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May 2011 - Tran$porter (P12)

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    Posted: 30 Apr 2011 at 3:37pm
Congratulations on winning May 2011 COTM Fraser! It’s not often we get to see a Nissan Primera P12 featured but you and your car are sooooo deserving! How does it feel bagging this exclusive award and the awesome COTM trophy as well?

Totally gob smacked!! Very surprised and of course extremely proud. It didn’t sink in straight away, but once the shiny trophy arrived in the post (well sealed and packed!) it took pride of place in the trophy cabinet! It really is an honor to receive an award that so many members truly deserve.
 
 
 
Before we talk cars, modifications and mechanics, we’d love to find out about you the owner. Please tell us about yourself and what you get up to, away from the NPOC.
 
My name is Fraser, I’m a 42 year old chap living on the outskirts of Manchester.  Also in the house is Michelle (WhIpLa$h on here) and of course the inimitable Max Puppy (not so puppyish now tho!)
 
I have had a varied career path. I left school and qualified as an HGV / PLG mechanic, progressed to Robert Bosch Gmbh where I qualified as a Diagnostic Systems Technician. After this I worked as a rolling road engine tuner for 8 years, eventually owning my own garage. From there I went onto be a ‘Rocket Scientist’ for Starchaser UK, spreading science knowledge around the UK and USA based students, aided by a 40 foot, flown, space rocket to make the job a little bit easier. Things changed quickly as the recession started to bite and I took a more stable and better paid job as an HGV driver for Smurfit Kappa the paper recyclers, in addition to driving I also produce their daily traffic plan for all the vehicles and head up the driver training department.
 
Personal interests include motorcycling as often as possible. I do a reasonable amount of work for charities, the national road rally for Mencap, the Christmas toy run for the Salvation Army and the Easter egg run for children stuck in hospitals etc. I’m an avid follower of Formula 1, MotoGP, World Superbikes Series, all motorsport really! I dabble in computers and IT, other than that it’s just work, work, work.
 
  
 
How did you find the NPOC forums and are we any good? Would you happily recommend the club to other Nissan Primera owners?.
 
About a week after buying the Primera, I had to install a hands free mobile phone kit for work. I knew that Nissan provided a kit so went and purchased the model that Nissan suggested based on chassis no. etc. Once home I discovered to my horror (£250.00 spent) that none of the connectors were compatible.
 
So I began an internet search looking for some knowledge and maybe a little bit of solace. I seem to remember typing “Nissan Primera HELP club” and you guys were top of the Google listings. A couple of clicks later followed by a short registration (free I might add!). I posted the question regarding the phone.  Within minutes welcomes flooded my Inbox, accompanied by some very factual and helpful suggestions. That was it, I was hooked and I began reading with interest through the forums and was amazed to find it was like a good book that you just can’t put down. So I joined and have never looked back since. It wasn’t until the first meet that I attended that I understood what a wide cross section of people made up the club, all of them sharing one common interest, the Primera or was it “getting hammered!!”
 
As far as recommendations go I must admit that I have become a bit of a Jehovah’s Witness about the whole world of Primeras and the NPOC. Wildly thrusting my beliefs in the wealth of such a good car and car club on poor unsuspecting owners. Sometimes this behavior is met with horror and distain, but most of the time people are simply surprised to find the Primera even has a following!
 

 
You’re an Elite Member here (our highest level of paying membership), are you getting value for money with that? And please sell us the reason, why everyone should become Elite.
 
Oh absolutely, no question! The princely sum of £4.00 per month will only just buy you a Big Mac meal from McDonalds (other restaurants are available!), in return for this you receive discounts from most entry tickets to meets and events, discount on merchandise and a party at JAE every year with all food and drink provided for free! If you visit enough events through the year you can even make a profit from being a member of this fantastic club – It’s a complete no brainer!!
 
