Nissan Maxima

roar1

ccermak,

Has your car suddenly developed this sluggishness or has it always been
this way. If you have in excess of 40,000 mi. on it , you may need the
throttle body cleaned. Sometimes it gets carboned -up. Of course with
so many computer controlled devices on these cars, I think a good, and
reputable dealer would be your best bet.

Another option would be to drop in the 3.5 litre VQ engine . :-)
Zoom , Zoom !

ccermak

I've thought about that, but I think it's just been like that the whole time. Is there any kind of test they can do to see beforehand if the throttle body is carboned up, or would they just clean it and then hope to notice any kind of results? It's got 33K on it, with my work drive being only 1.5 miles so there could be some carbon issues since it runs for 10 minutes at a time twice a day. I change the oil every 3K and take wicked care of it, borderline compulsive.

Pretty soon it's due for a tranny and coolant flush, so maybe the throttle body is another thing to put on the list.

Anybody wanna trade for a 6sp ;-)???

Seeya

renzj

Also - watch the fuel. Stay away from anything that even mentions ethanol. This junk will carbon everything up in a heartbeat and rob your mileage. I switched from BP (10% ethanol) to Mobil and increased mileage by 15%, once I cleaned all the crap out! Only use premium - your mileage increase will overcome additional cost.

roar1

ccermak.........years ago the the throttle body was a visual inspection ( after some
disassembly ) and a spray cleaner was used. I'm not sure what's used now !!

Actually, on the 2k2's there's sometimes a very slight throttle lag on
initial acceleration , but I believe this has been attributed to the "throttle
by wire " system. ( not on the 2k's )

norbert444

My 5c comment on your #1 problem:
You seem to indicate that the problem is (front-end) vibration when breaking. If so, you probably have warped brake rotors. This was one of the warranty problems, as I recall. I have the same on my 2k GLE. Will have to see the dealer for the first time ever (I do my own filter and oil changes).

mtkaplan

#4889 of 4905 by bodydouble Jun 30, 2002 (12:26 pm)

Any difference in features between '02 & '03?

No. There is no difference. The only thing is there is a Titanium Edition SE available which has some color & inside finish differences and the rear-view mirror has a compass built-in.

I have a 2003 Maxima GLE and was even able to get the same pricing I was quoted on the 2002 the month before. Great Car !! Anyone looking for a Max... you really can't beat the overall product for money scenario.

Member of http://www.maxima.org & http://www.nissanx.com among others.

rswagle

First off, thanks to all of you on this board. Your insight and tips have been incredible. In may, i took the plunge and purchased a 2002 maxima GLE. I've gotta say, this has been one of the best cars i've driven. The car was listed for $28,805 which included pwr sunroof, sunroof wind dflctr, painted splash guards and of course floor mats. My final price paid was $25,305 b4 TTL. I believe this was an OK deal. BTW, I took the 3.9% for 60 months. Let me know what you think, or on second thought...
regards
happy motoring!

bodydouble

Nissan is (was) offering $1200 dealer cashback on Maximas until June 30, 2002. Don't know if it has been extended to July. Or maybe if dealer backdates invoice? It's worth a call to your local dealer.

bksward

ccermak,

Has your car suddenly developed this sluggishness or has it always been
this way. If you have in excess of 40,000 mi. on it , you may need the
throttle body cleaned. Sometimes it gets carboned -up. Of course with
so many computer controlled devices on these cars, I think a good, and
reputable dealer would be your best bet.


There was some discussion on maxima.org about 5th generation maximas benefitting greatly from a new set of spark plugs at the 40-50k mark. (I believe they were a 60k replacement part on the 3.0 5th gens...)

inetdee

Hi There,

I have a Maxima 2002 GLE, and was wondering
about oil changes...

I've always changed oil in my previous cars
about every 5000 miles. A friend of mine who
works with trucks told me that if I use Synthetic Oil in my car, I can aviod chaning the oil every 3-5k miles, but can rather do it every 12k miles or so.

