Nissan Maxima

treidy · March 2005

I have a 2002 Maxima SE. I am able to adjust the back of the seat to recline. However, I am unable to move the seat forward or backwards to adjust leg room. At this point the seat is moved as close to the dashboard as possible. Any suggestions? Would I able to manualy remove the seat and reattatch it in the furthest position back? All electrical connections seem to be in place

bondeygr8 · March 2005

Hi,
Can I set up door getting locked when I put car in gear and door getting un-locked when I put car in Parking gear? If yes, how?
I have put my head lights in auto position, so they will switch on when its dark outside. My question is... if I unlock the doors using my key, the light flashes, the light inside the cars switches on, but not the head-light. Can I setup to switch on the headlights, when I unlock the doors using key? If yes, how?
thanks,
BG

roar1 · March 2005

You can go to a local car alarm installer and they can install a relay. Typically, when you turn the ignition on, the doors will lock automatically and when you turn the ignition off, the doors will unlock.

The headlights might be a problem. Actually, it's not a good idea to have your headlights on BEFORE you start your car because this causes a severe drain on your battery. You might want to rethink this.

bondeygr8 · March 2005

Thanks for the suggestions. I thought the door locking/unlocking would be in built feature of these days cars. But it doesn't see to be in Nissans. I like this feature but really don't want to get any work done so early on my new Maxima (its 1 month old). Any idea what is involved in relay fixing?

BG

roar1 · March 2005

I would go to a car alarm installer and ask what is involved. The relay is an electrical device which will need to be spliced into a wiring harness.

kirkster57 · March 2005

I just picked up my '05 SL this morning. it is perfect in everyway. Unfortunately it is snowing here pretty bad in Minnesota, so i have't had a chance to drive at 55 yet. The only thing I have noticed so far as odd what that I got a couple of whiffs of burnt oil from the car as I was turning into the parking lot. It smelled like new oil if that makes sense. Do the dealers inspect these things before they tun them over to the new owners?

wayde · March 2005

Hey Kirk -
Did you look at any other cars before making your Max purchase? Is so, what were they & can you give a brief description of your pros/cons to them?

p100 · March 2005

Sometimes they oversrpay undercoating material on the exhaust in the factory. This stuff will smoke when it gets hot. It will burn off in a couple of days.

kennyg5 · March 2005

I would not recommend undercoating, particularly in light of the fact that cars nowsday have a very long rust warranty. I had undercoating done in the 80s to one of my cars, and it caused the oxygen sensors to malfuction repeatedly.

tallguy · March 2005

Hi-

I bought a Maxima '05 a week ago and love it. I looked at the new Avalon mostly. I took a look at the Chrysler 300 as well, but just a bit too big and I am partial to Japanese cars. I left a long message in the Avalon vs. Maxima forum today you might want to take a look at. Good luck.

tallguy · March 2005

The Maxima I bought did not have the XM option installed. Do I have to use a dealer to integrate it with the Bose system that came with the car that has the "Satellite" button.

One dealer I spoke with wanted an extra $150 more over the option price to install. Any suggestions? I would prefer not to kludge and use the existing system. If I need to kludge I can use my Roady 2 and pop the cassette adaptor in, but I am concerned that I will wear out the poor motor in the mechanism. The FM modulator approach with the Roady stinks, since I am in a major metro area with every FM frequency dead on competing with the designated frequency or so close that they "bleed" over each other.

Thanks

kirkster57 · March 2005

I looked at a Acura TL, Chrysler 300 and the Avalon. The 300 was very nice, but I felt cramped insdie of it. The roof line was too low and it felt like the visibility suffered with the window being kind of short. The avalon would have been oe to go with but they are asking full retail price for them right now, especially the limited. The Acura TL is a great car. I had no issues with it at all. When it cme right down to it, I just like the Maxima better from is radical looks and modern interior. This is my third Nissan and I like the dealership I have bought from before, so that is what decided it for me. I am loving the Maxima so far. The trasmission is smooth as silk, there are no rattles and I love the ride and the handling of the Max. I am a happy camper so far.

kirkster

greymax · March 2005

Hello all.
I have a 2001 SE with 48,000 miles. I've only done oil / filter every 3000 miles, routine brake work and, thats about it. Going to start putting miles on it as I'm traveling a lot more for work now. Should I be getting ready to get a new serpentine belt, change auto trans fluid, brake fluid, etc?
Thanks for suggestions.

dklanecky · March 2005

There is no serpentine belt in the Nissan VQ series motors (since 1995 model year). They are all timing chains with no scheduled service intervals.

