I am very disappointed. I have a 99 maxse with 43000 miles on it. compared to domestics, its not bad, but thats as good as it gets. my max has a lot of rattles and squeaks. My brothers new 2000 accord is built much better..more solidly with a superior suspension, rigidity, and wworkmanship. The 99 has cheap interior paneling, plasticky everything that creaks (tweeters rattle like hell!) and the body is relatively flimsy allowing for cheap feeling road jitters to penetrate the floor(something thats prob been fixed with the more solid 5th gen)and flexing. all probs that the accord doesnt have! The accord is much freer revving,etc. Whats worst is the ridulous beam rear! I thought those things were reserved for midsized cars in the 1980s albeit a few daewoos in the 90s!!maybe im just bitter that i didnt wait for an accord or something but objectively, the maxima aint all that good a car. It isnt even about the value max gives compared to others in its class. It gets slightly better numbers than say accordv6 or camryv6 but accord is much better built,engineered, etc.it is an overhyped family sedan. At first i was excited to mod the car what with strut bars etc, but now im getting a swar bar because i cant stand the body roll anymore!!! Oh well. Guess ill make best of what i have!!!

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by ninemax
[I]I am very disappointed. I have a 99 maxse with 43000 miles on it. compared to domestics, its not bad, but thats as good as it gets. my max has a lot of rattles and squeaks. My brothers new 2000 accord is built much better..more solidly with a superior suspension, rigidity, and wworkmanship. The 99 has cheap interior paneling, plasticky everything that creaks (tweeters rattle like hell!) and the body is relatively flimsy allowing for cheap feeling road jitters to penetrate the floor(something thats prob been fixed with the more solid 5th gen)and flexing. all probs that the accord doesnt have! The accord is much freer revving,etc. Whats worst is the ridulous beam rear! I thought those things were reserved for midsized cars in the 1980s albeit a few daewoos in the 90s!!maybe im just bitter that i didnt wait for an accord or something but objectively, the maxima aint all that good a car. It isnt even about the value max gives compared to others in its class. It gets slightly better numbers than say accordv6 or camryv6 but accord is much better built,engineered, etc.it is an overhyped family sedan. At first i was excited to mod the car what with strut bars etc, but now im getting a swar bar because i cant stand the body roll anymore!!! Oh well. Guess ill make best of what i have!!!

stop complaining. max has to be a good car or there wouldnt be so many out there on the road. if you can't stop crying, sell it and buy another accord.

 

That's surprising to me. My '98 is as quiet as a Lexus.
Did you buy yours used? If you did, you never know what the car has been through. Next time BEFORE you buy a car test drive it thorougly, then decide. The Accord is a nice car but you can't get the six w/5 speed ;-) .

 

I have a 96 SE with 75,000 miles, and have no rattles at all. Your crazy, I find my interior much nicer than an accord. As far as handling goes, The Max has a far better g ratting at .83. The best handling 4 door 2000 accord I saw only got a .79. How the **** is that superior to the Maxima. My stock Bose system, even after 4 years sounds better than the accords. Honda has one of the worst intrest rates, and lets not forget about the expensive timing belt that needs to be replaced at 60,000 miles. The Maxima beats the accord in every catagory except price. I know all this, because my friends father just got a top of the line accord. Sorry to rant, but you must have gotten a lemon.

 

My Max has two rattles that come and go over big bumps. The rattles only appeared after adding larger wheels, stiffer struts, and lowering springs (ie my mods caused the rattles).

It amazes me that people don't test drive these cars before buying them. I've never driven a 99 Max, but I do have to say I think it would be much more willing to rev than the Accord V6. The VQ is one of fastest spinning engines on the market and is rated the best V6 in the world. I do know that the 99 Max is probably the slowest Max you can buy out of the 4th generation models. The rear beam suspension on the Max is ancient upon first viewing, but in real world driving it performs. It's about has hightech as a rear beam can get. It incorporated a torque arm, swival arm, trailing arms, internal sway bar, and coil springs/struts. As the Max leans thru the turns, the swival arm allows beam and tires to stay completely flat. It works and it's lightweight. This rear beam suspenison would be more of a handling issue if the car was rear wheel drive.

Accords are nice, but they are ultra conservative (much more than the Max). The Max will always come out on top in performance when compared to the Max. The only advantage the Accord has is slightly better reliability and quality. Don't forget that Consumer Reports rates the Maxima nearly has good as the Accord in all categories for build quaility and reliability.


Dave

 

change your name

 

TJ he doesn't have a lemon. All 97+ maxima appear to rattle a lot more than any other ones. My rattles like a cheap car, definately unbecoming of a $25k+ car. I can name several: 1) center dash - somewhere deep in the dash 2) center vent 3) winshield defroster vent 4) Passanger side a-pillar 5) rear deck.

