If you choose to use a tire dressing, take the
following precautions:∙ Use a water-based tire dressing. The coating on the tire dissolves more easily
than with an oil-based tire dressing.
∙ Apply a light coat of tire dressing to help prevent it from entering the tire
tread/grooves (where it would be diffi-
cult to remove).
∙ Wipe off excess tire dressing using a dry towel. Make sure the tire dressing is
completely removed from the tire
tread/grooves.
∙ Allow the tire dressing to dry as recom- mended by the tire dressing manufac-
turer. Occasionally remove loose dust from the
interior trim, plastic parts and seats using a
vacuum cleaner or sof t bristled brush. Wipe
the vinyl and leather (if so equipped) sur-
faces with a clean, sof t cloth dampened in
mild soap solution, then wipe clean with a
dry, sof t cloth.
Regular care and cleaning is required in
order to maintain the appearance of the
leather (if so equipped).
Before using any fabric protector, read the
manufacturer’s recommendations. Some
fabric protectors contain chemicals that
may stain or bleach the seat material.
Use a cloth dampened only with water to
clean the meter and gauge lens.
WARNING
Do not use water or acidic cleaners (hot
steam cleaners) on the seat. This can
damage the seat or occupant classifi-
cation sensor. This can also affect the
operation of the air bag system and re-
sult in serious personal injury.
CAUTION
∙ Never use benzine, thinner or any
similar material.
∙ Small dirt particles can be abrasive and damaging to leather surfaces
and should be removed promptly. Do
not use saddle soap, car waxes, pol-
ishes, oils, cleaning fluids, solvents,
detergents or ammonia-based clean-
ers as they may damage the leather’s
natural finish.
∙ Never use fabric protectors unless recommended by the manufacturer.
∙ Do not use glass or plastic cleaner on meter or gauge lens covers. It may
damage the lens cover.
AIR FRESHENERS
Most air fresheners use a solvent that
could affect the vehicle interior. If you use
an air freshener, take the following precau-
tions:
∙ Hanging-type air fresheners can cause permanent discoloration when they
contact vehicle interior surfaces. Place
the air freshener in a location that al-
lows it to hang free and not contact an
interior surface.
CLEANING INTERIOR
7-4Appearance and care
∙ Liquid-type air fresheners typically clipon the vents. These products can cause
immediate damage and discoloration
when spilled on interior surfaces.
Carefully read and follow the manufactur-
er’s instructions before using the air fresh-
eners.
POWER MOONROOF (if so
equipped)
The sunshade is made from a tricot mate-
rial.
CAUTION
To help prevent damaging the moon-
roof while cleaning:
∙ Do not rub the material with a cloth. Doing so can damage the surface of
the material or cause a stain to
spread.
∙ Never use benzine, thinner or any similar chemical to clean the sun-
shade. This may discolor the moon-
roof and damage the surface. ∙ Clean water based stains by patting
the surface with a clean sof t cloth
dampened in warm water. Press a
clean dry cloth onto the surface to re-
move as much dampness as possible
and then let air dry.
∙ Clean oil based stains by patting the surface with a clean sof t cloth damp-
ened in warm water. Press a clean dry
cloth onto the surface to remove as
much dampness as possible and then
let air dry.FLOOR MATS (if so equipped)
WARNING
To avoid potential pedal interference
that may result in a collision, injury or
death:
∙ NEVER place a floor mat on top of an-other floor mat in the driver front po-
sition or install them upside down or
backwards.
LAI2096
Appearance and care7-5
WARNING
Do not allow wet seat belts to roll up in
the retractor. NEVER use bleach, dye or
chemical solvents to clean the seat
belts, since these materials may se-
verely weaken the seat belt webbing.
CLEANING THE SEAT TRACKS
CAUTION
Periodically clean the seat tracks to pre-
vent reduction of ability to move the
seats.
Clean periodically with a high-powered
vacuum cleaner. Dirt and debris may re-
duce the ability to adjust the seat. A wet
cleansing agent may be used if necessary.
MOST COMMON FACTORS
CONTRIBUTING TO VEHICLE
CORROSION
Most vehicle corrosion is caused by: ∙ The accumulation of moisture- retaining dirt and debris in body panel
sections, cavities, and other areas.
∙ Damage to paint and other protective coatings caused by gravel and stone
chips or minor traffic collisions.
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
INFLUENCE THE RATE OF
CORROSION
Moisture
Accumulation of sand, dirt and water on
the vehicle body underside can accelerate
corrosion. Wet floor coverings will not dry
completely inside the vehicle and should
be removed for drying to avoid floor panel
corrosion.
Relative humidity
Corrosion will be accelerated in areas of
high relative humidity, especially those ar-
eas where the temperatures stay above
freezing and where atmospheric pollution
exists and road salt is used.
