New 2013 Xterra S (manual) Owner

[BluSkye218]

Hello, my name is Lauren & I just purchased my first Nissan. It's a 2013 Xterra S with manual transmission. I just wanted to introduce myself because I'll probably be posting on this forum a bunch in the years to come.


I do have a couple questions to start out with too:

1) After-market Bluetooth Mine didn't come with Bluetooth, but I'm wondering if there's a way to buy something after-market to attach to the stereo to be able to connect my Android or other devices via Bluetooth? I don't necessarily need to be able to use the phone hands-free, but would like to be able to play music through the stereo from my phone.

2) Android Connectivity It did however come with a USB port that will connect an iPod (or other compatible devices) to the stereo & will display the songs on the stereo's screen & allow you to use the stereo's buttons to control it. I was hoping the "other compatible devices" would include Android phones, but it doesn't appear to work... has anyone been able to get Android devices to work with the USB connection somehow?

3) Trip Computer/White-faced Gauges I also thought that mine was supposed to come with the trip computer, where you can see the gas mileage & other things, not just the trip meter. Is there any way to add this? (And before you ask why I didn't check to see if it had it before I bought it, I live in WV but bought the car from NY & picked it up there after going through the whole buying process.) I like the white-faced gauges of the Pro-4X, so I'm also wondering if it's possible just to buy & install the whole gauge module so that I'd have the white-faced gauges & trip computer?


4) Shifter Resistance into 1st I feel like it's a little rough-hard to push the shifter into first gear, feels almost like it grinds or rubs against something when I do... since it's new, I don't think anything would have happened to it, but I thought it would be smoother... is this just the way it is supposed to be?

5) Using Outlets When Off And, my friend has an Frontier & the 12-volt outlets next to the glove box work when the car is off, but the one in the storage box does not. But on mine, even the ones next to the glove box do not work when the car is off... is this how it's supposed to be? Is there a way to get them to work when the car is off?


Thanks for your help!!

 

[Pro-2X]

Welcome,

For Bluetooth, I just bought a touchscreen DVD head unit, crutchfield has plenty of them. My 12v in the dash works when switch is off, so I can't help with that. Love the color of your X and look forward to watching the progress.

 

[Macland]

Welcome to the nation! We've got a knowledgeable group of people here and I'm sure someone can chime in to help you. My outlet in my console works all of the time.

 

[drbandkgb]

Welcome into XN!

The gauges can be changed out but, Its one heck of a process to get it done.

Like ProX2 said.. Aftermarket radio os the way yo go for the bluetooth stuff... In the long run you are
going to get a nicer radio. As far as the trip deal.. My Frontier had it.. you could figure instant MPG and stuff..
They changed the SE Xterra to the S and some features did move with it.. Im unsure with the answer here though.

You bought one of the best colors the Xterra has ever seen.. Between this and the Lizard green..

Glad to have you over
drb

 

[DirtyRice120]

Welcome!

K. Rice

 

[NismoFire]

Welcome to the Nation!


Shifting into first- my Gen 1.5 has almost 175k miles on it, factory clutch, and sometimes ya just gotta put the 3rd pedal all the way through the firewall to get it to go. I think that's just nature of the beast, though. Have you owned a manual transmission before?

 

[Muadeeb]

If you're adventurous, you can pull the gauge pod and put some white 'stickers' over the gauges
http://www.whitegauges.net/products...inder-Frontier-White-Face-Gauges-05%2d07.html
Never done it, but looks interesting.

 

[Prime]

Welcome from VA! I'm in agreement w/drb, that color is the best that the X has ever had. And a manual at that? Awesome.

In agreement as well. Aftermarket is the way to go on the radio. I take it yours is brand new off the lot? If so, give the transmission synchro's a few thousand miles to settle in. Gear changes get easier.

 

[metzican]

For the bluetooth like everyone else says get an aftermarket, I had the oem bluetooth and it still was not that good. On my 2010 the dash outlet is always on and the one in the compartment is only on with the vehicle. They might have changed this with the 2013s. I believe the trip computer and usb port for radio is a new feature. The aftermarket radio can cure this with the android also. The trip computer I'm unsure about. I guess I need to go to a dealership and "test drive" a 2013. I have 30k on my X and if i'm going to fast it does not like to shift into first. It is easy once I get below 10mph.

