Nissan Maxima

maxamillion1 · October 2005

And you'd be right about that. LOL

I still love the 5.5 gen Maxima the most, sometimes more than I love my own Altima.

kennyg8 · October 2005

My 97 Max has 49k miles and the brakes (front and rear) have been changed once, but no rotor work whatsoever. I have done nothing to my 03 Max (currently at 13k miles) except for oil changes. Both cars have been very reliable (knock on wood). Not so sure about the 6 gen Max, as they are now made in the U.S.

kyleknicks · November 2005

well... i just replaced my passenger side rear caliper yesterday and my 2000 max's back to normal at 53k miles. So far, i've replaced all 4 rotors (i could've just changed the 2 front rotors, but seeing they weren't that expensive, i did them anyways and put brembo's on). and replaced the 2 rear calipers.. at $80 each... hopefully, there wont be anything else wrong with this car...

cute2005 · November 2005

Hello:

I am planning to buy 2001 Nissan Maxima GLE 4D Sedan w89k miles on it. Owner asking price is US$10,900. I did the drive test personally and I found that car is clean. What is the best price that I can offer? Do I need do any major maintenance work sooner or later?

2001 Nissan Maxima GLE 4D Sedan:: Silver, Air Conditioning, Cruse control , Power Door Locks, Power Steering, Power windows, AM/FM Sterol, Cassette, Tilt wheel, ABS (4-wheel) Alloy wheels, Single Compact Disc, Leather seats, Premium Sound, Dual Power Seats, Sliding Sun Roof, Dual Front Air Bags, Traction Control, Heated Front Seats, New Tires

Any advice is very much appreciated!!!

markmj000 · November 2005

I have a 3 month old 2005 Maxima. Now that it gets dark so early, I've noticed that the garage door opener buttons on the review mirror don't illuminate. I've read plenty about the steering wheel buttons, but not the review mirror buttons. Are they supposed to be illuminated?

Thanks,
Mark

gg2k2se · November 2005

My wife and I started with a bright red 1990 SE, then a 2000 SE. When the 2002 came out, we broke our 10 year rule and traded up. The 6 speed, HID, 255 HP were well worth it.

I too recommend the 02/03 model year. It's a great highway cruiser and also fun to shift and rev around town. I've never driven the latest generation so I can't comment on it.

Quality has been great for 30k miles. Only problem area with my 2002 has been the Bose 6 disc player. I've replaced 3 of them under warranty. The first 2 lost left side power (a known TSB), then the 3rd one started skipping frequently. I'm hoping this 4th one lasts.

dahuber · November 2005

Future major maintenance will depend on what preventative maintenance has been done already.

Ask the owner for his maintenance log. If dealer maintained, you should be able to get a maintenance printout from any Nissan dealer.

Our 2001 GLE has 71k on it and to me it's worth more than $11k. Sounds like a decent deal if it's been maintained.
Hope this helps.

Dave

venkks · November 2005

Hi

I am planning to buy a 05 Max wich has about 18300 miles on it.. What is the best price that I can pay for this car? I live in Northeast (CT). Please advice.

Thanks in advance!

lynn4886 · December 2005

hi joe, im new on this thing and it seems like your very familiar with nissans so i was wondering if you might be able to shed some light on my subject-
i have an 05 max i got last october, since last february ive had so many problems with this car,
1. my cars smells like eggs when i accelerate hard
2. there is a comm. problem with my power control mod. and something else--this causes my spedometer to not work most of the time
i have taken my car to 2 nissan dealerships and no one will fix it
i was wondering if you ever heard of anyone else with these problems on such a new car---if i had known i would encounter these problems i would have never purchased a 30K dollar car from nissan that they refuse to fix.
also i had to replace my break pads and rotors all within the first year of having it--is any of this normal--do ya have any suggestions--thank you , lynn

kennyg5 · December 2005

Lynn, sorry to learn that you are having problems with your 05 Max. I have an 03 GLE with 15k miles and never got a problem except for routine maintenance. Your car should still be under warranty, and there is absolutely no reason why Nissan dealers would refuse to repair it unless you have modded the car such that it voided the warranty. If you have any problem, call up Nissan's regional rep or write directly to Nissan corporate.
Good luck.

bipwop · January 2006

getting ready to sell my 91 Nissan Maxima
If I understand correctly, it's a SE (body-colored door handles) - is that right?
How can I tell if it has ABS? I've looked everywhere to try to find out, but I figured someone here could tell me.
Thanks!

just_phil · January 2006

SE also would have white gauges.