Temperature
High temperatures accelerate the rate of
corrosion to those parts which are not well
ventilated.
Air pollution
Industrial pollution, the presence of salt in
the air in coastal areas, or heavy road salt
use accelerates the corrosion process.
Road salt also accelerates the disintegra-
tion of paint surfaces.
CORROSION PROTECTION
Appearance and care7-7
When performing any inspection or main-
tenance work on your vehicle, always take
care to prevent serious accidental injury to
yourself or damage to the vehicle. The fol-
lowing are general precautions which
should be closely observed.
WARNING
∙ Park the vehicle on a level surface, ap-ply the parking brake securely and
block the wheels to prevent the ve-
hicle from moving. Move the shif t le-
ver to P (Park).
∙ Be sure the ignition switch is in the OFF or LOCK position when perform-
ing any parts replacement or repairs.
∙ If you must work with the engine run- ning, keep your hands, clothing, hair
and tools away from moving fans,
belts and any other moving parts.
∙ It is advisable to secure or remove any loose clothing and remove any jew-
elry, such as rings, watches, etc. be-
fore working on your vehicle.
∙ Always wear eye protection whenever you work on your vehicle. ∙ Your vehicle is equipped with an auto-
matic engine cooling fan. It may come
on at any time without warning, even
if the ignition switch is in the OFF po-
sition and the engine is not running.
To avoid injury, always disconnect the
negative battery cable before work-
ing near the fan.
∙ If you must run the engine in an en- closed space such as a garage, be sure
there is proper ventilation for exhaust
gases to escape.
∙ Never get under the vehicle while it is supported only by a jack. If it is neces-
sary to work under the vehicle, sup-
port it with safety stands.
∙ Keep smoking materials, flame and sparks away from the fuel tank and
battery.
∙
Because the fuel lines on gasoline en-
gine models are under high pressure
even when the engine is off, it is recom-
mended that you visit a NISSAN dealer
for service of the fuel filter or fuel lines.
CAUTION
∙ Do not work under the hood while the engine is hot. Turn the engine off and
wait until it cools down. ∙
Avoid contact with used engine oil and
coolant. Improperly disposed engine
oil, engine coolant and/or other vehicle
fluids can damage the environment. Al-
ways conform to local regulations for
disposal of vehicle fluid.
∙ Never leave the engine or Continu- ously Variable Transmission (CVT) re-
lated component harnesses discon-
nected while the ignition switch is in
the ON position.
∙
Never connect or disconnect the battery
or any transistorized component while
the ignition switch is in the ON position.
This “Do-it-yourself ” section gives instruc-
tions regarding only those items which are
relatively easy for an owner to perform.
A Genuine NISSAN service manual is also
available. For additional information, refer
to “Owner’s Manual/Service Manual order
information” in the “Technical and con-
sumer information” section of this manual.
You should be aware that incomplete or
improper servicing may result in operating
difficulties or excessive emissions, and
could affect warranty coverage. If in doubt
about any servicing, it is recommended
that you have it done by a NISSAN dealer.
MAINTENANCE PRECAUTIONS
8-2Do-it-yourself
The engine cooling system is filled at the
factory with a pre-diluted mixture of 50%
Genuine NISSAN Long Life
Antifreeze/Coolant (blue) and 50% water to
provide year-round antifreeze and coolant
protection. The antifreeze solution con-
tains rust and corrosion inhibitors. Addi-
tional engine cooling system additives are
not necessary.
WARNING
∙ Never remove the radiator or coolantreservoir cap when the engine is hot.
Wait until the engine and radiator cool
down. Serious burns could be caused
by high pressure fluid escaping from
the radiator. For additional informa-
tion on precautions, refer to “If your
vehicle overheats” in the “In case of
emergency ” section of this manual.
∙ The radiator is equipped with a pres- sure type radiator cap. To prevent en-
gine damage, use only a Genuine
NISSAN radiator cap.
CAUTION
∙ Never use any cooling system addi-tives such as radiator sealer. Additives
may clog the cooling system and
cause damage to the engine, trans-
mission and/or cooling system.
∙ When adding or replacing coolant, be sure to use only Genuine NISSAN Long
Life Antifreeze/Coolant (blue) or
equivalent. Genuine NISSAN Long Life
Antifreeze/Coolant (blue) is pre-
diluted to provide antifreeze protec-
tion to -34° F (-37° C). If additional
freeze protection is needed due to
weather where you operate your ve-
hicle, add Genuine NISSAN Long Life
Antifreeze/Coolant (blue) concen-
trate following the directions on the
container. If an equivalent coolant
other than Genuine NISSAN Long Life
Antifreeze/Coolant (blue) is used, fol-
low the coolant manufacturer’s in-
structions to maintain minimum anti-
freeze protection to -34° F (-37° C). The
use of other types of coolant solu-
tions other than Genuine NISSAN Long
Life Antifreeze/Coolant (blue) or
equivalent may damage the engine
cooling system. ∙ The life expectancy of the factory-fill
coolant is 105,000 miles (168,000 km)
or 7 years. Mixing any other type of
coolant other than Genuine NISSAN
Long Life Antifreeze/Coolant (blue),
including Genuine NISSAN Long Life
Antifreeze/Coolant (green), or the use
of non-distilled water will reduce the
life expectancy of the factory-fill cool-
ant. For additional information, refer
to the "Maintenance and schedules"
section of this manual.
