Nissan Primera P12 Front Member & brakes Help

Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic

   Hi everyone. I took my car into National Tyres for a free health check and they said that the front cross member needs welding as its corroding and the rear driver side brake is binding. They told me that if the rear driver side brake is just a clean of the brakes that resolves it maybe it'll just be £50 but if its the caliper its £100 alone for the caliper. I just wanted to know i haven't taken them up on their 'estimated quotations' as they claim they can only give me a price once they 'open and look' at everything apparently.Roughly from the above stated what is a fair price for everything and are these huge major issues that I shouldn't drive the car ?

Author	Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic
MasterRS Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List NPOC Guest Joined: 29 Mar 2011 Online Status: Points: 331	Post Options Post Reply Quote MasterRS Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Nissan Primera P12 Front Member & brakes Help Posted: 22 Oct 2014 at 2:20pm
	Hi everyone. I took my car into National Tyres for a free health check and they said that the front cross member needs welding as its corroding and the rear driver side brake is binding. They told me that if the rear driver side brake is just a clean of the brakes that resolves it maybe it'll just be £50 but if its the caliper its £100 alone for the caliper. I just wanted to know i haven't taken them up on their 'estimated quotations' as they claim they can only give me a price once they 'open and look' at everything apparently. Roughly from the above stated what is a fair price for everything and are these huge major issues that I shouldn't drive the car ?

redshark1 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List NPOC Guest Joined: 31 Mar 2007 Location: Yorkshire (West) Online Status: Points: 1826	Post Options Post Reply Quote redshark1 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 22 Oct 2014 at 9:13pm
	What they say is probably true. I would check the rot so see if it is as bad as they say. I assume you mean the radiator support panel also called the front panel. If it indeed rotted away it will be around £400 for an new aftermarket part fitted as there is a lot of work involved. They should cut the new part and weld the bottom half in to replace the rotted lower half. The top of the old panel should be fine so there won't need to be as much dismantling. http://www.npoc.co.uk/forum/nissan-primera-p12-front-crossmember-issue_topic36054_page1.html I would also check the brake by rotating the wheel. If the brakes have not been maintained recently its likely that the caliper needs replacing. I paid £50 for one from a supplier on eBay so you could look there if you want, but £100 from a garage seems a normal price to me and £50 labour seems reasonable. Its well worth maintaining your own brakes to keep them clean, lubricated and operating freely. This is comparatively easy to do and there is a "How To" on this site.
	See my Nissan Primera P11-144 common faults and fixes guide:

MasterRS Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List NPOC Guest Joined: 29 Mar 2011 Online Status: Points: 331	Post Options Post Reply Quote MasterRS Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 23 Oct 2014 at 5:19pm
	Well I've tried to maintain the vehicle as much as I can while I could afford it with services and MOT etc and regular health checks.I did get told there was a lot of corrosion due to its age (12 years old)..From what I understood they were saying it could be welded the front cross member..national were telling me though that they can't give me a guaranteed price until the works done is this normal and would you consider it justified?So the front cross member is a big job and about £400 to fix? The brakes £100..so altogether I'd be looking at £500? I was thinking about upgrading the next year so this has made me think a bit now.. They have a few coupons on their site and offer student discount..I wonder if these would be useful.

MasterRS Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List NPOC Guest Joined: 29 Mar 2011 Online Status: Points: 331	Post Options Post Reply Quote MasterRS Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 23 Oct 2014 at 5:27pm
	Hi thanks for the links they helped..but how would i check the cross member corrosion to see if its bad and what would i look for?

redshark1 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List NPOC Guest Joined: 31 Mar 2007 Location: Yorkshire (West) Online Status: Points: 1826	Post Options Post Reply Quote redshark1 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 23 Oct 2014 at 8:01pm
	On mine I can see bits of the radiator support panel from the front of the car through the grille, from under the bonnet and rather more from underneath the car. With the bumper off it is much much clearer what condition it is in so I would recommend you do this. The garage will not have taken the bumper off so you will have a much better idea than them if you do this. You are looking to see if the corrosion has weakened the panel significantly and to see if the radiator is attached securely at its lower mounting points. If the panel has rotted badly it will need replacing, but do check well as it may be plenty solid enough for a few more years as mine is. I have had the radiator secured with bolts by a good friend on the forum as the radiator brackets had corroded. Here's a view of the bottom of my support panel (where the rot is usually worse) from under bonnet: The brakes will cost you £150 (£100 for caliper and £50 labour) if there is nothing more needed than a new caliper. In my experience job estimates only go upwards which is why I do as much work myself as I can. Its often impossible to say exactly what will need doing and how long it will take but most garages will give an estimate and update you if they need to do more work if you tell them they need your authorisation before more work can go ahead. Here is a pic of a new radiator support panel going in:
	See my Nissan Primera P11-144 common faults and fixes guide:

p11primeragt Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List NPOC Guest Joined: 29 Jul 2011 Online Status: Points: 18750	Post Options Post Reply Quote p11primeragt Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 23 Oct 2014 at 8:25pm
	Very common area to rust on a lot of Nissans.

MasterRS Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List NPOC Guest Joined: 29 Mar 2011 Online Status: Points: 331	Post Options Post Reply Quote MasterRS Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 23 Oct 2014 at 8:49pm
	I see thank you so much for the help. So i'd be looking at the back or the front of the vehicle for rust? From what I understood the radiator is at the front right? I'm debating wether to leave these 'health check warnings' until next year and sell the car or get them done to be honest..

redshark1 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List NPOC Guest Joined: 31 Mar 2007 Location: Yorkshire (West) Online Status: Points: 1826	Post Options Post Reply Quote redshark1 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 23 Oct 2014 at 9:01pm
	Front of car, yes! What you need to do is check them yourself as I described above and then you can make the judgement. Pretty simple really. Or, you need a friend to check them out. Or, you need a mechanic you know and trust. Or, you are in the hands of a garage that may well do what is in your interest but I have found that some do what is in their interest and charge accordingly. But I'd say you need your brake sorting asap if it is binding as it will only get worse. You could always get the garage to show you the binding brake and corroded support panel and see if you agree!
	See my Nissan Primera P11-144 common faults and fixes guide:

p11primeragt Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List NPOC Guest Joined: 29 Jul 2011 Online Status: Points: 18750	Post Options Post Reply Quote p11primeragt Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 23 Oct 2014 at 9:02pm
	Front end,directly under the radiator.

MasterRS Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List NPOC Guest Joined: 29 Mar 2011 Online Status: Points: 331	Post Options Post Reply Quote MasterRS Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 23 Oct 2014 at 9:04pm
	The brakes for £150 I'll get done definitely, as I did what you said about circulating the wheel and they were making a noise (rear brakes) and thats clearly a question of safety. I'm going to check this corrosion however tomorrow and upload pics for you guys opinion? Will you help me? Just am no good at DIY..thanks