Nissan Maxima Maintenance and Repair

jvlee · October 2003

In the above posts by mo_can and aristotle, I also feel the stutter and "skips a beat" when the engine is running at low RPMs and most noticeable at stop lights. It is also doing it when the car is in park.

I took it to the mechanic and had a full diagnostic done. He checked coils, spark plugs and all the other problems that previous people has described and everything checked out okay. The car did not display any error codes and the service engine light never came on prior to taking the car to the shop. However, the mechanic did replace an air flow sensor and it seemed to run fine when I took it home yesterday. The mechanic also mentioned that there could be some carbon build up on the injectors and I should run some fuel cleaner in when filling up the car with gas for the next couple of fillings.

This morning, the engine was doing the same thing as it did prior to taking it in. I called him again and he told me to wait until the service engine light to come on and in the meantime put fuel cleaner (Techron by Chevron) in the with the gas for the next couple of stops. He also told me when he checked for codes, he resetted the computer and that I need to drive the car for a while so the computer had a chance to do a full cycle and be able to check everything to make the appropriate adjustments.....

Should I continue with his advice or take it somewhere else for a different opinion? Thanks!

bmcgon · October 2003

My Maxima has 52,000 miles on it. A couple of weeks ago it started to stall now and then. Now it happens a lot.
So, I took it to the dealer that I bought it from yesterday and they changed reset some computer on it. They also said that since the chip was being changed I needed to buy a new battery for it. They also suggested that since it's almost time for the 60,000 mile check up that I should have the fuel injectors flushed. They said when the mechanic drove it it never stalled?
So, I agreed to have them do the work at a cost of $250. I picked up the car last night and drove it home. It stalled on me (3) times. I called them this morning and told them that I was still having problems so they asked me to bring it back in.
I spoke with the mechanic and showed him in their parking lot that it's still stalling. He asked me when the last time I had the air filter changed. I told him recently when I had the oil changed. We looked at the air filter and it looked brand new. He said that since it wasn't a Nissan product then that could be the problem. So, I purchased an air filter from them and guess what? The car still stalls!!!!!
So, I've made another appointment with this dealership for next week. Hopefully someone there can figure out what's going on?

Bumming out in Connecticut
10/17/03

ccermak · October 2003

Get coils checked, MAF (Mass Air Flow) Sensor checked, make sure they check fuel pressure, sounds like fuel pump to me. A couple reasons why an engine would stall, either no fuel, no spark, or too much fuel and flooding out. No SES (service engine soon) light on?? That air filter issue was bogus, they suckered you into buying one. How bout throttle body, ever get that cleaned?

p100 · October 2003

A dirty fuel filter could also cause problems. Did you ever change that?
If I were you I would give them their air filter back and demand my money back. Also, they should not charge more than $5 an hour for this kind of incompetent trial-and-error "diagnostic" service.

kennyg5 · October 2003

Honestly, I would not go back to the same dealership. They are either totally incompetent (as p100 suggested) or they are trying to rip you off. I suggest you go to another dealership or a trustworthy mechanic. Just my 2 cents!

dklanecky · October 2003

Another vote for forgetting about that dealership. They're completely incompetent or just down right thieves, either way forget them, if you can.

Do you have any previous service records on the car? Any ideas what's been done since it was new?

The 60,000 mile service is a major service and should include everything in your owners manual.

It should run around $5-600, depending on how through your dealership is and what they have listed.

Do you have another dealer you can use?

maxidriver1 · October 2003

Just bought a 2004 Maxima SE, I love it BUT it's a rough ride. There are several reason why I think so, low profile tire is one. The car is very fast and looks good, someone wrote about the torch steer, that is fine to me. You feel every bump in the road though. I was told the Maxima is compared to the Lexus, I don't think so. Here are the problem I had. While applying the brakes the steering wheel pulled to the left side and also the steering wheel had a mild vibration when going over 45mph. (a few messages back a Maxi driver also mentioned this issue) I brought the car back to the dealership and was fixed. The steering rack was leaking and replaced and the alignment of the tire were done. Drives fine now but once the original tires wear out, I'll put bigger tires, not wider but bigger too cushion the road. Did anyone else have these issues???

aheath1 · October 2003

I thought i had the problem solved-- last winter, my car repeatedly stalled out until it was considerably warmed up. to try to make a long story short, nissan replaced the ignition coils, spark plugs, etc. they finally found the wires to my computer were all green (the summer before, my ac hoses plugged up and i had a "flood" in my car). i thought all my problems were behind me, but now the stalling has started up again (as well as the cold mornings in boston). I just had the 60k service done 3 weeks ago as well as an oil and filter change. i am beyond frustrated and at this point hoping for a miracle. any ideas as to what other things to check out??

p100 · October 2003

You cannot mount any substantially higher profile tires on your 18 inch rims. The reason is that there is very limited clearance as is between the car's inner fenders and the wheels, and probably front struts and tire tread. The best solution is to get 17 or 16 inch wheels that fit this car and then use higher profile tires of about the same circumference as your original tires so your speedometer will not be affected.