The easiest way to determine if there's ABS in the car is to turn the ignition on and see if the red 'ABS' light comes on briefly on the dashboard.

habitat1 · January 2006

You can find out if you have ABS by getting the car up to about 30 mph and standing on the brakes. Pulsating stop without skidding in a straight line = YES; long black skid marks and the smell of burning rubber = "NO".

Actually, the fact that you don't know isn't a good thing. The proper way to brake in a panic stop or to avoid an accident is completely different depending upon what you have. In this case, ignorance isn't bliss, it's unsafe.

And, if I owned a 15 year old car, I actually would test the ABS brakes out myself, preferably on a wet or snow covered empty road or parking lot. Finding out from the owners manual or VIN number that the car is equiped with ABS doesn't necessarily mean that after 15 years, they are still working.

bipwop · January 2006

OK, no little ABS light comes on when I start the car.
So I guess I don't have them.
So, can I continue to drive the same way I have the last 30 years?
I think I've had 3 tickets (averaging one per decade), and have filed one small claim for something I did in a parking lot.
Just out of curiosity, how are you supposed to brake in a panic stop or to avoid an accident if you don't have ABS?
We just bought a 2006 Corolla. Any ideas if it would have ABS, and if so, what should I be doing different re: braking?

habitat1 · January 2006

If you have ABS and need to stop suddenly, you should stomp on the brakes and hold them down. Do NOT pump them - that's what the computer does and if you pump them, you will dramatically increase your stopping distance.

If you don't have ABS, you do just the OPPOSITE. If you fell the car start to skid, you need to lift off and pump the brakes. Essentially you become the "anti-lock" system by pumping yourself, since there is no computer control.

This isn't just for higher speed panic stops. The same methods hold true for braking on snow or ice. With ABS, if you feel the system kick in and start pulsating, do NOT lift up off the brakes until you've stopped. Without ABS, start pumping away to avoid a skid and loss of control

Also, with antilock brakes you can turn in the direction you want to go, with the brakes fully depressed. Without ABS, you need to let up and get out of a skid before trying to steer.

With every car I've ever owned since my 1995 Maxima, all have been equiped with ABS, but not all behave exactly the same. Our Maxima's kicked in at any speed. Our TL's kicks in after 10 mph +/- - not good on ice wher you are only going 5-10 mph to begin with. Which is why I suggested finding an empty parking lot when it's raining or snowing to try them out.

Consider yourself lucky that you apparantly have not had to make any serious panic stops, given that you don't know which braking system applies. I'd hate to be flipping a coin to decide what to do. Coin flipping adds to stopping distances as well.

P.S. I debated about paying $1,000 for anti-lock brakes on a 1995 Maxima SE. In order to be able to afford it at the time, I had to forego every other option. No sunroof, no Bose, no power seats, no leather, .... But within the first year, I had a semi blow a tire and lose control on the Washinton Beltway and shoot sideways across my lane in the rain at night. I hit the brakes and thankfully didn't skid and miraculously steered around it. Two cars behind me didn't make it and several people were critically injured. That $1,000 was the best I ever spent.

kennyg5 · January 2006

Good advice, Habitat. Like you, all my cars since 1997 have ABS. It was an option on my 97 Max GLE (about $800) and standard on my 03 Max GLE. Nowadays, I think even entry level econo cars have standard ABS. I never had to use the ABS, except when testing it out in a parking lot and learning how to use it.

