This is a pretty dead section on this forum

[Doc750]

I figured with as many muranos as I see on the road, this place would be hopping with new posts, ideas, etc. But there isn't much activity here. I checked some of the other forums and there are even less posts.

I check Ebay, google, and amazon for accessories, and other then bull bars, side step bars, and floor mats, there really isn't much for this vehicle.

I wonder what gives?

[Czarny_Orzel]

Noticed the same thing. Could be because the new Murano is so improved that there is little or nothing to discuss, and it doesn't need a whole lot of accessories? It is Easter, many are otherwise occupied, we're all finally getting over the lousy winter, thawing out and spending time outside rather than on the computers; job losses from the most transparent adminsitrations tax and spend policies have forced people to cut back on everything - take your pick....

[Doc750]

http://www.mynissanparts.com/c....aspx

found some stuff here .... but it's not cool stuff.

[bourque_john]

The reason this joint is so dead is because most people don't put real toy's on they're MO. While it's possible, I don't think I've ever heard of anyone putting turbo's, CIA's, upgrading the exhaust, etc etc. Truthfully, I just don't have the money to put jack all on my truck. I would like to point out though, that if you are hip to doing that kind of wrenching on your kit, check out some of the other more fun cars. The new GT-R, maxima, 350/370Z, and infinity's G series cars all rock the Q6 engine. The bay is laid out the same way as well as down piping for the exhaust. As such all they're toy's, turbo's cat backs, stainless headers & Y pipe, CIA, all should fit just peachy. Be careful with the CIA though. While it should fit, I think the bolt points are a little different. Plus unless your one of those sick bastards that plan on lowering a truck, a true Cold Air Induction can be susceptible to water issues with going through puddles. The one that I found on ebay by Injen, that lists for like 304.66 as a buy it now, is actually wrong. That's the one for VQ40/56. But if you look up injen intake, you'll find they have a specific truck one for the Murano. It give you free flow and a 3.5-4" pipe.

(http://www.injenairintakes.com/)

On a side note though, if anyone has put a lifter kit and some nice BF all terrain 33's on they're rig with a decent winch, I actually don't want to know. While I do seriously dig my MO, it sooooooo should not be out on the trails. The all wheel lock just isn't up to the challenge.

If Naffdur see's this post he'll probably bring up the fact that a Murano is essentially an altima on steroids, NOT A TRUCK. Call me cooky, but if it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck, it's probably a freakin duck. Granted I don't plan on trying the Baja 500 with it or try towing 12000 LBS worth of crap with it. It still seems very truck to me.

Good luck to y'all and if you start putting toy's on, please let me know. I'd love to see it all in.

[Eikon]

I think the reason for signing up and posting on a forum boils down to three things.
1.) Modification, customization, personalization. The idea of modifying your car to make it more faster and perform better, to make it more attractive, unique, more comfortable and enjoyable to spend time in, etc...
2.) Whine and complain about problems. Lots of people sign up on the internet forums to complain about sub-par reliability, poor vehicle performance, and consistent problems.
3.) To get help with at home repairs. Forums are increasingly popular as a source of information and assistance as people learn to work on their owns cars at home.

Why are Murano forums slow... I don't think it fits with the above categories very well.
1.)I don't think the "average" Murano owner feels the need to modify the vehicle. The Murano is no "spartan" vehicle. It comes from the factory very well equipped with both performance and comfort features. I bet most Murano owners just aren't out looking to make the vehicle faster or spice it up with aftermarket parts. It's already got a very powerful VQ35 engine, very sporty handling (for an SUV), and is pretty trendy in it's appearance with those huge factory alloys, etc...
2.) I think the Murano is an extremely well built and reliable vehicle. I don't imagine there are a ton of owners out there who are having huge frustrations with it. So I think the number of people who sign up on the internet just to complain is rather low.
3.) The Murano is still relatively new, many/most are still under warranty. Again, a very well built and reliable vehicle... I don't think used Muranos have gotten to the point where they require a great deal of major maintenance and do-it-yourself repairs.

So, I think most Murano owners see little need to spend time on the net to discuss the vehicle. I think that is a major compliment to Nissan for designing and building a great automobile.

Now, do I hope that trend will change?... well the part about the low volume of internet use only. I'd love to see more traffic in the Murano forum. But, I hope Nissan keeps building such great cars!

[nafddur]

If Naffdur see's this post he'll probably bring up the fact that a Murano is essentially an altima on steroids, NOT A TRUCK. Call me cooky, but if it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck, it's probably a freakin duck. Granted I don't plan on trying the Baja 500 with it or try towing 12000 LBS worth of crap with it. It still seems very truck to me.

Yep, I sure do call anyone who considers a Murano to be a truck kooky (not cookie). Trucks are built for specific purposes, none of which the Mo is suited for. I still maintain that most - certainly not all, but a vast majority - of the few drivetrain problems we've seen on these forums are caused by people who think our cars are trucks and not just modified Altimas.

Not that there is anything wrong with Muranos. We still love ours. But one must realize what his car is designed as (and for), and treat it accordingly.

[AZhitman]

I definitely wish we'd see more modification and customization of the Murano.

I'll take mine in black, with black chrome accessories, dropped on a set of 18" Volks.

[viperdoc]

Well said. I was willing to put much more money into modding my G35 6MT, but my Murano? not so much. Although I do like the aero body kit. And I have only had minor issues with mine (about a year old now) so far. And don't go trolling for racing stories like I did with my G. I am very happy, so don't really feel the need to get on here that often.