As for the wheel size increase fad, I voiced my opinion before and will voice it again - it is an impractical approach because large low profile tires are more difficult to balance and give a harsher ride, even if handling potential increases somewhat. And the cost of tires is substantially higher. So this is also a money making scheme for tire manufacturers. 16 inch rims are a happy compromise for a Maxima and Nissan should never have gone beyond that size for this car.

You can see the same increasing tire size trend on SUVs and trucks. Many Dodge trucks now come with 20 inch rims. Wait till the people who buy these things fork over $ 800 for a set of tires and have some kid in the local tire store balance their wheels all wrong for the second time. They will like those wheels a lot less, believe me. I would not take 20 inch wheels for free unless they came on an Army deuce and a half truck with 9.00-20 tires.

ohcello · October 2003

If anyone has had this repair done to their car, please sign my
petition as I'm trying to get Nissan to issue a recall for these
defective parts!!!

Thanks

http://www.petitiononline.com/NIS_IGN/petition.html

jbadams · October 2003

You should have purchased a Maxima SL if you wanted a softer ride. I don't think the tires really make as great a difference as the suspension. You need to change the springs and shocks if you want a softer ride.

maxidriver1 · October 2003

Thanks for all the comments about this problem. So I'm basically stuck with the 18" wheels because of the clearence between the tire and inner wheel well. I should have purchased the SL but I didn't want to 4 speed auto. I really like the 5 speed auto with manual shift. I also hope by buying a first model of a car that is also built in the US is good to purchase. This is my 4th Nissan (2 Pathfinders and 1 Altima) and I love them. But the Maxima is the first built US and the first model. What do yo think?

p100 · October 2003

You are always taking a risk buying a new redesigned model the first year it comes out. Even if it is made in Japan. To prove my point, check the forums on the new Mazda RX 8: systematic problems with low oil light coming on engine stalling and pinging, inferior A/C system, etc. They are replacing oil pans on all cars. This must be really frustrating. So in my opinion, it is not a good thing to purchase a first year redesigned model, especially if it made in the US.

ccermak · October 2003

I have 2000 SE with 57K miles. Behind my rear tire on driver's side, there's some paint missing (chipped off) on the lip of the rear quarter. The lip that folds over, like where a mud flap would bolt on. My question is this, would the 5yr/60K warranty on rust/paint cover this issue? It's not rusty yet, but it looks like it for sure will be in year or two. The size is about 1.5 square inches. Otherwise what do I do? Put good thick coat of wax on it?

mirth · October 2003

I (highly) doubt the warranty will cover it. Your best bet, short of getting the entire panel repainted, is to get some touch up paint and sealer from your dealer and touch it up yourself. Then wax it.

st_pu · October 2003

Our mechanic charged us $500.00 for 2 coil replacement (at 43,000 miles). And problems didn't desapear. Then dealer replaced all coils on our Maxima 99 and charged us $500.00 more. We payed $1000 total fixing known problem. No new nissans for us any more. And now I see proud owners of 2000-2003 Maxima having same problems. Ha-ha-ha! Nissan is great in hiding problems, selecting scrap part manufacturers, forcing thousands customers to pay BIG Money for their crap.

p100 · October 2003

If your mechanic charged you $ 500 for replacement of two coils, he ripped you off royally. Here is the cost of parts: $ 70 per coil (I checked couple of weeks ago with the Nissan dealer, the quote was for the 98 model, which uses identical coils as the 99 model). It takes a person like me exactly half hour to replace all six coils (I did change my spark plugs recently which necessitates removal and reinstallation of coils). So for two coils, 10 minutes. The cost of parts $ 150 plus local tax. $ 350 for 10 minutes worth of work? Even if your mechanic checked the coils with an ohmmeter, this would not justify such an outrageous fee.

