Nissan Note

13 Feb, 2008 4:44am Dawn Tennant Comments

A mystery engine noise has been annoying us during our final few weeks in the note. but guess what? The dealer claims nothing is wrong with our noisy Nissan!

For:

Styling: The Note’s funky looks are still a hit with me, plus the Intense Blue metallic paint helps it stand out from the crowd. Storage: There’s plenty of it! I particularly like the glovebox that doubles as a cooler.

Against:

Whine: The mysterious engine noise is especially bad in the mornings – it hasn’t made me popular with the neighbours! Puncture: A trip to the local Kwik Fit workshop brought the bad news that this nail was too near the edge of the rubber for a repair to work. The cost of a new tyre is around £100.

It’s not only the Golf GTI Edition 30 we’re waving goodbye to this week – it’s time for the Nissan Note to leave our fleet, too. And as with the VW, a year at the wheel has been almost entirely painless.

I say ‘almost’, as a few weeks ago, an annoying squeaking noise developed from under the bonnet on start-up. It is particularly bad on cold or wet mornings.

We suspected the fanbelt had slipped out of alignment, and hoped the sound might just disappear. But instead, the high-pitched whine has become more persistent. It stops once the engine has warmed up, although it’s now taking even longer to quieten down.

So, I booked the Note in with dealer Wilsons of Epsom, Surrey – an easy enough process. Even when I had to alter the date at 24 hours’ notice, the staff were polite and efficient. If only the service I received on the day was as good.

Wilsons is enormous, and after dropping off the Note, I had to go to another building to collect my loan car. Not a courtesy model, but a hire vehicle for which I had to pay £20 to rent for the day. Although I had been warned about this on the phone, it still spoiled the dealership experience.

Worse still, I got a call from the service department at lunchtime saying the mechanics could find no fault with the car. Yet what really irritated me was the line that perhaps the noise “was the same as any vehicle makes on start-up”.

Maybe I’m being sensitive, but I’m sure they wouldn’t have said this to a man. It also ensured Wilsons came across as unprofessional and unwilling to find out what really was the matter with the Note. Finally, on collecting OE56 FXM, I noticed the aerial was missing. It’s not as if it’s small, but I had to wait 20 minutes before a staff member appeared clutching the offending item!

While the whine is still annoying me, I am really going to miss the Nissan. It looks stylish, drives well and has coped admirably whether it’s nipping round urban roads or loading up for family days out. The rear has provided enough space for three growing teenagers, and the light steering and responsive engine have made commuting to work relaxing. If only the same could be said of the dealership.

Extra Info

Perfect blend
Dawn has found keyless entry system useful, while rear seats offer plenty of space. Not even flat caused by nail can take the edge off running Note, with its great cabin and driver appeal.

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Submitted by imp2009 on Fri, 2010-04-30 18:23.

If you are getting noise when the light is on, chances are you do have low oil pressure and could score bearings, etc. It is possible you spun a bearing or had some other lower end failure. If this persists, you will need to tear down the engine and find it. || Fox Car Rental

Submitted by imp2009 on Fri, 2010-04-30 18:26.

[url=http://www.retailmenot.com/cou...]Fox Car Rental[/url]

Submitted by DCAKE65 on Sun, 2010-06-13 06:01.

I HAVE A NISSAN NOTE 1.6 AUTO,AND HAVE HAD THIS SCREETCHING NOISE FROM THE ENGINE IN THE PAST,I TOOK IT INTO MY NISSAN GARAGE,AND THEY SAID THE BELTS OR BELT NEEDED REPLACING,STILL GET THE NOISE NOW AND AGAIN,BUT IT IS USUALLY ON COLD STARTS,THEN GOES AWAY.

Submitted by skyhigh737 on Tue, 2010-06-15 21:45.

i have a 57 reg note via mobility, the car has been fantastic little-big car. and will be sad to see her go. like many the note and other nissan models suffer from 2 issues first the note. the fan belt and or jockey wheel go shiney, this will cause the high pitched sqweel when wet or sometimes all the time. nissan are aware. the 2nd which most people might find me nit picking as with the navara. do not know on other models, the grease in the window runners dryes out. and if you have the window open even the smallest amout, you will find the windows twitter. if the radio is on then you can not hear this noise, but have found if the note is taken on long runs and i decide to turn the radio off, you can hear this twitter obove normal road noise.
the car is one of the best small cars i have ever driven the wife who is main driver took to it from day one, even though she has allways driven smaller models. i notice the note has a smaller sister the pixo, and just wonder is this the goodbye for the micra.??

Submitted by Fedupwithnissan on Sun, 2012-05-27 21:57.

This is just what I am experiencing from my dealer in Crewe. Completely incompetent and will tell a woman anything. I too have had squealing since it was 6 months old. Really bad in cold and heat. Dealer now won't replace belt because out of warranty, despite the fac that it's had a new one every 6 months and is obviously a fault. Apparently it's not a fault.... So what is it then? The car is supposed to deafen everyone on start up is it??? DO NOT I REPEAT DO NOT BUY ONE OF THESE CARS unless you are prepared to spend 100 GBP every 6 months on a belt. Also when they ht 3 yrs old or so, the tail gate open button stops working because they are too tight and the stress over 3 yrs causes it the wires to snap..... Another £200 to fix... Because its out of warranty... Apparently I'm opening my boot too often and it's not a design fault. Nissan = rubbish company. It's such a shame because I love my note, it's practical and powerful and has lots of gadgets. It's a lovely ride and the kids love the trays in the back, but my God it's problems and downright rude and unhelpful staff are driving me insane.