ENGINE COOLING SYSTEM
8-4Do-it-yourself
CHECKING ENGINE COOLANT
LEVEL
Check the coolant levelin the reservoir
when the engine is cold. If the coolant
level is below the MIN level
B, add coolant
to the MAX level
A. If the reservoir is empty,
check the coolant level in the radiator
when the engine is cold. If there is insuffi-
cient coolant in the radiator, fill the radiator
with coolant up to the filler opening and
also add it to the reservoir up to the MAX
level
A. This vehicle contains Genuine NISSAN Long
Life Antifreeze/Coolant (blue). The life ex-
pectancy of the factory-fill coolant is
105,000 miles (168,000 km) or 7 years. Mixing
any other type of coolant or the use of
non-distilled water will reduce the life ex-
pectancy of the factory-fill coolant. For ad-
ditional information, refer to the "Mainte-
nance and schedules" section of this
manual.
If the cooling system frequently requires
coolant, have it checked. It is recom-
mended that you visit a NISSAN dealer
for this service.
For additional information on the location
of the engine coolant reservoir, refer to “En-
gine compartment check locations” in this
section.
CHANGING ENGINE COOLANT
A NISSAN dealer can change the engine
coolant. The service procedure can be
found in the NISSAN Service Manual.
Improper servicing can result in reduced
heater performance and engine over-
heating.
WARNING
∙ To avoid the danger of being scalded,
never change the coolant when the
engine is hot.
∙ Never remove the radiator or engine coolant reservoir cap when the en-
gine is hot. Serious burns could be
caused by high pressure fluid escap-
ing from the radiator.
∙ Avoid direct skin contact with used coolant. If skin contact is made, wash
thoroughly with soap or hand cleaner
as soon as possible.
∙ Keep coolant out of the reach of chil- dren and pets.
Engine coolant must be disposed of prop-
erly. Check your local regulations.
LDI2900
Do-it-yourself8-5
Removal of engine protectors
1. Remove pinsAand under engine pro-
tector.
2. Remove clips
Band right engine pro-
tector.
Engine oil and filter
1. Place a large drain pan under the drain plug and oil filter.
2. Remove the oil filler cap. 3. Remove the drain plug with a wrench
by turning it counterclockwise and
completely drain the oil.
CAUTION
Be careful not to burn yourself, as the
engine oil is hot.
WARNING
∙ Prolonged and repeated contact withused engine oil may cause skin
cancer.
∙ Try to avoid direct skin contact with used oil. If skin contact is made, wash
thoroughly with soap or hand cleaner
as soon as possible.
∙ Keep used engine oil out of reach of children.
4. Loosen the oil filter with an oil filter wrench by turning it counterclockwise.
Remove the oil filter by turning it by
hand.
5. Wipe the engine oil filter mounting sur- face with a clean rag.
Under-engine protector
LDI3352
Right engine protector
LDI3387
Do-it-yourself8-9
Check the fluid level in the reservoir.
The fluid level should be checked when the
fluid is cold at fluid temperatures of 32 to
86ºF (0 to 30ºC). The fluid level can be
checked with the level gauge which is at-
tached to the cap. To check the fluid level,
remove the cap. The fluid level should be
between the MAX
Aand MINBlines.
If the fluid is below the MIN
Bline, add
Genuine NISSAN E-PSF or equivalent. Re-
move the cap and fill through the opening.
WARNING
Power steering fluid is poisonous and
should be stored carefully in marked
containers out of the reach of children.
CAUTION
∙ DO NOT OVERFILL.
∙ Use of a power steering fluid other than Genuine NISSAN E-PSF or
equivalent will prevent the power
steering system from operating
properly.
WARNING
∙ Use only new fluid from a sealed con-tainer. Old, inferior or contaminated
fluid may damage the brake system.
The use of improper fluids can dam-
age the brake system and affect the
vehicle’s stopping ability.
∙ Clean the filler cap before removing.
∙ Brake fluid is poisonous and should be stored carefully in marked contain-
ers out of reach of children.
LDI2767LDI2769
POWER STEERING FLUID (PSF) BRAKE FLUID
Do-it-yourself8-11