It is true that Nissan should have recalled their vehicles and upgrade the coils for free. VW and Audi did recalll about 300,000 vehicles for the same reason recently. I have not had any problems with coils on the 98 Maxima with 71K miles yet but I will not be surprised if I have to fork over $ 420 for new coils pretty soon.

sgrd0q · October 2003

I think the cars that are affected the most are the 2000-2001 model year Maximas. Earlier models and 2002+ models seem to have this problem quite infrequently. You may be ok with your '98 Maxima.

dklanecky · October 2003

Another alternative could be to try and find an owner of a 2004 (2001-2003's?) Maxima (with the 17" wheels) and see if you could trade wheels and tires?

You might even end up with some extra cash out of the deal and it would add an additional 1/2 of rubber between your wheel and the road.

I recall the same issue surfacing when the 00 Maxima's came out originally with 16" wheels on the SE. A few months into production Nissan made 17" standard on the SE and there were quite a few drivers wanting to swap.

Some wanted the 17'looks and didn't care so much about the stiffer ride and some wanted the better ride and were willing to give up a bit in looks.

pathstar1 · October 2003

I wonder if the Pathfinder coils would fit/work. I haven't heard of any problems with them (2001 model and on). Same basic engine. Same coil over plug design.

pdchap · October 2003

insert new 15 amp fuse & hit brake pedal & the fuse blows. tried several & they just keep blowing. any ideas out there ??

sandal · October 2003

I have a 96 Maxima SE, 109K miles. Stick shift, recent clutch change. No major problems yet but since it is over 100K miles and the car is getting old, was wondering till when can I expect to drive this car relatively trouble-free. Hoping to get some feedback from owners of similar vintage as well as others.
Regards
Sanjiv

dinu01 · October 2003

Perfect!

I expect it to last to about 250-300kms w/no issues. As long as you maintain it properly, don't worry too much.

Dinu

PS My Protege is also great BTW

p100 · October 2003

There are several possibilities:

1. Defective brake light switch located under the brake pedal. The switch could be shorting to ground internally when activated. The best way to determine if the switch is shorting to ground is to bypass the switch by disconnecting the leads from it and jumpering the leads to complete the circuit. If the fuse does not blow, then the switch has a short.

2. If bypassing the switch test still blows the fuse, you may have a brake light wiring short somewhere downstream of the brake switch, shorting to ground becuase of damaged insulation. Trace the wires from the switch if the switch turns out not to be faulty.

jg28 · October 2003

I have an 02 Maxima SE. I recently upsized my tires to the 225/55/17 (instead of the 225/50/17) and I think the ride quality is NOTICEABLY IMPROVED. Granted, I switched to a grand touring tire instead of a sport tire but these tires corner even better than those horrid RE 92s.

Bumps aren't as harsh, pavement changes are less noticeable, and the ride is quieter (so much so that I notice I have the rear window air leaks that there is a TSB for).

04maxima · October 2003

I purchased a 2004 SE in March and have had several problems with the car. First the engine service light keeps coming on when I get to a half tank of gas. It has been back to the dealer four times for the same problem. Dealer replaced the gas cap and adjusted the emission computer settings as per a Nissan bulletin. So far it seems to have taken care of the problem. Then yesterday driving to work I noticed a stream of water dripping from the sun glass compartment located in the overhead compartment. I am assuming that the sunroof is leaking. Has any other 04 owners experienced this problem. The car is do to go back to the dealer this Friday.

blockhead3 · October 2003

I've read a bunch of the posted messages and am awed by the number of owners who have had similar experiences. My car has had issues with service light on, warped front rotors, and stalling. I brought the car to the dealer who told me I needed new coils ($700), new NOx sensor ($450) and computer programming ($186). The dealer told me to call the helpline which was a waste of time. Since my car was out of warranty (approx. 80K and less than 4 years old), Nissan would not provide any assistance. The dealer told me that if I had regularly serviced the car with the dealership, then they would have petitioned Nissan in my behalf. Since I hadn't, tough luck. I eventually had my mechanic replace the O2 sensor for $200 and the dealer reprogrammed my computer (which Nissan would have reimbursed if I had less than 80K.) The car runs fine now without new coils. I'll get the rotor replaced (second time) soon. Also, I want to mention that I was not given the opportunity to have an audience with the Nissan area representative who appears to be this mystical being whom noone can contact. After all this, and the overwhelming client service that Nissan and the dealer provided me, this longterm Nissan owner (3 cars) will not purchase another Nissan product. Maybe its time to try an Audi or BMW which cost the same as or less than a 2004 Maxima SE and give free maintenance up to 50k.

dinu01 · October 2003

Recent Maxis had their issues that's for sure.

" Maybe its time to try an Audi or BMW which cost the same as or less than a 2004 Maxima SE and give free maintenance up to 50k"

Stick with the Maxima - those headaches will cost you even more.

