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My 2006 1.4 Sport+

Tchaaa

Buy & Sell Member
So end of June I had an accident in my white L-reg SLX, which turned it from this..

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Into this..

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Meaning I needed a new car, and as much as I wanted another K11 my parents really didn't want me having another car that could come that close to annihilating my legs. So after some garage browsing, July 20th I picked up my 06-plate 1.4 "Cool Blue" Sport+, here's a couple pictures.

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I love it! It's got some real grunt behind it and handles beautifully. Having a few teething troubles but will go back to the dealership and get them sorted sometime soon.

My initial plans where rear window tints, lowering and some black paint on the wheels and badges, however, it's pretty low as it is, so that's off the charts and I'm somewhat out of pocket after buying it, so the tints and black badges will have to wait, decided against doing the wheels as the garage refurbed them for us between putting a deposit down and picking it up which was nice of them! Anyway, I love it, what do you think?
 
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Tchaaa

Tchaaa

Buy & Sell Member
Have my first question for the K12'ers, two actually.

1. I bought a JVC single-din CD player for my old car, and whilst the built in double-din 6-CD changer on the Sport+ is alright, it's not great. My mums 56-plate Activ has a single-din CD player but she doesn't want me swapping bits around (looked removing the CD player up on Guy's website!) anyone know of any kind of adaptor or whatnot that I could use to put it in?

2. (What I assume is) the speaker for the parking sensors fell out yesterday, can't figure out for the life of me where it came from though, looked on my mums car and couldn't find it. Stuck it to part of the boot but ideally could do with going where it's supposed to, not that it's causing me any problems though.

Other than these two little niggles It's just brilliant. My old K11 used to corner like a bouncy castle on wheels and ran out of grunt as you climbed the speedo, but this one sits flat as a pancake and there's always power when you put your foot down regardless of wether you're in the correct gear or not. I love it! Does feel mighty big compared to the tiny K11 though. Oh and power steering is the most fun thing I've ever had on a car, took it to an empty car park and was whacking it round in circles with little to no effort.
 

Guy

Has gone over to the oily side...
Club Member
Nice one Tchaaa (Y). 2011 really has seen a deluge of K12ers joining up! Be sure to visit my website and sign the guestbook (like, NOW :laugh:).
 
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Tchaaa

Tchaaa

Buy & Sell Member
Thought I'd post an update on the car. It's not been great to say the least.

Heard this rattling sound from the back, turns out the bumper wasn't clipped on at all so was just flapping about. Took it back to nissan and got the clips but they're still not on right so still rattling, grr.

When I got it home i decided to finally see if I could make the boot light work, assumed it didn't have a bulb, but no instead it was just completely disconnected. Plugged it in and now it works fine.

A more worrying issue is the problems I've been having with the electrics. On my way home the other day I found my CD player and electric mirrors didn't work, when I got home, switched the ignition off and on again, working fine. A couple days later, without my keys in the ignition and with the lights off, my friend pushed the indicator stalk to full beam as a joke, pulled it off of full beam with the lights still set to off, and the fronts went to dip beam, so switched the light thing to dip beam and the front lights went off and the back ones came on. It kept this joke up for about an hour and was even contemplating an RAC call when it decided to fix itself. About a week after this my interior light decided to play a similar game, switching the left light on when all set to off, then off when I switched the middle switch on. So, it's getting another trip to Nissan on the 19th, hooray!

To top this off, I was visiting a friend last night in Wycombe, and when I go to return to the car, it's gone. I was having horrid pictures of youth's ragging it around and then weighing it in with all my photography gear in the back, registered it stolen with the police and after about an hour they called back and said that a marker had just been put on it, as it was illegally parked and thus had been towed away.

So it's currently sitting in an impound in ruislip, slimey ####ers. I wasn't illegally parked, I had the permit on my dashboard and it should still be there as the car was completely locked up, I'm just really paranoid they've damaged it in some way whilst clamping and towing it.

So, all in all. I miss the white K11, the K12 has it's upsides but so far reliability and good luck haven't been two of them lol. Hopefully I can get it fixed, otherwise I may axe it in (I've found I can insure a 1.8l 1982 Triumph Dolomite Sprint, for £400 less than the 1.4 Micra, so it's tempting! but still a long shot :/)
 

Vitus992

Ex. Club Member
Mine did the cd and wing mirrors trick once, has been fine since quite an odd one.
Put it all down to teething troubles and the joy of second hand car ownership!
Hope you get it back in good condition thats a bit of a bummer.
 
I have one of the 1st 160SRs registered in the UK, registered as an 05 plate, and I have had no issues at all with mine except the boot rattling which is annoying but I got used to it instead of fixing it again lol

The colour is awesome man, really like the unique colours going around just now, my K12 is "cafe latte" I'll post a pic of it soon.