BTW the maxima does not beat the accord is every catagory... if you want to pin point specific things... let's start with Nissan's money save log suspension. One car in it's class with a log suspension in the back.

Also what's interet rate have to do with the built quality of the car? Let's bring up dealership exprience then.... Nissan has one of the worst dealership network if not THE worst.

It's a fairly common problem for 97+ maximas to rattle... ask around.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Shingles

Quote:

Originally posted by TJ
I have a 96 SE with 75,000 miles, and have no rattles at all. Your crazy, I find my interior much nicer than an accord. As far as handling goes, The Max has a far better g ratting at .83. The best handling 4 door 2000 accord I saw only got a .79. How the **** is that superior to the Maxima. My stock Bose system, even after 4 years sounds better than the accords. Honda has one of the worst intrest rates, and lets not forget about the expensive timing belt that needs to be replaced at 60,000 miles. The Maxima beats the accord in every catagory except price. I know all this, because my friends father just got a top of the line accord. Sorry to rant, but you must have gotten a lemon.

TJ he doesn't have a lemon. All 97+ maxima appear to rattle a lot more than any other ones. My rattles like a cheap car, definately unbecoming of a $25k+ car. I can name several: 1) center dash - somewhere deep in the dash 2) center vent 3) winshield defroster vent 4) Passanger side a-pillar 5) rear deck.

BTW the maxima does not beat the accord is every catagory... if you want to pin point specific things... let's start with Nissan's money save log suspension. One car in it's class with a log suspension in the back.

Also what's interet rate have to do with the built quality of the car? Let's bring up dealership exprience then.... Nissan has one of the worst dealership network if not THE worst.

It's a fairly common problem for 97+ maximas to rattle... ask around. [/QUOTE

My 97 doesn't rattle as much as you say.. the only rattling i got from mines was from the front bushings(how ever you spell it) but once I sprayed them with dry silycon it was straight.. I haven't heard any squeeks or rattles comming from my car since.. Now for the factory Toyo's I did get alot of noise from them, especially on freeway when I went over 70... but the new tires got rid of that.. So far I have been very happy with this car .. Sorry to hear that you don't like it ninemax. Not everyone is crazy about them as some.

 

I disagree with you Ninemax, I've had Accords before dating back to 1982, I bought a 99 Maxima SE-L & have not encountered the problems you've had, on the contrary the Maxima is way better then the Accord. Maybe you got a lemmon or something, take it back to the dealer before your warranty runs out & tell them your problems. I'm sure they can do something for you. Good luck!!

 

I kept getting some rattling from my door and my glove box area. I then went around and tightend all the bolts and screws. The door rattle went away, but the glove box was still there, then I realized that the light in the glove box was loose. Tightend that and everything was great. The maxima is only noisy when going over 70 without the sunroof vent shade closed. Otherwise it's quiet...except when I floor it

 

I have 97 GLE 60K no rattles at all. Leather seats skweak sometimes when cold. I also 99 Accord LX - very nice car, never had a single problem with it. Max feels built much better though. Interior in Accord doesn't even come close to my Max.

 

1) center dash - somewhere deep in the dash 2) center vent 3) winshield defroster vent 4) Passanger side a-pillar 5) rear deck.

I have all of these rattles as well. I love my Max, but the rattles really are a pain in the ***. My favorite is the VIN plate, which rattles in cold weather. Can't tighten it as there are no screws, Nissan service refuses to screw with it for obvious reasons. Will probably have to resort to some sort of epoxy. the build quality could use some improvement. My parents 98 I30 doesn't do this.... perhaps the additional sound deadening.

I actually like the interior look, as it's simplified and not overly busy.

 

Mine ahs 100K on it and has 3-5 rattles when its cold out (below freezing). Other than a couple wear and tear items like the steering wheel slighlty peeling and the ebrake boot getting a little worn, she's all good. HAd to replace an O2 sensor a while back... Doesn't burn any oil and still easily pulls to fuel shut off at 117...

 

center dash rattling -> yes!!
the rest -> no

Others:

1. funky fan motor noise at low fan speed

2. rattle at the passenger C-pillar -> fixed under warranty by retorqueing the bolts (the dealership did that twice to fix it!!)


But, for the sake of the VQ, I picked the Max out of tough competitions like the Solara & Accord Coupe.

 

My Maxima has the "rattle blues" too. It's not a little rattle, it's a major "annoy the hell out of you" squeak. What happens is that whenever I hit a bump while turning right, I get this horrible "squeak squeak squeak." I've tried everything I can think of to correct it...lubed all the bushings, tightened the suspension parts, pulled and pryed at every thing under the car, checked all the heat shields, and even had a wheel alignment. The squeaks are still there.