So a couple of questions:

1. Is this true?
2. If so, I'm sure the dealer sent me away with
regular oil, how do I switch to Synthetic or
does that just happen with my first oil change?
3. How often do people recommend getting an
oil change for this car?
4. Can Synthetic Oil do any damage or cause problems further down the line for me?

Thanks for all your help..this is a great board
and learning experience!

kvsm3

inetdee,
I have 2 nissan maximas, a 1996 GXE and a 99 SE.
I bought the GXE new, and after 1000 miles, I changed the oil with regular oil but when the car hit 5K miles, I changed it to mobil one synthetic, and every 5K miles, I change the oil.
150K miles later, the car is running like a champ. engine is as good as new. So I would use synthetic after 5K miles, and change it every 5K miles thereafter. A few bucks spent on oil changes is worth it.
My 99 SE has 46K miles and I do the same thing. I basically buy a case of Mobil 1 and Nissan oil filters and take it to the local lube place and have them change my oil using my filter and oil. Since I am right there, I do see them use the oil and filter that I supply.
Also if you use synthetic oil later down the line, there will be no damage since cars these days have much better gaskets than cars of 20-30 years ago so that means, using synthetic wont make the gaskets leak.You should have nothing to worry about.
Good luck with your Maxima! Excellent purchase :-)

regfootball

Hi all. Like the Maxima....why? 255hp, that's why. Big question. I now drive a v8 Taurus SHO with automatic....love the car, but I am again longing for the days when I had an 89 SHO that was cat quick and had 5 speed tranny. The 99 v8 has a pathetic auto tranny that saps all the juice out of the car. As such, even though I love the car part of me wants to get faster again and so I am thinking about a TL type S (bland looking) and maybe an Altima or Maxima with the manual tranny because I miss shifting gears myself.

Anyone out there who's driven both of the 2002/3 model (6 speed and auto). Is the manual significantly quicker than the automatic or are both as fast as I would like?

hammer19

Hey gang. Haven't written for a while. Just sold my '97 SE, waiting on an '03 SE, silverstone on black leather, titanium pkg., auto, with all the goodies. Up in Canada all new SE's have the titanium pkg. (or so I'm told). Anyway, wondering if it's wise to wax the new car right away, or is there a "preferred" product I should use on the new one. I've heard of a product called Zaino but don't know if it's available in Canada - have never seen it in the regular stores. Have you any suggestions? Also, is there a significant break-in period for the new engine? Any speeds I should avoid? Can't wait till it gets here - it's on a train coming east from the west coast - should be here within the week (I hope). Anyway, if anyone has a good product out there, that's also available in the Great White North, that'll protect my finish from bug-guts, let me know. Thanks.

weltonw

I have a 2002 SE 6spd with slightly over 3k miles, and just recently I've noticed some minor engine knocking. It happens when I give gas around 1000-2000RPM just after shifting, and it only lasts for a split second before it's gone. I faithfully use Mobil 93 octane, and together with it still being a new car this is a bit unexpected.

I searched the board a little for prior postings regarding knocking, but those dealt more with persistent pinging. Most of those seemed to involve ignition coil issues.

So my questions:
1) Anyone else experienced this type of behavior?
2) Is this normal, or something to be concerned about?
3) How sensitive are knock sensors? I assume the reason it goes away after a split second is that the sensor detects it and makes the appropriate adjustments. But the fact that I hear it at all is surprising - I would think the sensor is more sensitive than my ear. But I could be wrong.

