So I bought a Versa

[iluvmyVersa08]

My question is more related to car care than Versas, though. This car will be kept outdoors in Pittsburgh weather for probably two years, as I have no garage. What can I do to protect it from the onset of rust and such? I have off-street parking, so I don't have to worry about traffic or street plows.

Are there any other new car care tips I should know? Any caveats of which I should be aware in my new Versa?

Hey,

One way to prevent it from rusting is to have it sprayed. I had mine sprayed by the dealer as part of the extended warranty package. However, some places do oil spraying for cars. My previous car was on 01 Accent which I bought used in 04. I had it oil sprayed once when I bought it and when I recently traded it in for the Versa there was not a drop of rust on it. And I live in Canada where we get lots of snow and winter weather. Your best protection for rust is to have it sprayed regularly. I got it done at the dealer because it is guaranteed for 10 years. So if within 10 years there is any sign of rust, they will fix it

Hope this helps, Ash

[iluvmyVersa08]

What's the purported benefit of fog lamps? I don't think I've ever noticed a marked difference between driving in my 200SX with them and my Dad's Mazda 626 without them.

The fog lights to help with visibility. I bought the car w/ all the perks, so I have fog lights, and if I don't turn them on at night it makes a difference. The fog lights really help when you are driving on country roads where there is no light. But the regular lights work just fine.

[frankoV]

wash the beast often -- top and bottom.

an undercarriage was is tres important.

[dave01978]

The Dri Wash products are actually really good. I've been using them for about 7 years. Thats all I typically use, on occasion i take it and blast the undercarriage at the car wash

http://www.waterlesscarwashproducts.com

dave

[Rhettigan]

I'm back after a few weeks of ownership with a few questions and comments. As a fresher, I got a 2009 Versa SL with the convenience, moonroof, audio, and xm packages, plus splash guards and floor mats. It's the CVT with a 1.8L.

Bluetooth. Oh. My. God. This is one of the best things about the car. I don't know why I didn't get a BT speakerphone sooner.

Gas mileage. It's not what I had hoped. I've had three fills since I picked it up: two were around 24 mpg and one, after a trip from Pittsburgh to Cleveland, was 28 mpg. EPA estimate is 27/34, but I'd seen reports on this forum of as high as 36 MPG. Is there some kind of break-in period? Will I ever see the 34 MPG? I'm not a very aggressive driver and I use cruise control the second I get on a highway. I don't carry heavy loads, either.

Acceleration and responsiveness and noise. It's surprisingly good for a car with 20 hp less and 300 lbs more than my 200SX. It's particularly loud climbing hills, but that's to be expected. Otherwise, it's virtually silent. I honestly can't hear the engine running when sitting in traffic.

XM. I'm getting spoiled. Anyone know of a way to continue subscribing after the three month trial is up, without having to pay the full price for hundreds of channels to which I'll never listen?

Accident. Unfortunately, nine days in, a car in front of me jammed on its breaks and I was arguably following too closely. Smoosh--my first accident in seven years of driving. It was a 25 mph bump, so just the front bumper was affected. However, it's a $1500 repair, quoth my insurance. Fortunately, I have a low deductible, so I can afford it even though I have yet to even make a payment on the car.

After the accident, though, it took several hundred yards for the transmission to kick back to feeling like it was working correctly. Is this feeling normal after suddenly stopping a CVT? I'm going to have the shop look at the CVT just to make sure, but it still doesn't feel like it did when I first got it and the mileage may be affected by whatever problem remains.

[LeroyBrown]

welcome

[VersaMG08]

Hey leroy, I noticed you're posting in these forums! Did they kick you out of the 240sx forums?

[deaftosociety]

first thing first, welcome and on the subject of the rust inhibitors from the factory they put on a rust inhibitor all the new nissans have it its supposed to help keep it from rusting its supposedly underneath the clear coat from what my local bodyshop guy was telling me. it should help you a little bit on the subject of putting rust inhibitors on yer car during the winter just be careful with all that stuff i personally dont trust any of it

[gqdre]

wax, wax, wax, also, underwash your car every after snow to get rid of all the salt!