Questions about the Nissan Teana/Cifero 230JM

[Azzuri]

I know this is the wrong forum, but those car specific forums are a kind of dead compared to this one.

My dad and I went to test drive a RORO Nissan Teana 230JM this morning as he's selling his old Laurel.

So his friend in central has a RORO one for sale, an absolutely gorgeous 2005 black Teana.

Both my dad and I drove it for about 45mins. My dad really wants to buy this one in particular as it looks brand new and we're getting it for almost $20K less than the average RORO selling price.

As a result, now I have a couple of questions about this car.

1. I'm just a girl and hardly an expert on cars, but is it normal for a car to idle at 1100 rpms? or is something wrong with this one? Can this be fixed if it is a problem?

2. I heard V6 engines are supposed to be quiet and smooth, however, when drive it hard it seems smooth enough, but for normal driving it just seemed to me to be a little rough.

3. The steering wheel vibrates/pulses very slightly when i'm turning at low speeds. Is that normal?

4. The car has Nissan 17" rims and just seemed to drive a lil rough. Is that cuz of the rims? That was the only thing that dissappointed by father, but the sales guy said he can swap them with some other nissan 16" rims. Would that make the ride smoother?

Anyway i hope you guys can answer my questions, i know it's the wrong forum, but i'll really appreciate responses as quick as possible.

Also, can anyone reccommend a good Nissan Teana/Cifero mechanic?

[sensiman]

Those large rims may be part of the problem. Using smaller rims would help since the tires may not be the low profile as on the 17's, allowing for more shock absorption and hence a smoother ride.

Nice av BTW.

[eliteauto]

Teana's are fairly large vehicles and should handle 17's easily, what's the tyre profile? More than likely the rims need speed balancing, take the car for a suspension check and get it inspected by a mechanic before purchasing

[Azzuri]

corollalover101, Thanks, i cant remember the tyre profile exactly.

Where can we carry the car for an speed balancing?

[streetbeastINC.]

if the car was cold on the initial start up it will idle up.then idle back to 900rpm less the ac is on...u are not suppose to feel any sort of vibrations what so ever in these cars....the stock 17s are suppose to give a very smooth ride...i think u should get someone who knows about these cars to check it out...they can be very troublesome if u make a bad purchase....

[Strugglerzinc]

Masterserv can do the balancing and suspension checks as well as a diagnostic scan if necessary.

[Damien]

Azzuri,nice avatar

[devrat]

We luv your new Brazilian jeans too

[Azzuri]

if the car was cold on the initial start up it will idle up.then idle back to 900rpm less the ac is on...u are not suppose to feel any sort of vibrations what so ever in these cars....the stock 17s are suppose to give a very smooth ride...i think u should get someone who knows about these cars to check it out...they can be very troublesome if u make a bad purchase....

Hmm I figure I will carry it to masterserver.

The car isn't in bad shape at all, jus some little niggles that we want sorted it out. The ride is still pretty good, better than comparable accords but not as good as the camry.

the only other Teana i've been in had 16" rims and was definetely smoother than this one, but not by a large amount.

Anyone know what could be causing the car to idle at 1100 rpm, even after driving 45mins it was still idling like this.

Secondly, what could be causing the pulsing i felt on the steering wheel when turning at low speeds?

[Monk BANzai]

If the car is a RORO and not sold as yet, chances are the mechs didnt do any servicing (proper) to the vehicle. That cud also explain the "pulsing" on the steering/ Most RORO cars stay for long periods hitting the elements, and its a case of getting new tyres and as CL101 suggested, get all the wheels speed balanced.

NOT LAUGHIN AND D GANGS!!

Check you PM box though...i have "female related driver" question to ask you..

[Rapido]

Maybe i might be able to help...I have a 230jm as one of my daily drivers and my uncle has the newest model from the dealership...anyways...from a cifero/teana owner...

1) Mine idles at around 500rpm, very quiet, no vibration what so ever , smoothest acceleration...i keep my cars at top condition at all time...always checking and changing anything that might be or going to go bad....

2) you should not get any kind of "rough" feel from the engine at slow or high speeds at all, the car prob needs a through fluid change/ servicing.
My car some times confuses me to the point that i jump out and only realize after hearing the sensor for the key that i forgot to take off the car....yes its embarrassing...(this happens if i'm not paying attention...smoking a ciggy,talkin on the celly WHEN I'M COMING OUT OF THE CAR)

3) the steering should not give you any kind of vibrating feel what so ever.
This can very well be because there are some piss poor tyres on the car right now, alignment is prob sorely off, front ends/ties are bad, bearings of bushings are gone...you need to check this out

4) the car is suppose to drive smooth as butter, the suspension is a little bouncy some times at higher speeds but one "kinna small bounce " and the car is grounded almost immediately...that rough ride is something to watch out for...

