Road Tests: Long-Term Test

Normally, this update would be written from the perspective of our Toronto-based Senior Road Test Editor Neil Dunlop. However, while Neil was visiting us in Los Angeles, his father drove our long-term Nissan Xterra test vehicle to his favorite golf course and had an experience too rich to omit.

Neil's dad walked off the 18th green after a disappointing round (according to Neil's mom, a mediocre round can send her husband into a funk for days) and found the Xterra's right rear tire flatter than his short-iron game. After emptying his entire vocabulary of golf-based curses at the truck, he set about fixing the flat.

He was disheartened to find nearly four pages of tire-changing instructions in the manual, but he forged stoically ahead. The Xterra's spare tire is mounted under the truck and must be lowered via a complex winching device. Neil's dad called it "the most abominable piece of engineering I've ever seen."

First, a long metal rod with an inch-long T shape at the end must be inserted through the rear bumper and fitted into the winch mechanism. However, it's not possible to see the slot into which the rod must fit. "The slot's not wide, it's dark under there and the rod has to go in at an angle," Neil's dad explained.

After five minutes of fiddling, he thought it was locked in place. Then, following the instructions, he looked for the special wrench to turn the rod. The tire-changing tools are stowed in a plastic tray under the rear cargo mat. Each tool has a space molded to fit its shape. Of course, the required tool was as absent as Neil's dad's putting game. Having used his allotment of curses for the day, Neil's dad simply sighed, knowing that on this day the golf course was as cruel and vindictive as a spiteful god, and it would be pointless to cry out for mercy.

It wouldn't have been so bad, but two weeks earlier, Neil's dad ran into a small metal pole in the parking lot behind Future Shop. The running board took most of the impact, but the right rear fender took a hit, too. That cost $614.99 to repair, including $232.57 for the replacement running board.

The good news today was that Neil's dad had just joined the CAA (Canada's branch of the AAA) and called for help. Not usually willing to give up so easily, he was spurred to action by the imminent start of game five of the Toronto Maple Leaf's semi-final playoffs versus the New Jersey Devils. "It's playoff hockey, son, I needed help," he pleaded. Not only that, but the nights in early May get quite cold, and the sun had long disappeared.

When the tow-truck operator arrived, they set about jury-rigging a lever to turn the rod. After a few turns, the rod seized. Upon removal, it was discovered the rod was irreparably bent. "Perhaps the CAA guy had been too zealous in his efforts," said Neil's dad, "but he's a Leaf fan, too." The pair figured the winch was seized due to being exposed to a northern winter under the truck.

Plan B involved trying to inflate the tire. Of course, the tow-truck's main compressor was empty (more cursing, this time from the CAA guy), so they used a portable unit that plugs into a cigarette lighter. Fortunately, Nissan included an outlet in the cargo area, which proved very handy for the now desperate pair. After 20 minutes of fruitless pumping, however, the tire was still flat. The tow-truck's radio then informed them that the puck had dropped in the Leaf-Devil game, and they were still hours from home, a cold beer, a warm sofa and a TV.

It was now two hours since Neil's dad had walked off the 18th green. Conceding defeat, he agreed to tow the Xterra to a local garage and listened to one hell of a hockey game in the cab of a CAA tow truck.

It turns out a 3-inch framing nail was the ruination of the tire. It cost $15 to fix. The experience, while exasperating, has changed Neil's dad. Neil's mom says her husband's more mellow about his shortcomings on the links, and he's now got a new pal with whom to watch Leaf games.

Current Odometer: 31,067
Best Fuel Economy: 16.2 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 13.8 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 15.8 mpg
Body Repair Costs: $ 614.99
Maintenance Costs: $15 (flat repair)
Problems: None