Hope you don't have anymore issues and I hope you get single din headunit fitted cause I wana do that too lol

Pepper
 
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Tchaaa

Tchaaa

Buy & Sell Member
K11SS, you say fixing it again... does this mean you actually know how to fix it? It's doing my head in!
I think it's a beautiful colour too, all of my friends say it's too feminine, but it's nice :)

Was speaking to a friend and instead of the single-din conversion, may just slap one of the satnav stereo things you could get as an optional extra on the K12/K13/Note, just have to find one on ebay then it's a relatively straight swap, I've used one in my friends Note and they're really nice to use, I'd retain the steering wheel controls, gain iPod control, and would never have to use my vile £40 Tom Tom One ever again.
 
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Tchaaa

Tchaaa

Buy & Sell Member
Oh also, picked the car up today in exactly the same condition as I left it, am just now £300 so will be calling to contest that in the morning!
 
Oh SatNav... I'm interested do you have a link to what you mean?

I had it fixed under warranty the 1st time after 3 months and been the same rattle the past 4 years between me and my dad driving it. I think it's a faulty design rather than it failing.

I hate you have to pay the fine THEN claim it back! If it is wrongly impounded then you should pay nothing!

Pepper
 
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Tchaaa

Tchaaa

Buy & Sell Member
Oh SatNav... I'm interested do you have a link to what you mean?

I had it fixed under warranty the 1st time after 3 months and been the same rattle the past 4 years between me and my dad driving it. I think it's a faulty design rather than it failing.

I hate you have to pay the fine THEN claim it back! If it is wrongly impounded then you should pay nothing!

Pepper

This one :)

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Nissan don't actually know what it is on mine, but it's evident that this car has been rear-ended as the repair job is awful, most of the trim inside has clips broken/doesn't attach properly, so I'm holding out that it's that. On my K11 when it had a rattle, I ended up having to replace the rear suspension.

Yeah, but the guy at the yard was literally just that, the guy who goes and gets the cars, he said he can't do anything and if I want to claim, it's head office i need to speak regarding disputes and claims.
 
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Tchaaa

Tchaaa

Buy & Sell Member
So I thought I'd do an update on the car, Nissan fixed the rattle but can't figure out the problem with the electrics until I can actually show them it (comes and goes which is a bloody pain as it always behaves when I try to take it to a garage). Otherwise apart from that it's not been going too badly, haven't used it much recently as my mum claimed it as hers when her K12 borked and she needed to get to work.

I really wish I had been allowed to go for another K11, infact when we took my mums K12 into be fixed I actually saw a bright red K11 L and if it hadn't been covered in rust I would have been tempted to have sprung for it and retrofitted it with bits off my old SLX. Also had a look around a K11 in the most beautiful purpley black colour, had a bit of a look around and it seems to take lots of cues from the K11 as opposed to the K12 (Dial arrangement, Sensible/Comfortable Seats etc.).

Why you ask? Well I may just be being cynical here but I think the K11 is better far too many aspects. It's cheaper to insure and tax. It's more economical, More comfortable, Easier to throw round country lanes, It's got a much better driving position, It's even more reliable. The K12 has been doing my head in on each of these aspects.
 

r-reg-sr

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Site Supporter
i was gonna say,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, you've said it already
my k11's so low it feels like Lamborghini . i am getting to where i wanna be,,,,,,,slowly :grinning:
 
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Tchaaa

Tchaaa

Buy & Sell Member
i was gonna say,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, you've said it already
my k11's so low it feels like Lamborghini . i am getting to where i wanna be,,,,,,,slowly :grinning:

It's not that my K12 doesn't lack ground clearance, it's actually pretty low without any mods (though that doesn't stop me pondering some 35mm lowering springs!) It's just it's such a stupid shape and driving position that it's always really tall compared to a K11.

My K11 is now actually down to a shell and so it's sitting like a landrover and yet it's still about the same height as my K12 lol
 
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Tchaaa

Tchaaa

Buy & Sell Member
Long awaited update soon! Ordered a dashboard part off a write-off C+C sport today and they say I should be able to pick it up tomorrow, at which point I'll be able to fit my old JVC stereo, and finally get the CD out of there that's been stuck in there since I crashed my K11 in july!
 
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Tchaaa

Tchaaa

Buy & Sell Member
So at about half 1 today I got the call from ASM in Thame that my part was ready to collect. So popped down there and picked it up! Upon returning home I gave it a quick clean and then set to installing it. However I was trying to rush it as I was running out of light and everything went wrong a couple times so there's not that many photos. Will post some better ones tomorrow in the daylight!

First assembly of the new unit (went on to be first of many!)

