I thought I read somewhere that the 4th gen Max has solid lifters-does that mean that I need to have the valve clearance adjusted at some point? I thought that was the whole point behind hydraulic lifters...

 

Solid lifters? Not exactly. 4Gen has no lifters at all.

The bad news.
Changing valve clearance requires special tools. This is not a simple matter of turning an adjustment screw. It requires removal of a precision-machined disk-shaped shim, and replacing it with another shim of a different thickness. You buy ($$$) the shims from the dealer.

The good news.
You'll probably never have to do this. It is necessary after major engine repair such as grinding the valves or replacing a camshaft. The factory maintenance schedule does not call for periodic valve adjustment. All it says on the subject is in a footnote which says "If valve noise increases, inspect valve clearance."