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NEWS | EVENTS | GALLERY | FORUM

We are thrilled to welcome you to our little car club, where we share a love for all things Figaro! Our club is run by Sue and myself, and we are here to assist you in any way we can. Although I may not know everything about the car, our club is blessed to have a community of helpful and friendly members who are always willing to lend a helping hand and advice. We encourage you to ask any questions you may have, as we are here to make your experience with us as enjoyable and educational as possible.

Furthermore, we are always on the lookout for great stories and articles to share with our community. So, don't be shy, get in touch with us and share your love of your figgy with our members.

Kevin, Sue & Belle (Figaro)

Contact us here: sales@figaroownersclub.com

We sent an email about this video but you may have missed it.

We took the club car ‘Belle’ to Oxford-based The Figaro Shop for an annual service and decided to make a video of what areas are covered during the process.

General Manager Christian Brookes was on hand to take me around the club car whilst it was jacked up. The level of detail he goes into is comprehensive and very useful for owners to know.

We took the club car ‘Belle’ to Oxford-based The Figaro Shop for an annual service and decided to make a video of what areas are covered during the process. General Manager Christian Brookes was on hand to take Kevin (the club founder) around the club car whilst it was jacked up. The level of detail he goes into is comprehensive.

Christian explained that using the company ‘Check List’ (see image on the right) the technician would start by removing the wheels and inspect the braking system by removing the rear drums for inspection.

Christian explained that using the company ‘Check List’ the technician would start by removing the wheels and inspect the braking system by removing the rear drums for inspection. They look at how the rear shoes have been fitted as according to the Christian they can be fitted incorrectly. Next is inspecting the rear wheel cylinders to look for leaks, which can perish causing loss of brake fluid and spongy braking. Next is inspecting the exhaust system and ensuring the important three rear brake clips are in place. These can perish and break off, leaving the pipe hanging and rubbing on the fuel tank which is an MOT failure. Next are the shock absorbers and springs where they look for misting, leaks and general corrosion.

They are moving onto the sills directly under the doors. You can see from the video just how small the slots are to allow water to drain from the two drain holes situated in the front corners of the roof gutter. They run the length of the door and measure around 2mm wide. This is such a poor design as all it needs is these slots to get filled with road muck and the water has nowhere to go, ending up sitting in the sill and rotting! Next are the handbrake cables to make sure they are not seized. Then, they move on to inspect the gear-link and inhibitor bush located below the handbrake and onto the front lower arm bushings for perishing which can create ‘loose’ steering and onto the track rod ends. and steering gators which can be another MOT failure. He then moves onto the steering rack, again looking for leaks and explains that this can occur from two areas. Then inspect the braking master servo and cylinder (this was leaking so it was replaced on Belle). Next the auxiliary belt for signs of perishing.

As you can see in the video, we had a small leak from Belle’s engine area which was coming from the sump gasket. There are two half-moon seals located on the edges and these have become very hard and not soft meaning the oil would leak. This is an example of replacement due to age and not use.

Christian goes on to say that they change the fuel filter rubber hose as it can perish and split. The air filter is removed and inspected. The spark plugs are changed and the timing is checked (15 degrees advanced is required apparently). What they do see is that garages may have applied 10 degrees as no information is available online for a Figaro but it is for a Micra and this is what is sometimes used which is incorrect and will affect the car’s performance.

On ‘Belle’ we also had the alternator changed following some of our members having issues with their cars. Christian explains in detail how a failing alternator can be catastrophic, especially if you are on a motorway.

Watch this latest video of me fitting the strut brace to Belle. The Nissan Figaro was never designed to be a performance vehicle with its soft suspension that effortlessly glides over most bumps and undulations on the road.

Initially developed for the smooth roads of Japan, the need for a strut brace was never on the priority list for Nissan when designing the model.

As the vehicle ages, so does the fatigue on the main supporting suspension turrets. This can mean when cornering at speed, chassis flex is amplified causing a little more roll and lack of rigidity that was initially intended and the roads outside Japan are very different.

Fitting a strut brace can help positively by reducing the suspension turret flex by tying them both together. This energy is then shared between both sides of the chassis promoting suspension rigidity by reducing chassis flex and keeping the suspension geometry in check.

Not only does the strut bar give a positive performance gain, but it also looks perfect in the engine bay and we have now designed and manufactured our very own Figaro Shop brace.

