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Nissan Maxima

14748505253174

Comments

  • slotheadslothead Member Posts: 14
    I had the warped rotors spun on my maxima which corrected the warp problem, but the dealer told me the pads were almost shot, with 20k on a 5spd. My last car went 3x that. "Ludacris" mentioned the brakes have a 3yr/36 mile on them, where did he hear that? I called Nissan-usa and the dealer and they both said, normal wear and tear item, not covered. Any comments.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    On a brand new car, everything is covered for 12 months/12K, including brakes. After that, you are on your own. You have to pay to replace them yourself.
  • gnlgnl Member Posts: 94
    My GLE was built in May, '00. No problems with paint, rotors, weird noises, anything. We just had the oil changed again for the regular service, we've been meticulous about changing it every three - four months as it's mostly city driving on it. We've got just under 11,000 miles on it now.
  • sgrd0qsgrd0q Member Posts: 398
    Ok, I'll chip in:

    I got 7,500K miles on mine (purchased November last year) and so far not a single problem. Even the paint has no chips.
  • chavlikchavlik Member Posts: 4
    My 2K Max has been great - No rattles, squeeks, etc. Only 2 large door dings caused by careless fellow drivers. The thing is getting almost 27 mpg on the highway, too (5 spd version)

    I have some stone chips, but I drive 60 highway miles each day on I-71 which is full of trucks and always under construction.
  • danny25danny25 Member Posts: 119
    Many people change their air filters with every oil change, or every other oil change. Do not wait until 30K miles. It's pretty easy to see if it needs to be changed, just take it out and see if it's dirty.
  • kyleknickskyleknicks Member Posts: 433
    change air filter with every oil change or every other ? so you're talking about either 3000 miles or every 6000 miles.. that seems too excessive, then again, looks like it says to change every 30k miles in the manual which i thought was nuts. at 10k miles, my filter looks like it's time to change it (i dont drive in dusty condition - just normal everyday commute on highway)

    Only reason i'm interested in the interval is because im thinking about getting a k&n filter which has an interval of 50k miles...just wondering if the added cost would justify the switch. $10 vs $50
  • wg45678wg45678 Member Posts: 55
    I purchased a K&N air filter and I'm not sure about it. If you change, you need to change for other reasons than a long change interval (there is no cost difference given the high K&N price compared to paper).

    I changed because I had used K&N's in motorcycles with good results--replacing the stock air cleaner with a K&N stock replacement usually changed the airflow so drastically I had to re-jet the carburetors because it was running too lean.

    However, when I opened and changed the K&N on my Maxima, I was dismayed to see that it was half the depth of the factory paper filter and included two foam shims for the air filter frame to make sure the air filter was held tight in the frame to prevent air from leaking around the air filter. I'm still thinking about whether I want to keep it long term.

    I've not noticed any difference in performance; gas mileage on a trip over the July 4 holiday, with A/C and running mostly 72-78 MPH indicated peaked at 28.5 MPG and averaged 26.3 over the entire trip (with a low segment of 22.5 MPG on LA freeways). My normal mileage, with & without the K&N runs 21.5-25.5 MPG in mostly freeway (55-65 MPH) 16 mile commute to work. It may have increased slightly with the K&N -- I'm not sure because more freeway opened shortly after I replaced the paper with the K&N.
  • 427435427435 Member Posts: 86
    At the risk of starting a flame war, let me pass on some of the things I've learned over the years working with engine installations in off-highway equipment (Ag, Construction, & Forestry). If your want long engine life, DON'T screw with the stock filter. DO religiously change it and be sure connections to the manifold are tight!! Every oil change is too much but once a year wouldn't be a bad idea.