I have an 00 SE with ~143,xxx miles and everything still runs great.

The transmission probably should be flushed and refilled and the brake fluid change is a good idea also.

tallguy · March 2005

Could not fit in the Acura TL, but could in the 300. The chopped aspect of the 300 makes me feel a bit like I am driving an armored vehicle. Windows a little too slit like.

Agree with your comments on the Maxima so far with 300 miles on it.

obyone · March 2005

"There is no serpentine belt in the Nissan VQ series motors (since 1995 model year). They are all timing chains with no scheduled service intervals.

There is a serpentine belt AND there is a timing chain. One has nothing to do with the other.

roar1 · March 2005

There are two (2) belts that should be changed on the 5 th. gen. Maxima. One is a serpentine belt which runs the alternator and A/C. There is also
a smaller, regular belt that is for the power steering. I always change my belts and hoses at 60,000 miles.

I do a transmission flush and brake fluid change every 40,000 mi.

There is a timing chain ( no timing belt ). This should be good for 200,000 mi. Chains are better than belts. Not only do they last longer but they will usually start to " rattle " on start up which gives you advance warning that it should be replaced. Timing belts will break, usually with no warning and will usually do major damage to the engine, depending on the engine design.

suydam · March 2005

There are drive belts which the manual suggests replacing at 60,000 miles or 4 years. Mine '01 GLE) were cracking slightly at 46000 miles (4 years) so I replaced them. Not very expensive and the only repair so far for me. Not even brake pads yet. I do follow the maintenance schedule though only changing oil every 7500 miles.

roar1 · March 2005

Do you feel any engine vibrations at idle ??
My '00 Max idles smooth as silk. My '02 idles a little rough , although it is a bigger displacement engine.

A near-luxury " flagship " model should idle smooth, imo.

blh7068 · March 2005

I too have an 02 SE- and about a year or so ago my drivers seat did the same thing. I couldnt get mine to manually move either, but fortunately mine quit working in a spot that wasnt too hampering that I couldnt get it to the dealer on my own.

Its been enough of a problem that there is a service bulletin for the power seat. Sorry your seat quit in a bad spot- good luck getting it to the dealer.

roadend · March 2005

Please send me the information to check tsb

pat · March 2005

It may be helpful to know that you can find a list of TSBs for any vehicle right here. Just click on the Edmunds.com logo at the very top of the page, then go to the Tips and Advice tab. Then you want to click on the Maintenance Costs category and fill in the specific information about your car.

And you can drop by our ongoing Technical Service Bulletins discussion to ask 0patience and alcan any questions you have, including asking them for the full text of any TSB.

Hope this helps.

matt17 · March 2005

My 2000 maxima makes a vibrating noise when passing gear kicks in. This noise comes from the front of the car. I rev the engine in neutural and it does not happen, only when the engine is in gear. It sounds like a high pitched fluttering metallic noise. Valves? Heatshields? Manifolds? Catalytic Converter? Flex Pipe? I dont know

kyleknicks · March 2005

my 2000 GLE needs new rotors and pads... and i'm looking to do them myself over a spring weekend....

I was thinking about getting the regular Brembo rotors... but saw the drilled brembo rotors for twice the price.... anyone have an opinion on these types of rotors?? are they overkill on a car like the maxima? thanks for the input...

kyleknicks · March 2005

does the 95-99 max have the same brake setup as the 2000-2001 maxima?

roar1 · April 2005

You should check the rotor thickness before you buy anything. If you are talking about the front brakes, the maximum rotor thickness is 1.024 in. and the minimum thickness is .945 in. I have a 2k max and I've had rotors warp twice and turned twice and the thickness is still above the minimum. ( currently ~.979 in. with 75,000 hwy. miles on the vehicle ). You can measure the front rotor thickness with a micrometer AND without removing the wheels. Just stick the micrometer between the spokes of the wheel.