 

[TKDx00]

Welcome to the Nation!!!

 

[Xterraforce]

Welcome in. Nice to have you here.

 

[Golf286]

Welcome to the Nation from Colorado!!! I love the color of your X

 

[BluSkye218]

Thanks Pro-2X : ) But as far as replacing the whole head unit... for one they're a lot more expensive than I'd like to spend & for two I haven't really seen anything I like. I kind of prefer actual buttons rather than a touch screen... I like the preset buttons & the tuning nob that comes on the factory stereo. I'm sure you know, but it does already have a nice screen as well & an auxiliary input. I would just like for there to be a way to add in Bluetooth capability to the factory stereo, but plug it into the back somehow so it would work with the stereo & not be seen. And apparently it's a new thing with none of the 12v outlets not working when the car is off. : ( Gonna haveta look into making one of em work when off. And thanks, I love the color too. : ) Blue is my fave color & this particular metallic blue is awesome!

Thanks drbandkgb. I don't know if I'll ever change out the black gauges for the white-faced ones, but if I do it'll probably be a while from now. Not top priority. But I do like the look of them. I was just wondering, if I installed the whole white-faced gauge console/cluster that the Pro-4X has, if it would also include the trip computer capability & if it would be able to work in my S. Any idea? So no idea if there's any way to get Bluetooth working with my existing stereo? And thanks, it's definitely a great color. : )

Thanks NismoFire. Yeah, I do push the clutch pedal all the way to the floor, but I guess it is just the nature of the beast. Just thought it was odd that all of the other gears felt the same when moving the shifter into them, but first is just really resistant sometimes. (As I mentioned, I am referring to the shifter itself, not the gears or getting it moving in first.) Yes, I have a 5-speed 1993 Toyota Pickup & I learned to drive a manual on my husband's 4-speed Toyota Pickup. Those were the only 2 manuals I've driven before I test drove another 2013 Nissan Xterra S before getting mine. I did notice the resistance into 1st when I test drove the other one, but didn't pay much attention to it as I was just so excited to be driving a new manual transmission that just wanted to go! So different than the old trucks I was used to, lol. The '88 truck is older, but much better kept & very low miles, so shifting in the truck is a lot smoother. But the '93 I bought a little over a year ago really cheap just because I wanted a pickup & a manual transmission to get really good at driving... so shifting in that one isn't as smooth & I figured it was just because it was driven pretty hard by its previous owners... so I just figured shifting in a new manual transmission vehicle would/should be smooth.

Thanks Muadeeb. I watched the video from that link & it does look like an interesting solution to having white-faced gauges. However, if I do decided to do this, I'd probably install the acutal white-faced gauges. Plus, I don't think those white stickers would work with my gauges because the numbers are white when the lights are off, so I wouldn't be able to see them if everything was white. :/

Thanks Prime Yes, manuals are very rare anymore, on any vehicle. That's actually why I decided to get an X when looking for a new SUV to replace my 2002 Ford Escape. I actually test drove a 2011 Escape first & it bothered me so much the way it has gotten so computerized that there was a very long delay between when you shifted it into gear & when it would actually move, that I decided right then that I needed to get a manual. It seemed like my only choices anymore were between the Xterra & 2 Jeeps (Compass & Patriot), so that was an obvious choice - I test drove a manual X at my local dealership & that was it for me, it was decided. There were no manual blue ones anywhere near me & in fact the one I got from NY was the only one that currently existed. I had to talk em into adding the running boards & fog lights while at the same time matching the price I was quoted on a Night Armor one with those already installed & then the deal was made. Took a Chinatown bus to NY & drove it home last weekend. (My local dealership didn't try hard enough to sell me a vehicle, they said they'd get it here at no charge to me, but would charge my to install the running boards & fog lights, so they lost out on the sale, lol.) But yes, it was brand new off the lot, only had 7 miles on it. So I will wait & see if it settles in & gets smoother when shifting - I hope it does. Just wanted to check to see if that was normal, or if it was something wrong I needed to get fixed now while under warranty. But that's a normal thing, for the transmission synchro's to be off a little? (Not sure how that works.) Also, while on the subject of manual transmissions going the way of the dinosaurs, I hate what they're doing to SUVs! Making them crossovers - what'd they do to the Pathfinder?! I really hope they leave us some sort of manual transmission & some sort of true SUV in the future, hopefully an option to have both!

