Bought my dream car, A Nissan Patrol Y62 2019, V8, Platinum, took it for a spin in the desert and I need some help from the expert Y62 owners.

[Hanan]

Hey Guys,

 

Been a fan of the club and some of its highly knowledgeable gurus! Big Respect.
As per my title, I got my Y62, before I could properly start with Carnity for a newbie drive, I took a friend of mine and went for a spin in the in desert, and the heartbreak happened, I damaged my bumper, not a huge one but yes there is dent, there is also a dripping from the right side of the front bumper, also I could feel my steering has become stiffer. Having so many traumatic experience with dodgy garages in the past with my previous car, I'm clueless what needs to be done now. I would highly appreciate some expert advice for me what should i do now.

[Frederic]

4 minutes ago, Hanan said:

Hey Guys,

 

Been a fan of the club and some of its highly knowledgeable gurus! Big Respect.
As per my title, I got my Y62, before I could properly start with Carnity for a newbie drive, I took a friend of mine and went for a spin in the in desert, and the heartbreak happened, I damaged my bumper, not a huge one but yes there is dent, there is also a dripping from the right side of the front bumper, also I could feel my steering has become stiffer. Having so many traumatic experience with dodgy garages in the past with my previous car, I'm clueless what needs to be done now. I would highly appreciate some expert advice for me what should i do now.

Hi @Hanan sorry to hear that. Unfortunately, this is often the result of venturing out alone and unexperienced. On the other hand, the original bumper on a Y62 would not last long anyways on most of the desert drives, including those with the club. It is mystery to me why Nissan sold these vehicles here in the Middle East without having a bumper that has more clearance and better approach angle.

Anyways, if you could share some pictures that would be more helpful, because a dent in the bumper and a leak combined with stiffer steering are two totally different things. The dent could be an easy fix but leaks and stiffer steering sounds you got damage to the steering rack. 

Seeing it's a 2019 Nissan, i would recommend visiting the dealer first and getting more details from them as to what is wrong and let them explain in detail with a costs involved. Then based on the outcome and quote you can decide to let them deal with it, or look for an independent garage (there are many). And yes some are dodgy but there are many decent ones as well.

[Gaurav]

This is based on the entitlement theory. You buy a 4x4 and assume you can drive in the sand with road response and result in expensive damage or stuck for hours on the first drive. I see this daily on Masterclass. 

This gets even worse very quickly with limited ground clearance cars like Y62, added with how Nissan markets Y62 sand splashing beast (with highly skilled stunt drivers) and owners break the bumper on the very first drive.

I shared this fact and observation with Nissan Sales manager back in 2021 and his response was we know this and already informed Nissan but will take few years to improve clearance.

Y62 is not the king of the desert, but it was made for shopping malls and school runs, to be very honest. It's huge, heavy, with electronic failure (diff lock & low gear not engaging) in the sand with limited ground clearance and an approach angle.

Buying Y62 as a desert toy is a huge mistake.

If you have Y62 in your household, you can definitely take it for a spin in the sand with proper training and still until Newbie and Fewbie level only and not beyond.

[Zubail]

@Hanan With my experience with my dream car (Expedition 2024) I had same faults 😃 and on 4-5th drive I realized 2 options : either I leave my bumper in desert, or I'll remove it. After 15th drive with already modified bumpers I realize that either I need to lift car(which I don't want) or I have stop driving(which I also don't want) or find new car. Thanks to @Islam Soliman for black beast yukon I chose the 3rd option. 

[Imran Asghar]

Patch it up with gaffer tape (battle scars look cool)  and get it to a garage to get the other issue looked at.

 

With great power comes great responsibility (and the occasional great big bill 😂) 

 

Sign upto a drive and you will be fine after learning the trade.

 

The day after I bought my FJ I got stuck on a beach in the middle of nowhere in summer and realised I definitely bit off more than I can chew and luckily car was driven out by an old man zooming past in an armada. 

[Zubail]

3 minutes ago, Imran Asghar said:

With great power comes great responsibility (and the occasional great big bill 😂) 

Amazing! 😂😂😂