 
You jumped into the Derv boosted Nissan Primera P12 from BMW’s very rare flagship E38 model, the 5.4 litre V12 750iL super saloon with a stupid amount of power and technology! So how does the P12 cut it? Would you ever return to the Euro car scene?
 
How I came to own the P12 is a strange story. Nissans had never really caught my attention. I have always chosen the luxury car market. The BMW 750il is without doubt the sleekest, most well equipped and insanely quick car I have ever owned but unfortunately I’m not Donald Trump and don’t yet own two offshore oil rigs, so there came a point three years ago when £120.00 for a tank of fuel that barley got me to work and back for the week was no longer a viable option, however I didn’t want to sacrifice the level of equipment I had become used to.
 
So I went to Google (other search engines are available!) and armed with a list of specification the BMW was equipped with began looking for a car like the 750il that gave more than 40mpg. Top of the list was the Nissan Primera P12 SVE.  After a few unsuccessful test drives I found one in the darkest depths of Lincolnshire at a Nissan dealership. The salesman advised me that the advertised car was a 35,000 mile, 1 owner and fully dealership serviced 2004 ‘facelift’ model that had just arrived in stock from a trade in. He advised that the car was immaculate except for a scratch in the front bumper. I bit the bullet and bought it over the phone on a debit card. I collected her a week later and have never looked back since. 
 
The lack of performance took a little while to get used to, but that said the P12 is no slouch and happily delivers what I ask of her. As to whether I would return to the Euro car market I’m unsure as I’ve grown to love this little car and have never found a vehicle that I am completely happy with. So until she fails completely she has a home with me.
 
 
 
I seem to recall you may have another vehicle or 2 besides the P12, tell us more..
 
Top of this list would have to be the beautiful bright yellow 1999 Honda VFR800Fi which I bought to sell on because it was ‘cheap as chips’ but completely fell in love with on the ride home. She now comes out to play on every free sunny Sunday afternoon I have. Backing up the Honda on not so sunny Sunday’s is a very retro and rare 1983 Suzuki GS450E.
 
Other than the P12 and the 750il is a 1991 Range Rover Vogue SE in beautiful British racing green. This old girl rarely makes an appearance on the highway anymore but does go out on the occasional 4x4 fundays and also assists the local police in tugging out the cars they so frequently seem to get stuck in the field opposite my house whilst chasing adventurous joy riders! 
 
In addition to this useful fleet is a 2008 44 tone Scania R series 420hp artic.  Although this vehicle is not strictly owned by me, I felt I had to mention her because I’ve had her from new and most definitely drive her more than all the other vehicles put together, covering an average of 100,000 miles a year.
 
 
 
You have some subtle and choice modifications on this car (which we’ll cover later) but the Nissan Primera P12 as a whole is often overlooked by the “traditional car modifiers”, is this down to a lack of aftermarket options or is the P12 the Primera no one wants to modify?
 
Personally I feel it’s down to the owners. The traditional P12 owner seems either to want to screw in a taxi meter or grace the rear parcel shelf with a box of Kleenex and an AA / RAC road atlas, rather than fit body styling kits or boot spoilers. That said, supply and demand always go hand in hand so the latter never seem to get manufactured. Which leaves us ‘would be’ modifiers short of options.
 
 
The Nissan Primera P12 gets a lot of bad press (sadly) due to some electrical and or mechanical problems, how’s your ownership been in the 2 years so far, any big bills or issues?
 
Unfortunately yes! And no prizes for guessing what that was. About 4 months into my ownership she suffered severe turbocharger failure. I believe this is a common problem with the 2.2 dci, as most owners I have spoken to have suffered similar problems. Sadly Nissan do not accept there is an issue so I was left footing a repair bill of £1500.00. On the upside however the P12 was fitted with a V.6.0 model which it is alleged that all the bugs have been ironed out, I guess only time will tell!
 
