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147 Posts
I don't if any of you have tried to use your MO to haul lumber but if you try to carry any 4x8 plywood, listen and learn from my mistake.
The MO's rear hatch opening is over 4 feet wide, however, not for the entire height of the opening. Near the bottom, as you probably already know, it curves inward and the opening narrows. Well, this weekend I bought a couple sheets of 4x8 plywood and tried loading it into my Murano. I thought it would be ok to allow the plywood rest against the opening, where it narrowed. Boy was I wrong. The plywood tore right though the door seals. I didn't even consider that as a possiblity. I'm not blaming Nissan for my stupidy, however, after looking at the car more closely, it seems to me that it would have been a simple thing to make that opening stretch all the way down without narrowing.
To prevent this from happening again, I build a support stand that fits in the back of my Murano. This supports any lumber well above the narrower part of the opening. It has the extra benefit of holding the lumber at an angle that would prevent it from sliding out of the car during accelleration.
With the front seats moved forward a bit, I found that there is just over 6' of storage depth in the rear with the back seats down. As long as you cover the seats with a tarp, you shouldn't have any problems with messing up your interior. The rear hatch, of course, will have to be tied down. Nissan didn't put anything on the rear hatch to facilitate it being tied down, so you have to use a screwdriver to close the latch for the door and run some sort of tie down through it.
I wish it had been designed better but hopefully you guys can learn from my bone headed move. I applied a silicone repair to the seal and I'll have to order a new seal this week. Hopefully, it won't cost me an arm and a leg.
The MO's rear hatch opening is over 4 feet wide, however, not for the entire height of the opening. Near the bottom, as you probably already know, it curves inward and the opening narrows. Well, this weekend I bought a couple sheets of 4x8 plywood and tried loading it into my Murano. I thought it would be ok to allow the plywood rest against the opening, where it narrowed. Boy was I wrong. The plywood tore right though the door seals. I didn't even consider that as a possiblity. I'm not blaming Nissan for my stupidy, however, after looking at the car more closely, it seems to me that it would have been a simple thing to make that opening stretch all the way down without narrowing.
To prevent this from happening again, I build a support stand that fits in the back of my Murano. This supports any lumber well above the narrower part of the opening. It has the extra benefit of holding the lumber at an angle that would prevent it from sliding out of the car during accelleration.
With the front seats moved forward a bit, I found that there is just over 6' of storage depth in the rear with the back seats down. As long as you cover the seats with a tarp, you shouldn't have any problems with messing up your interior. The rear hatch, of course, will have to be tied down. Nissan didn't put anything on the rear hatch to facilitate it being tied down, so you have to use a screwdriver to close the latch for the door and run some sort of tie down through it.
I wish it had been designed better but hopefully you guys can learn from my bone headed move. I applied a silicone repair to the seal and I'll have to order a new seal this week. Hopefully, it won't cost me an arm and a leg.
