Nissan Navara D23 Parts & Accessories Guide

The Nissan Navara NP300 is one of the best utilities around. It’s spacious and comfortable, well-appointed, boasts a 5-star ANCAP rating and is just as happy carrying a load or heading offroad as it is on the daily commute or ferrying the kids to school. We love it so much we bought one ourselves.

Sure, the NP300 has its shortcomings. The rear springs, for example, need an upgrade when carrying a persistent load in the back. The rear drums are a bit poverty-spec too, if we’re honest. But, overall, it’s leaps and bounds ahead of its predecessor, offers loads of practicality and value for money and boasts an engaging car-like handling that makes the NP300 just as much a pleasure to steer around town as in the wild blue yonder.

Best of all, we stock all the best upgrades and embellishments you could possibly want to get your NP300 sounding, handling and performing just the way you like, along with all the accessories needed to make it your own and cater to your every whim, whether on the job around town or at leisure out in the sticks.

Automotive Superstore is your one stop shop for all things NP300. Check out the breakdown on all our favourite gear below, or enter your rego into the vehicle part finder above and click the shop all parts button that appears below to browse our broader range of applicable parts and accessories.

Up top we chose a Yakima roof platform package to add some much-needed utility to the otherwise useless square-footage above the cabin. Designed to take all the guesswork out of finding the right combination of tracks, rails and platform needed to suit your vehicle, our Yakima packages allow you to select the right LockN’ Load track system, RuggedLine rail system and LockNLoad storage platform along with the right combination of optional accessories to suit your needs. We chose Yakima’s Slim Shady awning so to be able cast some shade where necessary, some recessed light brackets (more on these later) and an AceOSpades shovel holder, but are still eyeing off an EasyTrip roof box or expandable cargo bag, high lift jack mount and gas bottle holder. With a load capacity of 100kgs, it’s hefty enough to carry the obligatory esky, jerry and gennie, along with some sundry, just fine. Best of all it looks the goods which, let’s face it, is the primary reason we fitted it.

Of course, no 4WD worth its salt gets around without a way to turn night into day. For this task we selected a pair of 9-inch LED spot lights from Ignite. These things boast a whopping 10-kilolumens of effective illumination and a beam distance of over half a kilometre from their twin 12-element LED arrays, which is more than enough for the women we date. They're not just any LEDs either, and not all LEDs are created equal. Unlike competing brands, Ignite proudly promote the fact that their driving lights are constructed using high-quality CREE brand LEDs, ensuring a better quality of light and no black spots in your field of view, as can be apparent with lesser alternatives. Their clever clamshell design, combining integrated cast-aluminium heatsinks with UV stabilised acrylic lenses, delivers optimal thermal dissipation and efficient light projection in an ultra slimline body design.

Making use of the recessed light brackets at the front and back of the LockNLoad platform is the craziest pair of lightbars we could fit. Capable of delivering daylight at the flick of a switch, the diminutive size of the ILB990CB from Ignite belies its astonishing output, with over 17-kilolumens of effective light from its 24 10-watt high-quality CREE brand LEDs. Best of all, they weigh just 4.3kgs a piece, so barely impact upon the carrying capacity of the storage platform to which they are attached. They are also IP68 rated, so even tipping our rig on its lid in a torrential river is unlikely to bother 'em much.

Making use of the recessed light brackets at the front and back of the LockNLoad platform is the craziest pair of lightbars we could fit. Capable of delivering daylight at the flick of a switch, the diminutive size of the ILB990CB from Ignite belies its astonishing output, with over 17-kilolumens of effective light from its 24 10-watt high-quality CREE brand LEDs. Best of all, they weigh just 4.3kgs a piece, so barely impact upon the carrying capacity of the storage platform to which they are attached. They are also IP68 rated, so even tipping our rig on its lid in a torrential river is unlikely to bother 'em much

For recovery duties we selected a Bushranger Revo winch. It is rated at 12000lb/5.5t and features a quality synthetic rope, removable clevis hook and integrated hawse-type billet aluminium fairlead. The latter being a feature now ubiquitous however originated by Bushranger, and which can be mounted inline or offset depending on what best suits your vehicle. It’s fast line speed saves you time and frustration, while an advanced proportional friction braking system takes the tug-of-war game out of unspooling the thing without compromising on safety. The included controller works both wired and unwired, with its unwired range of 30m allowing you to maintain complete control while keeping safely clear of the danger zone. Bushranger tops it off with a conditional lifetime warranty on the hardware and an industry leading 7-year warranty on the electronics. The whole thing is IP67 rated too, so it won’t stop if submerged in one of those unforeseen and inopportune moments.

Yes, we have an obligatory snorkel, from who else other than Safari. Market leaders in their field, Safari offers an unparalleled range of vehicle specific snorkels to suit most every popular offroader, the NP300 being no exception. These things are to 4WDs and dual cabs what spoilers were to ricers back in the day, with seemingly everyone running one regardless of whether they need it or not. We don’t plan to take ours past the factory wading depth, but don’t wanna be caught naked without one regardless. In any case, these things are made here in Oz from Safaris own industrial spec UV stabilised polyethylene and built like a brick shithouse, with the street cred and lifetime warranty to match, so we won’t cry if it never gets a chance to truly prove its utility in the field.