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Dashboard apart, as per Guy's guide at micrak12.com

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New Stereo all fitted, again cruddy night time quality iPhone pics. Better ones tomorrow

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So that's that! Only encountered a few problems like not being given any screws for the new dashboard part, bending the metal inside the new dashboard part, and dropping a screw inside my dashboard that will no doubt rattle for the rest of my ownership. Also the bolts for the brackets at the top didn't line up with one another, so I've just left them out. It seems to be fairly secure as is.

End of story, if you like stealing car stereos, and you see a K12 micra parked next to a K11, go for the K11 a million times over, I managed to get my remove/refit time down to about 10 minutes on that!
 

Guy

Has gone over to the oily side...
Club Member
I might go for this, it looks ace. I bought a silly double DIN thing for mine and I've never really liked it. A cubby hole with a single DIN looks much better :).
 
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Tchaaa

Tchaaa

Buy & Sell Member
I might go for this, it looks ace. I bought a silly double DIN thing for mine and I've never really liked it. A cubby hole with a single DIN looks much better :).

The only thing that this is missing is steering wheel controls but it's got two iPod inputs (one which I will be showing off later, done a note style input in the cubby hole!) MP3 CD support meaning I can fit over 100 songs to one CD and get names on the display, I can plug in a bluetooth adapter if I buy one, and the amp is just incredible, it sounds so much better, on the K11 speakers it was like I'd splashed the cash on some name brand ones, and it still does alright in the K12 with their rattly weak speakers. I'm loving it and I haven't even been for a drive yet!

If you're thinking of going single-din, I'd highly reccomend the JVC KD-R range, mine is the KD-R321 which is second from bottom, but the next one up has usb support and whatnot.
 

Guy

Has gone over to the oily side...
Club Member
I bought my double DIN Pioneer because it played DVDs and had iPod connectivity. I since realised that there is no situation EVER when I want to watch a DVD in the car and I don't own an i- anything... The only feature I would deed is an SD card reader. I have my entire collection on a 16GB and it lives in the head unit :).
 
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Tchaaa

Tchaaa

Buy & Sell Member
I bought my double DIN Pioneer because it played DVDs and had iPod connectivity. I since realised that there is no situation EVER when I want to watch a DVD in the car and I don't own an i- anything... The only feature I would deed is an SD card reader. I have my entire collection on a 16GB and it lives in the head unit :).

I was very tempted by something like that, when looking at a double-din unit I almost sprung and got one that's practically the same as my single-din but with bluetooth built in and a usb port so I could put a whopping great USB stick on there and have my entire collection on there. Minus the bloody DRM'd stuff atleast.
 
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Tchaaa

Tchaaa

Buy & Sell Member
So another update with decent pictures as promised. Took my DSLR out there but it was in a funny mood, so they're a bit off focus and exposure wise but better than the iPhone rubbish from yesterday.

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And now for my little mod, spotted a sharp object in my kitchen whilst assembling the new centre console, and the debate as to where I should put my rear input was resolved! I could put it in the pocket. Punched a really rather crude, jeremy clarkson-esque hole in it, put the cable through and tah dah! Just like the Nissan Note has it!

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Went for a drive for the first time with it this morning, sounds sweet, but the bolt I dropped inside the dashboard is rattling so I can see myself disassembling the entire one day in the near future to find it. The other thing is the steering wheel controls, I knew the ones relating to the stereo wouldn't work, it being a given as this head unit doesn't support them out of the box and they're not plugged in, but interestingly the little 'i' button on the steering wheel that controls the trip computer. Bit peeved about that, anyone know a fix?

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So that's my first mod done! Now that the weather appears to be getting a bit more positive the time is finally coming to sort out my front bumper and give it a good clean! (it's so filthy, and it shows up so much on a light colour like this!) The plan is to (for now atleast) just take the bumper off and pop it back into shape, so that it's just a line instead of a gouge out of the bumper. That way the driver's side arch will sit properly too, so I can finally relieve the tape holding the splitter on!

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Tchaaa

Tchaaa

Buy & Sell Member
Not much has happened with the car lately. It's only broken down once which is really not too bad for this car, and it turns out it was just some hail that had hammered it's way into the radiator mid-storm and started to burn off. There's a few plans for the car however!

I got annoyed with the yellow lights not matching the blue of the car, so I looked on ebay for pure white lights. I found a xenon kit that came with main headlights, sidelights and fog lights for a tenner, but decided against it for the moment and instead ordered some LED sidelights instead, I think they'll be a better option as opposed to a normal incandescent bulb and can always get the other lights sorted later on, so when they come later this week I'll fit them up and see how they look, if I don't like them they can always go in the interior or boot lights.