My 03 Max also has TCS as an option, which I find useless. In fact, when I was stuck in snow last winter, I had to turn the TCS off before I could get my car out. With TCS, once the car computer senses that your wheels are spinning or slipping, it cuts off the gas and applies brake pressure thus making any attempt to get out the snow pile futile. So much for modern technology.

kennyg5 · January 2006

I just learned that Nissan has agreed to settle the law suit for approx. $350k, which is going to be distributed to those Maxima owners whose HIDs were stolen in New Jersey, after NJ attorney general's office recoups its cost in prosecuting the suit. Assume the cost is $150k and 1000 drivers were involved, each owner may receive 200 big ones.

fatprobert · January 2006

Southside Nissan does have a pretty good Sales department. However, their service advisors are always looking at you like you're a moron for asking stupid questions.

And their business manager is a crook.

vonnyvonce · March 2006

Shopping for tires for my son's 2000 SE. Currently takes 225/50-17. Would other tire sizes (thinking 55 or 60 series) be a resonable substitution without messing up speedometer etc. Looking for something a bit less expensive and perhaps a more comfy ride with taller sidewall.

poodog13 · March 2006

You'd need to buy new wheels so that the total circumferance was the same. TireRack.com can help you detetrmine what other wheel/tire combos will fit.

p100 · March 2006

Now this is really bad news. I thought that manual transmissions are pretty much bullet proof, but with slipping quality control, that is apparently not the case. I have a 98 Maxima SE with a 5 speed manual with 122k miles. Practically no issues, runs great. No grinding noises in the transmission, original clutch.

02max · March 2006

My 02 Max came with 215/55-17. I upgraded to 225/50-17 and new wheels. You will find a better selection at 50's. The 55's are pretty much OEM's. Don't go 60's, your overall diameter will be too big, screwing up the speedo reading and reducing the wheel clearance.

2zmax · March 2006

Hi Guys,
I haven't visited this forum for a while.
Ive had a 2003 SE and a 2004 SE.
I liked the 03 much more than the 04.
However, yesterday I got back from a 2 day trip to WV and my rental was a 2006 Maxima SE.
Ive got to say that the 06 rides and handles better than the 04.
In addition, my rental did not have any of that annoying torque steer that everyone including my wife complained about in the 04.
No matter how much I tried, I couldnt get it to torque steer.
The car performed beautifully over a 300 mile ride through the mountains, at elevations of 2800 ft+
I took corners with much higher speeds than I would if I was driving my old 03.
The car was planted and seemed very relaxed. The ride was on the stiff side, but not punishing. I think it is much better than the 04, which rattled my brains over every little bump. Overall, I think the 06 is a great car. However with the recent offerings from Toyota, and Hyundai, it is hard to justify the purchase of a Maxima.
I saw that Carsdirect is offering 06 Max SE for a little over 24k  so it might be a good buy.
Did anyone hear about upcoming changes for the Max? Is it going to be redesigned, to better compete with the likes of the Azera and the Avalon, or is it going to stay where it is?
Regards,

danommh549 · March 2006

I have a 1990 Maxima that once in a while when hot will not start, it does turn over but will not start, it does not happen frequent enough to check it out, after a minute or two it will start up, it is hard to fix when it is starting, but it is not dependable enough to have the daughter drive it. I had a Honda Accord that had a similar problem it was the fuel pump relay, any help will be appreciated

obyone · March 2006

A 16 year old vehicle wouldn't be dependable transportation. Too many aged parts to fail. You state that although it won't start, it will after a minute or two. Being an intermittent problem wouldn't be easy to diagnose. I'd bet it would be with the fuel delivery.

pat · March 2006

Try posting in our "No Start" Problems discussion also. Hope we can help.

mitsucar · March 2006

Just bought a 2001 Nissan Maxima with 100k miles on it. Nissan does know how to make a good car! Anyways, the whole left side of my guages (spedometer, and fuel) are dark at night. They have come on once on my trip home but have failed to light since. Anyone know what might be wrong and if the reverse glow guages that u can get on ebay for cheap would solve my problems? Thanks in advance!

azazel · March 2006

I posted the same ? in the Zeph forum but wanted some opinions from max owners as well. I have narrowed my choices down to a zephyr or a maxima and just wanted some feedback what with the changes due for the 07 model.

poodog13 · March 2006

I cross-shopped these cars a month ago and bought the Maxima two weeks ago.