One possibility is that I got some bad gas - I only started noticing it since my last fillup. Another remote idea I had is that it might be caused by the the heat/humidiity (but that could be a completely incorrect theory).

kennyg5

I also experienced minor knocking with my GLE several months ago after I got bad gas from a station which I had never used. The knocking vanished after I put in good gas from the station which I frequented. Some stations are simply not trustworthy even though you buy premium gas.

kyleknicks

i was driving to NY last wed, and a nice rock hit my windshield... now there's a nice pellet size crack.... well..it's weird... it looks like if a bullet hit the window..but when you touch it either from the inside or the outside..it's smooth... close inspection looks like the windshield is made of some sort of liquid.... is this fixable??

bodydouble

There is a process by which a glass shop can fix those "bullet holes" without replacing the windshield. The quality of the result varies though, depending on the size and nature of the crack.

porknbeans

I don't know if you understand that windshield glass is actually a sandwich of two pieces of glass with a center of a plastic film/sheet. They do this so that when a rock hits it, or when you're in an accident the glass doesn't shatter into thousands of very sharp pointed pieces of glass that tend to make a mess of the human body. So what you're looking at is an air bubble created between one of the sheets of glass and the plastic sheet. The glass shop fix that bodydouble talked about is going to fill that bubble with an epoxy that will dry clear. The quality of it depends upon how well the epoxy fills the void and how well the glass shop tries to make it happen. BTW, the side glass in a car is also "tempered" which means that it is specially heat treated to shatter into millions of pea sized balls or crumbs if it gets hit or broken. If you already knew this I apologize for the post and wish you luck on the repair.

kyleknicks

thanks everyone for their insights on windshields... how much do you think it will run to fix the "bullet hole"

afty

Typically, the cost is around $50, but check with your insurance company first. Many will cover the repair with no deductible, since it's cheaper than replacing a windshield down the road.

porknbeans

The only catch is if you have 2 or 3 of these things I would recommend you replace the windshield. I know this sounds extreme, but my dad was almost dropped from his insurance provider for too many repairs in a year. It was recommended to him that he should have asked to have the windshield replaced instead of 3 seperate repairs (BTW, he didn't have a single request/ticket/repair for more than 5 years prior). I guess what it boils down to is that if you are able to forsee the future and expect to have more chips, replace the windshield. Otherwise go ahead withe the repair.

ccermak

Hi,
I posted about 30 posts ago that I get a vibration every time I come to a stop in my 00 SE 3.0 Auto. I wasn't clear enough. The vibration is in the steering wheel. It starts vibrating on deceleration at around 5-10mph and lasts for a second or two until I stop completely. It feels like electric motor mounts or something. It doesn't feel like brakes at all. I can feel it start buzzing, and if I'm in stop and go rush hour where I never come to a complete stop but I hover around 2 to 5mph, sometimes it'll continue to vibrate constantly until I either stop dead or speed up above like 10mph. I don't even have my foot on the brakes and it's buzzing. It's highly annoying and reproduceable every time. Any ideas on what it could be, or if there's anything that can be done? A TSB perhaps? I just hit 34.5K miles and could try to get it fixed before the warranty runs dry.

Sweet car, but wish I would've waited til the 3.5 6sp. I figure I'd get crushed on a trade in.

Seeya

mirth

ccermak - A number of years ago, I had a similar problem with another car. Turned out to be the tires - they were very worn. Once I replaced them the vibration disappeared.

kyleknicks

I had the same thing happening to my steering wheel when I would brake... there is a tsb out there for 2000 maxima brake judder... im pretty sure this is what you're experiencing... email me and i'll email you the tsb ....

kyleknicks

i guess if you dont have your foot on the brakes, and it's buzzing, then it's not the rotors..sorry

mtkaplan

Yes, it is a good idea to wax it right away. You start to protect the finish from the beginning. Zaino is available in Canada. It is not sold in stores (in the U.S. either) but I just bought it and gave my baby its first coat yesterday. Nice shine and easy enough to apply. Email me your email address and I will give you the link. My email address is in my profile. Just click on my name above.

beanctr

Weltonw,

I have a 2002 6 speed with just over 6K miles and have never experienced knocking. I would agree with kennyg5 that you got some bad gas. I don't know whether temperature has anything to do with engine knocking. I live in Northern Calif. and it can get pretty hot out here (suppose to be 110 degrees this week)but not too humid.

roar1

I seem to recall a TSB On Maxima motor mounts that emit a ' buzzing '
noise , but I think the mounts only made a noise AFTER the engine
was shut off. It still could be a related problem. If so, the dealer will
pay for it.

