Posted: Nov 17 2012 at 6:03am | IP Logged

After a tad more than 5 years of Frontier ownership, some thoughts for folks either owning one or buying one.

1.  I put on the factory skid plates myself.  Got them from Courtesy Nissan.  While they are thin and won't please the rock crawling crowd, they have been helpful in taking the truck off road in fields and on overgrown dirt roads while hunting as evidenced by the scuffs and scratches on them.  I also have noted some dings indicating that they stopped some rocks that were thrown up while driving.  I certainly recommend these.

2. I bought a truck with the trailer towing package.  I purchased a hook to put in the 2" reciver and keep it there.  It has come in handy at least once in pulling someone out of a snowy field.  It works well with an extraction strap (not a towing rope) and is well worth the $20 or so that it cost me.

3.  I have always sprayed down the frame with WD-40 every fall and have always done this with trucks I own.  Result: living in central PA with salty roads, I basically have no rust anywhere on the frame.

4.  I have used Mobil 1 75W-90 gear oil in both the front and rear diffs after changing out the original factory fluids at 5000 miles.  I certainly recommend getting those factory fluids out after the initial break in.  Mine were nasty looking and there was a lot of metal fur on the magnet.  BTW, always remove the fill plug before the drain plug!  Using the syn gear oil helps in the winter with less drag from thick oil and helps maintain the gear sets.   I also use Mobil 1 5W-30 motor oil.  If I lived in a much colder climate, I would use Mobil 1 0W-30.  I change the oil around 5000 miles.

4. I don't know if they have improved but myoriginal Nissan battery failed pretty quickly and I replaced it with a high quality after market battery.  If you live in a place where a battery failure would really be an inconvenience, you might want to consider a replacement after two years just to be safe.

5.  I have used those nylon ratcheting straps around the pin on the right side of the taigate where it does into the holder that allows the tailgate to pivot open.  This helps secure the tailgate in place and they are easily removed if needed. I also found some rings and metal holders for them that slide into the Utlilitrac frames on the side of the beds.  These allow me to do some simple and quick tie downs for stuff without using the large clips that came with the truck.  My total cost was under $5 for these!

I would be interested to hear other tips from Frontier owners.  I intend (God and the transmission cooler willing) to keep the truck fro a total of 10-12 years.

Posted: Nov 18 2012 at 8:21pm | IP Logged

Happy Thanksgiving to you, Frontierguy!  I had hoped to get some more discussion from folks about what tips they do to keep their Frontier running well over time.  My wife's Saturn is a 2003 bought new and it now has 101,000 miles on it, no rust, burns no oil and runs great.   I also used nothing but Mobil 1 in that as well.  It is an L-300 with the German 3 liter double overhead cam engine.  Still runs like an Autobahn cruiser.

I love to keep after vehicles and see how long I can get them to go before the nickel/dime stuff or the big stuff makes it non-economical.  But here in PA with a 6% sales tax, you buy a $25,000 vehicle, you pay up to $1500 sales tax (less if there is a trade-in) and you have nothing to show for that $1500.  That can pay for some repairs on an older vehicle.

I also forgot one for the Fronty.  I bought a Shrock Works rear diff protector that protects the diff housing from back up gamage as well as adding some strength.

Posted: Nov 21 2012 at 2:14pm | IP Logged

..

I'm kind of out classed by you folks. My Frontier is 14 years old and I bought it new. I haven't checked under the hood in over a year. It's never thrown a code or flashed a warning light. It's never been run out of gas. Hasn't had any air (nitrogen) added to the tires in the last five or six years though they're starting to look slightly low with the cold weather. It's six months over due for the state inspection. I am worried that the antifreeze hasn't been changed in about seven years. I use Pennzoil syn 10W-30 and Nissan filters at 3000 miles or every three years which ever comes first.

However my 48,000 mile Frontier is spotless... no wrecks, no dings, no fades, no cigerette smoke and not a single scratch in the bed! The Sales Manager at the local Honda shop saw it  and freaked out... he wanted it personaly But NO way would I sell or trade it... he didn't have anything near as good... new or used!

Have a good one.. Don S..

Posted: Nov 22 2012 at 9:35am | IP Logged

Current oils are SN and if they comply with the GM new standard, they are also marked DEXOS.  SJ is a long outdated standard.  Zinc and phosphorous are now kept at a lower value as these materials if present in too high an amount can slowly poison the catalytic converter.  Even conventional SN oils are really great and far superior to anything sold 10 years ago.  Newer oils also use very high levels of detergents and other adds that can compensate for the lower phosphorous and zinc levals.  Also, there are newer anti-wear additives used that are less volatile.  Used with a decent change interval, there is no reason an SN oil won't take your engine out hundreds of thousands of miles.  The body and frame will be long gone by the time you have an engine failure from  oil.

If you are going to try extended oil change intervals (OCI), make sure that you use a filter intended for this.  Examples would be the very high end Fram, Mobil-1, etc. I would persoanlly recommend a synthetic for this as well such as Mobil 1, Pennzoil Platinum or Ultra.  Personally, I am happy buying 5 qts at Walmart of Mobil 1 for $25 or so and using a Nissan filter with a change around 5000 miles.

For good reading on oils, go to Bobistheoilguy.com and read the posted articles and look at the forums.