Thanks metzican. Yeah, they discontinued making the dash 12v outlets work when the X is off for the 2013 to save the battery - but I think that's silly as I should be able to make sure I don't kill my battery myself, I'd like to have the option/ability to use it when off for a short period of time. Guess I"m gonna haveta hardwire it somehow. Funny you mentioned about it not liking to shift into first when going faster, the more I've driven my X, it seems like that is the case - it does seem easier when going slower or when stopped. I like to shift it into first as I'm coming to a stop sign though, so that I'll be ready to go quickly & not have to shift once I'm stopped. Is this a safety feature somehow, so that you don't put it in first when you're going to fast for it to be in first?

Thanks Macland, DirtyRice120, TKDx00, Xterraforce, & Golf286 for the welcome!

Well it seems like everyone says aftermarket stereo is the way to go for Bluetooth. I'm not sold on that for the reasons above, so if someone knows how to get Bluetooth to work with my existing stereo, please let me know. If not, I may just live without Bluetooth. But, I would still like to get the USB stereo connection to work with my Android phone (not just an iPod/iPhone)... anyone get that working somehow? Software/apps on the Android phone get it to work or anything? Thanks!!

PS - Sorry for the delay in my reply & that it was so long, just wanted to reply to everyone.

 

[drbandkgb]

Be sure and check out the nXm.. Www.nationalxterrameet.org it's event dedicated to the Xterra

 

[SnickerDoodle]

Welcome in!

 

[Kyle]

Welcome.

sent from a small box floating in the ocean.

 

[Airmapper]

4) Shifter Resistance into 1st I feel like it's a little rough-hard to push the shifter into first gear, feels almost like it grinds or rubs against something when I do... since it's new, I don't think anything would have happened to it, but I thought it would be smoother... is this just the way it is supposed to be?

Thanks metzican..... Funny you mentioned about it not liking to shift into first when going faster, the more I've driven my X, it seems like that is the case - it does seem easier when going slower or when stopped. I like to shift it into first as I'm coming to a stop sign though, so that I'll be ready to go quickly & not have to shift once I'm stopped. Is this a safety feature somehow, so that you don't put it in first when you're going to fast for it to be in first?

Hello and welcome.

Shifting into 1st at a dead stop should be easy, no binding. After reading this though, it sounds like you may be trying to rush 1st and having bind from a large speed mismatch inside the transmission.

Think of a transmission as 2 halves, input and output. The clutch controls the engine's ability to turn the input. The wheels control the output, and the gear selection lever, locks input and output together at the ratio gearing you want at the time.

When rolling clutched out, your wheels are spinning the output shaft much faster than the wheels are actually turning. However, your input shaft may be turning at idle engine rpm, or just kind of floating, maybe not moving at all, if your clutched out and have the trans in neutral. The syncronizers job is to try and make that slow turning input shaft speed up to match the rapidly turning output shaft, so the teeth of the gear you want to be in can match up with the one on the output shaft.

Now, coming to the Xterra, in all the manuals I've driven the X's is probably the most quirky. First off the clutch adjustment is way too sensitive, or at least mine was. This can be adjusted to be more comfortable though. You have a good low first gear, nice for all the torque, but it also makes a large speed difference in the shafts. Next the X has a very low idle, under 600rpm, so the input side goes slower. So add all this together and your basically set up to have to practically stop or crawl to get into first gear.

There are a few methods you can use to make shifting easier when your rolling up to a stop light, and are reaching that speed where you don't think 2nd gear will cut it. You may be familiar with these, but I'll describe them in the event you don't.

The easiest is to blip the throttle. Bumping the engine rpm up to around 1000 should be enough to let the gears speed get closer. The extra speed from the engine spins up the input shaft faster as you start to release the clutch pedal.

Double clutching is also effective, but not as easy. I do find it useful in town driving though. Basically you release the clutch between shifts. This keeps the transmission input spinning while you make up your mind what gear to be in.

But the best plan would probably be to not rush the transmission. If your rolling up to a stop, put it in neutral and even take your foot off the clutch. This keeps the transmission spinning, throwing oil all over so it stays lubricated, it takes pressure off the throwout bearing, and your leg. It also will help the transmission oil to warm up on cold starts. If you watch the lights, you will know when it's about to change and can shift before it changes. If your a few cars back, you can shift in long before the car in front of you moves anyway.