    Any filter that takes up the same space (let alone less) and claims to flow more air must have bigger openings in its filtering media. That means more dirt and bigger pieces of dirt making its way to the guts of your engine---NOT good!!
  • corkfishcorkfish Member Posts: 537
    I removed the airbox in my 1993 Sentra SE-R and replaced it with an HKS foam intake. The improvement in performance was noticeable but not dramatic. The car has 80,000 hard miles on it with out a hitch. It still runs like a bear and doesn't use a drop of oil.It's been the best car I've ever owned which is why I'll probably upgrade to the 260 hp Max coming out. One other problem with aftermarket air filters is that the noise they produce is somewhat annoying ( unless you like something that sounds like a v-8 under hard acceleration).
  • yaoxyaox Member Posts: 14
    I get my car,2001 maxima, today after it was in service department for more than 10 days. They ordered the wrong parts once. Finally service manager told me the problem is caused by warped rotors. It seems the solution is to replace the pads. To tell the truth, I don't know much about rotor and pad. But now it seems the noise disappeared or at least was reduced. Any information about relationship between this problem and this solution is welcome.
  • danny25danny25 Member Posts: 119
    Yeah, every oil change is probably too often, but I do change it every other one my self. I only drive about 6K-7K miles a year so that's about two oil changes a year, therefore 1 filter change a year. K & N filters are more expensive and may not be any better than your stock filter, but they do have a 1,000,000 mile warranty. I doubt it would actually last that long but who drives a million miles to find out. Supposedly all you have to do is clean it and oil it and you shouldn't have to buy a filter ever again.
  • djtoodjtoo Member Posts: 1
    I have owned 2 Maximas and am looking to buy a 2001. I usually got 30+ mpg on the highway and low 20's in town, but the EPA dropped their mileage estimate to 19/26 for the 2000 and 2001.
    If you own a 2000 or 2001 Maxima, what kind of gas mileage are you getting?
    Thanks!
  • chavlikchavlik Member Posts: 4
    My '96 got 30+ on the hwy, the '97 got 28 and the 2K gets 25 (although I recently hit 27) - all 3 were 5 spd.

    Not a positive trend, especially since the '96 was the quickest of the 3! I do get better mileage (approx 2 mpg) by running 92 octane in the 2K. We have oxygenated fuel here in the winter, so mileage drops down to 22-23 in the cold months
  • norbert444norbert444 Member Posts: 195
    Most people get 20 to 25, your mileage may vary ;-)

    Kidding aside, you will NOT get over 30 mpg, unless you go downhill and have a wind behind you.
  • kyleknickskyleknicks Member Posts: 433
    bought my 2k maxima in sept of 2000. built on 4/2000 and have been averaging between 21 and 25 miles per gallon. city driving would be towards 21 and highway would be around 25. it also depends slightly where you get your gas...i've been getting it from mobil ..but found that everytime i fill up at exxon, it gets slightly better..weird since it's the same company and i figure they fill their tanks from the same trucks.. who knows!

    thanks everyone for their input about air filters... my reason for changing to K&N was nothing but getting the longer changing interval PLUS the cheaper cost over the entire life of the filter... not because of performance. i guess i'll probably stick with the stock paper air filter from purarator for $10 and change it once a year especially after wg45678's view of his experience with a maxima k&n air filter...thanks guys!
  • sebbsebb Member Posts: 16
    Hey all...

    Thanks to everyone for the latest news on the MAX. Enjoying my '01 SE Grey Lustre. Up to 6100 miles and a few paint chips both in the paint and in the windshield. (Winter in the Northern Plains brings SO MUCH stone/salt). Love the MAX like no other.

    Only problem may be with this rotor problem being brought up. When I start mine up, and pull forward slowly out of the garage...and first hit the brake...I hear a very load, coarse, grinding noise coming out of the rear wheels. Sure sounds like brake calipers freezing the pads to the rotor for a split second. I let off the brakes and all is well until I park...let it sit...and start it back up again. I visually looked at the rotors and the see no gouges/grooves...but I certainly am no mechanic. Could this be the warped rotor problem? Thanks to all in advance!
  • jimxojimxo Member Posts: 423
    My 2k Maxima will do the exact same thing. I believe this is normal and removes excess debris or rust off the rotors.

    If you do not feel any sensation or or shaking in your steering wheel you probably have no brake problem.

    I just replaced the front pads and cut the rotors after 35,000 miles and the brakes still have that grinding noise for the first block or so.