The Zephyr has a wonderful interior, actually difficult to match anywhere near that price point. Although I never compared size specs closely, the Maxima seems much larger in all respects. Also has a more powerful engine, although the Zephyr would seem to get the nod with the new 6-speed auto tranny (latest Maxima tranny is very smooth though, definite upgrade from 4-speed in my 2003 Maxima).

In the end, the reason I turned away from the Zephyr is that I just didn't trust the power train combination on a first year model from Ford. I ended up between a Maxima SL and Acura TL, and chose the Maxima based on much higher trade in value for my 03 Maxima through a Nissan dealership.

azazel · March 2006

Yeah, the interior of the lincoln is second to none. My problem was I drove a charger & a 300c both with hemi's back to back before driving the zeph so of course it felt sluggish with only 221hp. And I just can't get over the nose of the maxima and the center stack ( a tape deck? what is this 1991) just my opinion and both of these seem to be changed for the 07 max, nose looks more like the infiniti line and the interior is supposed to be completely redone. Anyways thanks for the unput

poodog13 · April 2006

Just bought an 06 SL and wanted to get advice on type of oil. The manual makes no mention of synthetic oil and I am curious if there is a meaningful benefit to paying the extra bucks for synthetic.

I don't do my own oil changes, take it to a lube shop typically. I also do not plan on driving the car forever or for hundreds of thousands of miles. Longest I would anticipate would be six years, 90k.

Thanks.

dmaljunk · April 2006

typically synthetic can be replaced at longer periods then regular oil depending on the brand but generally you can drive twice as long on synthetic so that covers most of the price difference. Most mechanics recommend synthetic as a better oil as well.

azazel · April 2006

Just found a good pic of the 07 model without all the black tape hiding the new front end. Think infiniti grill on the max & what looks to be slightly altered headlights. I just hope they fix the ugly center stack and ditch the tape deck. The only pic from the NYC auto show of the altima has a new tail light & says it will offer CVT like the murano, hope this goes for the maxima as well. September can't get here fast enough for me to get on of these puppies.

perna · April 2006

I own an '03 Max SE, and drove a Fusion, which has the same powertrain as the Zephyr.

If you're looking for speed and power, there is no contest. The Nissan destroys the Ford.

Handling, OTOH, is a whole different bucket of chicken. The Fusion was a nimbler car, and had a slightly smoother ride.

The Lincoln will be much closer with the '07 model, which gets a whole new 3.5L engine making around 250hp.

maximafan · May 2006

Hi, 2zmax. My understanding is the Maxima is
going to receive an interior freshening, i.e.,
new dash, instrument panel, doing away with
the cassette deck (I think I'm the only one
that still likes having the cassette deck
available - hey- I've still got some great
tapes!) - Also, the front headlights and
I think the grill will be refreshed also along
with the fog lights. I believe this will be the 2007 Maxima coming early, say, possibly this summer??? I'm anxious to see these changes, as my lease on my 2002 Maxima is up next year. I'm also gonna keep an eye on the
2007 Altima, as it's getting some changes also. Can't wait!

cyclonemike · May 2006

I am shopping for cars and really like the handling, ride, and exterior of the 2006 Maxima SE. I just can't get over the poor interior layout, especially the center stack with all the small buttons that look alike and have no personality. I also have a problem with the fabric the runs along the top of the dash. It is not as bad as the remote-control looking center column on the 2006 Volvo S40.

The interiors of the Accord, Camry, TL, and Passat. All cars I have driven are designed and have a better layout.

Sometime you just have to wonder what the designers were thinking. :P

The problem is that what you live with day-to-day is the interior, not the exterior looks.

maximafan · May 2006

I agree with you, Cyclonemike. I've always
liked the exterior design on the current
Maxima (other posts on this website have been
very negative about the exterior design on this car.) I've always liked it, but I didn't care for the interior either. Let's hope the refresh for the 2007 model will change our opinion.

sabcik · May 2006

Hello everyone I recently encounter two problems with my Maxima 2005 SL. When starting in the morning there is a popping noise, sound like electric shortage. Also the same noise when driving in the first gear at 1500 rpms, but it doesn't pop it's steady. If I keep it at 1500 rpm its constant.
Any ideas?
Thanks

kennyg8 · May 2006

I also agree that the exterior looks quite good except for the too steeply sloped back that cuts down on rearview. The interior is cheap, the tiny buttons are ridiculous, and the cloth lining is cheesy. Even the plastic in the 6th gen is a lot worse than the plastic in prior gens, not to mention the inferior "Blose" speakers. I wonder why Bose put in such a lackluster system to cheapen its reputation.

