Nissan Qashqai (2007 - ) - Front Radiator Grille

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
View Threaded
Fri 7 Aug 2009 18:49
Front Radiator Grille - lisap
Hi

I've owned my '58' plate Qashqai for 2 months now and I cannot fault it.

There is however one thing that concerns me - the front radiator grille.

Having looked through my grille today the radiator is covered in bugs and obviously has not stopped stones going through to damage my radiator. As the car has only just ticked over 5,000 miles I am slightly concerned.

I am considering attaching some mesh to the back of the grille and wondered if anyone else has done this. If so please could you let me know how you attached it etc.

Lisa
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 7 Aug 2009 20:50
Front Radiator Grille - oilrag
Hi Lisa, I fitted a mesh behind the grill on a Fiat Punto van when it was new - following a stone straight into the radiator, first long run out.

It`s been over three years now and its been very successful, leaving the radiator pristine. I used the finer mesh, black aluminium (from Halfords tuning section) - slid it in from under the car and secured it with ties behind the existing grill. you can`t see the ties if you stand back from it.

I`m sure a neater job could have been done by removing the bumper - but as I say, the (unpainted plastic) bumper coloured ties blend in when you stand back.

I ran the proposed mod past the Fiat dealer and they were of the opinion that I was "improving the car"
Some would say you will be reducing airflow - but cars have capacity in cooling systems to allow for towing in environmental extremes.. I would let Nissan decide, if it`s still under warranty

It`s been well worth doing - perhaps the best mod I`ve done to a car for a long time - given the debris that has bounced down the road in to the grill, off flat bed trucks and so on.
There are still a few hornet type insects in there from a recent trip to France.

There is a similar age 107 that I pass walking for a paper in the mornings. Sunlight illuminates this cars grill horizontally at that time and the radiator is increasingly pockmarked - like the surface of the moon.

I think its a `form over function` issue for manufacturers.

Good luck with it.

Edited by oilrag on 07/08/2009 at 20:52

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 7 Aug 2009 21:28
Front Radiator Grille - xtrailman
Lisa
I think you will find that the front rad is for the air/con, behind it you should find the rad for the cooling water, that's how the xtrail is, so i am making an assumption.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 8 Aug 2009 15:30
Front Radiator Grille - Dynamic Dave
I think you will find that the front rad is for the air/con behind it you should find the rad for the cooling water that's how the xtrail is so i am making an assumption.


That's how the set up is on 99.9% of cars with AC. The AC condenser is in front of the engine radiator.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 8 Aug 2009 16:12
Front Radiator Grille - the swiss tony
That's how the set up is on 99.9% of cars with AC. The AC condenser
is in front of the engine radiator.

Replacing an A/C condenser is normally a fair bit more expensive than the engine radiator, so its still (more so) a good idea to protect it....
Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Looking for a garage you can trust? Honest John's Good Garage Guide has thousands of reader recommended garages, plus how-to guides and tips on servicing.

The Good Garage Guide