5) i take all my cars to silver stars on mucorapo (sp) road...they are straight forward and professional....even my bmw 328ci goes there...firetruck B,ML...sorry....firetruck B,ML...right....

sounds like you need a good mechanic to go over that car because it seems to have little quirks...

two things about that car that you have to take into concideration....are...

A) car is naturally low...this can piss you off when you have more than 4 ppl in your car of normal size when going over speed bumps etc...the dual exaust pipes touch for anything...also the over hangings of the front and back and so far out that going through dips have to be done at dead slow speeds...

B) you'll get about 420kms out of a full tank of premium at 250=270 to fill...get ready for your gas bill to go up,unless you are accustomed to this ...i have my coupe with a 2.8 and it gives me almost the same millage as the cefiro..go figure...


PS don't let them BS you with that crap about the 17's make a huge diff comp to the 16's....the car can take the wheel size fine up to 18 before you start to get a compromise in your driving comfort....thats just them trying to cover up the fact that the suspension might be faulty/is on the way out...


hope this helped a bit...

where VEGA?? i know he has some info on these cars also

[gunsmoke]

is it that difficult to tell us the current mileage, or how much you paying for it?

[Azzuri]

gunsmoke, Milage is 25,000Km and the price is $125k

[Cjruckus]

those front shocks are 3500 a pop by neal and massy. They are still on the higher end of maintainability, but the J31 is a step forward from the A33. The suspension is just built better.

[sniper21]

i have one from the dealer too , when i put super gas car drives like crap , engine is louder than usual etc, when i put premium car runs like brand new..

Dont forget to use premium..

[altec]

i know people who cannot fix a rough idle and they increase the idle to even it out. If the car idling high then this could be why.

[~Vēġó~]

Here I am....lol

Very last comment posted wrt fuel......Since the increase in cost of premium I've been using super without any adverse effects........engine is just as quiet and performs just fine.....motor's minimum fuel requirement is 91 RON.... but I'm not disputing sniper21's observations.......it's up to you to decide....

If you want to get rid of the stock Nissan 17's how about posting a pic for me.....I may just be interested in having me some!!!! Anyway, 17's are also stock size and should not affect ride quality so dramatically from 16" rims, the guys here have offered sound advice wrt checking alignment/tyres etc.....

that pulsating steering wheel is not normal.......any whining noises from engine bay??? power steering fluid check, bad tyres as Rapido mentioned......

1100 rpm idle is NOT normal when engine is warm.....my usual warm operating idle is about 500-550rpm or so. Engine is supposed to feel smooth whether at high rpm or low rpm.....mine out of the yard when I bought drove as if the motor was off.....no vibration and hardly any sound.....the only indicator that the motor was running was the tachometer......any excessive vibration could mean failing or failed engine mounts.....front mount is $2200 (discounted price), rear $1700 (discounted price though M&N has these for $500), and the other two side mounts are about $500 each....

Look out for failing door actuators and alternator........(pricey ....actuator is around $1100 each and well you doh want to know the price of an alternator)

Parts are available easily from Motorist but be prepared to pay much much more than what the laurel used to cost.......

Oil viscosity recommended 10W 30, original nissan oil filter is about $100

Suspension is ok (no comparison whatsoever to the superior handling of my old gdi galant).......original shocks are pricey (front over $6k and rear around $4k.....should be prices before discount). J31 owners from Australia agree that the KYB Excel G's are superior to the stock nissan shocks and last longer......it gives the car a firmer less bouncy or floaty ride.....

I get 470+km from a tankful of super with A/C and loads of short runs.....so economy for my part ain't all that horrid.

As for a Teana/Cefiro mechanic, well once you have the service manual then everything to do with the car is very simple......any reputable mechanic is supposed to be able to handle mechanical issues.....know the manual well and follow the steps 'cause trying shortcuts around the stated lengthy steps is only gonna take longer......

Feel free to post any further queries.......

[~Vēġó~]

oh and if the throttle was disconnected for any reason there are steps that one must follow to re-calibrate it and the accelerator pedal......could be a reason why the idle may be that high.....

and as for the price you getting it at......I hate you

lol j/k.....it irks me to know that I paid $175k for mine and then the price just drastically went down......now ppl getting them for all $140k for the 230....steups.....

[foss]

If the car is a RORO and not sold as yet, chances are the mechs didnt do any servicing (proper) to the vehicle. That cud also explain the "pulsing" on the steering/ Most RORO cars stay for long periods hitting the elements, and its a case of getting new tyres and as CL101 suggested, get all the wheels speed balanced.

NOT LAUGHIN AND D GANGS!!

Check you PM box though...i have "female related driver" question to ask you..

liar !!! ... yuh eh hadda tell she bout she tight fitting jeans in a PM ras, do like we and "say it loud and say it proud"

[~Vēġó~]

bought the car???