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Micra Urban Van.

Now after the hand wash n wax.
Probably looks the same but its still worth the effort to protect the paint I guess.
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Just made an up to date list of the mileage when parts have been installed.
Some are just rough guides.
This should give me pointers to what I'm doing next and let me keep up-to-date as best I can with what's done and where I should be focusing on next.
This should help me in the future.
And is a good visual of the services preformed for the upcoming MOT.

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Along with the camber tool I decided it would be a good idea to get a new air filter as this is something that may not be changed if I decide to renew the oil and filter.
But mainly I've gotten this because I think it might be ready for renewing after the road works as the dust will have probably gotten onto the filter.
I have not checked or inspected just going to change this out.
Its nothing special just a cheap replacement.


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Project goes on hold since yesterday as I'm working now and won't get much time to spend with my k12.
I will return after the new year and probably show what I'm doing when I get a chance.
Next thing I'm adding is the air filter.
I think its a Ferdinand Bilstien.
I'm interested to change this cause I don't know if it was last year I guess I will find out soon.


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Put filter in yesterday and it was not too bad for what it is..
Had to be changed anyways, I was quite surprised at how it wasn't totally blocked but still worth doing.

I'm happy with the quality of the blue print one and it fitted in easy enough.
The car will go out for a little run tomorrow so I can confirm that every thing is hunky dory.
That's about all I'm going to be able to do for now.

I'm kinda sad to just leave it as far as I got but I'm sure I will be back to do some nice things as soon as I get a chance.



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Back door is now having trouble and won't open easy it does still open though it takes a try or so and have to press the button more than normal.
Once it opens it works normally.
I think its the loom above but really don't have any time left the MOT is tomorrow maybe they will over look this if I make a point that its going to be repaired next week when I get time to check and re-solder all the wires that are most definitely damaged behind the boots on the rear door.
Its not that big of a job to do but I don't want to mess about today cause its raining.


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I have put together some tools and a few quick crimps with solder and elections tape.
Also some heatshrinks.
Tomorrow I will see if I can do the loom at top of door on both sides before MOT.
I'm not happy having to do this at such short notice but I guess if anything it will test my electrician skills
I'm going to try and make a quick fix to any broken or damaged wire shielding.
Then I will finish it off later on and make it neat and tidy.
I really don't want to touch the boot atm tho because its been bucketing down all day.

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So I'm looking at the manual to see if some feature is set that's causing the boot to be locked.
Its not actually locked only the button does not at an instant open the door.
I hear the sound when it does unlatch.
The manual says something about super lock and how to engage or disengage the feature.
I just turn the key twice in the hope that the red key illumination clears from the cluster
Before and after doing what I think its saying to do.
The boot still did not open instantly.

Not sure if this could be the case like its in child safety mode or just anti hijack mode.
Does anyone know if this happens on their k12.

I don't think it is this but sometimes its worth asking cause I might be missing something simple.

Would be nice to know if this will cause a fail or just an advisory.




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So I pulled the rubber boot back to see what's going on.
Could see a bit of tape and heat-shrink.
Disconnected the battery.
Peeled back the tape till I can see the wires.
No breaks present but red and black have been separated.
I just isolated them a little better and taped back up.
Replaced battery.
After all that I pressed the lock button in the centre console.
And now I see something different there is a light.
Why didn't I see that before I have not noticed an illumination on this switch didn't even know it had a light.
Any how now the door opens and closes easy.
Not sure if its the battery being disconnected but that didn't do anything before.
My conclusion is that it was the wires causing interference.
Or the ground is iffy.all I can say is I'm glad because the MOT takes place before this afternoon.

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Maybe because you was working in that area the iffy wiring has somehow made a connection again, if that is the case then I'd be expecting it to stop working again at some point.

I have attached a scan of the applicable part of locks section in the owners manual, hope it helps!

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Yes I read the manual finding that your showing.
I'm aware that it will need to be fully shielded as sometimes I get flickering on my dash cam when using buttons.
I will get it sorted next week.
Going to get a new button for the outside first and work the way back up the loom.
Its okay because I intend to do work on the rear door as the plate wants a new cover to tidy up the look.
And my other work will be to tap in on the reverse light for the dashcam reverse signal wire.
Hopefully then I will get a look at the whole loom both sides at the door and inside the frame of door.