    Stopping performance on my car has been excellent from day one.
  • blackcurrantblackcurrant Member Posts: 152
    Hey, what happened to you? I read all these posts and buy a 98 SE and you're not here to answer my questions! Come on back, man, you're missed!
  • lobstermanlobsterman Member Posts: 31
    bought '01 gle in april,$26717 out of the door. i have 1400 miles now. when should the first oil change be done, the manuel says at 3000 miles? i am also thinking about using synthetic oil as i plan to keep this car for my son. any thoughts or advice please?
  • txcarbuyertxcarbuyer Member Posts: 19
    Congratulations on your '01. I bought a '01 in May. Despite the manual's recommendation of the first oil change at 3000, many of my car enthusiasts friends suggested that I do the 1st oil change at 1000 miles with Mobil 1 5W30. Afterwards, I plan to change my oil with Mobil 1 5W30 at 7,500 miles and every 7,500 miles afterwards.

    The reason I heard regarding the first oil change at 1000 miles is that any metal "shavings" that appear in the engine during the initial "break in" period should be removed before it affects the tolerances in the engine surface.

    I don't know if you have Target as a store in your area, but I recently picked up some Mobil 1 there for less than $3/quart.

    I had a '95 Honda Civic and used this strategy and the engine ran perfectly fine for the 128,000 miles that I had that car. In case you're curious, I only traded in the Civic because (1) the A/C died for the second time, even after a $800 evaporator replacement at Honda 7 months I decided to trade-in the car and (2) I needed a larger car.

    The thing with synthetic oils is that it is BEST to start with and stay with synthetics (ok, you have little control over factory fill). You get maximum protection and oil stability this way (i.e. much less chance of engine deposits from oil breakdown. . .YES, synthetic oils (at least in Mobil 1's case. . .I can't comment on Castrol Syntex and others) are MORE stable than conventional oils because of how it is made. . .literally "custom built" on a molecular level at a chemical plant instead of conventional oil where it is refined from crude oil.

    You get SOME improvements if you started with conventional oil and switch to synthetics but the protection would not be as great as if you have it all along. FYI. . .Corvettes require synthetic and get it in the factory fill.

    Good luck with the Maxima. Enjoy the ride. . .
  • s852s852 Member Posts: 1,051
    Does anyone here know that "metal shavings" are still an issue with modern new cars?
    In the past it was and the owners manuals did recommend oil changes at 500 or 1,000 miles, but they don't anymore.
    I have heard that the engines are either better engineered not to have this problem or else the engines are run prior to the installation into the car to get rid of these supposed "shavings." I have even heard of cars that have "break in oil" that is actually specifically NOT to be changed prior to the the listing in the manual.
    I suppose on most cars, changing the oil at 1,000 is not hurting anything other than wasting oil.
    It would easy enough for a scan to be done on oil changed at 1,000 miles and 7500 to test for metal shavings to see if this is an issue.
    Perhaps this has already been done by the manufacturers and they determined that shavings are not an issue on their cars anymore.
    Many people get stuck in their ways and decide they know better than the cars manufacturer. For instance I know people who have new cars and yet they still pump their gas pedal prior to starting or sit in the driveway for 5 minutes warming up the car before they drive off because this is how they have always done it.
  • har1bushhar1bush Member Posts: 207
    Has anyone seen a good deal on a '01 GLE these days? As the new Altima and the improved Maxima will come out in a month or two, I'm hoping the '01 will be up for cut rates. Hopefully, I'll be able to find one.
  • seaspyseaspy Member Posts: 6
    Please help!!!!!!!
    I have a 1995 GLE ,103018 miles. recently I have had water leaking from the black box under glove compartment.It seems to occur when I sit at idle for extended period of time. I use this car for work I am in it 8 to 10 hrs a day and overall it has performed very well. no oil leaks or tranny problems. still has original timming belt. replaced the larger drive axle at 99k miles only because the boot was torn. Any one have a fix or a dianogistics for the A/C leak?
    thank you
    seaspy

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  • habitat1habitat1 Member Posts: 4,282
    I don't have that problem with my 95 Maxima SE, but I did with a previous Toyota Supra. Turned out that the air conditioning condensation hose (or whatever it's called) was clogged up and the water backed up and leaked from about same point you indicate onto the floor of the passenger seat. As I recall, it was a pretty simple and inexpensive fix. Think they just cleaned out the hose or maybe replaced a section. Hopefully, that's all your problem is.

    By the way, I think your car has a timing chain (not belt) which, hopefully, will never need to be replaced. My Maxima has 110,000+ similarly trouble free miles.

