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Nissan Altima
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Comments
My wife and I (seniors) are seriously thinking of returning the Maxima for an Altima 2.5, however. We do not need the power and the larger size. There is also the recommendation that premium gas be used for optimum performance. We have used regular some, with no noticeable difference.
The same thing happened at the end of the '05 model year. I have an '03 Maxima SE 6-speed and my lease is ending in a few weeks. I started looking several months ago and the Altima SE was one of my possibilities. The first time I went to the Nissan website, I could build a 5-speed SE with the "Sport Plus" package that includes the Bose stereo, sunroof and spoiler. A few weeks later, there were no options available with the manual. Then a few days later, the manual SE wasn't even available.
I noticed the '06 SE is available with the 5-speed manual, but no options. I inquired on another website discussion and a Nissan salesman told me this is something that happens at the end and beginning of every model year. He claims they start up production of automatics first since they account for the bulk of sales. Whether this is true is beyond me. Who knows?
Anyway, I've moved down the automotive food chain a little due to gas prices and my own budget constraints. I'm now shopping the Mazda3 and Honda Civic. Too bad Nissan doesn't have a good entry level vehicle yet.
The mystery has been solved about why my key fob won't work on my 5-speed Altima, and it boils down to operator error (how hard is that to swallow?).
The Altima has logic built into its computer which will not allow the trunk to open when the car is moving. This logic is fed by the wheel speed sensor. The set up makes lots of sense for an automatic, where the car is always completely stopped before being put into park and the ignition switch turned off.
However, on the manual transmission cars, this same logic can cause havoc if you turn the ignition switch off while the car is still moving. This is my habit sometimes, where I will turn the ignition switch off while still moving (sort of coasting into a parking spot). If you turn the ignition switch off while the car is still moving (and I mean 2 inches of movement before a complete stop), the last thing the computer remembers before being shut down is that the car is moving! So you go to get out of the car and try the remote trunk release, it won't work. The computer thinks the car is still moving, despite being shut off!
By turning the ignition switch on and off while the car is stopped, you recycle the computer, it samples the wheel speed sensor, determines there is no movement and Viola! the trunk opens.
My local dealership did not figure this out. Apparently they have access to some Nissan trouble-shooters on a hot line who suggested this remedy. In the past week I have been diligent about making sure the car is COMPLETELY stopped before I shut the ignition switch off. This seems to have solved the mystery of the intermittent remote switch.
1. There are no lights on the vanity mirrors.
2. There is practically no adjustability to the dash vents for the AC. You can close them and they have louvers that are supposed to adjust the airflow but in reality it does next to nothing.
3. The transmission tends to jerk far too often when under moderate acceleration. When under light acceleration or under heavy acceleration the tranny does better.
4. There are rattles coming from my glovebox and dash that drive me nuts. Can't seem to find the source.
5. Cover of armrest in back seat is not properly attached resulting in bunched up fabric when the rest is down.
6. Weather stripping from left rear passenger door area came off as my 5 year old was getting out of the car. It was not difficult to put back on but the fact that it came off so easily is dissapointing.
7. Interior noise is pretty loud (combination of wind noise and tire drone).
8. The car gets really skittish if I hit a bump while braking to a stop. (most often this is a pothole in the pavement as I approach a stoplight or perhaps a blob of tar from recent road repairs). This seems to be dangerous to me as it feels like the car is loosing braking ability and feels like it is starting to wander as the ABS tries to figure out what is going on.
9. Little rubber inserts at the bottom of the interior door handles keep working loose and flopping around inside the handle cavity.
10. There is next to no padding on the door armrests.
11. The interior materials seem very cheap.
On the positive side, I like the exterior looks of the vehicle and I have been averaging around 26 mpg in mostly city driving.
When I am accelerating from a dead stop with moderate throttle pressure (read as typical acceleration in city traffic), the transmission seems to slip from 1st into 2nd gear resulting in a jerking sensation that you can feel as the car lurches slightly as the gears slip. If I apply very little pressure to the throttle, the transmission shifts smoothly. If I apply a lot of pressure to the throttle, the tramsmission shifts smoothly.
On another note, I notice this same transmission slipping if I am accelerating then have to let off the throttle and then reapply the throttle in a short period of time (this happens to me typically as I am starting off through an intersection and have to let off the gas as the car in front of me slows down or somebody turns into my lane, then they accelerate again allowing me to accelerate again.) This can get pretty unnerving when you get the sensation that you might stall as a result of the slipping transmission.
