New Owner - Questions from a simpleton

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SkunkMunkey3000

Hi everyone!

I picked up my K12 in November to replace a loyal but elderly Puma, I have a 2003 1.2S (called Boris) which only had 24k on the clock. Unfortunately I only have an MOT certificate and log book so don't know much about the car. It came from a family friend so I don't have any doubts that it has been serviced for the last couple of years (although the previous owner could only tell me it had a BIG service this year and a little service last year, so don't know the cam belt history).

Due to a lack of a manual I do have a couple of questions (if anyone has a link to the manual this would be much appreciated, I have Guys link to the ESM which is great for fixing things but not so good for standard features and I need an idiots guide).

Firstly, is there a way to lock the car without activating the alarm? I sometimes have to leave the dog in the car briefly and want to lock it so she doesn't get stolen but don't want to activate the alarm. In the Puma you could double-lock and single-lock but I don't know if the Micra has the same option?

Also, is it normal for the passenger door/boot to unlock only if you press the key fob twice? The driver door on the first click everytime but the others seem a bit more temperamental and often need multiple clicks before they unlock.

I also need a driver side headlight assembly (mines a bit fogged up and was an advisory on the last MOT) and a passenger side wing mirror cover (the last one was stolen about a week before I got the car). I know these bits will be available on ebay but I've always found forums to be a good source of parts and would always prefer to deal with someone who has an interest in the car at hand.

Also wondered if theres anything I should look out for and any common problems? (I already found out yesterday that the wiper linkage is a bit fragile - the wiper assembly is currently sitting in my porch awaiting delivery of the new linkage).

Sorry for the long post but any help is very much appreciated.

Ian
 
Thanks for the quick response, are there any warning signs that the chain is on the way out, the engine is pretty quiet and smooth so I'm hoping its been done and has plenty of life left in it yet.

Another thing I just thought of, I have a very annoying rattle when doing 60mph+, I think I have diagnosed this as a small piece of plastic trim on the bottom of the pillar (on the outside next to the windscreen), I've pushed it back in a bit firmer but when removing the scuttle plate its come loose again. Do I need to reattach or can it just sit in the glovebox and be forgotten about?
 
the cam and crank sensors go out of sync when the chain has stretched ian, and you get erratic running long before the chain gets to rattle
 
Cool, thank you. Mine runs smoothly so is hopefully good for now, the only slight wobble it has is when I try to go into 5th at about 30 before the engines warmed up - other than that it seems like a happy little car.
 
By no means no expert, But I'll try my best to answer some of your questions.

1. Most K12s don't have alarms, it was an optional extra so yours might but a majority just have immobilizers.
2. The drivers door unlocking with the first click, and everything else with two means your car has been put into 'anti-hijack mode' if you hold down both buttons on your key for a few seconds the hazards should flash quickly and from then on, one push of the unlock button will unlock all doors/the boot at once.
3. Due to the fact that most of the K12 is made from plastic and held together with clips, you're going to get rattles mine drives me mad, if anything is really loose then there's always the option of replacing it, had loads of boot trim redone on mine as, once I got it moving the rattling was sending me up the wall!

As for the headlight assembly/wing mirror cover I'd personally say that you're right in thinking ebay is your best bet, however I think there is a 'wanted' section on here, and if you're willing to splash out a bit, Nissan could probably get you a genuine brand new part :)

Hope that helps!
 
Thanks Tchaaa, Is there an obvious way to tell if theres an alarm (other than just locking myself in and waiting to see if I get deafened a few minutes later)?

Anti-hijack mode has now been disabled and being lazy I can now happily save the effort of pressing a button twice :)

I'm going to leave the piece of trim off for the moment, just not sure if it'll cause problems if it lets water pool under the windscreen but I'll keep an eye out.

I'll have a look in the wanted section but not in much of a rush, the MOT said the light output wasn't affected by the light being cloudy.

I'll think the I'll pass on the OEM parts, saw the price they wanted for the wiper linkage, ordered one off Amazon for £30 yesterday and its just arrived (although I may change my mind on that if I have too many issues fitting it!).
 
Don't get your hopes up mate, mine's about to get it's second linkage - main fault is either no wipers or the wipers bang into the bottom panel on each stroke. Btw, it's a bit of a tradition among K12sers to blame Renault for any dodgey bits on K12s as it's essentially just a current shape Renault Clio :D.
 
Blaming the French sounds like a good plan to me (maybe the linkages just surrender at the though of cold weather!), although I'd still take my girlfriends 172 over the Micra any day!
 
SkunkMunkey3000 said:
Thanks Tchaaa, Is there an obvious way to tell if theres an alarm (other than just locking myself in and waiting to see if I get deafened a few minutes later)?

Anti-hijack mode has now been disabled and being lazy I can now happily save the effort of pressing a button twice :)

I'm going to leave the piece of trim off for the moment, just not sure if it'll cause problems if it lets water pool under the windscreen but I'll keep an eye out.

I'll have a look in the wanted section but not in much of a rush, the MOT said the light output wasn't affected by the light being cloudy.

I'll think the I'll pass on the OEM parts, saw the price they wanted for the wiper linkage, ordered one off Amazon for £30 yesterday and its just arrived (although I may change my mind on that if I have too many issues fitting it!).
Click to expand...

I think that's the only way to find out really, but like I said quite rare that they have them, but it was an optional extra so there's a small chance. My old K11 had an alarm, and I knew about this as it used to be my grandad's car so I'd set it off a few times as a child just "wondering what this button did" but was made aware of just how bloody loud it was by my friend whom I'd given my alarm/central locking button to so he could get in whilst I grabbed a drink for the road at McDonalds, he then decided it would be a great idea to lock me out and him inside with the keyfob, meaning that when I opened the door with the key, 120 decibels of pain unleashed itself upon everyone in the near vicinity. *sigh*
 
Think I'll leave discovering if it has an alarm for another day, don't really fancy being deaf.

Also, just noticed something else...

When testing the wipers I decided to fire her up as she's been parked for a couple of days. first attempt it couldn't hold the revs and cut out - figure this is hopefully just due to being sat in the cold. On the second attempt I gave it a few revs which seemed to do the trick, however I still had the bonnet open and noticed the engined jolted a little bit when being revved, sat perfectly still when idling but moved maybe an inch or so when revved. Don't know if this is usual on Micra's but thought it was worth checking, probably just how its mounted but better to be safe I guess.
 
Check all your vacuum lines are secure. When I *ahem* accidentally left the vac line to the brake booster unplugged, I thought the engine was trying to remove itself from the car :oops:.
 
For the alarm if you lock the car with one of the doors open it will emit a buzzing sound thats the easiest way to find out as the sien location is behind the drivers side trim in the back i'm lucky enough to have one fitted
 

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