Pimping out a 2012 Nissan Versa Sedan 1.6 S

20894 Views 44 Replies 12 Participants Last post by DanielMS23, Jan 21, 2013

stanz

Discussion Starter · Jul 12, 2012

So, we got the new sedan for the wife with no options and I've started to "pimp it out" with stuff from the dealer and ebay. Here's what I've ordered or installed so far:

1: All-weather mats from Nissan, cheaper than Weather Tech, $85.50 and the dealer installed them free.

2: Rubber trunk mat, $55 well sorta rubber, polyethylene. It fits great and it arrived in less than 7 days from Hong Kong. I like this so much I told my dealer they should sell this instead for the carpeted mat in the accessories catalog. ebay link

3: Splash guards, $19.95 from the mat supplier, they shipped together. I haven't installed them yet but a test fit shows they'll be fine. ebay link

4: Vinyl seat covers, $47.94, cheap and I'm not expecting much. I just want to cover the seats until I get enough scratch to buy leather. They arrive tomorrow. Another ebay link

5: Chrome door handle covers, $15.99 from China, waiting ... If the handles were body colored I wouldn't bother but the flat black handles really show up. Yup, more ebay

6: Armrest $44.06 from China. I'm going to be taking a 5 hour trip soon and I can't deal without an armrest. It says it's only good up to 2011 but I saw another 2012 owner said he used one and it fit fine. Waiting for shipment ... okay, last ebay link for now

All told I have spent $273.87. I will update this posting as I install the "stuff". I have had good luck with most Chinese ebay items both in quality and in speed of shipment. I've ordered stuff from Maine, three states away, and it took longer to get than stuff from China/Hong Kong.

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stanz

Discussion Starter · #2 · Jul 13, 2012

The PU Leather seat covers arrived a few minutes ago. PU is a good name for them, boy do they smell. They must have been made last week!

No, they don't feel like leather or even vinyl, they feel just like any other cheap seat cover ... about what I expected for under $50. The one disappointment is the front seat backs; they're stretch nylon, not the PU Leather material like the listing says. It actually looks like the standard material in the 2012 base model seats.

The listing also said they were "semi Custom" for the 2012 Nissan Versa Sedan. The only thing "Semi Custom" about them was the listing. Again, I expected this.

I plan to install them next week, unless I feel the urge to do it over the weekend. I work weekends so I usually don't get a lot done around the house then.

sergmx

· #3 · Jul 13, 2012

You've got a pretty good list of things here for your car. Welcome! Post some pics up when you can. This forum loves pictures!

JoshG

· #4 · Jul 13, 2012

Pimp list sounds good. Take suggestions? I'd paint the door handle covers to match the car, haven't seen that on a 2012 yet, they're either black or chrome. I'd do the same with the splash guards.

08versailles

· #5 · Jul 13, 2012

i think my ipods arrived in five days or less from Shanghai

welcome stanz

stanz

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jul 13, 2012

ARGH! The seat covers won't work. The 2012 1.6S front buckets don't have separate head rests! Obviously the ebay seller didn't know and sent covers with head rest covers!

Actually, nobody makes seat covers for this car yet, except generic. I'm working with Caltrend to create a pattern and be their first customer for the "I Can't Believe It's Not Leather" version of them in black/red.

stanz

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jul 13, 2012

I <3 MY HR16DE said:
Pimp list sounds good. Take suggestions? I'd paint the door handle covers to match the car, haven't seen that on a 2012 yet, they're either black or chrome. I'd do the same with the splash guards.

The covers I ordered are chrome, the handles will look like the SV version.

Good idea for the splash guards though, I'll see if they stock a can of spray paint. The splash guards don't really look bad in black but body color would be better. I already have plastic primer on hand from my Fiat restoration.

JoshG

· #8 · Jul 13, 2012

Sounds good. I have a basemodel as well and added splash guards too, not cheap but I love how the car looks with them. Do you have any plans for wheels?

stanz

Discussion Starter · #9 · Jul 14, 2012

No wheel plans. The Chinese splash guards appear to be clones of the Nissan parts. The holes line up exactly with the correct spots in the fenders. Some have fasteners in them others have indentations where you need to drill, just like the stock ones..

JoshG

· #10 · Jul 14, 2012

Thats nice. I thought about getting those too but I wasnt sure fitment so I got them directly from the dealership. Almost $80.

NewNissanNupson

· #11 · Jul 14, 2012

Finally I have some competition on upgrading the base model 2012 Versa..I'm murdering mine out though with a turbo eventually when 2013 comes around and the new Versa is turbo..a bit of a different direction but I'm excited to see how yours turns out

cad5359

· #12 · Jul 19, 2012

stanz said:
So, we got the new sedan for the wife with no options and I've started to "pimp it out" with stuff from the dealer and ebay. Here's what I've ordered or installed so far:

1: All-weather mats from Nissan, cheaper than Weather Tech, $85.50 and the dealer installed them free.

