If you are using the fluids that were recommended by the manual that came with your new Nissan car you should not be having any problems with an overheating engine. However, if in rare circumstances you are finding this to be a problem, keep in mind that all new Nissan cars come with a warranty and you should return the vehicle to the dealership to be repaired. However for those of you who may be out of warranty, here are a few things you can check.

1. If you are noticing that the problem is happening without warning, check your thermostat. If the thermostat is broken or damaged, it may well be giving you false readings of your engine temperature.

2. Poor circulation may also keep your engine from cooling properly. Bad hoses or a water pump may mean that coolant is not getting to where it’s supposed to go.

3. Pay attention to the anti-freeze/water mixture. If your engine continually overheats, your mixture may have too little anti-freeze in the mix.

4. Look for leaks. If you are finding brightly colored puddles or spots under your vehicle after it has been parked for some time, this is a sure sign of a leak. Repair or replace any leaking hoses right away.

5. Check the radiator cap. If it is not holding pressure properly then liquids will start boiling, causing the car to overheat.

If you are unable to determine or correct what is causing your engine to overheat, think about returning to your Fort Meyers area Nissan dealership where you purchased your new Nissan car. Although the warranty may have expired you will be getting quality service from a qualified Nissan mechanic. This will ensure that the problem is corrected and you can go back to enjoying your Nissan without fear of being stranded at the side of the road.

One of the most important systems in your Nissan when it comes to comfort is your air conditioning. While you don’t rely on the air conditioning to keep your car going or keep you safe, it’s a system that is pretty important, especially if you live in a warmer climate.

There are several major components to your Nissan’s air conditioning system. There is a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator, an accumulator or receiver and dryer. If your Nissan air conditioning is broken, any one of these components to the air conditioning system could be at fault.

Most often, however, the reason that an air conditioning system will stop functioning properly is because it runs out of refrigerant. There are two types of refrigerants commonly in use in today’s vehicles: for vehicles made before 1994, the refrigerant is R-12. For vehicles 1995 and later, the refrigerant is R-134a.

Understanding just these few basic ideas about your air conditioning system can help you to make good choices when it’s time to have your air conditioning system looked at by your auto repair professional.  If you’re experiencing problems with your air conditioning, take it to your local Naples, FL Nissan dealer for maintenance.

It happens all the time. Someone takes your car for a drive, and after they have pulled out of the driveway you notice a puddle sitting where your car used to be. How do you determine if the puddle is a problem, and what do you do about it? Here are a few tips to help you diagnose what’s happening.

1. Hopefully, the puddle is clear water. If this is the case, there’s nothing to worry about. Because your new Nissan car has moving parts designed to heat up and cool down, water often condenses and drips from the vehicle. Most often it is simply condensation from the air conditioner.

2. Antifreeze and engine coolants are usually colored with a bright colored dye; blue, bright green, etc. If the puddle you have noticed is brightly colored this means that you have a leak in a hose, radiator, or water pump.

3. Any red liquid pooling on the ground would indicate that you are losing power steering or transmission fluid.

4. Oil leaks from your Nissan, perhaps the most common, will appears as black or brown spots or puddles. This could be from a bad gasket or seal.

Once you have determined what is causing that ugly puddle, you have a few options on what to do next. There are a number of different “stop leak” products available, which normally involves adding the product to the fluid that is leaking and it will patch up the leak for you. This involves very few tools and can usually be handled by the vehicle owner themselves.

If this method doesn’t seem to stop the leak the next step would be to try and locate the part that contains the leak and determine if it can be patched. This may involve tools the average car owner would not have.

Thirdly, you can return to the dealership where you purchased your new Nissan car and have a qualified mechanic examine it. As all new Nissan cars come with a warranty, this may be the best option as the work would be covered.

It is important to service your Nissan vehicle every so often in order to keep it in good running condition and to prevent problems down the road. The best maintenance plan is preventive maintenance. It might cost a little bit here and there, but it will save you money in the long run and make your Nissan last longer.

Nissan recommends one of three service packs:

• Premium: You should service your vehicle every 3 months or at 3,750 miles, whichever comes first. You’ll have your Nissan looked over completely with more services than on any other maintenance plan.
• Schedule 1: Every 3 months or 3,750 miles, whichever occurs first. Fewer maintenance items are checks at the same interval as the Premium maintenance plan.
• Schedule 2: Every 6 months or 7,500 miles, whichever comes first. This is the least of the three Nissan-recommended maintenance plans. You’ll get fewer maintenance items checked off less often. Only choose this option if you plan to perform certain maintenance tasks yourself – such as the periodic oil change.

It is important to have your Nissan serviced regularly. Just like regular medical checks ups for your body, having your Nissan looked over by a qualified mechanic will extend the life of your automobile and make for more enjoyable driving.  For scheduled maintenance, stop by your Fort Meyers Nissan dealer today.

The lights on your Nissan’s dashboard are there for a reason. When there is something wrong with your vehicle, one of those warning lights is designed to come on at the first sign of trouble so you can fix it before it becomes a major problem. Here are some common warning lights and what you should do if it comes on in your Nissan vehicle.

Airbag Light
If you see this light come on in your car, it means there is some sort of malfunction in your airbag system. This could be deadly if you get into an auto accident or it could be something that would make it deploy at some random time. Get it checked right away just to be sure.

Brake Light
When this light comes on, it usually means one of two things. You have either left your parking brake on or your brake fluid is low. Check both of these possibilities before taking your car to the service garage to get it checked out.