Dinu
PS: Who really is a Mazda6 and Mazda3 fan but drives a Maxima.

p100 · October 2003

There is no way you can get a 260 HP Audi or BMW for the price of a Maxima. Not even a base model.

My neighbor paid $ 40K plus tax for a 2003 BMW 330Ci two door coupe with leather, sport package, and no sunroof. This car is much smaller than 2004 Maxima, has a tiny trunk, and has a 3 liter V6 engine with about 220 HP.

aggiedog · October 2003

Same with the Audi. They ain't cheap either.

nast61 · November 2003

I have a problem with a very loud ticking (sounds like a couple of ball bearings being shaken violently in a can) during acceleration from 0 up to 60km and then it stops. It's a lot worse in the summer and almost non existent in the winter. my problem is it doesn't do it all the time when I take it to the dealer they can't find any problems sometimes it's so loud im afraid to accelerate the car. does anyone have any ideas.

josel1138 · November 2003

I've got a rear seatbelt buckle that locks correctly but is sticky when you try to release it. Pushing release all the way down and it sometimes doesn't want to release.

* Has anyone else had this problem?
* Gotten it fixed?
* Did the dealer charge you anything?
(I'm at 20,000 miles)

Thanks,
jl

pathstar1 · November 2003

That is "pinging" or preignition. Use higher octane fuel to stop it. Pinging gets worse when the air temp. is higher, under hard accelleration, and at higher altitudes. Basically, it is caused by the fuel burning too fast. To slow it down, you increase the "octane rating". Octane is a hydrocarbon that burns slowly, and is used as a standard for measuring fuel burn rate. Contrary to popular "knowledge", high octane fuels do not contain more power. Often they contain less, these days, as to increase the rating ethanol is added, which has less energy than the other components of gasoline. It does burn cleaner, however.

You may have a "carbon clogged" engine, from using high toluene fuel. The carbon can run red hot and preignite the mixture in the engine. It can be cleaned out at reasonable cost. Dealers, and oil change places can do this for you.
Another possibility is a sensor has worn enough so it's affecting the ECUs ability to control the engine, but has not yet failed enough to trigger the check engine light (service engine soon in Nissans, as I recall).

You should get it fixed, as eventually it will damage valves or pistons.

maxidriver1 · November 2003

Is anyone getting a vibration, raddle or something loose coming from the power sun roof in the 2004 Maxima, espacially riding over bumps. If so, what was your solution.

maxidriver1 · November 2003

I just found a small screw in my rear passenger tire. I took it to a tire place to patch it and they told me they can't because it's too close to the wall of the tire and I need to buy a new tire. My car only has 900 miles/4 weeks old. I'm taking it back to the dealership hoping that they can replace it under warrenty. What do you think?

nast61 · November 2003

My first guess was a sensor malfunction, I recently had my drive clean emission test done and the readings were almost flat ruling out carbon buildup . I use premium 91 octane fuel always but I do buy from esso which is supposed to be very dirty fuel. I'm going to buy some octane boost and try that out but I'm still thinking sensor ? maybe

pathstar1 · November 2003

Ahh, I see you are in Canada (forgot to look before). If you can find it, try the 10% ethanol premium (octane rating of 92 in Alberta and 94 on the west coast). Mohawk has it. Husky has the 5% 91 octane stuff. Just one tank of 92-94 octane is all it will take to see if that fixes it. If so, that's a start. You could wait for the suspected sensor to fail completely (triggering a CEL), and if that doesn't happen in a few months, get the engine cleaned internally. They run a noxious chemical though the engine (it burns it and the carbon). The dealer will probably not find anything until the CEL is triggered.

lichtronimo · November 2003

Good luck, as a nail in the tire isn't a warrantied item. The warranty basically covers the tire shredding itself for no apparant reason. The tire company can't warranty that you'll never run over a nail.

p100 · November 2003

Something similar happened to me in 1985. I bought a new Ford Mustang GT. This was the first year they used expensive V rated tires on this car, which were quite rare back then. When I had about 800 miles on the car, a big nail went right through the sidewall of one of the tires. Had to pay to replace the tire - it was around $ 170 plus mounting and balancing.