    Good luck.
  • lobstermanlobsterman Member Posts: 31
    to txcarbuyer, thank you for the info on syn oil. i live in south florida where it's always hot. should i use a heavier weight mobil 1? i'm taking your advice and going for the syn oil. what brand of oil filter do you plan to use? good luck on your max too!
  • blaquemanblaqueman Member Posts: 2
    I have a '97 SE 5spd with 67000 miles. My Bose stereo recently started acting funny. It would work in the early part of the day then totally wipe out in the afternoon. Now it just doesn't work. I've checked the fuses but they seem fine. Has anyone had similar problems with their Bose? What's the average repair costs?
  • umpopaumpopa Member Posts: 37
    Lobsterman:
    The manual says to use 5W30 for the entire temperature range, and only suggests 5W30 is your driving never gets below (roughly) freezing temperatures.

    I live in Houston, where the weather is very much like So. Fla., and only plan to use 5W30 Mobil 1 anyway. We do get some freezing days here (although I don't expect any until after my subsequent oil change), but why go against the manual, and why hassle with changing grades down the line. Besides, you may get a better case price for the Mobil 1 which you couldn;t get with a "mixed" case.
  • blackcurrantblackcurrant Member Posts: 152
    What happened to Joe Nissan? Can you contact him to tell him he's missed? Thanks
  • seaspyseaspy Member Posts: 6
    Thank you for the reply,
    I have more than enough water coming from the discharge house on the outside . In fact i think there is to much coming out . when I stop the car seems like a gallon or more drips out in a short period of time . I snaked the house and had it blown out and still have the intermittent problem. any more suggestions?
    as far as the timing chain goes ,are you sure it is steel and not rubber like two mechanics have told me !!!!
    they want 700 bucks to do this and have said if it breaks the valves will bend and hence big dollars foe a new motor/ valve job.
    this scares me to death.
    thanks again
    Ron
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    L8_Apex has retired from hosting this board as of the first of this month.

    You might want to look up an old post of joenissan's and see if his email address is public in order to send that message to him?

    I haven't seen him around in a while either.

    Pat
    Host
    Sedans Message Board
  • kyleknickskyleknicks Member Posts: 433
    my gf just bought a jetta and in the manual, it specifically said not to change the oil until 5k.... so that's what she's going to follow..whether its a special break-in oil or not, no clue. i dont recall reading in the maxima manual anything about NOT to change the oil until 3k...
  • speedracer3speedracer3 Member Posts: 650
    This interview may shed some light....look at the last question on the interview.


    http://www.autonews.com/html/main/stories0716/nissanqa716.htm


    AWD Maxima...hmmm

  • maxhuntmaxhunt Member Posts: 8
    I put 159,800 miles on a '79 VW Scirocco, and I changed the oil and filter every 5000 to 7500 miles. The oil level never dropped between oil changes during the entire time that I owned the car.

    I then put 142,000 miles on a '90 Maxima, using the same oil change strategy. Again, the oil level never dropped between oil changes.

    We've had four Hondas (they averaged between 75,000 and 100,000 miles) during the same time period, used the same oil change strategy, and have never experienced any engine problems.

    I never changed the oil in any of these cars until they had at least 3,000 miles on them. Either I'm very very lucky, or I'm maintaining my cars OK.

    My current car is an '01 Max GLE with about 3,000 miles. Of course, I've had no problems with it yet - I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the paint holds up OK and I don't get any brake warpage, etc. By the way, I've averaged 23.5 mpg overall, with a high of 27.5 mpg on the highway, and a low of 19 mpg.
  • blackcurrantblackcurrant Member Posts: 152
    thanks for the reply. Already checked, he didn't. When he registered he had to leave one, Can't you drop him a line and see what's up?

    He was extremely helpful and a straight shooter. TH needs folks like him.

    Thanks
  • blackcurrantblackcurrant Member Posts: 152
    I enjoy this car. I just checked the mileage...25.5 with moderately hard driving mixed with hiway miles averaging around 75-110 MPH. I'm very pleased with the gas mileage!