Keeping the cabin quiet by preventing buffeting at speed, and dry by shielding the door sills from precipitation, is an all-round set of window weathershields from Protective Plastics. These aerodynamic additions are just the thing for keeping the dust and rain out, while prettying up the glasshouse like a subtle application of volumising mascara. Made of UV stabilised Acrylic and tinted to best accent the colour palette of the vehicle, while also reducing glare, these weathershields are a must have accessory. A matching bonnet protector also prevents sandblasting and stone chips to the front of the vehicle when at cruising speeds.

The dash is covered by one of Sunland’s latest generation of dashmasts, which fits like a glove thanks to a fully moulded design that hugs every curve and undulation. It protects the dash from the harsh effects of the blazing Aussie sun, preventing cracking and fading, while also reducing glare and improving cabin acoustics. The carpet is protected from muddy shoes and the threat of excess wear by a 3-piece set of floormats also from the Sunland range. These things add a luxurious feel to the interior with a thick, plush pile made of UV stabilised nylon. The monobrow rear also protects the transmission turret from getting beaten up during ingress and egress. Best of all they’re cheap as chips, costing a pittance for the whole set.

We’re all audiophiles here, with many of us having a background in the car audio industry. Accordingly, our NP300 packs a solid audiovisual upgrade. Up front we’re running Alpine’s flagship ILX-F511A Halo11 headunit. The pinnacle of its kind, primarily due to its almost comedically large display area, the ILX-F511A also offers pretty much all the features and functions you could possibly want in a single din package. It has full support of Apple Carplay and Android Auto features, and allows wireless connectivity with up to two mobile devices simultaneously. This means there is no need to plug in everytime you enter the vehicle, even if you use one device for voicecalls and the other for music, podcasts and the like.

The ILX-F511As pièce de résistance is its enormous 11-inch touchscreen, boasting a wonderfully vivid high contrast display with a high resolution 1280x720 pixel LED matrix. If you, like us, consider yourself to be a bit of an audio aficionado, and you think you can hear the difference between a crappy low resolution mp3 and the latest ultra high-definition file formats, then you are likely aware that few headunits can provide native support for these files. The Halo11 is different. It not only supports direct playback of your favourite flacs, it will do so at resolution up to 24-bit and a sampling rate of up to 192kHz.

It also has all the other fruit you’d expect from a top end multimedia headunit, including USB, wifi, Bluetooth and HDMI inputs. Tuning is also a breeze thanks to a quality 13-band parametric equaliser, comprehensive active crossover network, speaker time alignment and subwoofer level control.

When you’re out in the middle of nowhere it is vital to have a decent means of communication that does not rely on Australia’s sometimes disparate distribution of cell towers, in the form of a short wave or UHF radio.

GME is not only the biggest name in UHF radios here in Oz, they are proudly Australian owned and operated. With more than 60 years’ experience innovating in the space, there is simply no better option. We opted for one of our thoughtfully packaged GME build-a-bundles, containing all the necessities needed to get a UHF radio installed just right and with all the necessities including antennas, mounts, cables and connections, interfaces and so forth. Wanting to take advantage of GMEs most recent innovations, we went with the GME XRS Build-A-Bundle, selecting the XRS-370C4P as the centrepiece for our setup. We put this package together along with the non-XRS alternative to best assist consumers looking for a UHF setup for their vehicle, bundling the core components together with all the necessary ancillaries needed to sort your setup start to finish.

GMEs reputation provides the peace of mind needed in a critical communications device that can make the difference between life and death. Speaking of which…

We also carry a GME MT410G emergency locator beacons (PLB) in the glovie, due to its necessity and bankable reliability. Hopefully we’ll never need it but are far more comfortable having it, and the 7-year battery life and corresponding warranty provides many years of security. Also, its IP67 rating means it’s just as happy on the water as it is out the back of Bourke. A must have on the off chance it helps save a life or two if, or perhaps more likely when, our ambition exceeds our intelligence or circumstances simply get the better of us.

An indispensable addition to any offroader, Hema’s venerable HX1, provides all the guidance, route awareness and points of interest we could need, especially when well and truly out in the middle of absolutely nowhere.

Moving to mechanical mods, we’ve installed a Manta bolt-on exhaust. We’re not entirely sure how much power this turbo back exhaust system delivers, but it does feels somewhat moderate to our butt dyno, but delivers faster spool up and improved power delivery early in the rev range. What we do know for sure is the subtitle tuning of the engine note, which complements the car-like handling of the NP300 to make a more pleasurable and rewarding driving experience.

We chose this Manta exhaust because we wanted a mild performance gain while retaining the factory diesel particle filter, and without drastically altering the engine note. Your preferences may vary though, so be sure to peruse Manta’s broader range for the NP300. Manta offers no less than 14 different variations of this exhaust, allowing you to select for the exact result you are after and without compromise. You can select whether to delete the factory diesel particle filter, catalytic converter, resonator and whether you want a muffler, or two, or none, or any combination of the above. Manta even offers a couple of straight pipe options, available in a choice of aluminised steel or stainless steel, for those who would rather be completely uninhibited. Manta has an exhaust to perfectly match your requirements, regardless of your unique preferences. This is just one of the many reasons we love Manta so much.