To date I have not been able to get into the dealer to have them look at the problems I have been having. My work schedule has had me putting in a lot of 12-16 hour days and I am lucky if I can get a break to go to lunch ... much less take my car to the dealership. I am planning on having them take a look at these problems I have been having in the next week or two though. I will post here again once I get a response from the dealer.
One other thing that drives me crazy is the cruise control. If I have the cruise control set and I am traveling down a hill, the cruise control can't find a set point. The vehicle will coast until it is below set point and then will apply more throttle than it needs and overshoot the set point then have to let off again. This repeats itself as long as I am going down the hill. The cruise control works just fine on a flat section of road or going uphill. (I experienced this same thing in a rental Maxima a month or so ago.) The other vehicles that I have owned with cruise control have been able to smoothly maintain speeds on a downhill stretch of road. This has been annoying in my Altima.
I do like the interior room that the Altima provides and the seats are reasonably comfortable but the positives do not outweigh the negatives I have experienced so far.
Prayer helps....
:lemon:
Has anyone on the forum used synthetic oil?. The manual recommends mineral based oil, but my dealer tells me synthetic could be added.
Comments?.
You'd be surprised how many mid-size cars use a rod hood support in cars equipped with 4-cyl engines, but pop for hydraulic hood supports in models equipped with 6-cyl engines. My 2003 Hyundai Sonata is an example. (I haven't checked out a 2006 4-cyl Sonata personally, though.) I've read about Nissan's owner's manual recommendations for mineral oil, and it's "curious" to say the least. I'm unaware of any fundemental technical reason not to use synthetic oil in Nissan engines, but I see no overriding reason to go to the additional expense of synthetics if you plan to change oil according to the owner's manual recommendations either - except for the "feel good" factor. It's really your call. Keep in mind, that where synthetic motor oil is not specifically required to maintain your engine warranty rights, no manufacturer, domestic or foreign, can withold honoring a warranty claim due to use of conventional mineral oil of the correct viscosity, but regardless of type of oil used, no manufacturer will honor a warranty claim for oil related failure if the owner fails to abide by the owner's manual periodic oil change interval. In other words, if you use a pricey synthetic and keep it in service for, say, 12,000-15,000 miles at a time, and after 2 years, 9 months the engine flies apart at 29,000 miles, you're on your own if Nissan can present compelling evidence that your extended drain intervals materially contributed to the engine's demise. (The burden of proof is always on the manufacturer or his agent.) Also keep in mind that current conventional (mineral) oils are awfully close to the performance levels of pure synthetics of just 3-5 years ago - leastways at reasonable 5,000-6,000 mile oil change intervals and they're fully capable of supporting 300,000+ miles of engine longevity at these change intervals in engines driven sensibly. Two really good "conventional" motor oils currently available are Havoline conventional and Motorcraft "Premium Synthetic-Blend" - both generally available for under $2.00/qt. at WalMart if you do your own oil changes. (In the U.S., Ford's "Motorcraft" brand oils are blended and bottled by ConocoPhillips - the fifth largest oil company in the U.S.) Presumably your owner's manual recommends 5W-30 viscosity in most areas of the U.S.? If your geographical area necessitates 0W-30 viscosity for winter operation, both Mobil1 and Castrol Syntec have appropriate full synthetics. Just be cautious about extended oil change intervals while under warranty.
*The "synthetic" component in Motorcraft Premium Synthetic Blend motor oil is really a conventional mineral oil, but so fundementally altered through a process known as "severe hydroprocessing" that it meets industry agreed-upon technical definitions of synthetic performance. The short explanation of hydroprocessing is passing the feed oil stock from the refinery's distillation tower into a pressure vessel (literally a VERY large electric pressure cooker), seal it up tight, and "cook" the contents under 400+ degree heat in the presence of pure hydrogen gas under very high pressure and specific catalytic salts to convert (isomerize) undesirable molecules into desired oil molecules. Depending on the length of time involved, one of two "classes" of base oil stocks result: "Group II" or "Group III". Think of Group III as mo' better Group II, having been cooked longer. In the process, undesirable sulfur-containing molecules (unstable at engine operating temperatures and which tend to form destructive sulfuric acid in the sump) are reformed, too, into desirable oil molecules. The dissociated elemental sulfur remains behind as sediment in the bottom of the reaction vessel from which it's collected, further purified, and sold for commercial industrial purposes. (Sulfur's really great stuff, but you don't want any in your engine oil.) In the case of Motorcraft Premium Synthetic Blend 5W-20, 5W-30, and 10W-30 motor oils, they're a varying blend of Group II and Group III base stocks plus anti-wear, detergent/dispersant, and viscosity stabilizing additives for the final product. ConocoPhillips publically admits that the Group III content is "minimally well in excess of 68%". Havoline, on the other hand, has no Group III component, but is a blend of Group II and what is unofficially classed as "Group II+" base oil stocks. Group II+ is a casually agreed upon industry-wide convenience designation among refiners as superior to straight Group II, but just marginally shy of officially qualifying to the API Group III designation. (An analogy would be a piece of otherwise exquisite Waterford Crystal with an all but unnoticeable, tiny chip in the base.) Havoline (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chevron Oil Company now) lists its 5W-20 and 5W-30 conventional motor oils as "ISOSYN" on the labels which identify the company's Group II/Group II+ blends. Havoline's 10W-30 viscosity motor oil is a fully additized Group II product. Until about four years ago, virtually all conventional mineral oil based motor oils were additized Group I products. Current conventional motor oils are a sea change from the Group I products.
