similar difficulty. my d3200 already has that nasty 'metering error, send to nikon' message, but was using it on manual with no problems.
then bought a new vr/af/dx lens and suddenly had all the features of that lens the with the knob on manual setting,
BUT, only after drilling down into the setup menu. one of the metering settings was set to auto aperture. i set it to 'manual' and was shocked when the lens started auto focusing, vibration reduction and got some excellent images.
twiddling the ISO auto, minimum shutter speed and other options also allowed improvements. it seems there's more to this error than just a simple mechanical issue
this camera has the old/original software version, but i don't want to upgrade until i figure out what actually is causing the metering error.
if anyone gets hold of a repair manual for these, PLEASE share it!
nikon does release lens repair manuals, but who need them, they are a real nightmare to fix!