 

[NismoFire]

Hello and welcome.

Shifting into 1st at a dead stop should be easy, no binding. After reading this though, it sounds like you may be trying to rush 1st and having bind from a large speed mismatch inside the transmission.

Think of a transmission as 2 halves, input and output. The clutch controls the engine's ability to turn the input. The wheels control the output, and the gear selection lever, locks input and output together at the ratio gearing you want at the time.

When rolling clutched out, your wheels are spinning the output shaft much faster than the wheels are actually turning. However, your input shaft may be turning at idle engine rpm, or just kind of floating, maybe not moving at all, if your clutched out and have the trans in neutral. The syncronizers job is to try and make that slow turning input shaft speed up to match the rapidly turning output shaft, so the teeth of the gear you want to be in can match up with the one on the output shaft.

Now, coming to the Xterra, in all the manuals I've driven the X's is probably the most quirky. First off the clutch adjustment is way too sensitive, or at least mine was. This can be adjusted to be more comfortable though. You have a good low first gear, nice for all the torque, but it also makes a large speed difference in the shafts. Next the X has a very low idle, under 600rpm, so the input side goes slower. So add all this together and your basically set up to have to practically stop or crawl to get into first gear.

There are a few methods you can use to make shifting easier when your rolling up to a stop light, and are reaching that speed where you don't think 2nd gear will cut it. You may be familiar with these, but I'll describe them in the event you don't.

The easiest is to blip the throttle. Bumping the engine rpm up to around 1000 should be enough to let the gears speed get closer. The extra speed from the engine spins up the input shaft faster as you start to release the clutch pedal.

Double clutching is also effective, but not as easy. I do find it useful in town driving though. Basically you release the clutch between shifts. This keeps the transmission input spinning while you make up your mind what gear to be in.

But the best plan would probably be to not rush the transmission. If your rolling up to a stop, put it in neutral and even take your foot off the clutch. This keeps the transmission spinning, throwing oil all over so it stays lubricated, it takes pressure off the throwout bearing, and your leg. It also will help the transmission oil to warm up on cold starts. If you watch the lights, you will know when it's about to change and can shift before it changes. If your a few cars back, you can shift in long before the car in front of you moves anyway.

In short...

 

[Xterra Performance]

Welcome To the nation!!

 

[Pro-2X]

Favorite one...

/Threadjack

 

[BluSkye218]

Hello and welcome.

Shifting into 1st at a dead stop should be easy, no binding. After reading this though, it sounds like you may be trying to rush 1st and having bind from a large speed mismatch inside the transmission.

Think of a transmission as 2 halves, input and output. The clutch controls the engine's ability to turn the input. The wheels control the output, and the gear selection lever, locks input and output together at the ratio gearing you want at the time.

When rolling clutched out, your wheels are spinning the output shaft much faster than the wheels are actually turning. However, your input shaft may be turning at idle engine rpm, or just kind of floating, maybe not moving at all, if your clutched out and have the trans in neutral. The syncronizers job is to try and make that slow turning input shaft speed up to match the rapidly turning output shaft, so the teeth of the gear you want to be in can match up with the one on the output shaft.

Now, coming to the Xterra, in all the manuals I've driven the X's is probably the most quirky. First off the clutch adjustment is way too sensitive, or at least mine was. This can be adjusted to be more comfortable though. You have a good low first gear, nice for all the torque, but it also makes a large speed difference in the shafts. Next the X has a very low idle, under 600rpm, so the input side goes slower. So add all this together and your basically set up to have to practically stop or crawl to get into first gear.

There are a few methods you can use to make shifting easier when your rolling up to a stop light, and are reaching that speed where you don't think 2nd gear will cut it. You may be familiar with these, but I'll describe them in the event you don't.

The easiest is to blip the throttle. Bumping the engine rpm up to around 1000 should be enough to let the gears speed get closer. The extra speed from the engine spins up the input shaft faster as you start to release the clutch pedal.

Double clutching is also effective, but not as easy. I do find it useful in town driving though. Basically you release the clutch between shifts. This keeps the transmission input spinning while you make up your mind what gear to be in.