I believe Brembo drilled and slotted rotors are a waste of money on a 5th. gen Maxima. What the car really needs is larger rotors, possibly 12-13 inch. Stock diameter is 11.5 inches. Dual piston calipers would also help.Of course now you are talking about completely re-engineering the brake system ( best left to a pro.) . Also I believe ( I may be wrong ), the drilled and slotted rotors cannot ever be turned and trued if needed in the future. They are basically a one time use item.

Btw, I fully expect the rotors to warp a third time ( why wouldn't they ), but by that time I hopefully will have sold the car.

kyleknicks · April 2005

roar1, my 2k max has had the rotors turned twice already, it's only have 48k miles on them.... seeing that i'll need brake work done on them pretty soon ( rotors seem to be warped again), i've decided to spend the $200 i usually pay someone to put on new pads and cut the rotors, on brand new brembo rotors and do it myself...with new pads.... and yes, i'm talking about the front rotors to start off with... tirerack is selling the brembo rotors for the maxima at $47 each...

frankly, i'm sick of my rotors warping every few thousand miles and paying for new brake jobs.. other than the rotors, my car has been flawless..

i found a site with detailed instructions on doing the brakes.....looks to be pretty easy doing the brakes on the max

from your comments... looks like i'll stick with the regular brembo rotors and not the drilled or slotted...

roar1 · April 2005

Yeah..........I don't really know what rotors I would buy if I needed them. You have to be careful.....some of these rotors are made in China ( Autozone) . Who knows !! Maybe the Chinese rotors are better than Nissan's ! I think the Brembos are as good a bet as any.

I do know from 20 yrs of owning Nissan's that their brake pads are very good. Good luck with your brake job and ESPECIALLY the Brembos ! Also, continued good luck with your 2k GLE. Looks like you got a good one. I'm envious

kyleknicks · April 2005

roar1, i wasn't sure what kind of rotors to buy either... at first, i did a search on ebay and there were tons of rotors and tons of brembo rotors for relatively cheap... but i figured you never know about things like that.. they could package a cheap rotor in a brembo packaging..etc.. so for a novice like myself, finding a trusted place to buy it from was important.. who better than tirerack?

i would normally go to advance auto parts.. but their prices are a lil steep..

what is wrong with your max that you're so unhappy with it? i plan on keeping mine forever even after 4+ years of ownership.

fredvh · April 2005

Do you have the 4-speed or 5-speed auto trans? What kind of mpg are you getting?

roar1 · April 2005

What's wrong with my Maxima ? Oh......not much.....just O2 sensors, MAF sensor, ignition coils, a completely fried headlight PLUG, seized LR caliper, and of course the infamous " warped rotors ".

Years ago , when people had a lot of trouble with a " made in Detroit" vehicle they would say they had bought a " Monday" or a " Friday " car because apparently alot of autoworkers would take those days off. Well, I guess this is afflicting Nissan's plants in Japan. I think 50% of the plant that made my car didn't show up for work that day.

I also have a '02 Maxima the wife drives ( only 20,000 mi. on it ). The cam and crank angle sensors were replaced under warranty on this vehicle. I don't park the '00 Max. near to the "02 Max. I don't want the '00 troubles to rub off onto the '02.

But hey.... they are great cars when they are not in the shop !!

kyleknicks · April 2005

i have a 2000 gle with 4 speed auto.... city driving ~21 m/gallon and ~25m/g on the highway using the correct method to measure gas mileage... fill till it clicks, reset odo, refill it later taking into account how much gas you pump..and dividing the mileage on the odo with the gallons put in...

Roar, you had a seized LR caliper??? is that the driverside rear caliper? my dad told me that one time, he drove the max to the park which is 5minutes away...and that wheel/brake was alarmingly hot.... i wasn't sure what happened, so i've been keeping an eye on it... do you know if there's a TSB? what did you do.. bring it to the dealer?

isn't the maxima made in the US? i thought it was made in TN..and not in Japan.. at least for 2000+

carman4 · April 2005

I have a 05 maxima sl with automatic transmission I get 28 mi to the gallon on highway and 15 in city with 93 octane fuel is this normal tom

steevo · April 2005

To current and future owners of 2005 Maxima..SE or SL..and why?
Looks to me like SL is cheaper than an SE with leather? IS there much difference in the ride between the 2?
AT, btw.
Thanks!

roar1 · April 2005

Generations 1 thu 5 were made in Japan. The current iteration ( 6th) is
made in U.S. I had a drivers rear caliper seize. One day after driving it in the rain, I noticed steam coming off of the alloy rim. Not good ! $140 for caliper installed by dealer. To my knowledge, no TSB's on calipers, of course there are TSB's on the rotors.

