I am thinking of buying a 02-03 Max and I want to know what to look for. What are some problem areas for this car.

I am 90% sure it will be a 6 speed.

Thanks for the help,
Gears

 

like most max's... suspension is biggest area that needs improvement. easy fix though with a FSTB, RSB, drop.

got mine 2 months ago. I am absolutely in love. 2k2-2k3 max's=best production maxima

 

look into polyurethane bushings (energy suspension) for the shifter and depending on your drivetrain behavior, possibly motor mounts. the excessive torque tends to create a bucking sensation from the car with shifts. power is plenty, you should definitely work on the suspension first before deciding to increase power.

 

some people have had a lot of problems with the MAF sensor

 

Yeah the MAF sucks. If you need to replace it get one whose part # ends with AM600.

 

also get rid of the potenza's (stock tires)..asap especially if you live in areas where you get snow and ice they are useless...

 

How much is a new MAF? This is a 3.5L problem?

Thanks for the replies,
Gears

 

The MAF has been a problematic area for all 5th gens, 3.0L and 3.5L. A new MAF for a 5.5 gen has been known to cost around 400 for a new one, or about 100 if you find a usable one in a junkyard.

 

$400 Yeeeouch. That hurt

 

The main problem area is the car.

 

Out of the 3 max's we've owned...all 5th gens, two of which we still own (3rd was wrecked---mine)...we've never had one problem except for the MAF. Supposedly coils can be an issue, but we've never had problems with ours. Our combined mileage on all 3 cars was like 200K. Also, watch for tranny slip, that can be a solenoid problem.

 

Also don't let them change the Maf sensor for you, their relatively easy to install. If you find a reputable dealer, they'll only charge you around 200 bucks for a good one. But for some reason they'll try to get you on labor even though it takes them a total of like 20 minutes to change.

 

I've had plenty of problems with the BOSE sound system, but otherwise it's been ok.

 

yeah the bose sound system isnt as good as they say it is. All of our max's in our family have it, and I've heard some stock non-premium systems that sound better. It mainly has to do with that damn sub in the rear deck. It constantly vibrates and destroys any song with moderate amounts of bass. It sounds the best with classical music or jazz...not alt. rock or rap.

 

I guess you've had a bunch of problems with yours.

 

Don't forget about the rotor warping issues. I put on Powerslots up front w/ OEM pads at about 30k and have had no problems with them. Other than the brakes, my car has been perfect! Gotta love that 3.5L.

 

Ditto on the front Brake rotors... they warp if you look at them wrong. Bose headunit left channel short, and of course the automagic slippage between 1st and 2nd. Minor stuff for the most part... awesome car. Honduh reliability pretty much with lots more soul!

 

Ya, what do you mean by this?

 

Honda has been having their share of issues with automatic transmissions in their V6 cars. Ok, back on topic, the coil pack issue was more prominent with the 99 Maximas so you should be okay there. In general the MAF's aren't terribly reliable across the whole Nissan lineup. The rotors are also prone to warping prematurely and some people have had issues with the pads wearing down relatively fast as well. Also, another thing to watch is the stone chips, Nissan paint is very soft.

Lemar

 

Paint (as previously mentioned), hood vibration TSB on some VINs and Nissan dealer service is abysmal regardless of what product you buy.

 

Hood vibration? This is the first time I see something like this posted on the forum. I feel mine vibrates quite a bit... Should I take it in to the dealer?

 

http://maxima.theowensfamily.com/tsb/

http://maxima.theowensfamily.com/tsb/NTB02-005.pdf

 

nope......

 

I would say overall the Maxima is a very good, reliable car. The only common problems are the paint which tends to chip, the rotors which warp, the MAF's which go out for some reason and the BOSE rear sub-woofer which vibrates and the head unit which seems to want to cut out on the left side. I've had 2 Maxima's and have loved them both. To date, I've had 3 of the 4 problems. Knock on wood, the only thing that hasn't gone wrong was the MAF. Anyway, hope this helps. Good luck with your decision.