I also have a slight buzzing from my instrument cluster which comes and goes without any pattern. That one I can drown out by turning up the stereo. But the squeak is so loud I hear it even with the stereo blasting. It drives me nuts, and I think it is ridiculous that Nissan would build a car with such poor build quality and even say that is "competitive" with Accord and Camry, which are flawless in build quality.

BTW, I happened to run into (well not literally) Turbo95max (Matthel) the other day and I took him for a spin in my car to listen to the noise. We were both mystified as to the cause of it. So, the problem is still unsolved. I will probably end up taking my car to the dealer, as I would be willing to pay their diagnostic fee just to find out where the noise is coming from (yes, it's driving me so insane that I am even considering visiting the dealer).

So, if anyone has any ideas for the solution to my squeak problem, please send me an email. Thanks.

 

My 97 Maxima has 50k miles.

My car is quiet
Last summer, I was driving down the street with the stereo off, windows down, and I heard a faint click-click-click coming from the back of the car. It would speed up as I sped up and completely stop when I came to a stop. I finally figured out that the sound was caused by a pebble that had lodged itself in my back tire tread.

Rattles -
My golf clubs rattle in my trunk
My windshield rattles when traveling at highway speeds in a heavy crosswind

Cheap interior:
My cupholders suck, but everything else seems pretty well-built. Although the leather isn't as nice as I'd like.

I have a friend who has a '94 or so Honda Accord.. 4 banger. Been in it many times, even driven it, all the while thinking it was a Civic until he finally set me straight.

 

I have a 95 Maxima and I agree that it is not the most solidly built car when it comes to rattles...
It depends on how hard you drive, suspension mods, road surfaces... When I had a bone-stock Maxima, I had zero rattles...


Just go buy a boatload of dynamat to stop all the rattling.... about a 100 pounds worth should work well...


All the body panels are fairly flimsy... as well as the interior panels for the A pillars, front doors, and ceiling light... And throw in the lack of sufficient road noise insulation from the rear.... All of these bugs are magnified by your suspension mods and roads you drive on...


The 5th Generation model does appear to be much better built... but that rear beam axle certainly isn't helping out the ride quality.... I haven't rode in one -- I just sat in one at an auto show...

A good test is to thump all the panels -- inside and out -- with the side of your hand in a closed fist --- if you just feel a firm low pitched thud with no resonance, then that is a good sign... Just don't hit the panels like Mike Tyson...



Just be glad you ain't driving a Chevy sedan or a Yugo...
I just learned to tolerate the bugs...

My friends 300ZX rides firm and has some rattles after serious mods --- but it kicks *** on the road... So the good far outweighs the bad...

 

Gotta agree w/ all you true max owners. Mine is a 95 and has 114k miles and still is very quiet and smooth. Just shut the phukk up and buy an accord so one of us could pull up on you on a red and pull away like taking candy from an infant!

 

I have a better idea. Why don't all you true Max owners go buy a 3rd gen 300ZX, so you can say you have a performance car without everyone w/o a Max laughing at you. Everytime someone posts with a problem everyone jumps all over him. Even if the Max was an outstanding performance car(which it isn't, about a 6 on a scale of 10), I wouldn't want one based on the people that own them(i.e. the people on this post and others)

No disrespect to the respectful members of this site.
Brandon

 

Speaking of rattles, I can vouch for a few of them myself. I have the one on the center console, a annoying rattle going on un-smooth pavement with the instrument gauge cluster, one on the driver side door. In total there are about 4 annoying rattles and I have to say the build quality of the Max is not as good as Honda cars. My family had an 87 Acura Legend, and after 160+K, it was still rattle free, and was quite good in insultating the road.
But overall, the Max is a very good car. It is not too crazy in the styling and is a solid transportation tool.

 

Hey 95MAXSE5S, If somone is going to come on this forum and talk about their Max being of cheaper quality and lower performance than an accord, I'm going to have a thing or 2 to say about it. If you have a rattle and want to talk about it thats fine, but don't add on some BS about an accord being of superior quality to a Max. That is just flat out false.

I also think it's very odd someone would compare a USED Max to a BRAND NEW accord. That's such an off the wall comparison!

 

WOw-
Now we are going to get our shorts in a wad about rattles...wait till WOODEAR gets ahold of this..he'll try ripping ya a new one...trust me.
I have a 95SE that is ALMOST 7 years old and has about 65k on it. Rattles? I had one where the A-pillar meets the dash. I bought some rubber weather stripping and jammed it in the crack...it's gone. I had one on the sunroof too...turn out a clip came off. My car is lowered and has 16" rims so things are a bit rougher for me than the stock Maxima.
I honestly think this guy is a Maxima-hater...we have posted two pages of responses, he hasn't even come back. Probably some guy from another site who posted here only to 'stir the pot' and posted to HIS user group to come look at us bicker at him....I say let it die, buy some weather stripping and be happy. If you want pics of this weather stripping intal let me know...I have a few.