On the rotor TSB, Nissan states that the rotors should be turned ON the car with an on-the-car lathe for the ultimate in truing. Not many dealers have this machine.
I called all 5 dealers in my area and none of them had this lathe !!

ps: I'm getting about the same mileage as you. With 75% Hwy. driving I get ~24-25 mpg.

roar1 · April 2005

I've often wondered about this myself although I have a 5th gen. max. At the time I bought mine, If you compared prices between a fully loaded SE and the GLE, you'd wind up paying more for the SE.

I believe the same is true for the 6th. gen. You will probably pay more for a " loaded " SE than you would an SL. The difference in ride is marginal depending on how sensitive your " butt" is. The SE a has slightly stiffer ride , again depending on how sensitive you are.

max16 · April 2005

Does anyone know which NGK spark plug to use for a 2000 SE? I went to several websites and each one had a few to choose from.

roar1 · April 2005

I bought PFR5G-11 NGK's ( gap @ .040 ) and am waiting to to hit 80,000 mi. to install them. Nissan recommends replacement @ 100K mi. but I don't want to wait that long. On a personal note, I would never use any other plug other than NGK's in a Nissan. I have never had ANY problems with them !! ( Don't ask me about Champions ).

ps: if you want installation instructions, I believe you can purchase the factory manual ( CD format ) on ebay.

blb · April 2005

I recently purchased a 2004 Maxima SE with 6 speed and have problems with it grinding when shifting from 1st to 2nd (mostly when it is cold out). Nissan replaced the transmission but I still have the problem. They also replaced the fluid but also no help. Their field service rep says it is normal gear noise. I have had 3 other Nissans (all manual), 85 Chevy Celebrity and others with manuals and never experienced grinding like this. I do not buy that it is normal gear noise and would NOT recommend a 6 speed Maxima.

aggiedog · April 2005

I know you wrote this a couple of weeks ago but I thought I'd chime in.

My 02 SE had this minor recall done at one of my services. It was early on like maybe 15k. I only have 43k on it now. Anyway, ever since that recall was done, my car has had these vibrations at idle. It's weird because with idle problems, the tachometer usually fluctuates, but my tach doesn't move. It's been a minor annoyance. I didn't bother to check what the recall was at the time, and they just did the recall with my regular maint.

ceasar · April 2005

well what needed to be done was for you to buy the bose adapter and get everything installed for free ! that is how it should be done, anything else is just them not knowing what they are doing.

ceasar

jara97 · April 2005

Really compared to the Avalon but impossible to get now and we weren't treated well at all in the two Toyota Dealers we visited. Got a loaded SL with navigation for around $30,500 was treated great at the dealer and am thrilled. Not sure for the money you can do better because I have tried them all. We have looked at different cars for over a year to include the Toyota Avalon, Lincoln ls, Pontiac Bonneville, Buick Lacrosse, Lexus RS 330, and apples for apples a very nice car indeed. Should we go with synthetic oil the first oil change? Book says 3750 miles but am thinking of having the first oil change done around 2000 miles. Also does anyone have any experience with the black nose cover as far as does it damage the paint etc. Bugs are terrible here and thinking of getting one. Great forum...Thanks in advance...

James

kennyg5 · April 2005

Congrats on your new SL. I have looked at the 05 Avalon and think the interior looks much better than the SL. However, Maxima is known for its great engine, which I can attest to because I have 03 and 97 GLEs, and they have been very reliable. What I don't like about the Maxima is its rear suspension, and I don't think the suspension in the new Max has improved much.