Placed under increased stress by the rigors of offroading and, if we’re honest, our less than empathetic mechanic sympathies and driving style, the factory item seemed unlikely to cut it for long. Removing any question as to whether it is up to the task, we swapped the factory unit for a heavy-duty kit from Exedy. The NSK-8821HD Safari Tuff clutch kit includes everything necessary to toughen up your driveline and take the stress out of towing heavy loads and negotiating steep terrain, including the friction plate, pressure plate and thrust bearing. Choosing Exedy makes the whole upgrade process a painless and straight-forward affair, and the only responsible choice when you consider Exedy’s long history as an OEM supplier to Nissan and Nismo.

Engine bay mods are currently limited to a few resilience promoting accessories to help keep maintenance to a minimum and ensuring we have the best chance of making it home when things get more than a little outta shape.

Keeping the intake clean and ensuring smooth operation of the engine doesn’t deteriorate over time is an oil catch can from Direction Plus This sealed and compact unit provides extra insurance against our intake clogging up with gunk. Best of all, it comes in a bolt-on kit that includes a custom fabricated aluminium bracket for direct fit into the NP300.

As we said earlier, we don’t plan to take this thing swimming to depths beyond the factory wading height, but we aren’t running a depth sounder and things don’t always go to plan. Accordingly, we have also installed one of Direction Plus’ fuel water separators so to ensure that the only mixture we are ever injecting into the engine consists of fuel and air.

We saved a bunch by purchasing the oil/air separator and fuel/water separator together as part of the dual kit. This vehicle specific combo kit slashes the price you’d pay if purchasing the contents individually, and takes all the difficulty out by including all the necessary ancillaries required for plug and play fitment into the Navara’s engine bay.

For stopping duties, we opted for one of Bendix’s vehicle specific front brake upgrade kits. This complete brake overhaul kit is perfect for our application, as it is available in variations to suit both standard ride height as well as to suit vehicles fitted with a 2-inch lift, all the bits you need to deliver a notable increase in the braking performance of your vehicle, these vehicle specific kits help take all the guesswork out of selecting the rights parts for your upgrade, make sure the pads and rotors selected will play nicely together and save you a bit of money while also ensuring you don’t forget to order anything critical. These kits incorporate rotors and pads for a meaningful upgrade to the front anchors while including the cleaning agents, braided brake line hoses and brake fluid required to knock installation out of the ballpark.

We also decided to bite the bullet and bring the rear brakes into the 21st Century by doing away with the pre-historic drums and replacing them with a quality set of disc rotors and pads. This rear drum to disc brake conversion kit from Hulk 4x4 is a proper safety upgrade that substantially improves the stopping distance of the vehicle, particularly when towing or carrying a sizable load in the back.

There really isn’t much to do suspension wise since the factory setup is pretty well sorted. But there are always gains to be had, so we went to town. Delivering improved handling and ride comfort, particularly when there’s a toy in tow or we are carrying a moderate load in the back, is a set of Bilstein BE5-D626 struts paired with KDFR-72HDs from King Springs. In the back we’re running a pair of 24-257244 struts wrapped in HDRR-73HD springs. These premium shocks and heavy-duty spring combos deliver a healthy 2-inches of lift while increasing the load carrying capacity to better suit our current configuration, affording greater ground clearance, taking heavier loads in its stride and making for a more authoritative stance.

No undercar treatment is complete without a few embellishments from Whiteline Suspension to ensure optimal compliance. Leaders in their field since Adam was a pup, this mob certainly know their stuff. We have long been familiar with their incredible results achieved on the street, circuit and strip, but this has been our first opportunity to see firsthand what Whiteline Suspension can do offroad. Up front we substituted the standard strut top bushes with a set of upper bushes to help the upgraded Bilstein shocks do their work, while a set of front lower inner control arm bushes provides an extra 0.5-degrees of positive camber and a heavy duty sway bar link kit allows us to dial in the optimal amount of preload we are after, ensuring the sway bar is neutral at the new ride height. We are, of course, not at all dissatisfied with the results.

We stock service kits containing oil, air, fuel and cabin filters to suit the NP300 from no less than 4 brands, with customers able to select from their choice of Sakura, Fram, Ryco and Wesfil kits depending on preference. For major service internals we opt for Ryco’s complete service kit. For interval services we choose our NP300 service kit package, which allows you to mix and match what you need and omit whatever you don’t, covering a broad range of areas including filters, coolant, power steering fluid, cleaners and a handful of tools relevant to help get the job done.

Other mods sourced from partners include a Load-Lid tonneau cover from Ute Master, which effectively doubles the storage surface area while affording a meaningful 200kgs of load capacity above the lid. We’re also rolling on a set of Black Rhino’s from Fuel Autotek, wrapped in All Terrain T/A tyres by BF Goodrich. Our bull bar, housing the Bushranger Revo winch and Ignite spotties, is by Piak Offroad.