 

I forgot to mention rear wind noise, but that's an easy fix.
http://www.innerbean.com/housecor/wi...ind_noise.html

 

I drove a 2002 6 speed Tungsten Blue Maxima with 40,000 miles today. I liked the car a lot. What I saw were a few nicks on the body, and a light vibration on the drivers side front. I also saw the hood vibration/motion you guys are talking about. The car had new tires on it and I told the salesmen to balance the front wheel and detail the car and I would be back tomorrow. The only thing that I noticed is that when you give it gas it has a slight delay in throttle response right off of idle (when you goose it). Is this typical also? The car had good power though. It spun the tires pretty good in second on a 15 mph roll. The car would alsoleave smoothly in second from a dead stop.

I am not too concerned about the rotors. I had the exact same problem on my Firebird. I finally fixed them with Autozone blanks. The vibration did feel like a tire(didn't notice it until 50 mph). I will check out more about the hood. I am worried about the paint though.

Guys, thanks a lot for the responses. As you can see I am pretty serious about it. I might be driving one tomorrow if we can work out the price and if the wife likes it.

Gears

 

Tungsten Blue is a beautiful color on the 5th gen.

 

Sarcasm noted.

 

Damn you guys are good! This car has that at highway speeds also.

How do you know when the MAF is going bad?

Also, I just got approved for a loan. Credit Unions can be awesome (in and out in 50 mins). I highly recommend these if you don't belong to one.

I still need to check on insurance.

Gears

 

Lol, exactly.

 

Thanks for your opinion Spiromax. I needed to hear that.

Gears

 

The 02-03s are drive by wire, so no direct connection to the throttle, hence the delay. You won't be let down by this car, great color too.

 

I have an 02 auto of the same color. I don't notice any delay from my throttle at all. Never have.

 

Maybe thats because we all have the chip off ebay installed in ours and you don't.

 

Works for me mate.

 

There is a TSB on this. The adhesive used to bond the hood sheetmetal to the stiffening cross members underneath sometimes fails so you get a fluttering in the hood. Solution is to re-glue it. Check this site for details on the TSB's

 

Yep, they are so bad in the wet they're scary. Fairly good performance in the dry but I've seen better. After getting the bejezus scared out of me hydroplaning through spit puddles I was really worried about winter driving. Funny thing is although horrible in wet, they're not too bad in the snow. I'm not saying they're snow tires but they perform about as good or even a little better than other more performance oriented tires I've had.

The only good thing about their poor wet performance is that it gives me the excuse to beat on them so I wear them out faster to buy the next set.

As far as other negatives. The Bose system is pretty poor. My old '92 Maxima had a Bose that was much better than this.

The other usual suspects are poor paint quality. Chips just by looking at it. I'm still trying to figure out how I got a 3/16" chip on the side of my rear door.

Also, many complaints about really poor gas mileage although this seems to be a wide variation from car to car, and not from just beating on it. While my '03 SE 6-spd is not bad with highway mileage topping out at 28 mpg. My girlfriend with her '02 GLE auto is lucky to get 22-23 on the highway in summer and drops to upper teens in winter. It's hard to believe just going the auto route accounts for this big a difference.

Doesn't sound like the car you're looking at has it but I'm not thrilled with the Nav system in my car. It's an older CD based technology so you have to buy 9 separate CD's to cover the US (at $170 each) and if you're driving from one place on one CD to another on another CD you can't nav from one to the other. Just drive in the general direction until you enter the coverage area of the CD for your destination.

 

O.K. guys its a done deal. I BOUGHT THE CAR TODAY. I could only get the dealer down about $1000.00 but this was the only 6 speed within 500 miles. This dealer moved two Maximas in two days while I was shopping. It seems like all the manual Maximas are in the Northeast. I wanted one in a nice color as well and I didn't mind paying for it.

I want to thank everyone for helping me make an informed decision and thanks to God for making happen. Like I stated before, you guys know your stuff. This will be my third Maxima I have owned and the second Max I currently own. I will be keeping my 4th Gen and will be selling my 98 Formula Firebird.

Thanks to all...
Gears

 

I second that. I had the Bose in my 92 SE. I have the stock factory system now and it works well for me.