Other than that though the SVE has given 4 years completely trouble free motoring, I have not even had to replace a bulb to date (not wanting to tempt fate) so I really can’t complain! I believe that my model is an updated one with a lot of the common problems sorted and up to now this appears to be the case.
 
 
On to the modifications and spec, now would be a great time to tell us all about your sleek black stealthy Nissan Primera P12 SVE! So please list your full spec and all modifications, inside and out:
 
This will be probably the shortest list of mods if all of the previous COTM winners but here we go, this is what I’ve fitted so far:
 
Swoosh SVTR turbo timer and boost gauge.
Nissan OEM Nokia car phone kit.
Black limo tint to the rear and side windows.
Likwid Art grafix on the bonnet / boot / glass and bumpers.
Ultra bright white 100w main beam bulbs.
An IAM award badge to the front grille.
19” RS black mag alloys with chrome rims and centers.
Kumo Ecsta sport 235/35 ZR 19 tyres.
High pressure radiator cap.
Red engine bay fasteners.
Fully equipped NPOC mascot house in the rear.
Genuine Nissan carbon fiber golf umbrella.
 
And of course the fantastic ‘go faster’ NPOC decals.
 
As far as the factory spec goes, the SVE is fitted with the following over the standard model:
 
Black electrically operated heated leather chairs.
Climate control.
DVD satellite navigation.
Colour reversing camera.
Rain sensitive wipers.
Cruise control.
Electric and heated door mirrors.
Xenon headlamps with washers.
Factory fitted towing bracket (Sorry Shaun).
 
 
What’s the most enjoyable change you’ve made so far?
 
This has definitely got to be the RS mag alloys, they have changed the overall look of the car the most and I feel they give it the devilish sleek look I was trying to achieve.
 
 
Do you do any DIY stuff (mods / servicing) on the car yourself, or are you a regular at a local garage?
 
The P12 visits my life long and trusted family used garage “Walkers Garage” of Sale Manchester, once every year solely for her MOT test. Other than that I do all the mods, servicing and repairs myself. The turbocharger was fitted and supplied by the dealership as I wanted to keep an unquestionable warranty on the unit.
 
 
If I gave £500 right now and told you it had to be spent on the car, what would you buy?
 
I think most of the readers will think this sad but I really want an ICE Led underbody lighting kit and front ICE Led scanner. Ironically this costs exactly £500 - I really can’t bring myself to spend half a grand on lights so when you’re ready to give the money, that is what it will be spent on. (Here’s hoping)!
 
 
If money was no object and you could do anything you wanted to the P12, what would you do?
 
Ooooo now there’s a question. I think I would lose the ‘Fuel of Satan’ powered lump and replace it with and inline V8 Hemi supercharged power plant driving the rear wheels, exhausted through custom built Akrapovic pipes. Of course to go with this I would have to uprate the brakes also. Maybe if those 6 numbers come up I’ll do it for a laugh.
 
 
Any future plans for the car in the pipeline?
 
See above!!! LOL. Seriously though, I would like to add a little more liquid art, tastefully and in the right places. I would like to have all the small battle scars repaired and I’m seriously toying with the idea of limo tinting the front side windows and adding a front windscreen wideband sunstrip complete with Primera graphic. We will have to see what the future brings.
 
 
Time for the quick fire question round!
 
Yank Tank or German Panzer Wagon?Yank Tank!
Derv or Unleaded?Derv! (I work in Haulage LOL)
Speedos or Surf Shorts?Surf Shorts
JAE or Japfest? JAE
Whippet or Greyhound? Australian Cattle Dog
Drag or Drift? Drift
Sat Nav or Paper Maps? Sat Nav
Tell us your favourite NPOC car?Ade’s Transit (when full of beer!)
 
 
 
We know you’re a busy chap at the best of times and don’t find a lot of time to get onto the forums BUT you are always a regular at our big Club Meets (many thanks!) – Tell everyone why they should take the time to get out to our meets.
 
