We are expecting our second child in January and I want to get a crossover vehicle. I like the styling of the Edge, but research shows that a model upgrade is due in 2011. I also like the Nissan Murano, but I am worried that next year will be a big leap forward in auto technology.

Nissan servicing is now much cheaper, for those in the know. Thanks to European legislation, you no longer have to be tied to high Nissan service costs, dictated by your local dealer.

In October 2003 new European legislation affecting the motor industry came into force called “Block Exemption Regulation” 14002002 (BER), and this now means that you can book your next Nissan van service online and save up to 50% on what you might pay at your local Nissan dealer.

Before the law changed it was difficult to have new vans within their warranty period serviced outside a franchised dealer. If you wanted to shop around for the best prices on Nissan van servicing, your hands were tied. The change in the law now gives every van owner the freedom to service their van away from the main dealers, and still have their warranty protected.

Thousands of Nissan van owners have now taken advantage of their new right and reduced their Nissan serving costs, whilst benefiting from the convenience of booking with national van service providers such as Service A Van.

Service A Van is a leading online van servicing network that prides itself on the quality of its Nissan servicing, their customer service and transparent pricing. Because the company is not tied to any particular van manufacturer, they are able to service any make of vehicle and compete freely in the market, on a like-for-like.

Every vehicle is rigorously serviced according to the manufacturer’s servicing schedule, using genuine recommended parts fitted by qualified technicians. This means that every Nissan van service fulfils the warranty criteria and there is no compromise on the servicing standards of a main dealer.

Companies like Service A Van, who fulfil the warranty criteria when servicing your Nissan, are able to maintain your service book, just as main dealer can – thereby protecting your warranty and helping you to maximise the resale value of your Nissan van.

Of course, booking direct with a national van servicing network has its own advantages:

• You no longer have to do all the running around. Service A Van collects your Nissan in the morning and delivers it back that afternoon, free of charge

• You pay a fixed Nissan service price, which can be up to 50% below the price at the Nissan servicing desk of your local dealer

• No additional work is vanried out without your agreement, which means no nasty surprises when it comes to paying the bill

• Trained Customer Advisers are on hand throughout the day to keep you informed of progress, and report back on problems you asked to be investigated as part of your Nissan service e.g. knocks and rattles

• Your Nissan service includes a free wash and vacuum clean

• You simply pay with your credit or debit vand and your van is delivered back to your home or work address.

Our advice for saving money on Nissan van servicing is to contact a national van servicing network, who is not tied to any one particular van manufacturer, like Service A Van.

So, before you book your next Nissan van service, why not ask your local dealer to tell you the cost of the service (plus parts, oil and any extras) and then compare it with a fixed price quote from a national servicing network, like Service A Van?

Happy motoring,

Howard.

Chairman Service A Van



By: Howard Thomas

About the Author:

As the global community become increasingly aware of the global warming threat, the auto industry is hard at work to develop new technologies to be used on automobiles to make them more environments friendly. Nissan, the third largest Japanese car manufacturer, has already taken steps to help protect the environment. The company has released its Green Program which covers the steps they will take until the end of this decade. While the said program was announced last year, this year saw the company taking the necessary steps to achieve their goal.

One of the developments being pursued by Nissan is the production of a three-liter vehicle. The number means not the displacement of the car’s internal combustion engine but the amount of fuel it will consume for every 100 kilometers. If Nissan can succeed to produce a car with fuel efficiency as that, they would pull in front of both Honda and Toyota in terms of fuel efficiency.

Converted to gas mileage, the proposed car will have a rating of a little more than 94 mpg. This may be an ambitious plan but Nissan has proven that they have what it takes to develop advanced technologies for their vehicles. While there is not a word yet from Nissan as to how the development of the three-liter car is going, the auto industry is waiting eagerly for the result.

With gas mileage such as that, even the fuel miser hybrid vehicles will be left far behind. The class leading Toyota Prius has a gas mileage rating of 51 mpg for city driving and 60 mpg for highway driving according to the Environmental Protection Agency or EPA. Even if that rating is true in real-world driving, it still falls short of the 94 mpg that the three-liter car will have. Aside from the three-liter vehicle, Nissan is also planning to add more flex-fuel vehicles to their current lineup. These vehicles will be able to run not only on gasoline but also on E85 - a combination of gasoline and bio-ethanol. Currently, most of Nissan’s flex-fuel vehicles are designed to run on E10, a fuel composed of ten percent bio-ethanol and 90 percent gasoline.

One Nissan vehicle already being sold in the United States auto market capable of running on 85 percent bio-ethanol is the Nissan Armada. In Brazil where bio-ethanol is abundant, Nissan will be marketing a vehicle which will be able to run on 100 percent bio-ethanol, eliminating its dependence on fossil fuels. In the United States, it would take a longer time for a Nissan vehicle capable of running on 100 percent bio-ethanol to be marketed. The reason for this is the scarcity of refilling station in the United States which offers bio-ethanol. In fact, this lack of refilling station is seen as a big problem for flex-fuel vehicles in the U.S. In fact, a recent study shows that 99 percent of flex-fuel vehicles on America’s road run on gasoline which beats the purpose of the vehicle.

Nissan is also committed to the development of technologies which will reduce carbon dioxide emissions. One of the technologies being used by Nissan to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases by their vehicles is the continuously variable transmission (CVT). This gearbox provides an almost infinite number of gear ratios between two preset gear ratios. This means that less power is wasted which translates to better fuel economy. Reduced amount of fuel being burned means lower greenhouse gas produced. The company also uses different exhaust gas filter s which treats the emission to make it safe for the environment in its route from the combustion chamber to the Nissan exhaust pipes.

Another technology being considered by the Japanese car manufacturer is the gas electric hybrid technology. While Nissan Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn has expressed that hybrids are still impractical to both consumers and manufacturers, the company has already released a hybrid version of the Nissan Altima in the United States auto market. The powertrain used by the Altima hybrid is sourced from an independent supplier. Nissan is already developing a hybrid powertrain of their own and has announced that they will make it available in the market by the year 2010.

Further proof of Nissan’s commitment to the production of green cars is the opening of their new technology center in Japan. The said facility located in Atsugi at the Kanagawa Prefecture is where Nissan is developing advanced lithium-ion battery packs. The said battery technology will be use on their future hybrid vehicles. The said battery packs are lighter and more powerful than the current nickel-metal hydride battery packs that are used by hybrid vehicles. The former can also be used on fuel-cell vehicles although Nissan has not yet expressed their intention to build one. Ghosn said that diesel and flex-fuel vehicles are the most practical alternative fuel technology today.



By: RyanThomas

About the Author: