modding you maxima ruins the car??? i dont believe this but some people feel this way??? i was told once "they make your car like how it is for a reason." he felt that stock was best for the car. do u guys think that this is true???

 

well to a certain extent yes. i think sometimes people just do too much to the car that they should have just bought a nicer car in the 1st place. however, adding a few customs touches to a car is awesome imo.

 

When it comes to the Maxima, modding is a must IMO. There have been millions of maximas made and the majority are completely stock. I dont want my car to look like any of them.

 

Well comr to think of it, yes. In a way modding will damage your car. For the safest and most reliable thing to do is to keep the car stock. Once you start modding like putting a sc or turbo you start messing with fuel, the engine, tranny..etc... So reliablity goes down a bit and you'll have to watch your car more carefully at this point. There is more maintenance to do as well. But that all comes with the territory of modding your car.

 

When you mod your own car, it's basically rebuilding it for yourself so you can like it better. If someone doesn't like the way my car would look it doesn't bother me, my car my mods. That's my opinion.

 

It all depends on the mod. I, for one, do not wish to "rice" out my car or make it unsafe or unqualified for the warranty... hence, what mods I've performed to date:

painted calipers (look nice)... though I'm told this can void the warranty on rotors
clear corners (look nice)... and not illegal either
rear window spoiler... sets off the outline, looks nice, legal
Stillen RSB... loads of difference for handling
FSTB... again, handling and performance
(both RSB and FSTB are safe and do not void any warranty... unless you install the RSB wrong and it cuts your brake line, or the FSTB rubs against your intake)
AE pedals and 350Z dead pedal... cosmetic, safe, functional, and not bad for warranty
Aluminum gauge bezel... cosmetic
Aluminum oil cap... better than plastic, functional

I think when you get into the mods that actually alter the performance or functionality of the vehicle (like turbo, SC, springs, struts, etc) the dealer has full right to claim difference. It's been said before, they can only keep it in reference... they can't deny fixing your MAF for a springs modification... but the overall focus of voided warranty should be a concern for those who go 'extreme' in modding.

That said, I believe that some mods are necessary, whether it be an enhancement on looks, quality, to make your vehicle stand out (like my rear window spoiler), etc. But it isn't *always* bad when you mod your vehicle... heck, just putting in a Fram filter is considered a 'mod' by Dodge (because it isn't a 'Mopar' part).

-R

 

without a doubt, the most dangerous parts for your engine are forced induction and nos....

 

That's why I'm hesitant about putting mods. For me, it's not even the money issue (well, I don't have a bank vault, but I COULD spend on mods if I wanted to...), but rather I'm afraid of voiding the warranty, or just basically running into problems with the dealership. Cars nowadays have a million components, and a gazillion of sensors, and all of these are calibrated extremely precisely. Once you start messing with engine, tranny, exhaust, etc. internals, you run a very high risk of offsetting this balance, and you end up with more problems.

For me, the 03 6sp is plenty for now, and if later on down the road the novelty wears off, I'll look to add something else to the car. Hopefully by then I'll learn a lot from other people's experience, and would therefore run a lower risk of creating problems.

 

Auto manufacturers are intentionally conservative in their design: emissions, reliability, fuel economy (runs fine on 87, but Premium recommended), marketing (those of us that like performance cars are a minority). I do agree that there are risks associated with some mods, and that some people go to far (a track car is a miserable ride on the street). Back in the 60s you could buy a race car at the dealer, break it in quickly, and take it to the drag strip on the weekend (old slogan; "Win on Sunday Sells on Monday"). Ford recently did a Cobra-R.

Ruin the car? In most cases, no. Fine tuning (refining), yes.

 

Are you certain about this? I very much want to get an RSB and FSTB but do not want to risk voiding out the warranty.

 

I am quite certain, yes. I spoke with the service manager.. and he remembers when Stillen was making parts that broke and just started out. He commented that Stillen is now an A+ aftermarket.

Like I said, the FSTB and RSB are fine as long as you don't install the RSB incorrectly (you reverse a bolt on each side to avoid damaging the brake line) and the FSTB correctly (so it doesn't rattle against the intake).

This is why you DON'T want to get a cheap EBay $20 FSTB... spend the money and get an OBX, OTTO, or go all the way and get a Stillen.

R

 

This is a very touchy topic.
Some people buy a Maxima just to mod it, other for the space, some from the engine I can go on. But for the issue of modding I believe you can lightly mod it, which will not effect your warranty and you will still have a clean looking car. You can also heavily mod it to the point of where you have a different car all together. But then you have the rice guys that just put something on their car because it is the in thing (so this might ruin the car). At this point the “YOU SHOULD OF LEFT IT STOCK” comments come in to play.

But there are other things that you want to factor in. Like I am leasing my car so putting a mod on that is permanent is a no-no because I don't want to keep it. But I have to admit that sometime I see a Max that make me said, "I should keep this car".

But when it's all said and done it all boils down to what you think is cool for your budget and personal taste.

But just to answer the original post no I don't think that mods ruin the car at all.

 

i agree, cosmetic and apperance mods are cool imo. like new headlights bulbs (piaa of course), AE items that my 2k1 unfortuntely doesnt have..etc...but as for performance..ehh im not racing anyone so why bother , only those stupid civics and celicas that think they drive ferraris

 

I personally believe that adding anything that doesn't make the car go signicantly faster or handle better is a waste of money in my opinion. Spending hundreds and risking problems and warranty coverage on an intake or exhaust to get 5-10 extra horsepower out of a 255 Horspower car will not make enough of a real difference to be noticed anyway. If you're adding a turbo or supercharger to that intake/exhaust, that is a different story however.

As far as 'kitting' the car up to look different, that is also another waste of money IMO. I drive fast a fair amount of the time and I purposely chose the Max for it's stealth and plain-jane looks. The last thing I want to do is draw attention to myself.

Before you respond to my comments, be aware that this only my opinion and only corresponds to what MY mission for MY car is. I have respect for what ever YOU want to do with YOUR car. How you want it to drive and look is completely up to you and I enjoy seeing someone elses car modded. I've gotten some pretty good laughs from outrageous looking modded cars but if you add enough engine mods to get 100+ HP more out of your car, that is the kind of mod that impresses me the most.

 

Even with PIAA you have to be careful... if, for some reason, it damages the wiring (the dealer could claim), or it damages the housing (from heat)... it won't be covered. And, certainly, if you put PIAAs in and one of them burns out, the dealer won't replace an aftermarket.

 

true ..can the piaa bulb damage the wires? i was planning on getting the H4 xtreme whites for my 01

 

you'll be fine. you have pmas' old car. he has more PIAA stuff on his new car than anyone on the forum. i'd had xtreme whites for over an year. they are fine. just make sure you buy them from a reputable store, so you can exchange them when they burn out in 3 months.

 

wow i didnt know i was going to get this many responses. but anyways y i asked this question was because i just installed my rsb and front strut bar. and yes i get the engine noise when going in reverse. and i was wondering if that could mess up my car. i already asked this question but i didnt get an answer. also yesterday night i left my car in park and it seemed to be louder then stock i think it was the strut bar causeing the nosie. as long it doesnt mess up my car its all good what u guys think.