Generally you cannot fix a tire punctured through the sidewall. If the hole is in the tread close to the sidewall, it can sometimes be repaired, but many places will be reluctant to do so because of liability issues.

aggiedog · November 2003

I don't know if you get a road hazard warranty with new car tires these days, but I would ask about that first. Road hazard would cover such a problem but you usually have to pay extra per tire for that when you buy a set of tires. Again, I don't know if that comes with new cars.

maxidriver1 · November 2003

Good News, the screw wasn't all the way in the tire. Nissan wouldn't touch it. They wanted to replace it and gave me a quote of $350.00. I brought it to the Goodyear dealership. The Goodyear dealer quote me for $280.00 before they found no puncture from the screw. The screw was sticking out of the tire but didn't go through. What I purchased was a $25 per tire warranty to cover me for any slits and punctures. Instead of paying $300 for a tire in the future. I recommend this to everyone. The salesman said since the tire wall is very small on the 18" rims, any pot hole I fall into will rip or tear the tire.

ccermak · November 2003

I think he was blowing smoke saying any pothole you hit you'll blow a tire. Much more likely to bend or damage a very expensive rim, thereby allowing air to leak out due to loss of seal. Tear a tire would be doubtful. Just my .02

p100 · November 2003

I have read several complaints by BMW owners who bent their fancy 18 inch wheels by running into potholes. Some states have terrible roads and if I lived in one of those states I would never buy a vehicle with low profile 18 inch tires.

aggiedog · November 2003

Then stay out of Washington DC. The worst streets in the world. Pennsylvania roads are a close second.

lichtronimo · November 2003

is impossible if you want the 6spd manual or 5spd auto. available only on the SE, which only comes with the 18" wheels...

p100 · November 2003

It is the tire profile height, rather than wheel diameter that is important. If you mount ultra low profile tires on a 16 or 17 inch rim you will have the same problem. It so happens that the larger the rim, the lower the tire profile ratio will be specified by the manufacturer to limit the tire height. So 16 inch tires will be generally 55 profile ratio, 17 inch 50 profile ratio, 18 inch 45 profile ratio, etc, all the way down to 30 profile ratio on 20 inch rims for exotic sport cars. I believe that if you stay with 55 tire profile ratio or higher, you will greatly limit possibility of rim or tire damage on badly neglected roads.

Commercial or military truck tires have very tall profiles. For example, 900-20 tires go on 20 inch diameter rims. The overall diameter of the mounted tire is 40 inches, which means that there is 10 inches of sidewall between the rim and the tire tread. With a 20 inch sports car ultra low profile ratio tire the overall mounted tire diameter will be more like 23 inches, or 1.5 inch sidewall. That is not much protection for the rim.

maxidriver1 · November 2003

Thanks for all the comments. I live in NJ and pot holes are the worst here also. Yes, he did say the rim may bent as a result of the tire wall being tiny. But it won't hurt to buy a $25 per tire warrenty just in case it blows. This is my first time with 18" rim. I always had a Pathfinder, my first Maxima. I wasn't aware of the consequences that come with those rims. Again, the SE model only comes with 18" rims with the 5 speed Auto.

bksward · November 2003

But it won't hurt to buy a $25 per tire warrenty just in case it blows.

You're advocating spending $100 to insure yourself against the odds of destroying one of your tires over the next 3-4 years and 40,000 miles or so.

Is that a full replacement warranty, or if you only have 3/32" of tread left will they only give a partial credit?

If they couldn't make money selling the warranty at $25, they would sell it for more. They know how many tires they sell and how many come back destroyed. You don't. They're preying on your fear to make money.

I don't buy insurance on risks that I could afford to cover. Sure, it would stink to drop $300 on a tire or $600 on a pair but it isn't going to kill me. Its the same reasoning behind carrying a $500 deductable on my insurance. The savings of not carying the additional coverage theoretically more than make up for the risks.

p100 · November 2003

Many places prorate tires claimed under road hazard coverage, based on tread wear. If the tire is about half worn, you will have to pay half of the new tire retail cost. And some tire dealers will purposely inflate their retail price so the "half" you pay will be almost as much as full price of that tire from a discount retailer. So road hazard insurance is often a waste of money unless you have very expensive tires and the insurance cost is minimal. I believe Sam's club offers very inexpensive road hazard coverage as part of their mounting and balancing tire package. Last time I checked it was about $ 9 per tire for mounting, balancing, and road hazard. This is the best deal I have seen. Many places charge that much per tire for only balancing.

jrussbag1 · November 2003

My '00 Maxi has that rattle/ticking when i hit the gas and it downshifts.....its very frustrating. I have read a few prior notes on it but has anyone found a solution? Does that fuel system cleaner work?? .....i also have loud "roadnoise" coming from the rear....has anyone ever been told it could be the bearings?

Nissan Maxima Maintenance and Repair

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