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Went to pick car up. The mechanic told me that the bolts on the suspension on drivers side was not tight enough.
This could easy have happen but I remember using the long breaker bar to tighten them up as much as I could. (I'm very strong).
I'm always honest and they told me it failed.
They tightened them up and helped aid to make it pass.. (Lucky for me and very helpful of them)
On the drive home its making a strange noise. On that side we drive especially careful after hearing the noise.
So I checked when we got home.
The strut seemed to have slight play between the top hat and top nut.
It just needed tightening up.
And to be honest it was not making any noises on our test drive the day before.
Must admit tho we only took it up the road and round a roundabout.
I did expect this top nut to move slightly and was aware so drew on a line over as o was shown to do. So I could see if it had moved.
Tightening it up had not been needed before tho because everything seemed fine.
I will check over each of them with the torque wrench after a week or so as advised by them.

So all is good now it was a shame I did not get to double check on everything. As at short notice as I started working again.
With safety in mind it won't be driven much if any at all its just standing on the drive.
And I will also definitely double check all up again shortly before and serious driving is done.


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Going to have a look at the wires at the boot lid and try to figure out how I can get the boot to open properly again.
I would be interested in any information regarding what I should look for or pictures.
Also what gauge wire should I get for this I know after looking on eBay that I can get automotive wire but is their a specific size I should choose.
Its quite a task as I have already had a look to see what I'm up against for this and as far as I could see the taped areas are against the door frame/chassis frame seemed hard to inspect them so I'm guessing that the must be some other way to tidy them up.
I do want to make them neat and tidy in the process as well as make the rear boot lid open and close smooth and quickly as it should.

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Found some a week ago and when it came to purchase them the description had changed to 5 doors that or I had read they are only for the front two doors on a five door..
I had to get some suspension top covers so went with the whole top cover that is for a similar style leaf and duke?
Prior to this was looking at the cotton q tip box and it was square.
The last one got thrown out. Btw how do you get the rubber to hold to that material my only guess is its a really thin type of material you are using in your guide ?
When I googled the q tips it worked out costing less for those in the image I'm showing.

Also while shopping around got hold of some crows feet wrenches.
Are those any good they do look to be pretty smart and might help me save time at the manifold one day when I get under the hood properly again.
These are all sizes 10mm to 19mm
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John_D

Club Member
Radio Code Guru
Found some a week ago and when it came to purchase them the description had changed to 5 doors that or I had read they are only for the front two doors on a five door..
I had to get some suspension top covers so went with the whole top cover that is for a similar style leaf and duke?
Prior to this was looking at the cotton q tip box and it was square.
The last one got thrown out. Btw how do you get the rubber to hold to that material my only guess is its a really thin type of material you are using in your guide ?
When I googled the q tips it worked out costing less for those in the image I'm showing.

Also while shopping around got hold of some crows feet wrenches.
Are those any good they do look to be pretty smart and might help me save time at the manifold one day when I get under the hood properly again.
These are all sizes 10mm to 19mmView attachment 72929View attachment 72930

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To get those suspension top covers to fit get some of THESE plastic nut covers and set them into the top of the covers. ( you will probably need to drill a hole for the dome to protrude through). I found that the Nissan M12 nuts on the suspension strut top are 18mm A/F and you can only get 19mm A/F plastic caps, so I got some standard stainless M12 half nuts, which are 19mm A/F, and screwed on onto the top of each strut thread above the existing nut, for the cap to fit on.... ......
 
That's good, I will make sure the sizes are correct.
While I'm getting those caps I'm tempted to get some 17mm ones to try out on the wheel nuts. This might be a case of drilling a tiny hole in the centre to give me a point to remove them.
Today I had hold of some proper ones and they did not fulfill my expectations. Slight disappointment but glad I did not buy any now.
Rounded rather than flat may slightly change the look of the wheels.
Possibly M10 for wheel nuts. unsure ?

They do seem to sometime fit well and then not with different applications.
I have noticed this with the lower sizes.


