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Nissan Maxima

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Comments

  • ron2ron2 Member Posts: 1
    I have 2004 Nissan Maxima drifts to left and the steering wheel shimmies. The dealer can't fix it and Nissan consumer affairs (1-800-647 7261) informs me that "its normal"! Does anyone else have this "normal" problem and how did you go about getting this "normal" problem repaired?
    ron2
  • swschradswschrad Member Posts: 2,171
    and it sounds dangerous. what has the dealer tried on this car? I'd suspect steering linkage or ball joints myself, unlikely to be the steering rack. you might have a bad flex joint on the steering column, and that should be diagnosable by a look and a wiggle or two.

    if you have no choice other than to drive it, sure hope you have real good insurance.
  • ccermakccermak Member Posts: 260
    Well known that the larger the wheel the harder to balance. I'll wager your "shimmy" is a result of crappy stock tires on large 17" or 18" wheels that are either out of round or balanced incorrectly. I can't tell you how many posts I've read between here and other boards about Maxima stock tires being junk and causing a shimmy. Time and time again it's poor balancing and poor quality tires. As for the drift, you need to make sure it does it constantly, like even when in the right lane and the road slopes to the right. Otherwise you'll here the tech tell you you're experiencing "road crown drift", which means your car drifts according to the slope of the road. Sounds like simple alignment issue to me. Have you had an alignment done?
  • p100p100 Member Posts: 1,116
    Drifting can be also be caused by a defective tire, even if the wheel alignment is perfect. I had this problem with my 99 Mazda 626. Replacing the right front tire cured the problem without altering the wheel alignment.
  • kyleknickskyleknicks Member Posts: 433
    you have a email i could contact you at? i have a question about the bandit S 1200
  • andmoonandmoon Member Posts: 320
    I own a 98 bandit 1200 and a 02 maxima...the Bandit is a lot more reliable.
    Don
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    is an invitation to be overwhelmed with spam.

    It's far better to make your email address public in your profile so that other Town Hall members may see it.

    The spam bots crawl these (and all web) pages for posted email addresses, but they cannot get to the profiles. In fact, no one who is not logged in can get to the profiles.

    Hope this is helpful.

    :)
  • ccermakccermak Member Posts: 260
    sounds good. can you delete the post?
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Yep, 'tis done! :)

    For future reference, you can always delete your own posts as long as you are logged in.
  • p100p100 Member Posts: 1,116
    I own a 98 Maxima SE and a 93 Suzuki GSX 1100G, which is very similar to Bandit 1200. It is a shaft driven bike, displacement is 1127 cc's. Curiously, Bandit 1200 engine has only about 34cc's more but they call it a 1200. Anyway, these two bikes have almost identical 4 cylinder inline engines with air and oil cooling. The crankcase oil capacity of my Suzuki is 5 liters, more than that of the Maxima which is about 3.8 liters. Even though the Suzuki GSX 1100G is a heavy bike (630 lbs wet weight), it accelerates from 0 to 60 MPH in just over 3 seconds and has gobs of torque in every gear.

    Reliability wise, both vehicles have been absolute gems, as trouble free as any vehicle can be.
  • larry4nylarry4ny Member Posts: 6
    Thats great to hear about 2004. I did not know the new model had 18 inch rims. Geeze, thats incredible. I am currently an owner of a 2002 SE model fully loaded. I bought it March of 2002 from a fleet dealer, and paid 27144 with tax and fees about 30k. The only experience I have had with my MAX is the idiot lights came on"serive engine soon" "ABS" . Don't know what Nissan did to fix it, could have been the "gas cap" Nissan said it was not on tight, maybe the brake system got wet who knows. I haven't seen those lights in a long time. Thank g-d ! I will say this car has incredible handling, I dont notice this turn ratio problem. This car hugs. I changed the tires to V rated instead (lower performance tires). There use to be Z rated. Maybe that made a difference. Also without question this car offline SCREAMS power 255HP. When I need to pass, take offline there is no question or doubt in mind or the maxima to MOVE!

    I am sorry to say this but you can not compare in any shape or form american cars to Nissan. I hope that comments come out as positive. But it's true Nissan Honda Toyota all have one thing in common "reliablity". People buy from companies that have proven over and over again reliablity.

    Pictures of my maxima: http://www.hpphoto.com/servlet/com.hp.HPGuestLogin?username=larry- - 4ny&password=89487389
  • blh7068blh7068 Member Posts: 375
    Nice pix...

