View Poll Results: Does Your 2004 Maxima Shimmy Or Shake?
Voters: 328. You may not vote on this poll
Does Your 2004 Maxima Shimmy?
09-30-2003, 05:20 PM
#1
Moderator GT-R
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Join Date: Aug 2000
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Does Your 2004 Maxima Shimmy?
If you don't already know...http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=218995
09-30-2003, 06:52 PM
#2
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Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 628
shimmy?
Originally Posted by bluemaxx
If you don't already know...http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=218995
After Hunter 9700 balancing, with no road force variance adjustments because both front wheels showing only 2 pounds of variance: NO shimmy on smooth pavement. BUT, occasional and unmistakable shimmy on even moderately irregular surfaces. Conclusion: it ain't just the wheels that are causing all of this.
10-01-2003, 04:10 PM
#7
Well on my old car I replaced the rotors with new ones and guess what? It didnt change a thing. shook just as bad as before. I believe that if you brake hard with a slight shimmy its only gonna intensify when braking. I dunno though Im just stating from what my experiences have been.
10-01-2003, 11:36 PM
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 155
while i was signing the final papers on my 04, i was asking about the shimmy problem and my dealer said they heard of it , and it was from maximas that sat on the lot too long, that the tires got a flat spot from staying in storage....
i dunno whether to beleive them or not, but whatever just thought id share what they told me.
mine btw doesnt shimmy/shake/vibrate, they were saying they never had a problem yet cuz they are the highest volume dealer in ny (which i think is true) so thier cars dont sit around....
i dunno whether to beleive them or not, but whatever just thought id share what they told me.
mine btw doesnt shimmy/shake/vibrate, they were saying they never had a problem yet cuz they are the highest volume dealer in ny (which i think is true) so thier cars dont sit around....
10-02-2003, 12:02 PM
#9
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Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 167
Originally Posted by fixxxer
while i was signing the final papers on my 04, i was asking about the shimmy problem and my dealer said they heard of it , and it was from maximas that sat on the lot too long, that the tires got a flat spot from staying in storage....
10-03-2003, 09:55 AM
#10
Supporting Maxima.org Member
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 628
Originally Posted by QuikSilver04
That could be a possibility, since there are some members that took their car to a tire shop and they said that they were out of round, which is caused by them sitting in position for too long. When they replaced the tires and got it balanced correctly, it fixed the shimmy so that could definitely be a cause for the shimmy.
That wasn't the answer for my shimmy, since I took it home the day after it was delivered (a special order). BTW, my shimmy is not present on really good pavement.
10-03-2003, 10:51 AM
#11
Donating Maxima.org Member
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 115
No shimmy here, thank goodness!
Just picked up my '04 Max SE Auto yesterday. It arrived at the dealership Wednesday and had ten miles on it when I drove away.
I went out last night and took it up to 65 on a smooth stretch of four-lane highway. NO SHIMMY. There might be some vibration felt in the steering wheel, but no shimmy.
I'm elated because one of the test cars I drove in June definitely had a nasty shimmy around 50 mph. I found the same thing on an Audi A6 4.2 test drive a few years ago. The Audi might be attributed to the car having sat in the same place for quite a while. Don't know about the Max I drove.
I went out last night and took it up to 65 on a smooth stretch of four-lane highway. NO SHIMMY. There might be some vibration felt in the steering wheel, but no shimmy.
I'm elated because one of the test cars I drove in June definitely had a nasty shimmy around 50 mph. I found the same thing on an Audi A6 4.2 test drive a few years ago. The Audi might be attributed to the car having sat in the same place for quite a while. Don't know about the Max I drove.
10-05-2003, 11:47 AM
#12
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Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,282
Originally Posted by lobewiper
BTW, my shimmy is not present on really good pavement.
10-05-2003, 12:01 PM
#13
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Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 628
Originally Posted by gmc74
ummm, then you don't have a shimmy problem with your car, you just don't like the way it feels all of the misperfections in the road. If it goes away when the pavement changes, then it isn't a problem with the car.
10-05-2003, 01:33 PM
#14
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Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Posts: 1,994
Originally Posted by lobewiper
Tell me why a moderately irregular pavement can sometimes induce sustained, rhythmical shimmy? Wouldn't the probability of that phenomenon be caused solely by road surface be almost nil? And why does my Max do this but not my Escort and friend's BMW?