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These look good maybe they would work for some type of fog light or day time LED.
The description is in German however and I'm not really great with that will try to translate it tho to find out more.
They kinda have the look of k11 style and with the bumper installed that is standard maybe they would be a possible fixing point for such things as what Mika has previously shown.
It would be great to eventually have some spot lighting up front.
This is the name of product found on ebay.
Set Cover Fog lights Front for Nissan Micra III K12 03-05



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Mika The Finn

Site Supporter
Just an idea for DRL to front original white turn signals => Mika's Micra K12 DRL's, was done similar to this eBay => 2X P21W 1156 BA15S White & Amber Car LED DRL Turn Signal Switchback Light Bulbs.
I cut socket off from this kit, because it doesn't fit to Micra's wire harness plug and connected red and black wires with connectors to turn signal wires of Micra wire harness.
White wire to constant 12V supply when ignition is on. My case to headlight marker light bulb wire via relay.
Here in the Land of the Finns we have law, some kind of lights on 24/7.

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Here in the UK road users do not require these but from my understanding these can get you a discount for insurance probably not worth the effort for this purpose but they are great in that people can see you more easy.
About 1 or less in 10 run these I am interested to try them out the only problem is they look like they have drivers to cable tie in and this could become messy or confusing as an install.
I personally would like DTL preferably installed in the headlights.
The indicator DTL does look good though.
Out of interest how bright are they?
Or are they just illumination and not projected.

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Mika The Finn

Site Supporter
Here in the UK road users do not require these but from my understanding these can get you a discount for insurance probably not worth the effort for this purpose but they are great in that people can see you more easy.
About 1 or less in 10 run these I am interested to try them out the only problem is they look like they have drivers to cable tie in and this could become messy or confusing as an install.
I personally would like DTL preferably installed in the headlights.
The indicator DTL does look good though.
Out of interest how bright are they?
Or are they just illumination and not projected.

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About brightness, see this video => Mika's Micra K12 DRL's they are bright enough to pass Finnish MOT.

If you mean brightness of spot lights, I don't know yet...
 
The indicators do look quite bright I was asking because on our corsa they light up the fence at fee feet away as though they are headlights its great for low light conditions here in the UK such as fog because it can help us to be seen more easy on certain days and while fog isn't an everyday thing heavy rain can be.
Thus car also could do with decent set of fog lights as the bumper has the fog blanks and that makes life more easy for an install.
I heard that the LED main fogs however are not so great they need to be halogen as these prevent a build up in really cold conditions.



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Been looking at the grid lines for the rear de-mister or rear screen heater.
Some have a few breaks I think I could see at least two definite breaks in the grid lines.
The screen does clear eventually but I want the whole area covered.
Anyhow I was looking around someone on here suggested gold conductive paint is a great solution.
So I had a few searches and have came up with the idea of testing out a liquid solder or solder paste.
While this may not be the desired colour match for the grid lines if the breaks are long.
They are very short for me so won't be that noticeable hopefully.
Will let you know if this works for me or not.
Cause having only half the screen clear can be very annoying.




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Have managed to reconnect the grid lines this seems to have worked well have not yet tested with multimeter. Pretty confident that it will have good connectivity.
The problem I'm facing is the tab has now dropped off again.
Last time I managed to solder it on at one side and this was working but as the grid lines had breaks it did not clear the whole screen quickly.
I need a good way of sticking the tab in place so its sitting flat and connected securely.
I'm thinking of trying to add a small crimp connector with wire then soldering this to the tab giving me some extra cable length.
And the connector spade type could then be connected into the wire connection.
As this is rather short and does not help at all.
The solder paste will not work for the tab but I did try to fill the area that had not soldered last time and this is what cause the tab to break away.
Going to wait for a nicer day and try soldering it maybe adding a copper strip to give a better area for the tab to hold.
Or use a tab repair kit though these seem to have a lot of bad review saying they did not work.

Need to order a boot lock mech still and see what happens with that these a both important for me atm.
 
Got some rear springs and the rear door switch so I can start work at the rear shortly.
not sure when :(

The list is as follows
Rear defog tab.
Number plate fixtures and covers
Rear boot/door switch
Might not have time for but will get everything ready for the rear strut and spring replacement
then when I'm happy with the rear end add surprise sticker
 
Today my dads car won't move the breaks are seized on. He got it as far as on the drive. Then was pretty much stuck after that. I push a bit in neutral to get it back in.
I'm going to have to have a look at it. Shame really cause when I got up my car was gone and I didn't know why..
On the up side it got a good run out a few miles and he said it was spot on.