Fellowship is one of the most important things in life and that’s just what you get at an NPOC meet! A warm welcome, a good laugh and chat with people that you feel like you have known your whole life, as most members describe it the NPOC family! If you’re an Elite member as I’ve said before, free food and drink make the meets perfect in every way.
 
Along with this comes the opportunity to talk to other owners and see firsthand what they have done to their beloved Primeras. Collecting tips and sometimes parts. Best of all I have made some very good and hopefully lifelong friends at the meets! My advice to all who have not attended a meet yet, it really needs to go into your diary for 2011, see you there.
 
 
How did it feel to win best Nissan Primera P12 on the NPOC Stand at JAE in 2009 (as voted for by our members)?
 
Two words describe this really, Proud and Humbling! It’s a tough award to receive really as there were only three P12’s on the stand. I had put a lot of effort into the P12 that year and made it look just how I wanted it to, sleek, sexy, subtle and minimalist and to have that effort rewarded by the members was truly fantastic. Fingers crossed for on JAE 2011.
 
 
So we’ve seen how you’ve styled the car, you’re clearly a hitman (despite what you told us at the start of this feature!) how many people have you taken out so far LOL? Seriously though.. You seem to have a black car thang going down, is black the only colour?
 
I suppose ‘hitman’ is the image I’m going for with the P12. Hence the Tran$porter title! You must have heard the saying “Once you go black, you never go back!” LOL. I have always loved black; it’s mysterious, gothic, sultry and a little bit intimidating. I guess it mirrors my personality perfectly. I love the way light simply seems to fall into it drawing the observers attention in. It is definitely a look twice colour.
 
The one time I will avoid black vehicles is with motorcycles. I once had a beautiful black and chrome Kawasaki ZZR 1100 D6. This was written off by a transit van one sad Saturday morning and while I was rolling around the floor in agony I’ll never forget the immortal words “sorry mate I didn’t see you” ringing in my ears. That’s why the Honda is bright yellow, kinda like riding a ‘high viz jacket’ LOL.
 
 
NPOC for life (regardless of what car you own and drive) or leg it when you change car?
 
Definitely for Life! (or as long as you’ll put up with us!). As I have said, for me it’s all about the fellowship regardless of what I drive.
 
 
Tell Carlos Ghosn why he needs to bring back the Nissan Primera brand:
 
Mr Ghosn had a tough job to do with Nissan when they were on the brink of collapse. Although I can’t say that I’m thrilled that they are in co-alliance with Renault, I believe that the Nissan brand would not be around today if this were not the case. But Carlos, c’mon do we really need so many MPV’s? Qashqai, Qashqai+2, X-trail and the Juke, what we really need is a good old saloon car / coupe. Bring back the Primera dude!
 
Many thanks for telling us all about yourself and your lovely Nissan Primera P12 Fraser, it shows us just how good the car can be! Congratulations once again for winning Car Of The Month for May 2011! Please end this feature, in your own words and feel free to thank anyone who’s made this one possible.
 
It was my pleasure to share this insight with you! I just hope I haven’t bored you all senseless with my ramblings. It’s nice to see the P12 getting a little bit of limelight, I think it’s a truly wonderful machine, even if the look of the 12 is like marmite!
 
Thanks definitely go to Shaun, Ade and G for running such a wonderful club, Caroline and the team for all the hard work and effort they put in to the club and all the NPOC members who have played a part not only in helping to win this award, but for making me, Shelly and Max feel most welcome at all the meets.
 
Great thanks also have to go to Shelly (WhIpLa$h) for all her support and hard effort with the many hours she has spent under the bonnet of the P12 cleaning and polishing, all for no reward bless her!
 
Final thanks go to Nissan for making a car that has brought a new dimension into my life and has helped to make me some fantastic new friends. Primeras RULE!!
 
 

Congratulations once again to Fraser!

 
May 2011 COTM - Tran$porter
 
Written by essNchill
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