2: Rubber trunk mat, $55 well sorta rubber, polyethylene. It fits great and it arrived in less than 7 days from Hong Kong. I like this so much I told my dealer they should sell this instead for the carpeted mat in the accessories catalog. ebay link

3: Splash guards, $19.95 from the mat supplier, they shipped together. I haven't installed them yet but a test fit shows they'll be fine. ebay link

4: Vinyl seat covers, $47.94, cheap and I'm not expecting much. I just want to cover the seats until I get enough scratch to buy leather. They arrive tomorrow. Another ebay link

5: Chrome door handle covers, $15.99 from China, waiting ... If the handles were body colored I wouldn't bother but the flat black handles really show up. Yup, more ebay

6: Armrest $44.06 from China. I'm going to be taking a 5 hour trip soon and I can't deal without an armrest. It says it's only good up to 2011 but I saw another 2012 owner said he used one and it fit fine. Waiting for shipment ... okay, last ebay link for now

All told I have spent $273.87. I will update this posting as I install the "stuff". I have had good luck with most Chinese ebay items both in quality and in speed of shipment. I've ordered stuff from Maine, three states away, and it took longer to get than stuff from China/Hong Kong.

most chinese products ar scrap: go for the japanese ones

stanz

Discussion Starter · #13 · Jul 19, 2012

cad5359 said:
most chinese products ar scrap: go for the japanese ones

As far as I know there are none like what I ordered. None of the Chinese products I purchased had any issues, hardly scrap.

stanz

Discussion Starter · #14 · Jul 19, 2012 (Edited)

Armrest installed

I got my armrest today and installed it. It was meant for the older Versa but works fine in the 2012. The one issue is that the front cup holder is a bit smaller than the rear. It slides down in the rear one without issue but the front is a tight squeeze. I had to exert some force to get it down and it still was about 1/16" short of reaching the bottom.

I'm sure if I took it out and modified it a bit it would be perfect but why bother. Because it's so tight I didn't have to screw it down so the vehicle can be brought back to stock without issue.

Here's the view from the front door, it looks like it should be stock:

I showed the armrest to the sales manager at the Nissan dealer my wife works at and he loved it. He said "By the time you're done adding stuff you could have gotten the SV!" I replied "The SV doesn't have an arm rest." I figure I'll end up spending around $500 between little tweaks and custom covers for the front, that's a far cry from the extra $4-5,000 of the other versions.

The armrest is just about the perfect height for both my wife and I. Oh, and she managed to get it loose, I don't know how, so I'll be screwing it down.

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NewNissanNupson

· #15 · Jul 20, 2012

That actually looks pretty clean..I might have to get me one of those.

JoshG

· #16 · Jul 20, 2012

It does look clean. Matches the interior.

stanz

Discussion Starter · #17 · Jul 21, 2012

Rear Seat Cover

Since there are no seat covers available for the 2012 1.6S I made a deal with the ebay seller to just return the front seat covers because I needed something for the rear. The cheap seats in the S model are like magnets for lint, dog hair, whatever.

The dealer gave me the two page instructions to remove the rear seats, it's SO simple but not easy. First you take out the seat bottoms which are held down by two catches that grab steel loops. These are REALLY hard to pull out and you must only pull up on that area of the seat. The seat has NO STRUCTURE, it's just a piece of foam. Here is one of the catches:

Then you remove the top section which starts out easy, two bolts on the lower corners. Then you find the center catch at the top of the seat by pulling it out, I used a screwdriver to get it started. Once you get the center loose the others are easy. One on each side of the top. Here's the lower bolt on the passenger side. The manual says it's 5.5mm but it's 10mm:

I'm not going to detail the cover install, it's the same as any other generic seat cover. Because of the shape of the seat they don't sit perfectly but they're good enough. At least we don't have to deal with the black. They REALLY brighten up the interior. The bottoms fit well, two wrinkles it the back that may or may not work out:

The set included a steering wheel cover that the wife liked so here it is:

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iluvmyVersa08

· #18 · Jul 21, 2012

Rear covers look good. Can you tighten them anymore at all?

I had to take my rear seat out too when I installed the Clazzios. It wasn't an easy task. Taking the seat belts out too was a pain. Overall, took about two hours to install the seat covers in the back! They were worth the time and money though!
Hopefully companies start making some covers for the 2012 soon for ya!

stanz

Discussion Starter · #19 · Jul 21, 2012

iluvmyVersa08 said:
Rear covers look good. Can you tighten them anymore at all?

The big problem is that these covers are cut flat and the seats are far from flat. I have pulled and tugged and started to tear it so I stopped. It actually looks better in the flesh. The lighting highlighted the creases.

The reason custom seat covers cost more is because they're designed to fit the contours. If I got stretchy covers I could get a better fit but I'm at the limit of this material. The wife is satisfied and really that's all that matters.

I will be buying custom covers for the front ... once they're available.

iluvmyVersa08

· #20 · Jul 21, 2012

Ya the custom covers are the best way to go but so far those look good.

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