SHUMAX

 

Shumax--

do you have a picture of the weather strip? I would like to go purchase some to plug up some of my rattles.

thanks

Brian

If you want pics of this weather stripping intal let me know...I have a few.

SHUMAX
[/I][/QUOTE]

 

Well consider yourself fortunate. My family has owned FOUR Maximas (93GXE 95SE 98SE 98I30) and TWO Stanzas (84XE 91XE) and all of them excluding the Infiniti developed some annoying rattles. (Does this qualify me as a "true" Max owner?) Particularly in the a-pillar region. If I didn't like the Maxima, I wouldn't have bought one, let alone 2.

We're just trying to pool the experience of people here, and possibly generate some solutions. Which, the last time I checked, was one of the primary reasons this forum exists. I have friends who love their Accords, Camrys, whatever... to each their own. Their priorities are different then mine.

Now, onto something useful. Will try the dynamat idea, thought not crazy about adding more weight to the car. Somone on another thread suggested using a spray foam to fill gaps as well. I've noticed that my aftermarket tweeters and speakers had to be tightened down and damped pretty well too. Good luck.

 

I don't know...In my nuclear family we have had an 89',92,94, and a 95. In my extended family we had an 84',88'93'98'. The ones in my nuclear family haven't had ANY more rattling problems than what I posted with my 95. My extended family has never complained about rattles in theres and that topic always seems to come up at family gatherings when there are three Maximas in the drive


HUMARAS???? POst your email and I'll send ya the pics later on tonight....mine is shumax@yahoo.com

See ya-
SHUMAX

 

even AFTER an accident i still dont have any squeaks or rattles. Its been 3 years. I;m waiting for them to come. (if they do)

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Eric L.
[B]My Maxima has the "rattle blues" too. It's not a little rattle, it's a major "annoy the hell out of you" squeak. What happens is that whenever I hit a bump while turning right, I get this horrible "squeak squeak squeak." I've tried everything I can think of to correct it...lubed all the bushings, tightened the suspension parts, pulled and pryed at every thing under the car, checked all the heat shields, and even had a wheel alignment. The squeaks are still there.

I also have a slight buzzing from my instrument cluster which comes and goes without any pattern. That one I can drown out by turning up the stereo. But the squeak is so loud I hear it even with the stereo blasting. It drives me nuts, and I think it is ridiculous that Nissan would build a car with such poor build quality and even say that is "competitive" with Accord and Camry, which are flawless in build quality.

BTW, I happened to run into (well not literally) Turbo95max (Matthel) the other day and I took him for a spin in my car to listen to the noise. We were both mystified as to the cause of it. So, the problem is still unsolved. I will probably end up taking my car to the dealer, as I would be willing to pay their diagnostic fee just to find out where the noise is coming from (yes, it's driving me so insane that I am even considering visiting the dealer).

So, if anyone has any ideas for the solution to my squeak problem, please send me an email. Thanks.


Hi. I'm Oscar. I was searching for info on front end suspension rattles, and ran across your old post. I was wondering if you ever found the problems.

 

you're comparing the max to an accord?? hmm....
let's all think now....
max....

 

If the squeaks bother you, turn up the bose stereo that an accord doesnt have. Plus if your maxima has a slight squeak...mine doesn't, and I wouldn't whine if it did. Most of us bought our maximas for practical performance, not quiet ride. Accords aren't all they are cracked up to be. My sister had one...it drove like crap, rode rough, felt cheap, and showed the wear of a 15 year old car, and it was a 93 (this was also about 18 months ago) And did I mention the wussy 4 cyl gave out at 122K? That ain't too old! Many people on here have 200K and over! The exhaust on accords goes out early. The radiators have problems. The body rusts behind the wheelwells in less than 10 years. If I just took everyone elses opinions I would have an accord in the garage. Maxima is bigger, faster, has a better engine, more standard features, better looks, avail of a 5-speed on a V6, better paint, better seats, better stereo...The only reason to buy a honda is if you are an anti speeding activist.

VIVA LA MAXIMA!!!!

 

I had never known anything about Maximas until I became interested in one (for whatever reason I don't know). My "intentions" the whole time was to get a 95-97 Passat wagon.

Considering what you get with the Max, and it's price for a used 4th gen, even though they're built overseas, I think it offers everything from value to performance to looks to quality. Yes, mine does rattle at the passenger tweeter, but so what? If you're willing to pay relatively more for what I believe, is neglegiable differences, go ahead.

 

I have a 96 gxe,just turned 130k,,the only rattle I have is an intermittent creak at the center vent on top of the dash,,any suggestions on a neat fix for this?? possibley silicone caulk??

Other than that, the car is rattle free..