The following 'Wear and Tear' article is taken from issue 1099 of Auto Express (27 Jan-2 Feb 2010) and can be found in the USEDCARS Family Star section.
WEAR AND TEAR
In-depth check-up
CAREFUL examination of the body cavities using advanced endoscope machinery suggests the Qashqai was very well treated at the factory. We couldn’t find any evidence of corrosion, even along the overlapping metalwork on the sills or door edges. The same solidity was evident when we stripped the engine. Each of the parts was well within the tolerances quoted by the manufacturer. However, there were other areas which did not fare quite so impressively – see below for full details.
Battery tray
CONSIDERING our model was still relatively new, the corrosion on the bracket which holds the battery and ECU was quite severe. Nissan thinks this was a one-off, but its well worth checking on any potential used buys.
Chassis
WHILE the body cavities were showing no signs of rust, the underside of the chassis did. Again the maker believed this was an isolated case on our car, although the issue seems to be due to a lack of rust protection from new.
