maxzma

I'm currently negotiating on an 04 SE. Doing as much research as I can right now. I'm sure this has probably been discussed before, but being that I can't do a search I had no choice.

From what I've read in the brochure it says Premium is Recommended. I guess the "recommended" part threw me off. I called the dealership and the girl that answered the phone asked another girl there, who drives a Maxima, and she said you can use Regular. Anyone using anything other than Premium and will it hurt if you don't?

Also, has anyone noticed any paint chipping away from between the front bumper seam that bumps up to the bottom of the black grill? I noticed this on one of the cars at the dealership and didn't know if it was a common problem or if it was just on that car.

rabenoja

iTrader: (2)

Well, I use premium. I figure for the few cents more a gallon why not. I mean I paid a lot for the car and I don't want to risk any problems with the fuel system and/or engine for a few cents. Even though it is very tempting with the gas prices rising, I still use the premium.

Now that is my take on it. I have read of other people on the forum using regular (89 octane) and they have had no problems. So, it is really a toss up. Maybe someone who uses regular can chime in.

As for the paint chipping, my car does not have any paint chips. It might have been just that one car that you saw. There have been complaints of orange peel though through out this forum.

Good luck with the deal!!

lightonthehill

maxzma - you are correct that the octane for the '04 has been discussed here at length and fairly frequently.

Briefly (if I recall correctly), the '04 Maxima will run on any of the three standard grades, but one should expect to get slightly better overall performance as well as a slightly cleaner engine and possibly a very slight bump (probably less than 1 MPG) in gas mileage with premium.

Many Maxima owners use premium (92/93/94 octane). Many use regular (87 octane). A few run 'plus' grade (89 octane).

I use only premium the first two or three years, then switch to 'plus' from then on.

The only thing to remember is that the computer on the '04 Maxima takes several tankfuls to complete an adjustment from one octane to another, so your engine will not perform efficiently if you repeatedly switch back and forth between octanes.

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As to the paint chipping on the front bumper at its seam with the grille, I don't recall seeing that mentioned here during the last year. Haven't seen it at the dealer either, and I browse the lot several times a week; just love seeing all the other beautiful '04 Maximas!