Things I figured out that may have been Obvious

[miamiheat3332]

I love those 01-03 TL body styles, 04-08 looked good also, 09+ is dumb.

[ferrariowner123]

I love those 01-03 TL body styles, 04-08 looked good also, 09+ is dumb.

I actually had the 09 as a loaner car while we had the trans replaced.

Had the exact same opinion, but i learned to really like it those couple of days we had it. The interior is beautifully done, everything is exactly where is should be and easily accessible, but getting off top here. lol

[DAiNiUS]

I had a 1998 3.2. I find it seriously classy - especially the front. I loved that car. Very reliable, good looking, rare, and she had her own personality with weird quirks like yellow fog lights, frame-less doors/windows, and an engine fan that would stay on for a few minutes after the car shut off, which would make people tell me; 'your car's still on'.

The second generation ones (except for the 99) had some serious transmission troubles. The third generation TLs are pretty solid but have some build quality issues. As for the latest ones... where do I start?!

[Chris.m]

Another thing I have noticed with the Pathfinder is that it gets (relatively) excellent fuel economy when going about 70km/hr at 1600 -1700rpm.

When I was travelling back from Blaine WA to Vancouver this past wednesday, My mileage was 10.6L/100km or 22.19 MPG! (over a distance of 60 km including about 15 min of idle time at the border)

And this was in a clogged up highway where I was averaging about 70 km/hr.

I'm quite sure I could do alot better than that if I wasn't ocassionaly coming to a stop caused by the congestion.

[Chris.m]

Next thing I figured out- To remove the fender flares to check for rust...

Preface: During the past week I've been watching videos from this guy;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W0a1sNq ... hfmFxz0%3D

He's works repairing really rusty vehicles and one thing he often finds is rust behind plastic moldings...

So today I took off my fender flares.

Dirty, but ok


Each rear flare was filled with a few pound of dirt... Front were dusty, but that was it.


3 fenders were not bad, but the front passenger side was quite bad


It seems that the fender-flare gaskets rub through the paint...

I used a dremel to grind it down to metal and used rust converter, primer and paint.



Since the gasket edge was the problem, I had to grind/paint a bit farther (so it would be a bit visible)

This is how it turned out

Its so far down, you can't really see it.

I'm really glad I caught it when I did.
On the other fenders, I washed, clayed and waxed them to prevent rusting and rubbing.

Since I'm from rust-free Vancouver and have a bit of rust, I would advise everyone with flares to check and fix the problem before it spreads to visible areas.

[DAiNiUS]

Aren't the fender flares and fenders sealed together by some sort of rubber/silicone? How do you reseal it afterwards? How hard is it to take everything off and put back together - how long did it take you?

I see some rust in the very front of the front fenders where they meet the flares. I'd want to fix it but I feel like it's going to be a PITA. Also, do you know how hard it is to remove the side mirrors, as I have rust under one of them?

[Chris.m]

Aren't the fender flares and fenders sealed together by some sort of rubber/silicone? How do you reseal it afterwards? How hard is it to take everything off and put back together - how long did it take you?

I see some rust in the very front of the front fenders where they meet the flares. I'd want to fix it but I feel like it's going to be a PITA. Also, do you know how hard it is to remove the side mirrors, as I have rust under one of them?

I'm not sure if your Qx4 has the same attatching system as mine, but my flares are attatched with about 8 screws around the wheel well for each wheel. Also, there are 3 male/female type clips in the back holding it on and 7 in the front. So there was no rubber/silicone.

Its not difficult to take apart. the most anyoning part was taking off the running boards to get access to one screw on the rear flares. The first flare took me probably 40 min to remove because I was taking care not to break any clips on bend the flare too much while removing it. After I got the hang of it, the rest took me maybe 10-15 min a piece.

I did break 3 of the male type clips and two of the female type in this process. I picked up replacements at the dealer for $13 today.

I have never attempted to remove the side mirrors. I do know that you must remove the door cards, and that is a bit tedious unless you have a trim removal tool.

[miamiheat3332]

What i need to figure out is how to find the fender flare replacement moldings, or improvise something else to make it look good. Mine are dry rotted and look like s***. I dont feel like paying $40 a peice either from the dealer.

[Chris.m]

Mine are not terrible, so 160 doesn't seem justifiable.

Besides useing trim restorer like mothers back-to-black, I think the dealer is your best bet.

[Camelfilter]

What i need to figure out is how to find the fender flare replacement moldings, or improvise something else to make it look good. Mine are dry rotted and look like s***. I dont feel like paying $40 a peice either from the dealer.

You might consider a quickie paint job.

I plasti-dipped one of my plastic fender flares because it was a bit scratched up. I think it looks all rite, even though it is now flat black. My original flare color is like a gunmetal grey. I might do the other fender flare on the same side, again to see how it looks (with both black).

I didn't remove the flare when I painted it, just masked around it.

[miamiheat3332]

Eh, i dont think blacked out fender flares will look good on my gold, and the touchless carwash i go to rips off touchup paint with the pressure so i dont think the plasti dip will hold up lol. And yea i;ve gotten a bit lazy, touchless car wash then wax and detail it. Dont feel like spending the 40 min washing it by hand anymore.

[SBK03SE]

Miami, the plasti-dip is more durable than you might think. I have never resprayed the grill, lower grill, front roof, or running boards and they still look good.

Even if it scratched, respray takes less than 5 min.

But +1, no black on gold. :no:

[PathDetector]

Miami, the plasti-dip is more durable than you might think. I have never resprayed the grill, lower grill, front roof, or running boards and they still look good.

Even if it scratched, respray takes less than 5 min.

But +1, no black on gold. :no:

Im so glad you pointed out plasti-dip to me SBK. I've gone crazy with the stuff. I love how you can paint anything and remove it easily if it doesn't meet expectations. Done my wheels, grill, trail light covers, and gona black out my rear Nissan and SE emblems. Probably more after that... lol

[zach7685]

yea i;ve gotten a bit lazy, touchless car wash then wax and detail it. Dont feel like spending the 40 min washing it by hand anymore.

Amhen to this

[PathDetector]

Kinda a small feature but I love it none the less. Using the unlock button of my key fob to roll down the windows. A lot of my friends get a kick out of it when were walking up to my truck. "Hows are you doing that!?"

[Green Pathy]

you know what i havent been able to figure out? the plastic trim material that lines the fenders, mine has fallen off and i want to replace it. Cant find it anywhere