Plan 2: As previously mentioned I lost my trip computer steering wheel button, and browsing on the note forum the other day (my dad has one and had a question so I signed up) I found a fix for it, you simply have to conjoin two wires and it apparently works. I'm just waiting for a break in the rain as it's been pissing it down all the time lately, and also I need the help of a friend as he has a soldering iron. So will report with a how-to guide when I actually do it.

Finally is a bit of repair. Through what I can only suspect is a bit too much bass from the speaker in the passenger side door, I'm assuming a bolt or a clip or something has rattled loose on the window. Only half it winds up and down properly and I can hear something sliding about in the door when I accelerate/brake/corner. So again, waiting for a dry day so I can take the door card off and investigate.

Until then friends, I shall leave you with a photo.

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Tchaaa

Tchaaa

Buy & Sell Member
So yesterday I fitted the LED sidelights.

Before:
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Bulbs in and test.

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Comparison Between New and Old

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and Done!

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Apologies for the picture whoring on such a minor thing but I don't often do mods to my car so thought I might treat you all. I think they look loads better, now I've just got to do the others to match!

Tried to do the info button fix I found on the Note Owners Forum, but the wiring is different on the Micra. Using the wiring diagram that Guy supplied me with I'm going to have another go sometime this week, once I've made heads or tails of it.
 
Are you allowed in UK to tint the headlights all the way ? I didn`t tint mines fully ... as been worried of police stopping me ..
 
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Tchaaa

Tchaaa

Buy & Sell Member
Are you allowed in UK to tint the headlights all the way ? I didn`t tint mines fully ... as been worried of police stopping me ..

All cars with the SR Kit (160SR, Sport+, Activ), and I think the Tekna too came with tinted headlights as standard, (they where actually one of my requirements in a K12), the only modifications I've made are the LED's and maybe some day soon, I'll sort the main beams and fogs to match them!
 

Guy

Has gone over to the oily side...
Club Member
I was thinking that the other day too. One of the things I rally miss about the 160SR :).
 
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Tchaaa

Tchaaa

Buy & Sell Member
I was thinking that the other day too. One of the things I rally miss about the 160SR :).
I think you should try tinting your facelift lights guy! Could create a facelift sport pack! Your indicator surrounds look pretty good since being painted.
 
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Tchaaa

Tchaaa

Buy & Sell Member
So this car's time with me is coming to an end - I've put down a deposit on my first non-micra car! More details once finance and insurance has been sorted out, but internet points for anyone who wants to guess! But I'm definitely going to be sticking around the MSC as the appropriate forum was a bit... mediocre.
 

Enuo

Glorified Electrician
So this car's time with me is coming to an end - I've put down a deposit on my first non-micra car! More details once finance and insurance has been sorted out, but internet points for anyone who wants to guess! But I'm definitely going to be sticking around the MSC as the appropriate forum was a bit... mediocre.
You mean we're an entertaining madhouse? :D
 

skymera

Brutal Honesty
So this car's time with me is coming to an end - I've put down a deposit on my first non-micra car! More details once finance and insurance has been sorted out, but internet points for anyone who wants to guess! But I'm definitely going to be sticking around the MSC as the appropriate forum was a bit... mediocre.
Blates a Corsa D or Vauxhall Adam ;)
 
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Tchaaa

Tchaaa

Buy & Sell Member
Blates a Corsa D or Vauxhall Adam ;)
I learnt to drive in a Corsa D and found it a bit... numb and boring. My sister is however looking at buying one so I did go on a test drive with her in one.

Think bigger, but not much bigger, like Astra competitor.
 
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Tchaaa

Tchaaa

Buy & Sell Member
Focus eco boost

Focus is about the right size/class, but not a focus! In other news just found out that if my finance can get sorted in time I might be able to pick it up this weekend, is a 300 mile round trip to get to the dealer though :(
 

skymera

Brutal Honesty
Focus is about the right size/class, but not a focus! In other news just found out that if my finance can get sorted in time I might be able to pick it up this weekend, is a 300 mile round trip to get to the dealer though :(
No worries. You'll get good mileage in the Fiat 500 on the return trip ;)

Am I right? :D

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk
 
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Tchaaa

Tchaaa

Buy & Sell Member
Okay I'm gonna let the cat out of the bag as I'm excited.
No worries. You'll get good mileage in the Fiat 500 on the return trip ;)

Am I right? :D

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

Sadly not! I'll give you all some final clues before I pick it up this weekend (excited!)

It's Japanese, Alcantara covered interior, and older generations of it shared their DNA with a Rover
 

skymera

Brutal Honesty
Final guess is a Honda Civic, either FA/FG/FK/FN/FD

Okay I'm gonna let the cat out of the bag as I'm excited.


Sadly not! I'll give you all some final clues before I pick it up this weekend (excited!)

It's Japanese, Alcantara covered interior, and older generations of it shared their DNA with a Rover
 
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