Temperature Light
When this light comes on, your engine is either overheating or it is on the verge of overheating. Pull over immediately and shut the engine off to let everything cool down. It’s best to call for a tow when this happens to avoid any further damage.

If any of your dashboard lights come on, bring it to your Fort Myers area Nissan dealer for a service. We will tell you what is causing the warning light to come on and how to fix it.

You have probably read that you should keep an eye on your tires when the weather changes to make sure they are in good condition. But do you really know how to check the tire pressure and the condition of the tires enough to know if they need to be replaced? Here are some tips on how to do that before the cold weather hits so you can fix any problems before the snow starts falling.

To check the tire pressure, remove the valve cap on one of the tires and place a tire gauge on the valve. Push hard to get an accurate reading. If you hear air escaping, the gauge is not placed on there correctly so remove it and try again. If it’s the kind where the measuring stick pops out, push it back in before trying to get another reading.

If the tire pressure is lower than the recommended PSI (which is typically printed on the side of the tire, in the manual or in the doorjamb), add air until the proper pressure is reached. If you need to release some air, simply push on the small stem in the center of the valve. Most tire gauges have a small tip that you can use to push the tiny stem.

Replace the valve cap once you have the proper pressure and repeat for the rest of the tires. Don’t forget the spare, either!

If you have any problems or to get a full tire checkup, visit the service garage at your Florida Nissan dealers today!

Oil is the lifeblood of any engine. Without it, the pistons and other parts of the engine heat up from the friction and your engine eventually seizes. For most people, this is the extent of their oil knowledge. Here are some more facts about motor oil so you can make more informed decisions when it concerns the engine in your Nissan cars.

• In addition to reducing friction, quality motor oil is also designed to rid your engine of harmful buildups and chemicals to keep the moving parts performing correctly. Oil also reduces exposure to oxygen to prevent oxidation at high temperatures.
• The numbers before and after the “W” on the oil grade refer to its changing characteristics during various temperatures. For instance, the lower the first number is, the easier it will be for the engine to turn over during the colder weather. If the second number is 40, for instance, it means the oil will not get thinner than a 40-rating when the weather is hot.
• Mineral oils are produced by using natural products that have been refined. Synthetic oils are made in laboratories with artificial products. You can mix both types, but it’s better to exclusively use one or the other.

Now that you know a little bit more about the motor oil for your Nissan, you can make a more informed decision about which one is best for your car.

Wouldn’t it be nice to drive where you need to go without the fear of getting into a collision? That’s they type of vehicles that Nissan is working on and engineers at the automaker’s headquarters have created a technology that could make this happen.

Using the same idea used within a school of fish, Nissan engineers have created a technology that keeps cars from running into each other eve when they are in close proximity to each other. Nissan introduced the new feature at the CEATEC fair in Japan earlier this month.

The device used in the technology is called the Eporo. It uses three main concepts used in schools of fish to keep them from bumping into each other. Those concepts are: Collision Avoidance, Approaching and Traveling Side-by-Side. When in schools, fish know their surroundings and they have the ability to avoid bumping into each other based on their senses. Nissan is using a laser range finder to mimic that sense so cars on the roads can avoid hitting each other in much the same way.

Nissan is excited that this is the “world’s first development of a robot car that can travel in a group by sharing the position and information of others within a group via communication technologies.”

While this technology may be a few years away, you can still visit your Naples, FL area Nissan dealer for a deal on a car with the latest safety features in the industry today!

Most tires are filled with compressed air, which when dry consists of about 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen, and 1 percent other gases by volume. Water vapor (humidity) can make up as much as 5 percent of the volume of air under worst-case conditions. Filling your tires with nitrogen mainly does two things: it eliminates moisture, and it replaces skinny oxygen molecules with fat nitrogen molecules, reducing the rate at which compressed gas diffuses through porous tire walls. That means, theoretically at least, that a tire filled with nitrogen retains optimal pressure longer, leading to more uniform tire wear and better gas mileage. The commonly quoted figure is that tires inflated to 32 psi get 3 percent better mileage than at 24 psi.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has seen reduced aging of tires filled with nitrogen. The safety benefits often include the potential for reducing air loss compared to an air-filled tire. Maintaining proper inflation can help prevent tire overheating; promote optimum tread life; and reduce rubber aging and wheel corrosion. The use of nitrogen in large truck fleets and the commercial tire industry are well documented and support these

This month, John Marazzi Nissan Insiders will recieve a coupon for a $9.99 Nitrogen Service. Sign up here to get yours.

With cooler weather fast approaching, it’s time to start thinking about getting your Nissan vehicle ready for the snow, rain and freezing weather. If you wait too long, you may be doing these procedures when the temperatures fall below freezing. That’s why it is important to get your Nissan ready now. Here are some tips to remember.

• Check the heater and defroster. Before you actually need your heater and defroster, make sure they work by running each of them for a few minutes. There’s nothing worse than needing your defroster on a frigid morning and finding out that it no longer works.
• Maintain your tires. In cold weather, your tire pressure tends to drop. Make sure they are properly inflated at all times and also check the treads before the snow drops. Bare tires can be dangerous on slippery and snowy roads.
• Pack your trunk. Winter driving brings with it a set of adventures. As such, you never know what’s going to happen or where you are going to end up. Put some supplies in your trunk in case of emergency, such as blankets, salt (for melting snow), a shovel, a first aid kit and other things you can think of. The extra weight will also help you maintain traction on the slippery roads.

If you still are not sure if your car is ready for the colder driving months, schedule a service appointment at your Naples area Nissan dealer. We may not get much snow down here, but with the crazy weather that’s been going around the country, you never know what’s going to happen next.