As far as I know the break calipers might need looking at on both sides and see what's sticking.
I doubt it's anything serious just stuck on due to standing.
Will do my best to make sure they are repaired over next few days and then after that I'm going to start making sure it gets moved every week so this won't happen again.



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Going to add the Wind deflectors as they are back in stock now.
Have always been wanting them but seem to go the the bottom of the list every time I think they will be useful as well as change the look for the better hopefully.
If they meet my expectations may also try as set for the corsa as they would look awesome on a carbon black car.

I'm also wanting to try out this hydrophobic ceramic wax not sure if its worth doing on mine but I guess I will find out soon enough.
Its the meguires brand so should do a decent job for the winter protection

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John_D

Club Member
Radio Code Guru
Today my dads car won't move the breaks are seized on. He got it as far as on the drive. Then was pretty much stuck after that. I push a bit in neutral to get it back in.
I'm going to have to have a look at it. Shame really cause when I got up my car was gone and I didn't know why..
On the up side it got a good run out a few miles and he said it was spot on.

As far as I know the break calipers might need looking at on both sides and see what's sticking.
I doubt it's anything serious just stuck on due to standing.
Will do my best to make sure they are repaired over next few days and then after that I'm going to start making sure it gets moved every week so this won't happen again.



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When cars have been standing a long time the most likely cause is that the faces of the disk pads stick to the face of the disk, due to moisture build up and rust. You can quite often unstick them by putting the car in forward and reverse and attempting to move in each direction, rocking the car forward and backwards which can release the pads from the disks....
 
Gonna be having a go at it tomorrow the front end lifts when he trys to pull away he said its not the first time this happen.
My theory is to just take the wheel off and see what is going on.
My photos are from the under side it looks horrible and isn't the right area to look at but give me an idea of what condition it might be in.
And as it stands it's 13 plate with only 7k on the clock..

So the micra will be on hold till further notice I really wanted to get that tab soldered back on in the time I have free.

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On a more positive note my drill has arrived and the rear springs.
So now I have 2 makita batteries 3 and 5ah.
Well chuffed with this drill it sounds like it's going to be good.
Waiting for the led light that should be handy for working on the micra in the future days.
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John_D

Club Member
Radio Code Guru
Gonna be having a go at it tomorrow the front end lifts when he trys to pull away he said its not the first time this happen.
My theory is to just take the wheel off and see what is going on.
My photos are from the under side it looks horrible and isn't the right area to look at but give me an idea of what condition it might be in.
And as it stands it's 13 plate with only 7k on the clock..

So the micra will be on hold till further notice I really wanted to get that tab soldered back on in the time I have free.

View attachment 73088View attachment 73089
Christ, my 13 year old Saab with 170K miles on the clock looks ten times better than that underneath! :eek: Has it ever been serviced in the last 7 years?
 
This has full dealership service history and I have just looked at the breaks they are fine now it's no longer sticking.
The back side always looks messy and I really would like to clean that up.
But the top and front are still like new.
So I've drove forward and backwards to give me space then lifted with jack and both wheels spin as freely as one should expect in neutral.
The only service missing is this year's because they would not come pick it up to do it due to covid 19 virus.
I would say it wants a good brush up cleaning mostly in the wheel well. And possibly the brake pads could do with renewing with a decent brand pair. This might reduce the issue of excessive brake dust.
We have discussed this and he is going to get some soon and brake cleaner so I can check them over more thoroughly and make sure the slide properly.
For now though I would say it's alright to drive and shouldn't be a problem provided he gives it a good run.
The only thing I don't like is a slight noise when braking (Provably just me because it feels different and might be heavy footed when stopping before riding up onto the pavement slabs) But I'd take it this is because its got a lot dust build up and definitely isn't as bad as it initially looked in my photos.

It's only to be expected when the car stands for month after month. Only gets to go for a run for some fuel and an odd trip out.

If other problems show after this or it becomes stuck again I shall call up my mechanic and ask him for his advice/help if this is needed in the future.
It is important that his is in working condition because its like his essential mode of transportation.
And the micra is a nice back up for emergency use as happened the other day.

Has had new shocks or springs on the front or so they said but my shots seem to say its only the spring that was changed tyres all round wiper blades and the usual oil change is what its had from new.
I think it is a real shame its not in a garage because it would still look spotless underneath if it were.
 