Check out " maxima.org." and " alldata.com" for their TSB's.

twinsteve

For those of you with nav. system...is it worth getting? How well does it work?

sako71

Hi,

Just bought a 2002 GLE. When I test drove the car I did not realize how a slight difference in road surface would bring so much unwanted noise into the cabin. Have the Bridgestone Turanza EL42? tires in 215/55R17. Does anyone know if the noise is related to the tires or is this just the nature of the car. If it is the tires, any recommendations for replacement? Thanks

sgrd0q

sako71 - excessive tire noise, especially on concrete surfaces is very common with new tires. Wait 500 miles to break them in and this problem may disappear.

vocus

Not likely. Usually, performace type tires have more road noise than standard ones. I have 17" ones on my Jetta 1.8T, and they are noisier than their 15" counterparts.

autos3

I was curious, how many miles have Maxima owners obtained with the 17" tires?

cheerioboy26

31K on my 00 SE so far, have 6/32" left (I think minimum is 2/32??).

jdog368

Hey Guys,

It's been over a year since i've been in here and I need to buy a new car! I had an 01 GLE with 14,000 miles until it got totaled by an Oldsmobile Cutlass. Insurance gave me 24,720 for the loss and next week, i'm going to go buy a new car. I test drove the Acura 3.2 TL, Passat V6, BMW 325ci, and man the 6 speed Max killed all of them in accleration. IT EVEN DID A BURN OUT AT 2ND GEAR. I am heading out next week to buy an 03 GLE and just curious if this is now a good time to buy? I was thinking about a GLE with sunroof,meridian package and floormats. You guys think I can get it for 26,000-26,800? Any feedbacks would be appreciated. Also, is there still a paint problem for the 02,03 maximas? With my 01, I felt like the paint had problems in it.
thanks!

~Jerry

steven39

your best bet in my opinion, would be to get a 2002 max se with the new maxima due out shortly and the popularity of the altima i have seen 2002 se advertised for 23,000 which is pretty close to invoice

beanctr

jdog368,

I have a 02 Max SE 6sp with a little over 6K miles. I drive approx 80 miles round trip to and from work 4 days a week. I have noticed quite a few spots where the paint has been chipped off in the front area of the hood due to road debris. I can't imagine what the hood is going to look like 3 or 4 years from now (without some touchup paint). Is it a paint problem, design issue (the angle that the hood is sloped), a combination of the two, or would it be considered normal for the type of driving I do? I think it probably is a combination of all three. This issue aside, the Max delivers great performance for the dollar and is a fun car to drive. If you end up buying the Max, I would be aggressive on the price you are willing to pay.

sgrd0q

Yes - I agree - performance tires are noisier. But what I was trying to say was that in my experience, with at least some tires, the noise decreases after break-in.

1000bpm

I'm unhappy with these tires in general.
I have them inflated at 33 psi all around and they are soft and squishy around corners.

Noisy??? I'm not sure you can find a less noisy tire than the EL42 which is (as far as I know) the only Grand Touring tire available in the 215/55/17 size category. The Good Year RSA's used on the G35 is absolute crap, the Pilot A/s are great tires if you're looking for performance BUT you will pay the penalty ride/noise wise. You will feel everythnig on the road.

Other Michelin's ....the MXM4 & MXV4's will ride rougher and noisier. But these are available only in 225/55/17's (closest).

Btw .... I blew out one of my Turanza EL-42's last week and had no choice but to get it replaced at my Infini dealer if I wanted to make my 4th of July weekend roadtrip.

