So I've got a '02 Maxima SE, 70k miles. About 8 months ago I took it to Firestone for an oil change, and they came back with a recommendation to replace the hubs and bearings in the front, and a tie rod. Silly me, since it was two days before I had to fly out, I decided to let them replace these since I didn't want my wife calling me about any problems while I was gone.

I got it back with a vibration in the front drivers side wheel, that's only gotten worse with time. I've had probably 6-7 shops take a look at it, some that blindly said I needed a wheel balance which didn't fix anything. Complaining to Firestone repeatedly got me a new passenger axle, likely aftermarket. No change with vibrations.

One shop said my wheel was bent, that it's possibly my car clipped a curb. Well, I picked up a brand new set of 2011 Juke wheels w/tires, and the )/!:&!; vibration is still there!!!

Other symptoms:
-vibration (already mentioned)
-loose steering
-torn CV boot (need to confirm what side it's on)
-loose steering
-bump steer on right side
-front passenger brakes have issues, like the pads or rotors are gone

Any thoughts? I thought it was possible they took it to a curb but if new rims vibrate on the same axle, I'm lost. Bad hubs/bearings shouldn't cause bump steer.

 

get alignment checked again also if curbed bent lower control arm also check ball joint and wheel bearing

 

I think I remember seeing you're in NJ somewhere. If you're willing to take a drive, there is an awesome garage in Long Island that specializes in Maximas. I take my car there while there are plenty of shops closer to where I live.

K&K Auto in Uniondale.

 

So your vibration is on the drivers side wheel but they replaced the passenger axle? Have you looked at the driver side axle? Jack up the car yourself and get on the driver side and check for play in the wheel. There are a ton of videos on youtube if you don't know how to. But just doing a couple simple checks can help eliminate some things like your tie rod ends or your wheel bearing. Also inspect and see if the boot on the drivers side CV is torn as this is definitely a good indicator that something is probably wrong with the axle. Also does this vibration happen all the time or only at certain speeds or only under acceleration? It's hard to diagnose a car over the internet so in the end it's gonna come down to you either taking it somewhere and having it diagnosed besides Firestone or you physically getting under it and trying to diagnose it.


Also got any pics with the Juke wheels? I just want to see what it looks like...

 

This should have been posted here http://forums.maxima.org/5th-generat...on-thread.html

 

Thanks for the tips all. It's been to a couple shops, nobody can seem to figure this out.

I went to my local mechanic this morning, and we checked for play in the wheel, checked the motor mounts, tried to look for ANYTHING loose. We couldn't find anything..he said he didn't want to replace anything if it doesn't show any symptoms of going bad; makes sense. And yeah, this happened right after hubs and bearings were installed, and later an axle was installed. Since the vibrations were there BEFORE the axle, I would think that would be the cause.

<shrug>. I think the steering angle slightly makes things better/worse, there's a sweet spot where the steering wheel is slightly cocked and the vibrations are at their max. Note that there's no vibration in the steering wheel.

As for pictures with the Juke rims...I'll try to get that today.

 

How do your rotors look?

 

I would think that the bearings weren't installed properly or they used some ****ty brand. I heard that our Max's are finicky with what brand goes on them (much like our axles).

 

Thanks for the info, I'll try to make a trip up there this Friday. Been reading reviews and he's fairly well known on other Maxima forums, crossing my fingers!

 

Yeah, they are really good in what they do. Harjit and Jeet know their stuff. They know me as Tom the Philly guy with the silver max. I'm there every 2-3 months for oil changes and small stuff. Harjit just installed my Passenger Mount insert I bought from Knight_xyz.

FYI, they are also open on Saturdays, but I would call ahead to get an appointment so they know you are showing up. 516-505-7800 ( I carry one of their business cards in my money clip so I will have the number when I need to call).