BEHIND THE WHEEL: Sunny B13 is easy to handle,  but it is weak and outdated

Hello Baraza,

Thanks for keeping us informed about everything to do with cars.

Now, I drive a Nissan Sunny B13 1500cc with a carb-fed GA15 engine and a  five-speed manual transmission. It just clocked the 200,000-kilometre mark. There’s some rattling in the engine – should be the timing chain assembly. Also, the wheels make a very small turning circle on full lock. Is this normal?

The problem is, no one seems to stock new parts for this car, so I end buying whatever I need to replace from Grogan Road.

It comfortably does 160km/h on a good day — read no traffic in the near horizon— without wobbling or showing any erratic behaviour.

What are the pros and cons of this car since I really want to keep it.

Please note that I haven’t made any modifications to it.

Sammy

Hi Sammy,

Well, I’ll steer clear of the mechanical bits of your query because they require two things:

1. A diagnosis in situ and not by proxy because the rattling could be anything, from a loose shroud to the timing chain as you speculate and I don’t know what you mean by a “small” turning circle, since this is a desirable quality in most cars for ease of manoeuvrability in tight spaces. If the circle is smaller than usual, or the tyres look like they have a more extreme angle on full lock and resemble the front setup on a hardcore drift car, then this is an issue with toe and is rectifiable via alignment, assuming none of the steering assembly components are bent/broken.

2. After the diagnosis, you will require a mechanic to put right what is wrong, anyway.  So why not start with getting to a garage and have a mechanic do the diagnostic and  the repair?

Pros of a B13: very cheap, almost a giveaway at this point. Also mechanically simple, you could wrench on it yourself without the fear of further complicating current difficulties. But it is very cheap, so if you break it, you can always buy another one...

Cons: Obsolete, outdated, flimsy, plain, dull, weak and as you say, parts are increasingly hard to come by, but here is a little secret: learn how to speak Mexican and establish a contact there for supply of parts. They still build the car under the label of the Nissan Tsuru, so I am sure they could send a shipload over on board a grain carrier along with the next consignment of relief maize.

The car is also an aerodynamic fiend, suffering absurd lift at speeds north of 100km/h if you drive with the windows open. This happened to me once.

Mr Baraza,

I have had a Honda Airwave since November 2014. I haven’t experienced any problems getting spares, and they are not pricey. You can get plugs for Sh2,500 or Sh4,500 for a set of four for both the Airwave and Fit, those genuine NGK and Honda-branded plugs. The same is true for other spare parts.

Jamhuri

Well, there is that as well; one could buy cheaper parts for their car, especially consumables like spark plugs, but should one? Of course the car will still function with ordinary plugs, and if it was specified to run on ordinary plugs like a Toyota, then bully for you but if it was originally built with twin electrode affairs then... oh well.

Let me know how long the Sh2,500 set lasts.

Dear Baraza, 

I have had a really bad relationship with my cars, except my first car.

My first car was a Vitz, the old shape, 1000cc. The car was perfect for me due to its economical fuel consumption. I lived 10 kilometres from the CBD and  it would use Sh3,000 worth of fuel a month. In addition, it never had mechanical issues.

When things improved, I upgraded to a newly imported Vitz,  new model and things went downhill from there. It developed gear box issues so I replaced the gear box and sold the car. Then I bought a locally used Toyota Runx. After two months, there was a hissing sound from the engine. Every mechanic had a different diagnosis. I got tired of it and sold it. Then I landed a 2009 Toyota Rush that had been involved in an accident from an insurance company and had been repaired by the company. I have to say it was a steal. Apparently, a tree fell on it and  destroyed  the top part of the body but the engine was not affected. They did a body overhaul, and the body remains sound,  but it has several issues: 

1. It sways, especially when I take corners at high speed. A mechanic  told me that it does not have a rear stabilizer bar yet another mechanic  says it does.

2. On a rough road, you can feel every hole, stone and bump, and it is as noisy as an old pick up. I have replaced the shocks and springs with new originals but that has not helped.  Some people have told me that I am putting too much air in the tyres (the tyres indicate a maximum of 44 but I usually put 40).

3. It is  a 4-wheel drive. I live 30 kilometres from the CBD, and the fuel consumption is currently  Sh15,000per month due to traffic jams. As you know, we’re living in hard economic times so this is becoming hard to maintain, so I have put it up for sale.

My questions are:

1. What is the problem with my Toyota Rush?

2. I need a small car — 1300cc or less— that will consume Sh8,000 or less worth of fuel a month.

Advise on a Honda Fit,  butt you can also give me ideas on what would be best for me.

