I'm glad to see a Murano that isn't broken! I think most folks abuse their vehicles and then wonder why they fail!

 

Is it 3000lbs on a scale or by guestimate? If not by scale I'd find a local truck scale and have it checked to make sure you're not going over.

Also, watch out for your GCVW (gross combined vehicle weight) of 8,100 lbs. 8100 - 3806lbs of Murano - 3000lbs of trailer = just 1294lbs for passengers and luggage. For the kind of trip you're talking about that luggage weight will add up fast.

 

The trailers dry weight it 2700lbs. I don't plan to travel with water in the tanks. (Full Hook Up sites are great) My family consists of my wife (96lbs),my dog (Jack Russel Terrier 16lbs) and all my 183lbs. We are conscious about weight so we pack light. The trailer has everything we need besides food and clothes I guesstimate 3000lbs plus or minus. The Murano has never broken down but we don't baby it neither. Before we had the camper we did a lot of primitive camping in the middle of nowhere where the only way to get there are small fire trails, mud and lots of sugar sand. Have had to use the awd lock a few times in the sugar sand to help my dad get his 2wd Titan out. (Talk about an ego boost!) We also drive to North Carolina every Christmas to my parents house again my car always makes it up the mounting off road in the snow. There is one part that the car goes on three wheels.I had to change my control arms once but besides that and the struts and mounts the cars suspension is holding up fine. Even my seat bracket and sun-visors are still healthy. BTW my dogs name is Nismo.

 

I think all of the people with broken Muranos frequent this site...

 

Yea, that is why I figured id post something positive. I love and plan to keep the car until something major goes wrong. Even then if it is the transmission but the engine and rest of the car is in good shape I might just fork up the 5k dollars and replace the transmission. I hate car payments.

 

Sounds like you'll be fine to me. Good luck!

 

I think so too. I posted some pictures in my album if anyone is interested.

 

aj-

I saw the photos in your album and was wondering how you plumbed the air lines to the lift bags. Do you need to crawl under the MO to add/release air or are the lines just hidden from view in the photo?

Many members have towed travel trailers similar to yours and all claim the MO to be an excellent tow vehicle. Apparently the nature of the CVT eliminates the "hunting for the right gear" often seen with conventional automatics.

Enjoy the trip.

-njjoe

 

It's still a good looking vehicle. Which goes to show that they aren't all junkers!

 

There are numerous holes in the suspension sub frame. I fished the line inside and ran it to the back where the trailer lights plug in. I made a small hole on the bracket that holds the 7pin plug and installed it there. I will post a picture tonight when I get home.

The Murano does make a great tow vehicle. I get between 13 and 14.5 mpg at 60mph and the RPMs stay at 2k. It doesn't sound like much but based on what other CUV's get when they tow 3000lbs it is not bad at all. The CVT does a great job, I rarely go over 2500rpms on acceleration. Plenty of power, the brakes haven't faded, no sway, and with the bags at 30psi it rides level and smooth.

It is a great looking vehicle. I got a little scared when i first bought it after reading all the problems people were having with them bit I bit the bullet and went for it. If you maintain a car properly it should last you. I change the oil every 3500 miles, coolant once a year right before the summer heat. Flush the brake fluid once a year. For the trip I plan to a drain and fill the oil every 2000 miles just for the peace of mind since the engine will be working harder. Maintenance is key, like I stated earlier this is not a babied car. I ran it in the 1/4 mile against my friends Titan, my best run was 15.8 when the car had 30k miles on it. It feels just as strong now as it did then if not a bit stronger now. Or maybe that is because my Miata is slow. compared to the 240sx I had then. Driven the tail of the dragon with it too. (that wasn't as much fun as my miata)

 

Sounds like you've done your homework on figuring out your towed weight. Should be fine.

And yeah, car specific message boards are a horrible place to get a feel for the reliability of any mass produced vehicle. You get far too many people coming because they have a problem vs all the people that never join because the never have a problem.

 

Back from the trip

Well, I'm back from my trip and almost 6000 miles and absolutely no problems at all. In fact the trailer gave me more problems than my car. Averaged 12.5 miles per gallon. The CVT is awesome in the mountains since it never looses momentum between shifts like a conventional automatic. I kept speeds between 55 and 65 with an occasional 75 mph run to pass a slow truck. RPMS stays just a hair under 2K at 60mph. Brakes never faded down hill passing through Tennessee. I went as far west as Kentucky and drove straight east to North Carolina through the blue ridge. As of today the car has 139K on the clock and running smoothly. I really want a 6 speed Xterra but I can not justify selling my Murano as of yet.

 

noise.

The few owners of bad Muranos make ALOT of NOISE!. the vast majority with proper working vehicles will usually stay quiet.

Nice to read about a properly maintain and used Murano.

 

The Nissan Murano is not a bad car, but it does has a few common problems around six years of age-wheel bearings, broken driver seat frame,gas door spring,high pressure power steering hose. I read about those problems and had to fix them myself using tips from this website, which helped a lot, but all cars will need work after about five years or so. But buyers of used Murano's beware, if you can not do work on your own car, you may want to avoid purchasing a Murano that is older than five years because Nissan charges a lot to fix the problems listed above. But, if you are handy with repairing cars, most problems are easy to fix and the Murano drives great when it is working properly, so owning one should not be a problem for DIYers. The CVT should last well over 200,000 miles if properly maintained.

