Here is the letter I wrote to my pre purchase mechanic for my potential maxima. Followed by the data in the next post which I extracted off of the parent thread we know as a sticky. It is deliberately comprehensive. And hopefully you all can build on it.

It should be of use to all of the newcomers? The other sticky got messy and belabored. A rough read to say the least. -- > http://forums.maxima.org/5th-generat...info-here.html

Can you hit 5k rpms while someone watches for burnt oil coming out of the exhaust? Some VQ35s are oil burners. The forums basically isolated the issue to the piston rings, but the issue doesn't affect the majority of the cars out there (though the percentage affected is kind of uncomforting..).

On a cold start, does it have hard shifts? If at all possible please check that out! Put it through its paces, and take some hard corners, how does that front end feel?

A lot of people have 3rd gear synchro issues. Some peoples maximas will grind a little going into third gear at higher RPMs. What can you say about this one?

Wheel bearings are also an issue on this model, can you inspect them? They fail a lot, and many people reuse the locknut and or dont tighten it to 250 ft. lb. and that causes repeat problems on the forums.

Here are 8 checklist items 1. Have 02 sensors been replaced? 2. converters replaced? 3. coils how many replaced? 4. blower motors working on 1-45. shocks replaced? 6. MAF replaced? 7. how is the knock sensor looking? 8. Are there any interior rattles?

There's a common leak on the right top side of the radiator, you can't really see it unless from the side because its underneath the intake scoop (I don't know if thats the correct term). Is the coolant low?

Also the lower radiator mount is problematic, hows this one look?

Here is the data, purely for reference. For the overachievers like me....

There are a couple unrelated excerpts i just found noteworthy.

I'm searching, and so far I have:

Piston rings for oil burning problems
Wheel bearings
Lower radiator support
electrical issues
engine oil- see piston ring note above?
Interior rattles-
Bad Catalytic converter
Bad knock sensors
AC/Heater
MAF sensor
o2 sensors
Gears grinding
Bose radio's poop all the time
Cause Torque steer: Tranny code RS6FS1H means it has HLSD. that can be located under the hood on the firewall. if it says RS6FS1A then it's an open diff.

Hard shifts when cold, normal shifts when warmed up?
Stolen HID's, replaced with early 5th gen lights
LCA's by 150k
check the struts, that is another wear and tear item, you may see worn out shocks and springs.
Door hinges may have worn out too and most noticeable on the front doors.
Blitzfist: "Also cold start drive it and push it. take it for a highway run and floor it when merging. If it seems to hold up well, then the car is fine. Cold starting it is key though."
Wheelieking: "if there is a radiator leak then I'd watch out for a possible head gasket problem. Maybe someone can chime in on how to check it. That's a repair you don't want. The little problems you mentioned sound cheap to fix."
Scottwax: "Look at it in the full sun, makes spotting swirls, scratches, acid rain damage, water etching and evidence of repainting a lot easier. Repainting a trashed finish properly can easily cost more than replacing the engine."

What Dansmax said: Any service records? Have they replaced fluids, brakes, belts?

Did I mention oil burning??

Tookrzy...: check to see if the recalls about the camshaft position sensor is done


Denny 1986: Coilpacks cost an arm and a leg and its good if they're replaced with the upgraded version....(its a known problem with our cars) ... -> MAf = Mass Air Flow sensor..basically if this sensor fails, the car would hesitate to accelerate among other things.. -->

ScottWax: Drivetrain should be good to at least 200,000 miles assuming it was properly maintained. Expect that you might have to replace the precats with those miles.

Ask about camshaft position sensor.

LA02MAX: "5.0 gen: Solid car. The 01's have the updated MAF and coils so they generally don't have as many problems with those as the 00 maxima. My mom replaced her MAF and coils on her 00 with 01 parts at 60k miles and they lasted all the way to 240k. The only other thing she replaced on that car was the motor mounts. VERY reliable.

5.5 gen:
-A lot of people have 3rd gear synchro issues. The gear grinds a little going into third gear at higher RPMs. It doesn't affect the driveability (at least it didn't for me) but it's kind of annoying. I got it fixed under warranty.
-Some VQ35s are oil burners. We've basically isolated the issue to the piston rings, but the issue doesn't affect the majority of the cars out there (though the percentage affected is kind of uncomforting..).

The 5.5 gen is much more fun to drive than the 5.0, but some people like the smoothness of the VQ30 over the VQ35. The only thing I can advise is to do some high RPM shifts (>3k rpms) into third gear on a test drive, and also ask someone to rev the engine near redline and check if a decent amount of smoke comes out the exhaust. The smoke 'test' isn't definitive by any means but if you notice a large amount it might be an oil burner so you should ask them to monitor the oil level a couple thousand miles after you buy the car. If it burns oil, try to get it replaced under warranty.

My car has been pretty solid. I had the synchro issue and an o2 sensor go out on me, but the engine doesn't burn a drop of oil and it still runs very good at 67k."

Maximized2000: Referring to his problems -->"Coils, pads and rotors, MAF."

Nzelinsky:Test how the clutch feels and put it through all the gears. Make sure you pull it up over 4-5K rpms to see how it feels higher up in the revs. Look at the condition of the front tires too. If they are worn excessivley compared to the rear the owner probably bagged the car. Also bring a friend and have them rev up the car while you watch the exhaust, check for black or white smoke. (white = serious headgasket problem/ black = burning oil)... other than that just rip it around and put it through its paces, take some quick corners, hit the brakes hard and see the stopping power also. btw dont crash the car though! (http://forums.maxima.org/7212371-post535.html)

http://forums.maxima.org/7224151-post538.html --> "Ok I scoured the threads here...my eyes are burning from all the good information. So I have found the following things to look for as common problems on the Maxima's:

1. 02 sensors
2. converters
3. coils
4. blower motors
5. shocks
6. MAF

I am going to look at an 01 Se with 72k miles on it at a nissan dealer tomorrow. Have I missed anything above in my list? Also, they are offering a Nissan warranty for 2years and I want to see if any of the parts that are known problems would be covered. Can someone verify if my list is complete? If not what else should I be looking out for?"