[bpholt]

If Naffdur see's this post he'll probably bring up the fact that a Murano is essentially an altima on steroids, NOT A TRUCK. Call me cooky, but if it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck, it's probably a freakin duck. Granted I don't plan on trying the Baja 500 with it or try towing 12000 LBS worth of crap with it. It still seems very truck to me.

Yep, I sure do call anyone who considers a Murano to be a truck kooky (not cookie). Trucks are built for specific purposes, none of which the Mo is suited for. I still maintain that most - certainly not all, but a vast majority - of the few drivetrain problems we've seen on these forums are caused by people who think our cars are trucks and not just modified Altimas.

Not that there is anything wrong with Muranos. We still love ours. But one must realize what his car is designed as (and for), and treat it accordingly.

Being quite inexperienced with off-road vehicles (I grew up on a farm but we used our trucks for hauling equipment and people, and driving on roads and through fields), do you guys care to expand on that a little bit? I mean, if I were to take my Mo out into a muddy field and have some fun, should I expect problems? (Other than the potential embarrassment of getting stuck and having to get pulled out with one of our Deere tractors? Considering my cousin just managed to do that with his F250…) Or are you talking about rougher terrain or towing (neither of which I planned to do anyway)?

[nafddur]

Being quite inexperienced with off-road vehicles (I grew up on a farm but we used our trucks for hauling equipment and people, and driving on roads and through fields), do you guys care to expand on that a little bit? I mean, if I were to take my Mo out into a muddy field and have some fun, should I expect problems? (Other than the potential embarrassment of getting stuck and having to get pulled out with one of our Deere tractors? Considering my cousin just managed to do that with his F250…) Or are you talking about rougher terrain or towing (neither of which I planned to do anyway)?

Cars like Muranos with AWD are far from `off-road vehicles.' That said (actually, typed) it certainly IS possible to do things with Muranos that most people wouldn't even attempt with non-AWD cars. For example, the town I live in in SE MA allows 4WD or AWD vehicles onto the beach. So technically, I am allowed to drive my Mo there. I realize that this car isn't designed for such service, however, and isn't nearly as capable at beach driving as the trucks and jeeps routinely found there. Consequently, I rarely take the Mo onto the beach - instead I happily park it in a 2WD vehicle lot and just walk to the beach.

The FSM provides a `severe' maintenance schedule (schedule 2) in addition to a maintenance schedule (schedule 1) for normal - or non-severe - driving. Schedule 2 includes repeated short trips of less than 5 miles, repeated short trips of less than 10 miles in below freezing temps, hot weather stop-and-go driving, extensive idling or low speed driving, driving in dusty conditions, driving on rough, muddy or salt spread roads, and trailer/camper/car top use.

I have always maintained that a majority of the Mo problems (though certainly NOT all) have been created by subjecting our cars to severe driving conditions most - or worse yet, ALL - of the time. Again, remember Muranos are modified Altimas. Nothing worng with that - just that they are not trucks.

[kerrton]

When it comes to off-roading, I agree with what you've said, but I disagree with your point regarding driving the Murano "repeated short trips of less than 5 miles, repeated short trips of less than 10 miles in below freezing temps, hot weather stop-and-go driving, extensive idling or low speed driving, driving in dusty conditions, driving on rough, muddy or salt spread roads, and trailer/camper/car top use".

If you are saying that these driving conditions contribute to problems that some are having with their Murano's then I disagree 100%. Yes, these conditions are not ideal and are harder on the vehicle than smooth highway driving, but these aren't "truck conditions" such as off-roading, these are everyday normal driving conditions for the majority of people and vehicle manufacturers design vehicles to stand up to these conditions. I'm currently a Rogue owner (I like to check in on the Murano forum occaisionally because there are similarities) and my past 6 vehicles have been high mileage "cheap" cars driven under the conditions described above and I've had very few major problems. My family has owned 3 late 90's Cavalier and Sunfires, which are cheap cars to begin with, and they were abused by teenagers, poor maintenance and very rough conditions for over a decade and almost zero problems, great cars that lasted 15 + years of abuse with no major problems so I would expect nothing less of the Murano. I've also owned early 90's cheap Saturn cars with similar results - we do very little highway driving and a lot of city driving with REALLY cold long winters and tons of salt, cold dry starts etc..

The point being, the Murano is supposed to be a higher-end, quality built Nissan that is designed to be driven in very hot or cold weather, repeated short trips etc. and not give owners problems, particularly early on in the vehicle life - if my cheap cars cold achieve this then the Mo should also. Now over the years I agree that this type of driving will reduce the overall life of the vehicle, but this should come into play for 10 or 15+ years, the oldest Murano is only 7 years old and most of your vehicles are much newer still under warranty perios so I'd expect VERY FEW problems!! Trying to blame problems with this vehicle on the owner is just wrong and I would take serious offense to this - this is a new and expensive vehicle that should take anything city can throw at if for many many years with minimal maintenance and repairs and should be on par with my cheapo Sunfire cars at least!!

As a Nissan owner with my share of early problems including full CVT replacement, I would have ZERO tolerance for anyone implying that any of the problems with my car are my fault, it is 100% the fault of the Nissan designers, parts manufacturers and assembly process with the exception of the vary rare case where an owner truly abuses the vehicle and uses for something it was intended for such as off-roading.

[Doc750]

I disagree this "truck" is an awesome platform to customize. It has a very modern style, great bod lines, and easy access to panels to be able to do some really nice work with it. I wouldn't take it off road, but I wouldn't mind seeing a better selection of body kits, interior trim accessories, bolt on exhausts, intake kits, etc.

They make this stuff for Hyundai's, I don't see why they dont for this market as well.