Also I believe Nissan's quality control has worsened in recent years because I hear a lot of people complain about fit and finish as well as rattles and squeaks. Heck, my 92 Max was perfect for more than 10 years. My neighbor's son bought it and he is very happy with it.

roar1 · April 2005

Vinyl nose masks can be a problem. Typically, dirt and grit get underneath and can scratch the paint. Also, over a period of time, it may fog the paint underneath.
I installed the 3M clearmask to the hood, bumper , mirrors. headlights and fog lights. So far I am very happy with the clearmask. It's costs a little more than a vinyl mask. It ran me about $300 to have it installed but it is really worth it imo.

ps. Congrats on your '05 !!

johnny2003 · April 2005

Stay away from the mask. Bought one for my 05 SE from a local Nissan dealer, the mask will cause a severe vibration once you hit 65-70 mph.

johnny2003 · April 2005

Tell me more about the clearmask. My vinyl one doesn't work with the vibrations that it causes.

roar1 · April 2005

There are places where you can buy the 3M clearmask online and install it yourself. IMO, I would definitely have this professionally installed.
This is not the kind of product to experiment with on a new Maxima.

I would start by asking several Nissan dealers who they use to install aftermarket products on their cars ( pin stripes, spoilers, etc. ). In particular, ask them WHO installs the" clearmask " film. Also, you can do a "google " search and possibly come up with some installers in your area.

I am extremely happy with this product, especially the film that goes over the headlights. The headlight film is twice as thick as the film for the paint.

I would also take a look at some cars that have the film already installed. This film is virtually 99.9% transparent but if you look hard you can see the film edge if you look for it. Some people think that the film line is objectionable, I don't. It's alot better than having a vinyl nose bra "flapping' around !!

p.s. Whoever you get to do the job, ask them how many cars they have done ?
The more, the better !!!!

sschumer · April 2005

I'm interested in purchasing a Nissan Maxima SL (in the Bronze color). Wondering what changes Nissan might make for the '06 model. My understanding is that the changes from '04 to '05 were very minor. Anyone know if we should expect same for '06? Also, any idea when '06s would likely start showing up -- late Summer? Fall? Later? Bottom line, is it worth waiting for the 06s for any reason, or would you recommend just buying an '05 right now?

sdblairva · April 2005

I was pricing a new Maxima and was quite disappointed to find that you can't get a red one with the Elite package. :confuse: I really don't understand the interrelation of some option packages on new cars. Well, the extra money for the rear heated buckets probably isn't worth it anyway.

kyleknicks · April 2005

alright... here's an update of my brake work over the weekend... what had happened was, i took my car over to the monroe shop in newington, CT to get my brakes checked, because of a seized caliper.. and they told me it would cost me $720, to fix my rear brakes, which consisted of new rotors(wagners) for both sides at $100 each, and new calipers for both sides at $200 each.. he also wanted to change my front rotors for an additional $350.. I told the guy.. i'll come back another day..

I bought 4 new brembo oem rotors for about $56 each, we jacked the car up, put it on stands..and removed the wheels.. (only did the fronts for now) After 48k miles, those orig rotors looked rusty.. we proceeded to remove the caliper, which was held in place using 2 bolts requiring a 14mm socket.. that part of it wasn't that bad using a hand wrench.. it took a lil effort but got the bolts loose on one side.. the pain was the two bolts that held the bracket that the caliper sits on.. dont know the name of that part... that required a 19mm socket, but we broke the wrench in the process.. so we headed to sears and bought a air compressor with a air racket.. that was $350, but I split the cost of that with my cousin who does alot of work on his 3000gt.. we headed home to unbolt those 2 stubborn bolts.. as soon as we got those off, and removed the bracket... you could pull the rotors out without any effort... i put in the new rotor after cleaning them with rubbing alcohol, and then put the bracket back on... i've also noticed that the pads were almost brand new so those didn't need replacing... we opened up the hood, removed the cap to the brake fluid bottle and then we used a c clamp to push the piston that's on the caliper back into place.. and bolted the calipers back on.. after that, the wheel goes back on and we did the other side... after the wheels are on, replace the brake fluid cap and pump the brake petal a few times till the pressure builds back up in the system. now i just need to find some time to do the rear brakes... but i saved myself big time cash!

Nissan Maxima

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