In response --> Nothing from nobody.


http://forums.maxima.org/7342737-post567.html
"The story of my 2002 Maxima SE 78,000 miles : A Beautifully Wrapped Lemon

I bought it almost 3 yrs. ago to this day. About a month or so after my purchase I had to replace one of the ball bearings, then I had to replace the brakes, then roughly a year ago I took it to the dealership to have all the fluids flushed out and replaced (wasn't cheap), I also had a problem with my windows but it was a cheap fix $75. I have loved this car dearly up until this week. Apparently some 5th generation Maximas have an issure where the Pre-catalytic (sp?) converter regurgitates particles back into the engine roughing up the cylinder walls causing "blow-by." This ultimately ruins the engine. At 78,000 miles this is absolutely ridiculous and I am NEVER buying another Nissan. I do plan on contacting Nissan about this, I will post again to this thread with the results. The only thing that will reinstate my trust in Nissan is if they replace my engine on their dime."
--> 2slow responded: "Reviving this piece of the conversation.

I think homeyclause misunderstood the situation. The problem is not back pressure within the exhaust system, but rather the break-up of the pre-cat combined with exhaust flow reversion. The exhaust flow momentarily reverses (during valve overlap) which can draw pieces of a broken-up catalyst into the combustion chamber. Once inside the chamber these abrasives will damage the piston ring to cylinder wall seal and cause blow-by."

http://forums.maxima.org/7508493-post610.html
nightmareukl: you need to check 2 things in maxima, engine and tranny.
dip stick should be clean, if the is sludge any where, especially in the dips or all the way up top around the screws pass on the car it means oil change was not priority of previous owners. Tranny should shift without hesitation and be smooth especially when you accelerate had then let go of the gas, there should be no big bangs or jerks.
and most of all because you're not familiar with this car drive another one and make sure the one you want to buy is not lacking in power, because for someone who is not used to vq even when its not working properly will seems fine, been there

Jowo9: -Things to look for: hmm... the Bose CD player often starts cutting out on the left side... there's a write-up on here to fix that if you're good with taking things apart etc...or you can just replace it... or maybe you won't have that problem, or don't care. also, I've heard some 5.5 gens burn lots of oil, but I don't have that problem..

Wakeboard99: Based on the info I've found here I should check the following:
1. 02 sensors replaced?
2. converters replaced?
3. coils how many replaced?
4. blower motors working on 1-4
5. shocks replaced?
6. MAF replaced?

(+ knock sensor)

The6spdmax: Theres a common leak on the right top side of the radiator, you can't really see it unless from the side because its underneath the intake scoop (I don't know if thats the correct term). Is the coolant low?

Originally Posted by williswhatchyou View Post
will 8" speakers fit in the rear door pannels. I have an 03 w/o bose sytem
I have a 2003 se and the front doors take 6.5 inch speakers while the rears take 5.25 inch speakers. I got away with buying 4 alpine type r 6.5s and they fit fine. Watch out for the mounting depth if you get 6.5s. 4.75 to 5.3 mounting depth should fit. Most 6.75 inch speakers have too large of a mounting depth to fit the maxima without modification. 8 inch speakers will not fit, regardless of how large a spacer you buy, the door panel wouldn't go back on. If toy want some bass, add a sub.

 

Very nice writeup and extremely informative. Should be required reading for new 5th gen owners to this forum. Thank you.

 

Don't let my effort be in vain, sticky the post. I bought a Subaru.

Everyone aught to get as clear a preview as I had been given after prompting my mechanic as I did. To the potential buyers about the PPI letter, "Do it for yourself. Save your time, and prevent surprises." The mechanic was all too surprised to see how all of these obscure items were faulty on the car. Grand total of $3,124 in repair work to be dealt on the car. Not including taking care of the oil burning on the engine, since thats merely futile.

 

I wouldn't sell you a car

 

1. you can switch to manual engine mounts and instal polyurethane mounts into them.

2. new struts are always a plus. how are your front control arm bushings and rear trail arms bushings looking? the rear trail arm bushings were probably my biggest suspension repair on my 02, I had energy suspension trail arm bushings installed into them which involved removing te whole rear suspension beam and taking it to a shop to press in the bushing.

3. I have an 02 so there's no IACV on mine but I heard it always a good idea to make sure those are clean inside..

4. if your talking about the rear main seal that can be a big job. but from what I hear the VQ's usually leak from the half moon seal at the end of the oil pan that can appear to be a rear main seal leak. it also happened to me and wasn't a rear main seal.

5. is there an engine light on for the sensors? if so change them out. i've had good luck with aftermarket O2 sensors and as for my knock sensor I've haven't had to change it out. I can definitely tell you that a stock MAF works way better than the aftermarket ones. smoother and more stable idle when I went back to a stock Hitachi MAF after running a Duralast MAF for a few years. engine feels more powerful also.

6. bluetooth retrofit dash lighting?

7. I need a paintjobs also, especially since my rear passenger side has had body work done.


8. you have a 2000 so headlights are super cheap unlike the 02-03 with stock HID...