But the best plan would probably be to not rush the transmission. If your rolling up to a stop, put it in neutral and even take your foot off the clutch. This keeps the transmission spinning, throwing oil all over so it stays lubricated, it takes pressure off the throwout bearing, and your leg. It also will help the transmission oil to warm up on cold starts. If you watch the lights, you will know when it's about to change and can shift before it changes. If your a few cars back, you can shift in long before the car in front of you moves anyway.

Thanks for the info. I'm not a newbie to driving a stick & I'm good at it, but I do appreciate the info & like how you offered it while mentioning that I might know this, but wanted to help in case I didn't. It does help me understand the mechanics a little better - especially the low idle RPM, I didn't notice that until you mentioned it. (Mostly because I rarely look at the tach, I shift by feel/sound/sense of speed, because that's how I learned & what I'm used to, as the old pickups don't have tachs.) I guess I thought that when the clutch was pressed it was in neutral & therefore you should be able to move the shifter into any gear while the clutch was still being pressed (of course you couldn't/shouldn't release the clutch unless you were going the right speed for that gear). I might not have explained it well, but what I'm doing is... I have 5 stop signs on the way to my house once off the main road, between them there's enough time to get into 2nd just before slowing down again for the next stop. While I'm braking I press the clutch & try to shift into 1st while keeping my foot on the clutch until I'm stopped, just so that I'm ready to go again once I'm stopped as I'm not trying to spend all day at the stop sign, especially not for shifting when I can do that ahead of time. So it's not that I'm having trouble actually downshifting - releasing the clutch as I shift into 1st, it's just that the shifter doesn't want to move into 1st sometimes, even while keeping the clutch pressed, & it seems that it does this worse the faster I'm going. But, I understand how it works & I appreciate the info you gave me, especially the low idle. Basically I just wanted to know if there was something wrong with my X that I needed to fix since I felt the resistance putting the shifter into 1st, but I understand that it's just the way it is. And I can deal with that - just wait til I'm going a little slower before I move the shifter to 1st. And yes, when I'm coming up to a red (or yellow I can't make through) traffic light, I do throw it into neutral, take my foot off the clutch, & just use the brake to stop - knowing I don't want to sit on the clutch the whole stop & I keep any eye on the opposite direction's light for when it turns yellow & then I shift into 1st.

In short...

Um, I'm driving an Xterra not a Bugatti Veyron, but thanks.

 

[drbandkgb]

If you still have some concerns you may run it to your local dealership. Just ask them to take a ride in it and see if this is normal

 

[NismoFire]

Thanks for the info. I'm not a newbie to driving a stick & I'm good at it, but I do appreciate the info & like how you offered it while mentioning that I might know this, but wanted to help in case I didn't. It does help me understand the mechanics a little better - especially the low idle RPM, I didn't notice that until you mentioned it. (Mostly because I rarely look at the tach, I shift by feel/sound/sense of speed, because that's how I learned & what I'm used to, as the old pickups don't have tachs.) I guess I thought that when the clutch was pressed it was in neutral & therefore you should be able to move the shifter into any gear while the clutch was still being pressed (of course you couldn't/shouldn't release the clutch unless you were going the right speed for that gear). I might not have explained it well, but what I'm doing is... I have 5 stop signs on the way to my house once off the main road, between them there's enough time to get into 2nd just before slowing down again for the next stop. While I'm braking I press the clutch & try to shift into 1st while keeping my foot on the clutch until I'm stopped, just so that I'm ready to go again once I'm stopped as I'm not trying to spend all day at the stop sign, especially not for shifting when I can do that ahead of time. So it's not that I'm having trouble actually downshifting - releasing the clutch as I shift into 1st, it's just that the shifter doesn't want to move into 1st sometimes, even while keeping the clutch pressed, & it seems that it does this worse the faster I'm going. But, I understand how it works & I appreciate the info you gave me, especially the low idle. Basically I just wanted to know if there was something wrong with my X that I needed to fix since I felt the resistance putting the shifter into 1st, but I understand that it's just the way it is. And I can deal with that - just wait til I'm going a little slower before I move the shifter to 1st. And yes, when I'm coming up to a red (or yellow I can't make through) traffic light, I do throw it into neutral, take my foot off the clutch, & just use the brake to stop - knowing I don't want to sit on the clutch the whole stop & I keep any eye on the opposite direction's light for when it turns yellow & then I shift into 1st.



