs.
It's also possible that your MPG readout is pessimistic.
-njjoe |
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| Jim C |
Boxty - switch to premium for a few tanks and see what happens. When I used regular, getting 12-13 mpg city was typical. Using high octane DOES make a difference - at least for my Murano.
Nothing underscored this more dramatically than when I was towing a boat through the mountains of West Virginia. With a tank of regular, I was lucky to get 180 miles total out of the tank while towing (about 11 mpg). Car was sluggish and I could barely hold 60mph going up hill. Switched to premium and it was back up to 250 a tank (about 16 mpg) with plenty of power. |
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| BEACHN |
| Do you think using Premium gas would improve the gas mileage from the effects of cold weather? I think that's the main reason mine has dropped so badly, because it didn't get like this until the temps dropped below freezing. |
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