When I first got my new Maxima SE, 6 months ago, I got a similar feeling every time I drove over grooved concrete pavement. I had not had this condition driving my previous car (Olds) or my truck (Dodge) over this groved concrete. The groves in the pavement acted like "a grate on a bridge" to the Maxima's tires. I now have over 8,000 miles on the Maxima and the effect on groved pavement has almost gone away.
When this first happened to me, I attributed it to the wide, low profile tires on the new Maxima. Given the widespread shimmy experience among new Maxima owners (16, including me, did not have it while 8 did in a survey on this site), I suspect that these 8 owners are experiencing more than the shimmy I experienced (only on groved pavement) when my Max was very low mileage. I can't venture to guess what is causing their shimmy. It may well be a combination of some or all of these forces: out of balance wheels, out of round tires, warper rotors, uneven road surfaces, out of balance drive trains.
10-05-2003, 04:03 PM
#15
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Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 628
Originally Posted by SilverMax_04
Have you ever driven any vehicle with rubber pneumatic tires across a bridge with a grate surface that allows rain water (and other things) to fall through? Most of these grates "grip" your tires and move the vehicle first to one side (slightly) and then back to the other side (slightly). The first time you drive on one of these bridges it's somewhat scary -- until you get used to the feeling.
When this first happened to me, I attributed it to the wide, low profile tires on the new Maxima. Given the widespread shimmy experience among new Maxima owners (16, including me, did not have it while 8 did in a survey on this site), I suspect that these 8 owners are experiencing more than the shimmy I experienced (only on groved pavement) when my Max was very low mileage. I can't venture to guess what is causing their shimmy. It may well be a combination of some or all of these forces: out of balance wheels, out of round tires, warper rotors, uneven road surfaces, out of balance drive trains.
When this first happened to me, I attributed it to the wide, low profile tires on the new Maxima. Given the widespread shimmy experience among new Maxima owners (16, including me, did not have it while 8 did in a survey on this site), I suspect that these 8 owners are experiencing more than the shimmy I experienced (only on groved pavement) when my Max was very low mileage. I can't venture to guess what is causing their shimmy. It may well be a combination of some or all of these forces: out of balance wheels, out of round tires, warper rotors, uneven road surfaces, out of balance drive trains.
My shimmy is absent on pretty smooth road. This would seem to rule out all the factors at the end of your post. My shimmy (when present) occurs on reasonably decent, ungrooved pavement. My guess: there is too much play in the steering system.
10-11-2003, 06:59 PM
#17
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Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 71
Originally Posted by 04EliteSE
I am getting the shimmy now when I am breaking... mostly from highway speeds. Thank God I am due for an oil change soon so they can check it out...
See if they will replace or "turn" your rotors.
Big picture though, this is not the shimmy others are experiencing.
Smitty
10-11-2003, 09:53 PM
#19
Member
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 71
Originally Posted by 04EliteSE
Ah, but I still get a sporadic shimmy while driving around town as well... 
Good luck
Smitty
11-09-2003, 07:57 AM
#23
Member
Join Date: Nov 2000
Posts: 95
Originally Posted by Mike_TX
It seems to me the shimmy complaints are coming mainly from SL owners ... maybe the poll should have included the trim type - SE or SL - so we could determine if it's model-specific (?)
Mike
Mike
I agree it would be more helpful to know the model. My SL does not shimmy but does seem to feed-back road imperfections to the steering wheel a lot. I see a lot of SE guys complaining about warped rotors. In 28 years of driving I have never had a warped rotor (I'm on my second Maxima by the way). Could driving style be an issue here? I drive aggressive too! My neighbors think I'm crazy when they see me out using a torqe wrench on my lug nuts however. Make sure the lugs are torqued properly folks!
11-30-2003, 05:41 PM
#24
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Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 5
Shimmy
Originally Posted by bluemaxx
If you don't already know...http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=218995
11-30-2003, 07:55 PM
#25
Moderator GT-R
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Poll Results
The poll has been up for 60 days. There are 75 votes so far but what does it mean?