Um, I'm driving an Xterra not a Bugatti Veyron, but thanks.

Laugh it up, sister. It was supposed to be funny. (we do that a lot around here..you get used to it)

I, too, keep an eye on the oncoming traffic's light to time when I put my truck in gear to move. Glad I'm not the only one!

 

[Slasa]

Welcome from Colorado. People are pretty cool around here, aren't they?

 

[BluSkye218]

Laugh it up, sister. It was supposed to be funny. (we do that a lot around here..you get used to it)

I, too, keep an eye on the oncoming traffic's light to time when I put my truck in gear to move. Glad I'm not the only one!

I know, it's cool, just throwin it back at ya.


But, it can get old when most people assume you can't drive just because you're a female, let alone a manual. When I went to my local dealership & told them I wanted an Xterra & it had to be a manual, he tried to convince me I'd want an automatic - "Really? You want a manual? Are you sure you don't want an automatic, honey, it would be easier for you." Ugh. :rawr:I'm sure that's not the case with the people on this forum though, but you know what I mean.


Haha, yep... I like to be efficient/ready to go.

 

[Xterraforce]

I don't think NismoFire would ever assume a female wouldn't understand a manual transmission. She's so smooth with hers it was half way through our last ride before I finally realized her Xterra was a manual. :smile:

 

[NismoFire]

I know, it's cool, just throwin it back at ya.


But, it can get old when most people assume you can't drive just because you're a female, let alone a manual. When I went to my local dealership & told them I wanted an Xterra & it had to be a manual, he tried to convince me I'd want an automatic - "Really? You want a manual? Are you sure you don't want an automatic, honey, it would be easier for you." Ugh. :rawr:I'm sure that's not the case with the people on this forum though, but you know what I mean.


Haha, yep... I like to be efficient/ready to go.

I'm a chick, but I'm one of the guys. You'll figure that out eventually, too. Hahaha. We're a right friendly bunch, though. Nobody here cares whether you're black, white, red, yellow, purple, pink (hehe Doodle), gay, straight, undecided...nobody really cares. LoL. Good group we have here, and if you stick around, I'm sure they'll grow on you.

 

[NismoFire]

I don't think NismoFire would ever assume a female wouldn't understand a manual transmission. She's so smooth with hers it was half way through our last ride before I finally realized her Xterra was a manual. :smile:

Jonathan, you flatter me. I think that's the best compliment I've ever gotten. :blushx2:




Mad skillz on that stick, yo! Bwahahaha

 

[02Xterra]

Welcome from VA!

 

[Dan Beauvais]

Hi Lauren,

Just checked my 2013 S. It has four outlets. Two on the dash - only powered when the ignition is on. One in the center console - only powered when the ignition is on. One in the cargo area - always powered.

I'm soon going to replace my stereo. Looking at the Sony WX-GT90BT at Crutchfield for $200, and will add the SiriusXM module. While I'd love full Android integration, the way I see it is that smartphones are evolving so quickly. We can't WAIT until our 2 year contract is up so we can move on the bigger and better phone. (I'm a year into my third Android phone.) There's a big mismatch in the longevity of an Xterra and the logevity of a phone. So, instead of trying to control today's android via today's stereo head-end, and have a huge mismatch in a year or two, I'm dash-mounting my phone for control, and just Bluetooth audio stream whatever the phone can do to the stereo. That should work long term.

I agree about the color of your Xterra. Best ever!

Cheers!
Dan

 

[Fromfrontier2Xterra]

Necromancer! lol jk

Actually glad this popped up. You two having trouble with your USB? Mine is starting to not always connect, seems like a loose connection but i have yet to tear it apart.

 

[Dan Beauvais]

I tried burning about 2000 songs to a USB drive and plugging that in. All mp3 format. Structured like this:

\Artist
..\Album
..\..\Song

The non-RockFos, non-Nav radio would read the USB, but only a the first couple of hundred songs were selectable. I only got to the artists starting with B in my alphabetical list. It would only display the Artist, no scrolling. And it would only play them in order, *only*. Not very useful at all...

I tried an iPod. That worked as expected. And I seriously considered buying a large used iPod on fleabay. (I am not an iFan, so don't own any iToys.) But it still didn't get me bluetooth calling, so I decided instead to replace the entire stereo.