    I also have an 02 SE..majestic blue with frost leather. Loaded sans nav, meridian pkg, and trac control. I am having some trouble with the drivers power seat, even after the tsb service for back/forward inoperation was performed. Overall it has been a good car with minimal issues.

     I currently have the original tires(crappy potenzas) that have been a topic on the maxima boards . I too plan going to a v rated tire when the time comes.

    What tires did you buy and what ride difference have you observed?
  • habitat1habitat1 Member Posts: 4,282
    Sorry to say that after 9.5 years and 152k miles, I'm heading over to Acura for my next sedan. I haven't fully decided on selling my 1995 SE 5-speed yet; may keep it as a back up vehicle.

    The switch to Acura shouldn't be taken as an insult to Nissan. I still think highly of the company and if my budget were limited to $25-27k, I'd probably go for a heavily discounted Maxima SE 6-speed. But the Acura TL 6-speed with Navigation at $33.3k ($2,000 under MSRP) put me in the league of BMW and Mercedes as far as quality of interior and overall refinement. It became too hard to justify a $52k+ E320 CDI. Similar to the $33k Honda S2000 making it hard for me to justify a $58k Boxster S.

    I sincerely wish all of you Maxima owners the same good fortune I've had (and may continue to have) with my 1995. After giving it a good wash and wax this Saturday, someone at the grocery store asked me if it's a new car. Makes it very hard to let it go. And perhaps I won't.
  • lichtronimolichtronimo Member Posts: 212
    I've been searching dealer inventories the last several weeks in anticipation of buying a Maxima this fall. I want a 6spd. and want to test drive one in advance. However, none of the dealers around me seem to ever have one. I realize I can order the car with the prefered transmission and other options, but I need to drive one before comitting.
  • bdlfebdlfe Member Posts: 21
    Anyone installed tires that are sized 235/50-17 on factory GLE rims or SE rims for that matter? Has there been any problems? The OEM size of 215/55-17 has only Bridgestone Turanza EL and Goodyear RSA in that size and tirerack people don't give it good ratings. I'm debating on 225/50-17 or 235/50-17. The latter would be the closest to the original size in terms of speedo and odo readings. I'm just wondering about any ride and driving issues.

    Thx.
  • bowke28bowke28 Member Posts: 2,185
    some dealers would agree to an order if you agree to certain terms:

    1) that if you dont like the 6-speed, you will take an auto instead, or some other car in inventory.

    2) that your deposit is non-refundable

    if you were ok with these terms, i would be comfortable doing a deal with you. therefore, i think other dealers would too.
  • kennyg5kennyg5 Member Posts: 360
    Congrats on your prospective purchase! The 04 TL seems like a better car than the 04 Max, and almost all of the Max enthusiasts polled in another forum agree. I believe they all take issue with the 04 Max's interior fit and finish as well as its apparent declining reliability. Many, however, think that the G35 is a good competitor of the TL, primarily because of the RWD (although there are also rumblings against the G's fit and finish).

    If Nissan can improve the fit and finish of the 04 Max and get rid of those first year bugs, I believe the Max stands a good chance to compete with the TL, particularly given its lower price.

    Like many pre-6 gen Max owners, I enjoy all my Maximas (3rd, 4th and 5 gens) and believe they are reliable, as evidenced by CR consistent rating of the Max at or close to the top of the reliability scale.
  • beanctrbeanctr Member Posts: 99
    blh7068,

    Might want to check out the Kumho (South Korean Made) brand of tire. I recently bought the Kumho Ecsta KH11 (W rated) for my 02 SE and like them so far. Only have 3K miles on them so can't speak to treadwear but I like the grip. The price was reasonable too. I had heard good reviews about the tire from other online sites, so I decided to give them a try.
  • habitat1habitat1 Member Posts: 4,282
    lichtronimo, bowke:

    I called my Nissan dealer last night just to check the availability of a 6-speed to drive before I seal the deal on a TL 6-speed. Nothing in stock and nothing specific in the immediate future. The GM of the dealership offered to sell me one completely to my specifications at or below invoice (whether ordered direct or traded), but he admitted that finding a 6-speed to test drive first would be difficult. Apparantly, Nissan has cut way back on the percentage of manula transmissioned Maximas since I bought my 1995 SE 5-speed.