The easy way:
Factor out the 7 'What does shimmy mean' replies and we are left with:
68 - votes
35 - no shimmy - 51%
33 - have/had the shakes - 49%
Take out votes from those whose profiles say that they own something other than an 04 Maxima:
68 - votes
31 - no shimmy - 46%
5 - what does shimmy mean - 7%
32 - shimmy - 47%
Kick out profiles that say other than 04 Maxima and profiles that don't specify what car they own:
59 - votes
26 - no shimmy - 44%
4 - what does shimmy mean - 7%
29 - shimmy - 49%
I'm tempted to give the 4 'What does shimmy mean' to the No vote:
30 - no shimmy - 51%
29 - shimmy - 49%
And what about ga2000 who has an 04 but doesn't say so in his profile?
(If the screen name had 04 in it I counted it even if the profile didn't specify.)
The Raw Data...As of 11/30/03
Profile doesn't say what kind of car owned.
Profile says something other than 04 Maxima.
Everybody else.
No Definitely Not. [ 27 ] 36.00%
04OnyxSL, BIGGUY, Blue04SEinIL, DansMax3, drwhiz, ednaz1, e_marston, fixxxer, flyboy216, ga2000, gmc74, I Hack 4 U, joaquink, Maxima04, MaximumMike, MaxMaybe, MAXSE-RIOUS, Memphoman, MikePSmith, Mike_TX, nick wolff, peetah, ramcon, RDM, Rob, Roswell_Maxima, SilverMax_04
No I Don’t Think So. [ 8 ] 10.67%
Blaxima, BLCKMAX, Burny, kb0uy, kiriakos, Redsand187, silver04max, tonywinsc
What Does Shimmy Mean? [ 7 ] 9.33%
CHASE_BXMW, Cool J, lobewiper, MattTheGatt, MaxPilot, Nightline, Tight_Whip
Yes But Not Enough To Worry About. [ 8 ] 10.67%
04SEelite, 98MAXNY, Asmitty, CSlam, hanzar, marmadogg, Mikiusmaximus, RayRey21
Yes It Did But It Has Been Repaired. [ 4 ] 5.33%
diggdyone, GMAX04, mattman2003, Maxmann
Yes Between 45 and 55 MPH. [ 10 ] 13.33%
04EliteSE, 98maxse, bluemaxx, HOTWHEELS, jacksprat01, Jessie D, Konicaman, stevel, texmax, XMan
Yes Between 50 and 65 MPH. [ 7 ] 9.33%
4drsleeper, 90SEBlack, jdc1203, kosd, Ledur, My5thMax, xterradave
Yes Other. [ 4 ] 5.33%
2004BlkMaxSL, Deven2kStickMax, KJSmitty, rburkart
...
The easy way:
Factor out the 7 'What does shimmy mean' replies and we are left with:
68 - votes
35 - no shimmy - 51%
33 - have/had the shakes - 49%
Take out votes from those whose profiles say that they own something other than an 04 Maxima:
68 - votes
31 - no shimmy - 46%
5 - what does shimmy mean - 7%
32 - shimmy - 47%
Kick out profiles that say other than 04 Maxima and profiles that don't specify what car they own:
59 - votes
26 - no shimmy - 44%
4 - what does shimmy mean - 7%
29 - shimmy - 49%
I'm tempted to give the 4 'What does shimmy mean' to the No vote:
30 - no shimmy - 51%
29 - shimmy - 49%
And what about ga2000 who has an 04 but doesn't say so in his profile?
(If the screen name had 04 in it I counted it even if the profile didn't specify.)
The Raw Data...As of 11/30/03
Profile doesn't say what kind of car owned.
Profile says something other than 04 Maxima.
Everybody else.