Tools required

Visit The Figaro Shop online shop. The price is £134.99 Buy now

BEFORE. You can see that the chassis will warp and energy is pushed into the corners

AFTER. The strut brace creates a rigid structure ensuring the energy is contained

Firstly, let’s address the elephant in the room, the cost. Priced at a whopping £59,995 there is no getting away from the fact that this is an expensive car. You are buying in every sense of the word a brand-new Figaro. Sure, The Figaro Shop are using some second-hand parts but then isn’t that good for our climate, very little carbon footprint here. Exclusivity and customisation have and will always carry a high price point. For one, you don’t have an economy of scale so every part is almost made to order for the car. Lining inside the glove box with fine grain, Italian leather is a good example, only one of those is required. Purchasing vehicles at this price will always be hard to justify, as it’s a case of balancing what the heart wants on one side and boring things like trying to justify the purchase on the other. We are pleased that on this occasion and we can imagine many more, the heart will always win as of course it should with a Figaro!

The quality of quality construction and attention to detail is second to none. The car was built following a detailed wish list from the client. We will let the viewers make their minds up as to the quality of the finished product but from our view, you could not get any better.

For the first time since 1991, Restored & Remastered now offers the opportunity to buy an (almost) BRAND NEW NISSAN FIGARO!

Maz contacted us a few days ago to say they have had a delivery of some new products.

On the list were uprated radiators ready for when (if) the weather begins to warm up! These always sell out at this time of year as they offer a much more effective cooling to your Figaro!

The following kits include the radiators:

We also have just had a delivery of turbocharger cores for their “in-house” rebuilt turbochargers which will be ready to dispatch on the 8th of May: Nissan Figaro Rebuilt Turbocharger (original) & Fitting Kit and finally, delivery of Nissan Figaro Rear View Mirror Glass now with ANTI-DAZZLE Glass!!!

Many of you will have known Barry or Baz as we all called him. He has been supporting around 250 owners in the UK, Ireland, France, Germany & the USA for over 20 years.

Like many of you, we never realised he was 84 years old so we wish him all the best in his retirement. Barrie wants to keep in touch with the ongoing Figaro story and we have made sure he continues to receive our newsletters.

We are seeing a push towards penalising all but the electric car drivers until they become the norm and of course, then they will have to pay car tax again.

It was only £160 a year in 2020 so that's almost a 25% increase which is crazy. It still seems odd to me that taxing Belle costs me more than taxing my 2-ton Landrover Discovery!

And talking about my Landrover, thanks to Dutch member Dennis Case, I had some fun creating a bunch of window stickers in 5 colours to match your car which you may wish to buy if you drive another car. Prices start at just £1.02.

Choose your Size

Choose your Finish

We are delighted to announce a good number of discounts on a wide range of products. Contact Maz at The Figaro Shop. Phone 01235 812511

This story was published on the 1st of April and was a real hit lol.

Many thanks to Adam Woods of Figaro Smiles for helping with this.

We have seen more and more problems with members trying to access their cars so have created a specific page which includes a video.

If you have shut the door and locked the car but then you cannot open it, this is usually due to the trigger lever within the handle becoming stuck inside the handle. This can happen over time as dirt enters the space between the trigger lever and the handle. In addition, the returning spring mechanism which pulls the lever back can become rusted and will not work correctly. I show you how to release the trigger lever by applying oil and ‘working’ the lever until it springs back to its correct position. Once it has sprung back to this position you can open the door.

It is worth checking that the trigger levers on both handles are moving well. We recommend opening the door, removing the access grommet and with a torch try to spray oil onto the inside of the lock mechanism whilst pressing the trigger lever. Learn more/Watch the video

Our worldwide garage directory has taken over 10 years to compile and many entries include testimonials from our members. Enter your postcode and hit search and garages will appear on the map.

You can enter 6 search fields:

The Figaro has two electric windows (driver and passenger), both of which can be controlled from the driver’s side switch cluster located in the door and one of which can be controlled by the passenger located in the door. Due to the complexity of the wiring and operations, when something doesn’t work it can be difficult to establish where the fault is.

Below is a translation of the Power Windows diagnostic section found in the Body Chapter of the 'Nissan Figaro Factory Repair Manual'.

Many thanks to club member Papa-san for helping with this translation.

Thanks to US member Bill Shimmel for sending us this replicated sticker. Bill noticed it on a ‘Cold Weather’ Figaro with just 800 miles on the clock Figaro for sale at US dealer Duncan Motors.

Thanks to Bill's generosity we have five available for free. If anyone is interested please email us. The first five to contact will be allocated one. We will notify you and require a stamped address envelope.

You will notice 6 lights to the right of the driver’s steering wheel. Although some are self-explanatory it is helpful to understand what some of the other less obvious lights mean and what actions to take if they illuminate.

We have created an A4 PDF which allows you to print off, cut out the image, apply some double-sided tape and stick to the inside of the passenger sun blind.