    As far as putting down a non-refundable deposit or making any other concessions to the dealer on taking an auto if you don't like the 6-speed when it arrives? Sorry, but that's just BS in my book. In the past couple of months I have test driven (2) G35 6-speeds, a 530i 6-speed, 330i 6-speed, (2) TL 6-speeds, a E320 CDI, and a few others. The 6-speed Maxima is NOT a "hot" car. It is fading into obscurity and the fact that the dealerships don't even have anything to tempt me and other Nissan loyalists is not helping. The likelihood of me ending up in another Maxima in 2004 is low, but if I had been reasonably impressed, I likely would have recommended it to others to consider. In the past 9 years, I have been cited by no fewer than 8-10 buyers at my dealership as influencing their purchase decision.

    kennyg5,

    Thanks for the congrats. For what it's worth, I did seriously consider the G35 6-speed. Notwithstanding it's RWD platform, I didn't notice a significant advantage in handling and actually slightly preferred the steering feel of the TL. In addition, the TL engine has less low end grunt, but seems to more freely rev to a higher redline. But the real deal factor is the interior / amenities. As my daily driver family sedan, I am willing to give up some performance in favor of interior fit and finish and amenities. The G35 is not bad. But when I got into the TL, with the voice activated 8" Nav system, hands free phone, exceptional audio system, and extremely clean design with high quality materials, the G35 didn't stack up. Even the 530i has a tough time competing with the aesthetics and amenities of the TL's interior.

    I have greatly enjoyed my S2000 for the past 30 months to the tune of 17,000 "no frills" miles. But in replacing my 152k mile Maxima, the TL feels more like a car I can live with day in and day out form many years.
  • lichtronimolichtronimo Member Posts: 212
    I might agree to taking an auto if I didn't like the 6spd. given that I've pretty much settled on the overall Maxima package. I had a Maxima rental for a week, which really sold me on the car. It obviously was an automatic. The 6spd. isn't a deal breaker given I spent an hour and a half in traffic the other night trying to reach one of my clients. I really like the G35, but the interior is too small. Same applies to the TL, which doesn't feel much bigger than our '01 Accord.

    When do they start producing 2005s?
  • suydamsuydam Member Posts: 4,676
    I don't think it's just the fit and finish that has previously loyal Max owners reconsidering. That's rather a surprise actually because I think the fit on my '01 is excellent. From what I've heard on this board, torque steer, the larger wheels (and larger price to replace them), bigger turning radius, and larger overall size would be a turnoff for me. I love my '01 GLE and both my husband and I would be happy to buy cars just like it forever, but the changes made sound like they have negatively affected the driving experience. I hope Nissan listens to Max owners.
        And I want to buy tires anywhere, not just be limited to one or two types. For the record, I recently replaced my 16" tires with the Turanza LS-H, which are highly rated by Tirerack, and so far I'm very happy witht them. Don't know if they're available in 18".
    '14 Buick Encore Convenience
    '17 Chevy Volt Premiere
  • larry4nylarry4ny Member Posts: 6
    The tires I bought were from Pep boys I dont have the name of them in front of me but I will say I paid the cheapest there and they were under 500 for all four and including alignment and balancing. No one was able come close. Everyone was charging near 800 plus. I will look tonight and let you know the brand.
  • ktmaktma Member Posts: 1
    I am considering the purchase of an '04 SE and was hoping someone could help me understand how the car is rated by consumers at 9.2 but is receiving bad comments to its fit and finish on this message board? Is it really that bad? Also, can anyone tell me when the base MSRP went from 26,950 to 27,050 because the one at my dealer has the lower/older base MSRP? I don't want to get a early production model, especially if there are initial quality issues.
  • bowke28bowke28 Member Posts: 2,185
    no. the negative comments, although mostly true, are a very small minority. also, the importance of them is reflected in those ratings. if someone complains about a rattle with a 3 page post in here, and still rates it a 9, then it tells you exactly how important that rattle is to them.
  • sdehmlowsdehmlow Member Posts: 2
    With the 2005 Altima it looks like Nissan is trying to blur the line between the Altima and the Max. Seems like Nissan is deliverately squeezing the Max out of the lineup with the Altima pushing up and the Infinity G35 pushing down. With the Altima's new instrument panel and 3.5 engine (within 5 hp of the Max) plus lots of features, what are the advantages to paying more for the Max?
  • rampedramped Member Posts: 358
    The primary advantage to buying the Maxima is that you get the ABS and side curtain airbags standard. To get an Altima V6 loaded with similar equipment, you usually are close to or perhaps greater than the Maxima in price considering that the Maxima seems to be going at or below invoice according to many posts on these boards.