    Here's the rub....the rotors are warping. I got this 90 day certified warranty from the dealer, but i doubt they'll replace them. I paid 16k for the car, so, i think they should. oh, they'll turn 'em all right, but, that won't last long.
  • gnlgnl Member Posts: 94
    It IS possible to get 30 plus mpg. Usually around town I get around 20 or so. Just did a long vacation drive, freeway most of the way, cruise control on generally between 55 and 65 (PA turnpike a lot of it), and got 31 - 32 mpg. This is a GLE running with Exxon premium.
  • wg45678wg45678 Member Posts: 55
    My $0.02 --
    In days of yore, manufacturers used to provide a light weight break-in oil because parts weren't as hard as they are today or as precisely machined -- thus oil consumption was expected during breakin (that doesn't happen anymore if the engine was assembled from good parts) and parts were expected to 'wear in and seat' and develop mating, polished surfaces on interfering parts. Hence the metal shavings and early oil changes requirement.

    Since the advent of turbo charged engines, precision computer aided machining, and emissions requirements, parts are harder and better mated than ever before. Manufacturers have quit using 'break-in' oil and recommending early changes. (If anything, the materials used now would tend to make break-in much longer than 1000 miles). Some car lines ship with synthetic oil from the factory (previously a no-no as the superior lubrication properties delayed the wear-in of the parts).

    In the old days, getting 100k out of an engine before rebuild was required was doing well; now people are reporting 150k-200k miles from well maintained engines.

    There is still some, but not much 'break-in', probably recommended from manufacturer's fear of lawsuit more than anything else. Any break-in is probably minor and occurs during cold start.

    If there's any significant metal shavings in the original oil, I'd suspect the engine has serious problems, not that it was designed to do so.
  • txcarbuyertxcarbuyer Member Posts: 19
    Yes, as umpopa mentioned, the manual recommends 5W30 oil as well.

    Actually, there is a balance between oil weights. Many trucks use 15W40 because of the heavy duty use. For a long time, most cars used 10W30. Actually, 5W30 will give you a slightly better gas mileage than if you use 10W30 since the viscosity is lower there is less friction.

    With conventional oils, the thick oils (e.g. 15W40 and 10W30) were suppose to give drivers more protection, but will synthetics it is much less of an issue. Synthetics (I mean true synthetics, NOT synthetic blends) are designed to give protection across a broader temperature range.

    As you can see from my handle, I too live in Texas & use Mobil 1 5W30 (I used it in my Honda too.). Mobil also makes a 0W30 oil, but I (that's just me) would not use it unless I lived in upper US, Alaska, or Canada. The Mobil 1 5W30 should be perfectly fine for Florida or most of the US for that matter.

    Again, 5W30 is what the Nissan Maxima manual recommends too.

    Enjoy the ride. . .


    The Mobil 1 bottle for 5W30 is gray with a BLUE cap.
  • norbert444norbert444 Member Posts: 195
    Most of us miss ol' Joe. He is indeed the best this forum had to offer.

    I venture to guess that he is on vacation.

    Some of us have his e-mail address from the time he offered it freely. But - since his privacy should be respected, I'd not bother him until he comes back when he is ready/back from vacation.
  • ah_yousonofaah_yousonofa Member Posts: 2
    have a local dealer running specials this month to move inventory. i got a letter in the mail saying to come on down, your pre-approved, etc.
    i get there and the saleman is showing me the inventory. he says he has these 3 nissan maximas, all 2001, all dealer demos and the cars the managers drove. they had like 20 - 22,000 miles. i ran the vin numbers tonight when i came home, and it returned that they were leased for a month, then a rental car company took them over. therefore, the salesman is a) a complete idiot that does not know where these cars come from. or b) he thinks he is slick liar. either way im uncomfortable about the whole situation. anyhow i have a 10am appointment with my salesman and i dont know how i should handle the guy. he's like these are the gxe's and we are selling them for 20998. any help, legal issues, please respond.
  • habitat1habitat1 Member Posts: 4,282
    Take your carfax print outs and have a one on one meeting with the general manager. Tell him you want to be compensated for your waste of time or you are going to report this fraud to the authorities.