This means in an emergency you can quickly and easily see what the lights mean and take action.

Dan Fallon from Scottish-based Garage FK10 contacted us about a special offer on his Figaro bumpers, he has wiped off £100 from his bumpers.

We fitted these to our club car Belle and they are fantastic. Being manufactured from 304 stainless steel which is used for a variety of household and industrial applications such as food handling and processing equipment, screws, machinery parts, utensils, and car headers they are a fit once-only product.

As a club, we enjoy seeing all types of Figgies pass our door during our insurance valuation process, most of which look the same in varying degrees of condition. Every so often, however, we have to take a double-take when opening the images; this is a great example.

Owned by member Silvia Martin and named 'Fancy Francis', this Figgy has done a staggering 230,585 Kms but still looks awesome. Of course, the talking point is the Walnut finish which has been tastefully carried out across not only the dash but also the speaker door panels, gearbox area and even the Clarion CD player. Walnut was used by many vehicle manufacturers back in the 70's and although it does date the car, it also shouts refinement and quality. Thanks to member Nick Robinson who said that he used to fit dash finishes to cars a while back and sent us the template cut-out of the Figaro. Unfortunately, the company does not appear to exist any more which is a real shame. We love it, what do you think?

40 Cars attended from Belgium, Luxembourg, Holland, Scotland, Ireland and the UK. The three routes had been created and road-tested over 6 months by Lynette and Rob Parsons. Let the fun begin!

This rally seemed to hit the sweet spot as we had more media coverage than ever. Five Minutes on the 6:30 BBC show 'Spotlight', three Radio interviews with BBC Devon and mentions of two local publications, Devon Life and the local Tavistock Weekly Paper.

All thanks to member Jane Ellison-Bates :)

Our rallies always include a bunch of fun awards and this year was no different.

Furthest Travelled - Peter & Andrea / Luxembourg/973km

Best Figgy Quirky Feature - Mark Williams / Digital Clock

Best 60/70 Fancy Dress - Anne & Stewert/Dennis and Angelique / The Wombles

Best Dressed Car - Alex & Chris / T-Set on roof

After filming in the morning, the BBC featured our club and the cars in the BBC spotlight show

which was broadcast at 18:55 on the evening of the first day Tuesday 23rd April 2024.

Enjoy some aerial Drone and Go-pro filming of our cars during the rally.

Once the luxury of only the most expensive vehicles, reversing cameras are becoming standard on many cars today. One of our members decided to install one on his Figaro and documented where to buy the parts, and how to install it. The costings are very appealing too, all the parts coming to less than £50!

The clip-on mirror must be carefully masked off and painted with the interior paint colour because it comes in black and clips onto the existing mirror. The price for the paint is not included. The reversing camera will work on its own – The price is £18.99p plus interior paint if you don’t already have it.

I positioned the buzzer in the top O/S boot upper area and the audible buzz is loud enough in the cabin. I am almost certain that these reversing sensors are the same ones being sold elsewhere at the cost of £47.99p plus around £6 for postage = approx. £54! The reversing sensor setup will also work on its own without the delay unit “C”, but you will get a quick beep every time you go past the reverse position – Price £19.99p.

In my opinion, you need this timer to delay the power going to the reversing sensors when you go from park to drive, this is because when you pass through the reverse position, the reversing signal power supply momentarily flicks on. This short power pulse causes the reversing sensors to power up and produce a short beep, it would also power spike the reversing camera. The same short beep scenario occurs when you go from drive to park. Adding this 1 to 20-second delay unit will allow the gear stick to move through the reverse position without beeping, but then when reverse is selected, the reversing sensors (and reversing camera) will become active after a short delay, I have set this power on delay for 2 to 3 seconds.

The delay unit, you do not need this, it’s just nice to have and it gets rid of the annoying beep – Price £9.80p. Note, I chose a 2 to 3-second delay before the reversing sensors and camera are powered up.

As always anything in this article or any of the links has been created to reflect our own experiences. If you decide to make any changes or carry out any work on your car we cannot in any way be responsible for damage to the car or harm to yourself.

Members meet up at the Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre Classic Car Meet on Sunday 7th April 2024. Our Midlands Chapter coordinator Catherine Hardy organised the event which was enjoyed by left to right Catherine, Clive, Tess and Michelle.

We had a lovely time at the Rustival Festival 2024 at the British Motor Museum with my Molly on Saturday 9th March. Steph the event organiser and YouTube car expert from Idriveaclassic asked for an interview (for her recorded piece on some of her favourite cars) of the 500 that attended so how could I refuse to put in a good word on behalf of all Figaro Owners? The picture is me and my husband and mate Teresa with her Herald.