    You also get 18" wheels, which may be a plus or minus depending on your taste.
  • roar1roar1 Member Posts: 193
    I guess everyone's out buying '05 Altimas, TL's and G35's !
  • kyleknickskyleknicks Member Posts: 433
    perna, i've been wondering whats the big fuss with satelite radio...i'm sure alot of us would want to install it in our maxima's.. but to me, the monthly fee plus the upfront cost doesn't appeal to me .... maybe you can shed some light on why it is so good.. thanks!
  • powercat21powercat21 Member Posts: 2
    I am looking for some help and direction......I just recently began experiencing some electrical problems with my 2001 Maxima GLE. When I shut off the car, my electric locks, dome lights, key fob, trunk opener, power sunroof all stop working. However, when I turn my key on to where the battery is working then all the above mentioned electronics work.

    I checked all of the fuses that I know of and did not find any broken fuses...at this point I am at a loss as it is affecting many electrical items but not all....the radio continues to work when the key is in the accessories position, but no dome light, key fob, locks, etc.

    Any suggestions?
  • lichtronimolichtronimo Member Posts: 212
    Test drove one today. Only the second manual this large dealer has had in six months. The sales guy didn't even know they had it.

    Anyway, WOW.

    Nice clutch and nice shift action. Definately the direction I'm going on my purchase.
  • roar1roar1 Member Posts: 193
    I'm glad you're happy with your car. I've owned Nissans for
    18 yrs. ( '86 Max, '92 PUP, '94 Altima, '00 Max, '02 Max )
    The '94 Altima was the absolute BEST car I've ever owned
    ( made in Smyrna TN. btw ). In years past, I actually
    considered Nissans to be BETTER than Toyotas ( Owned 2
    Toyotas )

    However, recent Nissan iterations are problematic. IMHO,
     the chances of getting a good Nissan in years
    past was up around 95%. Currently, with the Carlos Ghosen
    Nissans, I'd say that chance is down to about 65%.

    Happy motoring !!
  • greathannygreathanny Member Posts: 17
    I was looking at a 2004 Maxima which is being sold by a private party who seems to be very ignorant of the car's features. The seller said that the car did not have navigation. However, the car had a screen where it looked like navigation would be. My question is whether someone call tell me if the non-navigation cars have the same screen found in cars with navigation systems. Or is this seller simply incorrect in his statement that his car does not have navigation? If it does not have navigation, can it be added after the fact. This car look liked it was set up for navigation. Thanks.
  • ccermakccermak Member Posts: 260
    The Max and Murano both have a screen that looks like it should be a Nav but it ain't. It's an information screen that tells you stuff like how many mpg getting right now, how many left on this tank of gas, ambient temp, etc.
  • gerapaugerapau Member Posts: 211
    The screen in question also displays your radio information as well as the heating and air conditioning information.
  • lichtronimolichtronimo Member Posts: 212
    Nissan news is reporting Maxima sales figures of only 21625 YTD through April. If carried forward, this is roughly 85000 sales per year, which is ahead of Nissan's announced projection of 70000 units per year. Recent incentives may be helping, of course.
  • bowke28bowke28 Member Posts: 2,185
    what incentives???
  • lichtronimolichtronimo Member Posts: 212
    1.9% for 60 months, which expired this past week. Certainly not a GM/Ford/Chrysler type incentive, but an incentive none the less typical of Honda or Toyota.
  • bowke28bowke28 Member Posts: 2,185
    i think its pretty cool, though, that the car went over a year in production without incentives, and STILL got over the target mark for sales.

    i have seen lots of people dog on the maxima for being too big, too luxury, etc...but almost a year ago i explained nissan's intentions:

    the maxima was PURPOSEFULLY moved into the 'entry lux' market to capture tha avalon/TL/gs330 market. this was also done to make room for the altima 3.5 to move into the "4-door sports car" role in the lineup.

    nissan even changed the wording on the monroney sticker from "4-door sports car" to "nissan's flagship"

    previous generation maxima owners also dog on the altima without trying it. by my own experience, the 2002+ altima 3.5 performs at least as well as the maximas before.

    people are starting to move toward the altima now. here in KY, the altima was the best selling sedan overall last year, including the accord, camry, taurus, etc...

    i think its time to forget about the maxima being the sports car after 2003.
  • lichtronimolichtronimo Member Posts: 212
    the Altima and G35 have assumed the 4DSC role. The Maxima serves an important, yet distinct niche that may crossover into the Infiniti I30's market.

    I wonder if Nissan plans to phase out the I30 so as to focus the Infiniti line-up solely towards rear wheel / all-wheel drive platforms consistent with luxury makes such as Lexus, BMW, Merc and now Cadillac.

