Nissan prepared for stormy weather | Car Talk - Car News Jun 2016

16:26 Wednesday 15 Jun 2016

With parts of the UK experiencing unseasonably heavy storms this week, Nissan have offered a glimpse into the extreme levels of wet weather testing new models are subjected to at its European Technical Centre in Cranfield.

The manufacturer has created what it describes as a car-sized dishwasher into which new Nissan vehicles are driven before being bombarded with biblical blasts of rainwater. No ordinary domestic appliance, this machine tests the weatherproof qualities of the car’s sealing to the full with a 24,000 litre deluge, with over 1,000 litres of that landing in just a fifteen minute spell producing the equivalent to a metre of rainfall. A specially-developed 150 bar jet washer is used to attack the vehicles seals and seek out potential leaks, with engineers stripping the whole interior to ensure no water has found its way in. Up to 30,000 litres of water are used during the monsoon test and jet wash, the equivalent of over 2,000 average domestic dishwasher cycles.

“Another member of the team will be in the car with a high-definition endoscope to see inside the panels, looking for even the tiniest drop of water that may have made it through,” said Nissan engineer Carl Sandy, who helped develop the test program, “Rigorous testing is important because not every market is the same. For example, in Russia, commercial jet washers run at a higher pressure to cope with road dirt. Through continuous evolution of test standards, we make sure that our cars stand up to the most demanding driving requirements in Europe. ”

Nissan have even thought how to make the process as efficient as possible, collecting every drop of water used for reuse on the next vehicle through the chamber.