Nissan Patrol 4x4 (Africa)

Bent down to pick up something next to the LF wheel and was shocked to see tears in the metal in the wheel arch above the LF wheel. This is a 2013 3.0 with less than 60,000km. I checked my 2001 3.0 which has 300,000km up, more than 50% in some seriously bad conditions. No such damage.

The scary part is the damage was not visible as it is under the battery and worst of all the battery was rocking against the plastic radiator tank. In a short while it would have destroyed the reservoir, and probably in a remote place.

Panelbeaters who did the repair agree with me. The problem was caused by poor workmanship by the firm fitting the battery cradle. 1. It was not bolted through the factory slots that are built in. 2. For some reason they placed a large number of washers between the cradle and the bodywork. Because the bodywork is angled where the holes were drilled, the washers created sharp focus points for the weight of the battery, ultimately then the metal failed.

I am also asking myself the question - did Nissan use thinner or different quality metal for the bodywork between 2001 and 2013? Probably. For both cost saving and weight saving reasons......

Rodney, I have seen many of those failures in Patrols. That sade of the engine bay was never intended to have a battery and has no re enforcement to hold the weight of the battery.

I have seen many attempts and it takes quite a bit of manufacturing to get it to work properly

To hot for a battery there anyway

Is that a factory fitment? It looks very much like a DIY kind of thing!

Loads of info on the Aussie forum about this. Seems to be a common problem without reinforcing the area with a propper tray.

Need to keep the weight up by supporting to shock mount but still think its a bad idea

The 4.8 carries the battery on the other side, if I am not mistaken?

This is a 2nd battery, not a factory placement.

I agree, you can't blame this on Nissan. It was not designed to carry a battery there, and that battery mount is just badly designed.

hugejp wrote: ↑02 Mar 2018 16:07 This is a 2nd battery, not a factory placement.

Ah. Hardly Nissan's fault then.