    BTW, the 1.9% expired yesterday. Its worth noting that the incentive really wasn't well publisized either and that I agree with Bowke that Maxima's sales to date aren't really incentive dependent.
  • kyleknickskyleknicks Member Posts: 433
    does the current i35 have the same body style as the 2000-2003 maxima?
  • bowke28bowke28 Member Posts: 2,185
    but not for much longer.
  • leonivleoniv Member Posts: 120
    The I35 will be gone soon. It's rumored a V6 version of the new M45 will take it's place.

    Also, Lexus isn't exclusively rear-wheel/all-wheel drive just yet. The RX330 and ES330 are FWD and will probably stay that way as long as they're based on the Camry platform.
  • prodigalsunprodigalsun Member Posts: 213
    Ok...Mice are getting into my car. At first, I thought it was just a random thing, set a trap and caught the first one. Now, a second one has arrived, and shredded a styrophoam container, and it looks like it's shredded some insulation material.

    My question is, is there something in the design of the max that would facilitate them getting in? I park outside, by a stand of trees, so I'm assuming they're coming in from there. I don't leave doors, windows, SR open. I would hate to have to set traps daily in my car to keep them from doing damage, but right now I don't have any clues. Anyone else?
  • andmoonandmoon Member Posts: 320
    prodigalsun, Mice can do some serious damage! If you don't have children, get some moth balls and leave them near where they set up home ( sometimes just outside the car or in the engine compartment/trunk should do it) Over the winter a family of mice set up residence in the muffler of my motorcycle. By the time I found out it was too late and I had mice and mice condo pieces flying out the exhaust.
    Don
  • ccermakccermak Member Posts: 260
    I agree with some of the posts above, but what I don't like about the new Max (and Nissan's direction in general) is the interiors. Look at 2002-2004 Altima, new Titan, even Z. Nissan has gone cheapo on interiors in favor of engines and performance. Build quality doesn't seem as good as before either. Japanese Pontiac? Haven't seen an 05 Altima yet, heard it's much better. But my .02 is that if Nissan wants the Max to compete with the likes of TL, I30, 3 series, ES330, etc they better up the quality of interior materials on the Max like they're doing for the Altima. I spend 95%+ of my time looking at and touching the INSIDE of my car. I do understand keeping things cheaper to make performance affordable, but that's what Pontiac is for.
  • lichtronimolichtronimo Member Posts: 212
    I think the Max interior is pretty good, given its price for less equipt cars. I particuarlly like the fabic around the back of the instrument panel.

    The quality in other Nissan's has been abysmal. Ever try that center storage bin on the Z? Embarassing!

    It seems however, that Nissan faced a choice when creating this generation of products in relation to its financial crisis. One, they could spend what development dollars they had on the "go" parts or on the "touch" parts. They clearly choose "go". It was probably the right decision to separate themselves from Toyota and Honda to be a more performance oriented alternative, as Mazda has also done. Hopefully, the 05' Altima is an indication that they intend to improve the "touch" part of the equation with mid-cycle updates.
  • prodigalsunprodigalsun Member Posts: 213
    Unfortunately, I do have kids, so I'm a little dubious about the mothball approach.
  • ccermakccermak Member Posts: 260
    I'm impartial to the "faux suede" thing they've got going on in the Max. I have read in other posts that it hasn't held up well, that being from someone who rented one. It wore down and looked bad in the frequently touched parts. Obviously a rental takes more abuse than normal. What I'm not big on is plastic quality. Just sit in a new TL, WAY nicer inside than Max. More ging for a TL though. Boils down to this, you want GO you get Max, you want SHOW you get Lexus but pay for it, you want both SHOW AND GO you get TL but pay for it. If it wasn't for the torque steer the TL would be boss for the $, probably still is.
  • dklaneckydklanecky Member Posts: 559
    Probably coming in through the cold air intake for the engine. Maybe they're moving from there into the hvac system and then into the car somehow.

    How about a small piece of metal window screen over the air intake opening, just to see if it stops them?

    If they're coming in now, your going to have a much bigger problem once the weather turns cold again and they try to find a warm place to live.
  • kennyg5kennyg5 Member Posts: 360
    I also am not a fan of the so-called suede. It, and the rest of the interior plasticky materials, looks cheap in the new Max when compared with the gorgeous fit and finish of the new TL. I suppose the cost to Nissan to upgrade the materials to meet the TL standards is less than $500, but the benefits can be significant. Nissan may then rightfully charge more, instead of selling the Max at or below invoice, like it is now doing.

    Frankly speaking, even though Nissan is not giving any incentive now, the low price at which it sells the Max is an incentive in and of itself. On the other hand, the TL is selling close to MSRP in certain locales, especially for the TL with Nav. Nissan should take lessons from Acura in this regard.
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