My K11 (Mediocre) Micra

[michael t]

Following on from my Clio thread I thought I'd update all you wonderful people on the other shitters on the fleet.

 

First up is my wonderfully mediocre K11 Micra. I started a new job back in the summer which involved a significantly longer commute than my previous place of employment. At the time I was dailying a 2001 Volvo V40 1.8 (auto, petrol. More on this later) which was rather thirsty on fuel and therefore crippling me financially. To try and preserve my monies I decided to invest in a smaller, more economical motor. I perused the small ads and online cesspit sites and came across this rather clean (from a distance, of about 13 miles) K11 Micra. The reassuring online reviews that promised OMGLOTSRELIABLES & OMGLOWPETTYCOSTS convinced me to take a trip to Greystones in Co. Wicklow, about 30 mins from Dublin.

On arrival I realised it was a little less clean than I had originally believed but seemed ok in all the right places. The brief test drive did nothing to disparage such thoughts and after handing over just €550 it was mine. It's NCT'd/MOT'd until next May and was taxed for another two weeks. Serious bargain territory considering used cars now usually command one of any body part you have two of. The drive home was uneventful, as was the next few weeks of 90 miles per day motoring. Its relatively comfortable, reasonably roomy and the visibility is excellent. Despite only being a 1L petrol it's pretty nippy and stops on a sixpence. It sips fuel like Bear Grylls conserving his own piss and being absolutely vry smoll means I can park it almost anywhere.

 

 

Now this is usually where such threads take a turn for the worse, and this thread is no excep/ actually it is because thankfully it's been absolutely faultless. Apart from needing (rather desperately) a service, new auxiliary belts and a cabin filter it has handled 500 miles per week impeccably. The gearbox is gradually dying and gets stiffer the longer the journey. Especially in low gears. It needs a new front driver's side tyre and the tracking is a little off. The radiator has a very slow leak and so an occasional topping up of coolant is required. But hey for €550 I ain't complaining.

 

More mediocre Micra content shall follow in due course.

[mitsisigma01]

I to have a mediocre Micra k11 1.0 .... it does what it does boringly reliably well ... It was cheap , to buy and so far to run , the most annoying thing is that the wiper squeaks , not from the blade but from a bush on the wiper mechanism 🤔 so I have to turn the standard fitment stereo up , the LCD display has failed so mystery radio stations are heard , the cassette player works but the heads need cleaning... I think I threw away my head cleaning kit in about 1987 ... Oh well I'll just have to put up with it 👍

[michael t]

26 minutes ago, mitsisigma01 said:

I to have a mediocre Micra k11 1.0 .... it does what it does boringly reliably well ... It was cheap , to buy and so far to run , the most annoying thing is that the wiper squeaks , not from the blade but from a bush on the wiper mechanism 🤔 so I have to turn the standard fitment stereo up , the LCD display has failed so mystery radio stations are heard , the cassette player works but the heads need cleaning... I think I threw away my head cleaning kit in about 1987 ... Oh well I'll just have to put up with it 👍

Oh, so that INCREDIBLY annoying wiper squeak is actually a worn bush. Mine does exactly the same thing and it's infuriating. I'd assumed it was the shit Hellfrauds wiper blades I'd bought

[mitsisigma01]

I expect you have encountered the melting headlight bulb multi plug , I have just found some replacement kits, chinesesium specials on eBay 

🤞

[Spiny Norman]

I love K11 Micras, I had three in quick succession and they were all 100% reliable if not the prettiest. They have their faults and weaknesses (rust, ultimately) but they're dead cheap to own and great fun in city streets and not unbearable on longer run.
All three of mine had wobbly gearstick-itis, due to a broken or missing spring in the lever.

This was the most expensive and best of the three, £600-worth a few years ago.

[HMC]

I love them too. My last was a late 1.4 which was surprisingly quick for what it was. A common reason for the gear stick not self centring is corrosion expanding one of the linkages and Causing it to stick- thinking about it every k11 I’ve owned has suffered with it to some degree. Getting under, stripping and cleaning up/ lubricating the mechanism soon sorted it.

[DavidB]

• You may need to resolder the the throttle body joints if it has the throttle position sensor in it.
• They all rust on the front wings.
• They also rust on the rear sills and back of the rear inner arches.
• I didn't think they were that good on mpg.
• They also rust along the sills.
• The sunroof pipes get blocked up and the scuttle drain also gets blocked and water ends up in the footwells.
• The 1.0 can't accelerate up hills on motorways.
• Changing the pollen filter requires you to cut (or completely remove) part of the dashboard. (!)
• The little spring on the underside of the gearknob snaps, resulting in poor gear changing and it won't centre properly.
• Gear linkages also benefit from taking out, cleaning up and lubricating as it's all exposed.
• Micra 'enthusiasts' rip you off if you sell them headlight covers on ebay.

[michael t]

2 hours ago, mitsisigma01 said:

I expect you have encountered the melting headlight bulb multi plug , I have just found some replacement kits, chinesesium specials on eBay 

🤞

No. I've actually never heard of it, please elaborate before I panic!!

[stripped fred]

I have a 1997 pre facelift model. Love it and it's pretty quick too. Closest car to my first car, a mini clubman, and gives similar thrills when driving. I feel 17 again, rather than 51...

[barefoot]

Are the CVT versions any good, and does the transmission last as long as the rest of the car?

[Lord Sterling]

WERD man. Love K11s, always had a soft spot for them as they are Mother_Sterling's choice of wheels.

This was her first one (still owned) bought from a (now demolished) Nissan dealership in Great Barr, Birmingham. Ma has had this since about '99 before I even knew how to drive.

Later on after I got my licence, I made a few changes and also discovered that I was more into OEM 'up speccing' than cheap aftermarket "modz".

I raided scrapyards when there were more of them and you could walk into them, I picked upper spec OEM bits from scrappers and fitted them to the Blue:

Before:

After:

Rear parcel shelf with speakers from upper specced models (they have the plug already installed):

Tweeters (again, plugs at the ready)

JDM floormats from a Nissan March

Rear opening bin (usually just a blanking trim)

 

Sadly the Blue got smacked into a couple of years ago. But just before that, I won (well, another shiter helped) a 2002 facelift Micra Tempest from here. Originally this was intended for Sis_Sterling to learn to drive in, but it got transferred to Ma_Sterling when the Blue got taken off the road.

This also had some love in forms of windcsreen replacement, service and rust treatment as well as my usual OEM treatment:

• Rear badges reinstated (including dealer badge I found!)

• Painted over wheel trims changed for original trims. 

• Floor mats (Not JDM, but OEM rubber mats)

• CD player from a K12

• Key changed after original key was lost (done through this forum too)

Needs a bit more work admittedly, it a but bashed, scratched and rusty in places but Ma barely does a few miles a week in it other than going shopping or into the next town. 

The Blue is with me in storage until I can afford (and be arsed) to get it repaired.

[tom13]

Love a K11.

What MPG are you getting?

[mk2_craig]

17 hours ago, barefoot said:

Are the CVT versions any good, and does the transmission last as long as the rest of the car?

The one I had was a hoot to drive,

 

However that front crossmember wanted replacing, and other issues (crispy sills and KRAKD screen) caused me to bail. I got my money back on it but don't think it lived on for much longer.

[ETCHY]

21 hours ago, barefoot said:

Are the CVT versions any good, and does the transmission last as long as the rest of the car?

We had a 1.3 CVT for years. Superb and surprisingly brisk, really great little car.

The CVTs don't have great reputation for longevity though ( it's what killed ours as well as advanced rot), but get a good one & they're brilliant.