On the other hand, the engine is still very good, which is Maxima's strongest suit throughout the years. The suspension is still not up to par when compared with cars of similar status. Also, Nissan should learn how to dampen interior noise from Lexus (I prefer a quiet car, others may feel different).

Hopefully Nissan is listening to what we say if it wants to retain its loyal Maxima fans. One last thing, IMPROVE DEALER SERVICE!! :mad:

cyclonemike · May 2006

I know this is off topic and I apologize, but it is not really possible to cheapen the Bose image. The Bose image is all marketing, in addition the actual equipment they provide is criminal for the cost. Maybe part of my distaste for the interior is the "Bose" on the radio!

poodog13 · May 2006

I recently bought an 06 Maxima and was wondering if anyone knew whether or not you could use E-85 instead of regular gasoline.

kennyg8 · May 2006

Cyclonemike, I think Bose makes pretty good speakers, but not headunits. I auditioned a pair of 901s (floor standing speakers) and the acoustimass systems (the little cubes with a subwoofer) in a studio, and they sounded fantastic. Even my older Max GLE (1997) with the Bose system sounds much better the current Blose. I agree, though, the Bose price is criminal, as you can get very decent aftermarket systems for much less than what you would have to pay to get Bose.

biancar · May 2006

I doubt that you can use ethanol. Look in the driver's manual that came with the car and see if it says anything about alternative fuel. Far as I know, premium only is what they recommend.

perna · May 2006

I recently bought an 06 Maxima and was wondering if anyone knew whether or not you could use E-85 instead of regular gasoline.

No, in fact you should be using 92 or 93 octane ("Premium"). E-85 would ruin your engine.

p100 · May 2006

A vehicle needs to be properly converted to use E-85, or be so equipped from the factory and labeled as "flex fuel" engine vehicle. I believe stainless steel fuel lines are used, different oxygen sensors, there are some mods to the fuel injection system, etc.

US Air Force has recently converted a bunch of their motor pool vehicles to run on E-85. So the conversion process cannot be too costly or complex, but I am not sure what all is involved.

gregorym · May 2006

Anyone recommend a high performance brand for a 2000 Nissan Maxima SE. I am purchasing Hawk break pads front and rear and looking into high performance rotors. Does anyone have them on their Maxima and recommend a brand? If so, where did you buy them and around how much were they? I am going to replace front and rear at the same time. Thanks.

perna · May 2006

Brembo blanks.

http://www.autobarn.net/brembobrakes.html

I haven't used them (or the vendor, it was just the first place with pricing to come up using Yahoo), but the folks on www.maxima.org seem to like these. The factory rotors on my '03 seem to be lasting forever, so I don't know if I'll ever have to replace them!

fhs8860c · May 2006

Guys

I have a 2003 Maxima SE.
IS THIS NORMAL.

I set Fan control to 1,
Air Circulation to OFF (light on),
Temperature Control to just before MAX AC, (at MAX AC, your AC light comes on, so mine is just before that and the AC light is OFF),
Air Flow set to FACE ONLY,
and A/C to OFF.

I GET COLD AIR OUT OF THE VENTS. The A/C is supposed to be OFF. Is this normal. Is the A/C running in ECON mode or something. Is the A/C running?

Can someone check this in your maxima and let me know please.

Thanks

:confuse: Faisal :confuse:

kennyg8 · May 2006

I have an 03 Max GLE. So, I have automatic climate control (all digital) instead of your manual control buttons. It seems that if your air recirculation light is on, this indicates that the defog system is active, which also means that your A/C is running. That is why you get cold air coming out of the vents.

fhs8860c · May 2006

But the Defoger is not active. If i select the Air Flow Control to "front wind shield", then the A/C comes on and i see its green light. In my case, its on "Face only".

so whats happenning here.

Thanks
Faisal

Nissan Maxima

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