(for anyone bored to tears with this tribological diatribe - sorry...)
Haefr, thank you for a very detailed explanation. The bottom line is making sure that we use good quality oil and do the changes as required. Its 400 miles so far. Very pleasurable to drive. Mileage in mixed traffic with 2.5S 2006 is around 21.6. I have frequent stop and go conditions. So far so good.
It would be great if we could hear from globilly on what it was they changed to correct the problem.
Thanks.
Recall Date : AUG 05, 2005 Read Full
Recall Notice
Defect Summary:
Nissan has determined that on some 2004 model year Sentra and 2004-2005 model year Altima vehicles equipped with the 2.5 liter engine there is a possibility that power valve screws located in the intake manifold may become loose.
Consequence Summary:
If this occurs the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) may illuminate and unstable engine idling or power loss may occur.
Corrective Summary:
For most vehicles, the basic repair will be to inspect the Power Valve Plates and Screws and, if all screws are installed, to replace the Power Valve screws with new ones. Depending on results of the inspection process, more extensive repairs, including repair or replacement of the engine may be required. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
http://www.nissanhelp.com/Recalls/Altima/2005.htm
This might be a related issue? Good luck
dealer offering good pricing. at first i thought too close to the G35 pricing, but a 30k msrp was offered for around 26k...best deal i have found on a G35 so far optioned the way i would want(prem. pkg is $32k
that 6k is enough for me too look at tha SE-R
Please don't post in all caps - it's considered shouting and it also makes your post hard to read.
Good luck with this next hearing - keep us posted.
I'm really interested in a 3.5 5spd since they are such a bargain but I can't find one anywhere in the online searches. I hate to call a dealer before I'm ready to buy since they ALL hound you mercilessly once they get your contact info (a sad fact).
I'm in Central Vermont.
I think the ONLY pkg available for the 5spd V6 SE is the Leather pkg which is silly IMO because the Sport Pkgs (which have the word SPORT) aren't available with stick shifts anymore.
Mazda and Honda about the ONLY companies that caters to stick shift drivers anymore.
i originally wanted the g-35 but went w/ the s-er had more options for the money. i love the car BUT IT IS AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN IN SNOW/SLUSH. This is a car that u would have to buy rims and snow tires for. That to me is the only down fall. Good luck.
As with any FWD car with this amount of power, there is plenty of torque steer.
The sound from the exhaust is wonderful! It sounds a lot like a Z.
Be sure and take one for a long test drive before purchasing.
Huge difference in feel from the SE -- I was amazed when I test-drove the SE-R.
Only downside (for me) is the sound system. I'd be happier if the 6-disc changer and sat radio was optional and I'd like an aux input for my iPod. Don't get me wrong -- it sounds great; just wish it was a bit more flexible.
Thanks,
Steve
Looks similar to my own Altima...just new door handles, new tails and supposedly a WHOLE-NEW interior!
I hope so. Can't wait until NYIAS
Now don't laugh--Nissan has already said that they will offer CVT automatics on a wider scale starting with the 2007 US-market models (note both the 2007 Sentra and 2007 Versa will offer CVT's), and Xtroid CVT (which combines a CVT belt-drive system with a torque converter) has proved it can handle the power of the V-6 engine in its application on the Murano "crossover" SUV. I wouldn't be surprised that the I-4 Altimas use the CVT automatic and the V-6 Altimas use a conventional six-speed automatic.