    $21k for a used GXE is a crappy deal, anyway you look at it.
  • leonivleoniv Member Posts: 120
    I agree with habitat1. 21k for a used 01 GXE is pretty inflated. I just purchased a new 01 Max GXE w/conv pack and I only paid 22.6 drive out. Given the cheap prices on the new 01 Max because of the more powerful 02 Max coming out soon, a new 01 Max may be cheaper. Also, 20k miles on an 01 Max is a lot of miles for less than a year of service. Since they were rentals, you can assume they were driven hard for almost all of those miles. I know I drive the rentals hard =). Just my .02
  • ah_yousonofaah_yousonofa Member Posts: 2
    I will say that I did not purchase any vehicle today. your guys' info helped me out. thank you. the look on the salesman's face was priceless. he said, "what's this?" I said, "it's a carfax report on the vehicle you want to sell me. you do know what carfax is, don't you?" "no, I don't, but it must be wrong. I am going to show this to the manager." so he leaves me and goes to his manager and returns by saying that all of their used vehicles are purchased from nissan motors crop. and he has never heard of a rental maxima in any company's fleet. I said to him that the vin number does not lie nor does the state of florida dmv. he got quiet. he then took me out and showed me some of his new inventory, and i liked the frontier crew cab. after the test drive, they appraised my car (2000 jetta gls), and brought me the little paper with the magic marker and the so called magic numbers. i looked at him and laughed, grabbed my keys and told him that i was sorry for wasting his time and mine as well. i told him i was not going to just give my car to them, like a person does to a charity. everyone's out to make money, but to cut 5000 off my vehicle's AVERAGE trade value, don't think so. i just think i found some sales manager's sore spot, and he didn't like it. thanks everyone, and enjoy the post.
  • bonk30bonk30 Member Posts: 1
    I got a quote for a 2001 Maxima GLE with Meridian Edition, Sunroof, Z-Traction Control System and Spoiler including destination fees for around $26K in the Northern VA area. Is this a reasonable deal given the impending introduction of the 2002 Maxima and Altima?

    In reference to the Z TCS: Is this option worthwhile? By description, it seems to be a good addition to an already awesome car.

    The salesman also said that he can get the SE with all the options to match the GLE for around the same price (I had wanted black leather which didn't come with a white GLE). On a performance level, how much better/worse is the GLE compared to the SE. --Thanks for any input.
  • leonivleoniv Member Posts: 120
    The price he quoted you is about invoice for that car. Me personally, I would wait until more details are available for the Altima (price, test drives, etc). The new Altima will be available in 10 days so that information should be coming out soon. A lot of people are speculating a 25k price for a loaded Altima so it may undercut the current Maxima, not to mention it'll have more HP and be bigger than the current and 02 maxima. Also, all the features available on the current max will be available on the new 02 Altima, and then some. That dealer should still have those maximas in two or three weeks and who knows, by then maybe he'll be more willing to deal below invoice on the 01 maximas. Judging by the articles, I don't see much of an advantage to buying the new 02 Maxima over the 02 Altima except the 6spd tranny. The 02 max will have more ponies but will be heavier so the Altima may be faster. Not sure if the Altima will have the locking diff like the 02 max, but the 02 Altima will be slightly bigger (trunk and interior space) than the current and 02 Maxima, but lighter than the 02 maxima. I think it'd be interesting to see how all 3 (01 max, 02 max, 02 altima) stack up against each other.
  • blackstone3blackstone3 Member Posts: 29
  • ludacrisludacris Member Posts: 185
    has anyone here installed a Front strut tower brace on their 2000-01 maxima? my dads looking into getting one and would like to know if the install was difficult at all, and how much performance gain u can get from it.

    slothead: "Brake rotors are covered until the "3 years/36K mile" bumper to bumper warranty expires..."

    these are links to the tsb regarding the brakes

    http://www.punkdork.net/max/rotor

    http://apollo799.50megs.com/Maxima/Maxima.htm
  • dklaneckydklanecky Member Posts: 559
    I put one on both my 95 GLE and 01 SE. It takes all of 15 minutes at the most and is by far the best bang for the buck at improving handling around any corners.

    Just make sure your car is flat and level when you install it and watch over torqueing the nuts that hold the FSTB in place.

    Go for it, you won't be dissapointed.
  • ludacrisludacris Member Posts: 185
    did u also install a Rear Sway Bar?

    ive heard that the FSTB makes the car more solid feeling in addition to the much improved handling is this true? what tools do u need? and did u get a Stillen or Courtesy Nissan FSTB? thanks
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