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Have now got the rear switch for the boot and springs I forgot to show these the other day the box says nordic on it but they are just standard rear springs I think..
I thought this would be a worthwhile thing to get because if I'm to change one item I might as well complete the job with everything.
Not 100% Sure about the switch but it looks the same.
My main aim is going to be the switch I want this to be fixed next week if I can my time is up for now tho for this week.
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Got the wind deflectors these will hopefully be fitted tomorrow with a photo.
They look bigger than I expected and are great quality product.

Can't wait to see them fitted and try them out
 
Grenico.Ltd via eBay. They were packaged well and wrapped in original packaging.
And as far as I can see they list most type of vehicles.
I'm going to get some for the corsa as well I think next.

My only gripe is the passenger side did not stick but its not a huge problem tho and was to be expected in that area.
They open and close good no messing about re adjusting them.
It's just double sided tape and I'm sure more can be added if needed.

But yeah it won't stick very well to the silicone grease that I had in place to reduce window from sticking.
Make sure to clean the runners well I used a few wet wipes and was surprised at how much muck builds up in those.
And also dry them well cause then it will stick better not much tape is given.
The clips are good that was the bit that I was unsure for because some people complaining of them scraping and another says broken window but probably that's exaggerated review.
 
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Out with old and in with new it works every time now very happy and didn't take long.
Onto the rear screen tab heating up the iron..
And we can now enjoy the detail of scratches, rust, dirt n dust.
In a 48mp resolution.


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Added the sticker after faffin on for such along time with the tab for rear screen.
Stickers are more fun to install..
Have also got the covers installed for the front suspension. Top mounts these are just stuck on for now but it's a good idea cause they will rust over winter otherwise.

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After trying that cordless impact wrench I was very impressed with it although its not the most powerful unit available it does help very much.
So I had gotten a few more tools to add to the collection and now I'm only missing the reciprocating saw and the impact driver of the two I only really want the driver.
Anyhow for those who are interested in what they are like.
The drill is amazing with alot of power on 5 ah.
The light we used last night setting up a wall mount very bright lights a whole room up easily. Shame that the material is not impact preventative.
The angle grinder I have not tested but it's going to be a multi tool like 4 in 1 so that is great.
I was not convinced at first as they could have been rubbish but after trying them I can confirm they are worth getting.
This may not be micra related but these will certainly help keep my micra running for a good while to come.
And yes none of these are the official tools..
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On the corsa. Has some bad areas where the alge builds behind the headlights. I've tryed before and failed to remove this. So had an idea to try with a wet wipe and some q-tips.
Also had to clear away alot of moss from the windows as these seem to be alive.

Any how the lights look good again its crazy but why do they put lips on the plastic. This surely does nothing but capture dust and debris that ends up blocking up and causing this horrible effect behind the light.
I didnt bother with a before picture.

I'm trying to prepare the car for its ceramic coating but it's always covered in dust and grit.

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Here is the test result from the Meguires Hydrophobic wax.
I had to wash the car down twice with warm water before I could apply this.
As the power wash did not do a great job cause last week it was really windy and was the only day I had free.
I used about half of the product so far the result is much better than it was previously.

Top of windscreen needs blasting out next and brushing did not want to risk scratching the paint but think my method would work well if I'm careful.
The main aim is to reduce the amount of washes required over winter.


This is not the micra but I will be doing that next.

Okay so now it's dry, I'm not convinced by this product. For a black metallic. (Carbon black) .
I can see the wax on the surface in areas and it looks like a poorly washed window when it drys off interesting but not what I imagined.
It was rinsed throughly after the first pass wet as the instructions advise.
The car had no wax left from previous wash as I had have done two with the usual wash shampoo that has no other wax included.
Maybe it is thick in certain area and not in others..
Now I'm thinking a reqular wax has a better effect and finish for less price but slightly more time and work although not a great deal more.
I'm interested in doing a wrap on the mirrors and eventually on roof of the micra
This would help to add a new colour I will need to find out how to remove the roof bar guttering and the plastic of the mirror if this is required.
Have tested one type of wrap and was not impressed though so need to get more experience and find the right products before starting.
My goal is to get a mirror to practice with and see what happens with that first.



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