I was quoted $205 + $45 installation for the same EL 42 that is priced at $105 at Tire Rack! While I don't mind paying my dealer a few extra $'s for an oil change the difference of $100 for ONE tire pretty much amounts to daylight robbery.

Moral of the story: get your tires done at Costco Discount Tire or ANYWHERE else but the dealers.

vocus

My Jetta has 225/45HR17 Michelin Pilot Sport MXM4s on it. I split one on a curb, and had to replace it. The dealer wanted $255.80 including installation. The local tire shop wanted $212 out the door, and TireRack.com wanted $180. I ended up going with another brand of tire for $122 out the door.

1000bpm

is a bad idea no matter how you look at it. In fact I bought up the huge price discrepancy with my Infiniti service manager and he responded by saying I'd be better off going with an outside source. There are several purchasing layers built into the organization, and Infiniti figures it can make a quick buck off customers who don't know better.

Unfortunately 215/55/17 is not exactly a common size and not many discount retaliers will stock them. If time is of essence, as it was in my case, then you're left with no choice but to go with the dealer.

If you're shopping for Michelin's or Bridgestones Costco is the way to go. Haven't looked at Sam's yet but I'm sure their prices are comparable.

vocus

You could have left the spare on the car. That is what I did, until I found a cheaper rate. Of course, the spare in the VW is a full-size one, not one of those cheap temporary jobs. It's full size in the Maxima too, right?

jim7689

Just recently I noticed when I have my air conditioning running on these hot Ohio days I can smell the odor of anti-freeze. I never noticed it before, the odor is gone when the A/C is turned off. The only thing that has been done to the car recently was an oil change and they replaced the cabin micro filter.

Any suggestions what the problem might be? Car has 20,000 miles on it.

Thanks

Jim

jim7689

I have an 01 Max. GLE, I had to have the hood repainted. The paint would chip like yours and then peel right off. They never did tell me why, they just called it a warranty claim.

Good Luck

Jim

sgrd0q

Maxima spare tire - it's not full-size, but I believe there is enough space to put a full-size spare one. In Canada the spare is full-size.

Dealer tire installation - anoter alternative is to purchase the tires from tirerack, or any other discount place and then bring them to your dealer to install. I did this a couple of years ago, and my BMW dealer was very reasonable with the price of installation. In this way you ensure the job is done properly, yet you get the tires cheap.

1000bpm

I did not opt for the full size spare on my I35 because it ate up too much trunk space. The spare is one of those donut sized wheels .... did not want to suffer the humiliation of being seen driving around on one of those all weekend ;-)

.... the I35 is basically a GLE w/ a few extra bells and whistles.

djp2c

I had to send a registered letter to Transport Canada to get Nissan to fix the hood bounce that I have.

They are fixing the problem in the U.S.A. but said they were not doing anything with the cars in Canada.

They are now?

I have lost all faith in Nissan and their dealers

Two recalls and the hood bounce is three visits. That is more than I had with my Ford Focus Wagon and it drives better than my 02 GLE

My next vehicle will be a Saturn

jdog368

EKKK You have got to be kidding me. Focus drives better then a Maxima?!?!?!?!?!?! EEEEKKKKKKKKKKK The government issued numerous investigations for the ford focus! By the way...you live in Canada...the government doesn't do jack in that country...all they want is money money money...

oilers1

I don't think Transport Canada would care about hood bounce--this is not a safety issue, just an annoyance. My dealer fixed it for me, maybe you should have tried a different dealer or contacted Nissan directly. Saturn????!!!? You must not care about cars. jdog368, why don't you keep your opinions of our government to yourself. Speak about things you actually know something about.

djp2c

Transport Canada phoned to say they were monitoring the Hood Bounce because it is distracting to drivers.

I had called Nissan Canada and they called back and said no action would be taken in Canada regarding this problem.

They did react after Transport Canada was contacted.

Please carefully read messages on this board as it will help you comprehend the disussion.