Sera

Hi Sera,

About those issues:

1. Ask the mechanic who claims it has a rear stabilizer bar to show you the said bar.

2. What kind of noise does it make? Rattles? Bangs? Or is it just thumping like it would if you actually overinflated the tyres?

3. You realise your mistake here, don’t you?

 So, the questions:

1. The problem with your car is that it is the wrong car in the right place. It is inherently unsuited for city use: such tiny 4x4s are meant for off-roading on a budget and not attacking traffic jams at Rush hour (pun intended). The lack of a stabilizer bar is meant to improve wheel articulation, which in itself improves off-road prowess. Larger, more expensive fare like Landcruisers, Range Rovers and Jeeps have electronically detachable sway bars for assaulting rock-strewn nature trails while maintaining on-road composure, kind of like having your cake and eating it. Your Rush does not belong to that privileged class, so it has to either have a permanent sway bar, in which case it loses some of its rock-crawling mettle, or none at all, in which case its on-road manners suffer. I have never peeked under its skirt but from driving experience I’d wager it does not have a sway bar.

I am not sure about the noise and discomfort. Now that you say you don’t overinflate your tyres, I’d say the noisy suspension could be from bad mountings, bad bushes or it could be the design. Remember this is a budget Landcruiser, if the budget lies in the three figures, so don’t expect optimisation like the pampered 1 per cent. Again, my experience with this car was that the ride was simultaneously jarring and bouncy, which is a reflection of the amount of resources they put into developing it (the answer is “not many”).

The poor consumption is also intrinsic. To help the little goat through difficult terrain, they have saddled it with a low-speed gearbox. This is meant to somehow straddle the wide gap between first gear in low range and top gear in high range found in real cars like the aforementioned Landcruiser. The Rush doesn’t have a transfer case because it has to stay cheap and additional hardware will push costs up, so it has to live with a make-do transmission. It works well off road where low speed high torque applications are the norm, but it is hell on tarmac because at 100km/h on the highway in top gear you will be north of 4000rpm. Not only do your ears suffer, but so do your patience, your nerves and your fuel economy.

This is a car for seeking adventures on mild off-road jaunts. It is not for white-collar city use.

2. Literally any sub-1300cc car will do, provided it is not a Rush or a derivative thereof. That means avoid things like the mini Pajero as well; it suffers the same issues despite its insanely puny 660cc engine. The Fit should work just fine, though I had no idea they made one with less than 1300cc. As for fuel consumption... I deliberately ignore those who say “Sh8,000 per month”. Are you running a generator and is the price of fuel static? Tell me about litres and kilometres or miles and gallons. That is a more accurate reflection of fuel consumption while your mode of expression is more indicative of driving patterns, that is, how often you are on the road.

Hi Baraza,

Thank you forgiving us continuous insight into auto matters.

Lately, I have been admiring the Audi, and especially the A4. This is because of its looks, power, and the fact that it is not  so common on our  roads. I am considering getting one, and being the Kenyan that  I am,  I will go for a second-hand one. Is there anything I need to be aware of when deciding in terms of requirements and problems?

From another perspective, how does it compare with a VW Passat, given that they have the same engine size and speed?

Are there any other options you would recommend that are close to that?

Kevin K. Mungai

Beware of high oil consumption in the Audi, and they are not exactly cheap even in the pre-owned classifieds. The 2.0 litre turbo cars have iffy high pressure fuel pumps; oxygen sensors and cats may call it a day at inopportune and untimely moments and if and when you see the CEL, feel free to start panicking. It also has multilink suspension and we all know what that means. If it is weak enough to suffer premature wear in First World use, when it lands in a developing country such as ours with end users who deliberately select the wrong vehicle for a given task, then you are looking at a career as a composer of choruses lamenting the costs and complexity of German suspension setups.

The Passat could be a better buy. The two are related, yes, but the Passat is just a little bit better. The Audi has a better interior — Audi makes the best interiors in the business outside of the Rolls-Royce/Bentley tag team —but the Passat is better made, generally. Of the two, the Audi looks quite attractive to the buyer but the smart choice to make would be the Passat.

Hi Baraza,

I have a 1999 Toyota 3SFE.

My mechanic has advised me to switch to iridium spark plugs from the normal twin electrode. He said they used the twin one back then since the single ones did not last but since the iridium plug is tougher i can switch. Is this true?

Cedric

Do you want to switch? If yes, then go ahead. If no, then stick with the single-electrode units; but go for legit stuff, not contraband that will fail every now and then. If I were you and I stuck with the single electrode plugs, I’d find someone else to source the material, not the same mech trying to shill the twin electrodes. Sabotage is a possibility from a disgruntled engagement...

Having car trouble? Write to [email protected]