No Definitely Not. [ 27 ] 36.00%
04OnyxSL, BIGGUY, Blue04SEinIL, DansMax3, drwhiz, ednaz1, e_marston, fixxxer, flyboy216, ga2000, gmc74, I Hack 4 U, joaquink, Maxima04, MaximumMike, MaxMaybe, MAXSE-RIOUS, Memphoman, MikePSmith, Mike_TX, nick wolff, peetah, ramcon, RDM, Rob, Roswell_Maxima, SilverMax_04
No I Don’t Think So. [ 8 ] 10.67%
Blaxima, BLCKMAX, Burny, kb0uy, kiriakos, Redsand187, silver04max, tonywinsc
What Does Shimmy Mean? [ 7 ] 9.33%
CHASE_BXMW, Cool J, lobewiper, MattTheGatt, MaxPilot, Nightline, Tight_Whip
Yes But Not Enough To Worry About. [ 8 ] 10.67%
04SEelite, 98MAXNY, Asmitty, CSlam, hanzar, marmadogg, Mikiusmaximus, RayRey21
Yes It Did But It Has Been Repaired. [ 4 ] 5.33%
diggdyone, GMAX04, mattman2003, Maxmann
Yes Between 45 and 55 MPH. [ 10 ] 13.33%
04EliteSE, 98maxse, bluemaxx, HOTWHEELS, jacksprat01, Jessie D, Konicaman, stevel, texmax, XMan
Yes Between 50 and 65 MPH. [ 7 ] 9.33%
4drsleeper, 90SEBlack, jdc1203, kosd, Ledur, My5thMax, xterradave
Yes Other. [ 4 ] 5.33%
2004BlkMaxSL, Deven2kStickMax, KJSmitty, rburkart
...
04-01-2004, 07:14 AM
#26
Newbie - Just Registered
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 10
i own an '04 SE and when i first got the max, i didn't have this shimmy/shake thing happening at all. But in the past month or so i noticed the steering wheel shaking when i hit 55-65 mph but as soon as i hit 70 or above the shake went away. I took it a nearby Nissan service center yesterday and told them the situation. Left the car for the day, come back to pick it up the guy tells me that the reason is that I my front right rim is bent. ??????????? How??? Not like I hit anything and caused damage to it without knowing. Well he tells me he put that Rim in the back and the shimmy isn't as significant. Tells me the only way to fix the problem is to buy a new rim (priced at $600). Dont know.. i feel like these guys are being somewhat shady about it. Mind you these are the same guys that couldnt figure out that an unplugged wire was causing my airbag light to flash, even after three seperate visits. Each time a new part was ordered and each time that wasn't the solution. I have an appointment with another dealer tomorrow so l'm going to wait and see what these guys have to say!
04-03-2004, 01:30 PM
#27
Originally Posted by raja618
i own an '04 SE and when i first got the max, i didn't have this shimmy/shake thing happening at all. But in the past month or so i noticed the steering wheel shaking when i hit 55-65 mph but as soon as i hit 70 or above the shake went away. I took it a nearby Nissan service center yesterday and told them the situation. Left the car for the day, come back to pick it up the guy tells me that the reason is that I my front right rim is bent. ??????????? How??? Not like I hit anything and caused damage to it without knowing. Well he tells me he put that Rim in the back and the shimmy isn't as significant. Tells me the only way to fix the problem is to buy a new rim (priced at $600). Dont know.. i feel like these guys are being somewhat shady about it. Mind you these are the same guys that couldnt figure out that an unplugged wire was causing my airbag light to flash, even after three seperate visits. Each time a new part was ordered and each time that wasn't the solution. I have an appointment with another dealer tomorrow so l'm going to wait and see what these guys have to say!
06-28-2004, 12:27 PM
#30
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: a meadow south of Atlanta
Posts: 8,143
A year ago, there were more shimmy complaints here for the SE. Now there seem to be more shimmy complaints for the SL.
My SL sometimes (less than half the time) shows a vibration in the steering wheel between 54 and 58 MPH, but is smooth as glass at other speeds. What puzzles me is that I haven't yet been able to tie this shimmy to any particular road surface or driving situation.
I am going to keep testing this, and, once I feel I know how to recreate it, I will take my service tech for a little ride.
I only hope it is a bad tire or wheel type thing, as I dread getting into the 'ultimate' solution; an adjustment of the tension on the steering rack. Unless a TSB has been released lately on this adjustment, the dealer will have to call the dealer in Nashville, TN who developed this fix.
My SL sometimes (less than half the time) shows a vibration in the steering wheel between 54 and 58 MPH, but is smooth as glass at other speeds. What puzzles me is that I haven't yet been able to tie this shimmy to any particular road surface or driving situation.