 

You are correct that those are common repairs for the Murano. However, I would not dissuade someone from buying a used car if they cannot do their own repairs - yeah you pay the shop more, but that should be factored in when buying any used car, the cost needed to get it back to good mechanical shape.

 

I think the MO is actually a pretty good car. I did a lot of research before buying mine, and it really doesn't have an abundance of problems. Like carguy states, most any vehicle is going to need repairs after 5 or 6 years, parts simply wear out. But what I have experienced over the years is that many people do not adequately maintain a vehicle, and in may instances, badly mistreat it.

So, as he states, I would be leery about buying a 5 or 6 year old vehicle (any vehicle, not just a MO), and expecting it to be problem free. My brother does all his own repair, and he isnt averse to buying used. I do not work on vehicles, so I buy new and sell after 5 or 6 years.

 

I don't see how there could be much difference between the Murano and the Infiniti when it comes to repairs. I think a used Infiniti could be even more of a "financial burden", particularly if it wasn't well maintained in the early years of it's life.

 

I have a used 2004 Infiniti FX45 as my car. The 2006 Nissan Murano has needed more repairs than the older FX45. I only had to change a camshaft sensor on the FX45, besides the usual brake pad job and sparkplug change. The Murano has only 86k miles on it. The FX45 has 104K miles. So, I know a lemon when I see one. Trust me, I am not being mean or nasty, but the Nissan Murano can be a little more problematic than some other used cars. Hell, I had a 2002 Mercedes E55 AMG, worst car ever to own used, had mostly electrical gremlins and Mercedes service will drain the saving account quicker than Nissan service. Some used cars should be avoided, and the first generation Murano may be one of them if you worry about buying a high maintance car. Sorry if I am offending anyone.

 

You aren't offending me, you just have an opinion of the MO that I don't happen to share. You feel it's a bad car, and you have used this forum to announcement that to as many people as possible. Fine with me, it's a free country, I just don't agree with you.

 

Fair enough. I think the Murano can be great car to own once the major problem items are replaced. I am just warning new buyers who may not know about the potential headaches. But, the Murano is a great car to have once the major problem have been dealt with. Again, I do not think the Murano is a bad car, but Nissan did drop the ball on a few key parts on the first generation. The engine and transmission is top notch. The AWD is perfect, same one used in my FX45. But, it did have it problems. Hopefully, I will not have any more for a while since I fixed all the common ones mentioned. You may be one of the few lucky owners that have a Murano with top notch parts installed from the assembly line and have not had any major problems. If so, I envy you.

 

Thanks for taking us along with you on the ride aj143! Nice to hear of someone taking care of their MO like you do. Great looking photos by the way. Cheers/Bill

 

OK. No more tread hi-jacking for me. I only wanted to make a one post warning to potential buyers, not drag this out. Thanks to the original poster for showing how reliable the CVT really is.

 

After reading all the post regarding the quality of the Murano I would like to put in my 2 cents worth.

I'm a Nissan fan and so is my family. My dad drives and Altima and Titan, my mom drives a 1999 Xterra, my younger sister has a 96 200sx, I have had 5 nissan 240sx's and 2 altimas. (currently drive a Miata) and my sister in law has a Versa. Out of all the cars the best one has been the Xterra. The one with the most "Gremlins" has been my Murano. I have had most of the common Murano issues. Power steering hose, front bearings, suspension bushings, sun-visor. My seat hasn't broken yet. I had the car since it had 20K miles and if it wasn't for the fact that I think outside the box and do research online before I purchase a part and repair it myself then yes the car is pricey to have someone else maintain. With that said I like to believe I got it all issues taken care of now and nothing besides a motor mount is needed and my car is ready for another cross country road trip. (Saving for a California trip now) As long as the power-train is concerned the car has been flawless. All the issues are minor stuff compared to what I hear other owners go through with other brand CUVs, thus the reason I'm sticking with Nissan brand for my next car. I know them, I know where to source parts for cheap and despite the fact that some Nissans are better than others where it counts the cars are reliable. It has never left us stranded. :4:

 

If i had know that maintaning a murano would be as much as maintaning a bmw x5 i would had gotten the x5 instead of the murano...... Dont get me wrong i love my mo but its worst then having a stripper as a wife.....I HAVE A 1998 MISSAN ALTIMA SINCE 1999 AND HAVE SPENT LESS ON THAT CAR THAT ON THE MURANO... ALTIMA 189K MURANO 98K.....

 

A 1998 Altima has less complex components than a Murano, and cars are more expensive to repair nowadays than they were ten years ago. Even an Altima today is much more expensive to repair than a car from 15 years ago, if only due to the rising cost of living. You might have spent a lot on your Murano - I do not know if you purchased yours used, or new, or what its maintenance history has been. But to say it costs more to maintain than an equivalent BMW is simply untrue. Out of curiosity, search the forums for out-of-warranty repair and maintenance costs for BMWs - they are much higher than you think they are.

 

Yea the Murano is expensive to maintain but the BMW would be more. The Altima is in general a cheaper vehicle and has been round since 1992 so they have been improving on it since. The Murano was born in 2003. I wonder how much better are the new Muranos? I just recently test drove the new Murano XL.....:27:.......I mean Pathfound......:27:....I mean Pathfinder. Time will tell.

 

I kind of wish they would have called the new Pathfinder the Murano XL. Then I probably could have gotten my wife interested in it. When I mention "Pathfinder" she says...I'm not driving a truck!