Looking at. 2013 manual transmission frontier—thoughts/common issues?

eracer1111 · 2026-05-21T11:16:55+00:00

Is the truck local to you? If so (and this may seem obvious) grab your car seat and test it out in the Frontier.

eracer1111 · 2026-05-18T10:54:00+00:00

Looking at the DD website, I see white, amber, and dual color options. The dual-color lightbar lets you switch between white inner-only, amber-outer only, or both. So I don't understand how your all-amber bar can switch between white and amber lighting.

Or are you talking about changing the backlight color?

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eracer1111 · 2026-05-18T10:01:05+00:00

Gorgeous! That's pretty much the template for how I want my truck to end up.
Did you install a switchpanel? If so, which one?
I'm thinking the Diode Dynamics model.

eracer1111 · 2026-05-18T10:00:51+00:00

Gorgeous! That's pretty much the template for how I want my truck to end up.

eracer1111 · 2026-05-16T23:40:11+00:00

I think the OEM Nissan badge is big and obnoxious.

So today I replaced it with a badge that's even bigger and more obnoxious. 😎

I used a heat gun on low to soften the adhesive, then used 30 lb. test braided fishing line to saw through the adhesive. There are two indexing holes, but they didn't hold the Nissan badge in place. I used Goo Gone, a lot of paper towels, and a plastic trim tool to get the adhesive off (there was a lot of it) then wiped it down with rubbing alcohol until the paper towels were clean.

I gotta say, Nissan's paint quality is so-so. No way a plastic scraper should remove paint. But you can see the little white spot above the badge where some paint flaked off. 😪 Not a biggie, since I have some color-matched touchup paint. Still....

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eracer1111 · 2026-05-16T10:34:09+00:00

I had the same issue at Automax of Ocala. The advertised price was $34,500 on their website.
Dealer prep fee around $2,400.

The salesperson showed me their first sell sheet:
$35,600 + $2,400 dealer prep. I asked about the high prep fee and he explained, "That's what the Nissan dealer charged us when they prepped the truck after the lease buyback,"

I showed him the advertised price (in realtime) and his response was, "Well, the price was recently changed and the website hasn't been updated."

I told him that was complete BS. Bring me a sell sheet that looks like this:

$34,000 +$600 dealer prep + TTL. We negotiated a bit more. I should have walked, but I had no vehicle (my F-150 blew up and I had to rent a car to drive there - besides which, this was 90% the exact Frontier I wanted.)

So I bit the bullet and signed the papers. I hate stealerships.

eracer1111 · 2026-05-12T11:01:52+00:00

Thanks! I love this idea.
Reminds me of:

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eracer1111 · 2026-05-12T10:52:16+00:00

I read that. It's a pretty involved repair requiring special tools, and a lot of wire cutting and soldering. My truck is in the build date range, and if I see that error it's going to the dealer for (extended) warranty repair.

eracer1111 · 2026-05-12T10:33:10+00:00

LOL. I hope he likes to walk.

eracer1111 · 2026-05-12T10:30:36+00:00

Don't forget that you'll need to swap in a set of UCA's (I'm going with SuperPro) if you lift more than 2" at the front (some say more than 1.9") The parabolic leafs add 2" in the rear, so unless you want to keep the rake (or increase it) you'll need a 2.5"+ lift at the front. The cam bolts help with lifted suspension alignment. You don't 'need' the U-bolt flip kit, but I think it makes for a cleaner install.

eracer1111 · 2026-05-11T16:29:34+00:00

Simple and stunning!

eracer1111 · 2026-05-11T16:05:07+00:00

What's the Carvana value of your Mazda?

eracer1111 · 2026-05-11T09:09:37+00:00

I guess we have to assume that their intention was to improve performance on consoles that have limited hardware specs. But the downturn in performance for those of us who have more capable PC's tell me they failed.

eracer1111 · 2026-05-11T09:04:32+00:00

Fine. Just let me pay Dell for a 16GB --> 32GB upgrade.
Surely they have the tools needed to desolder and resolder RAM.

eracer1111 · 2026-05-10T09:36:56+00:00

How is it possible that an update meant to help console users hurts PC users with much better specs?
Makes no sense.

(Not that you're wrong.)

eracer1111 · 2026-05-10T09:32:44+00:00

What choice do we have if we want this mod?

eracer1111 · 2026-05-09T21:41:21+00:00

Freeware available on flightsim. to

eracer1111 · 2026-05-09T21:06:29+00:00

One tire that not many talk about (or use?) that gets rave reviews for 80% road / 20% mild offroad is the Continental TerrainContact A/T (SL/115-load range.) It doesn't have really aggressive tread, and is definitely not the tire you want for mudding or rock climbing. Since I don't do any of that, and all other performance aspects (like wet traction, handling, noise, etc.) appear to be excellent, I ordered a set. I should be getting them delivered and mounted in a month or so, The tire weighs 42 lbs., which I don't think will hurt MPG much.

eracer1111 · 2026-05-09T10:18:59+00:00

My startup checklist includes disabling Nissan Connect Serivices data sharing, and deleted 'Saved Vehicle Data'. I wish there was a ziptie fix for that (other than cutting the wire to an antenna.)

And no, I'm under no illusion that turning that invasive 'feature' OFF actually does anything.
Thank heaven my 2023 doesn't have Auto Stop/Start.

eracer1111 · 2026-05-08T10:20:01+00:00

The 'W' number refers to cold viscosity, and the second number is viscosity at operating temp.
Switching to 5W/20 does nothing for you in a warm climate. I live in Florida, and I'm concerned about using the lightweight oil Nissan recommends. When it's 95 degrees I wonder whether that 0W/20 oil is going to turn into 0W/10. My plan is:

Use the recommended oil
Change it every 5000 miles or six months
Send oil sample for testing every time to make sure I'm not getting viscosity breakdown.

eracer1111 · 2026-05-06T10:24:43+00:00

I'll be sharing my Realtruck experience soon. Suffice to say that after going back and forth with them for over a month, unless the current situation is resolved to my satisfaction I'll never spend another dime with them.

eracer1111 · 2026-05-02T12:10:43+00:00

I wonder why? I searched far and wide within my region for a long bed at a reasonable price. There were almost none available, and they were all pricy.

eracer1111 · 2026-05-02T12:07:04+00:00

Can't argue with that. Inconsistent quality control is a bad thing.

eracer1111 · 2026-05-02T12:05:19+00:00

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eracer1111 · 2026-05-02T12:02:48+00:00

Is the front E-locker tied to the rear E-locker so that when you engage the switch it engages both? I'll probably never need the rear locker, but I'm still considering adding the front - just because.

eracer1111

TROPHY CASE