I am going to keep testing this, and, once I feel I know how to recreate it, I will take my service tech for a little ride.
I only hope it is a bad tire or wheel type thing, as I dread getting into the 'ultimate' solution; an adjustment of the tension on the steering rack. Unless a TSB has been released lately on this adjustment, the dealer will have to call the dealer in Nashville, TN who developed this fix.
06-28-2004, 02:12 PM
#31
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: METRO ATLANTA
Posts: 158
The only shimmy I get is from easing on the break from 55 to 40mph, besides that none other experienced.
At the present time I very rarely experience that since I took the advice of lightonthehill.
I have the 6sp so I use some of the engine along w/breaking and it's pretty smooth. I shouldn't have to do this but my warranty doesn't cover (16800) and eventually I plan on a brake kit swap.
Once again thanks for looking out on the peeling grille, I get mine replaced tommorrow
Oh yeh, only on breaking not riding along.
At the present time I very rarely experience that since I took the advice of lightonthehill.
I have the 6sp so I use some of the engine along w/breaking and it's pretty smooth. I shouldn't have to do this but my warranty doesn't cover (16800) and eventually I plan on a brake kit swap.
Once again thanks for looking out on the peeling grille, I get mine replaced tommorrow
Oh yeh, only on breaking not riding along.
06-28-2004, 04:46 PM
#32
Member
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 45
I have a shimmy in my 04 SE that I picked up in May. It's got a shimmy in the wheel at about 55 and above...flattens out around 70-75. It is annoying. It's not when I am braking either. Only problem I have with braking is it pulls to the right while braking sometimes. This shimmy is on my list along with my glove box door and headliner
06-29-2004, 05:43 AM
#33
Supporting Maxima.org Member
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 128
I had a shimmy while braking after 11,000 miles
Dealer shaved rotors under warranty and does not do it anymore. Biding my time until it happens again in a few thousand miles and then I will buy aftermarket rotors.
Dealer shaved rotors under warranty and does not do it anymore. Biding my time until it happens again in a few thousand miles and then I will buy aftermarket rotors.
06-30-2004, 01:47 PM
#34
I get the shimmy when braking. Its strange because when i get my tires rotated and balance it goes away for about 4000 miles until its time to rotate and balance again so i don't think its warped rotors.........something else...
07-01-2004, 04:52 AM
#35
Supporting Maxima.org Member
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 628
Originally Posted by boondoxmax
I get the shimmy when braking. Its strange because when i get my tires rotated and balance it goes away for about 4000 miles until its time to rotate and balance again so i don't think its warped rotors.........something else...
It's got to be the rotors. Have the dealer check the rotors for run-out with a micrometer while they are installed on your car (without the wheels, of course).
09-15-2004, 11:12 AM
#38
Member
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 68
I'm glad I didn't vote earlier because it would have been a no, but now that I have had the car 6 weeks and put on 2000 miles it has developed the shimmy somewhere between 50 and 65 mph depending on the road. It's slight enough though that I'm hoping it will get a little worse by the time I take it in for it's first oil change. Need to have the gove box fixed too.
09-16-2004, 02:39 PM
#39
I actually need to make another appointment for my car for the shimmy in the wheel. I am also getting a svibration when applying the brakes as well. The shimmy between 50-65 went away when they balanced the tires. At 6k miles I rotated them and the shimmy was back and now it is really bad. I think I am goin to tell them to balance the hell out of the tires and also do the TSB on the car. I am not goin back again for this.
09-16-2004, 07:42 PM
#40
Member
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 75
Smoken,
Sounds like we have exactly the same car! glovebox misaligned, shimmy. I have had my tires replaced and the shimmy was worse, after balancing those tires it was much better. But now it has returned about 2 weeks later. Balancing seems it is just a temporary fix, I'm fed up with this car and the dealer's inability to fix it.
Sounds like we have exactly the same car! glovebox misaligned, shimmy. I have had my tires replaced and the shimmy was worse, after balancing those tires it was much better. But now it has returned about 2 weeks later. Balancing seems it is just a temporary fix, I'm fed up with this car and the dealer's inability to fix it.