NJ04MaximaOwner

Love the car, but it's the little things that bug me. My pet peeves in order of peevishness:

1) No foglight indicator on the dash.
2) doors don't automatically lock after putting car in gear
3) trunk light too dim at night

Do these things bother anyone else, or is it just me? Anyone have other issues that I may have missed?

|Bijan|

iTrader: (12)

........

us024077

1. doors don't lock on starting u
2. wrong order of light controls (auto before parking lights)
3. pedals aren't adjustable

tlevel5

Sometimes I get a crappy sulfer smell coming into the cabin from the exhaust, sux I use premium gas, what's up with that?
-Louis

Rathmax

My only peeve is that the ***her on the gas cap seems too short, my hands get bound up in it when trying to close the cap.

huong

1) doors don't look when car is in drive
2) orange interior lights
3) refueling gas after 2 days if driving in city
4) a pain to mod anything without taking everything apart

JiuJitsuThug

iTrader: (1)

1) City MPG is my main gripe right now.
2) Front 4X4 Wheel Gap is lame...

Mike_TX

I'm surprised so many people seem to want the doors to automatically lock when you put the car in gear.

As I've said before on this forum, I won't own any car that insists on locking me in! I know when I want the doors locked, and it takes only one little button punch to do it. But emergency response workers will tell you that they *hate* auto-locking doors, because it takes that precious few extra minutes to get the tools and break out your window(s) to get to you and your passengers in the event of an accident where you're unconscious or trapped. A few minutes that may mean your life.

And you might be surprised to know how hard it is to break a car window if you're a 'civilian' and don't have one of those breaker tools handy. I was at a wreck site years ago where the car rolled over on its side, the driver was knocked out cold and the engine was revving like crazy. Fortunately, the windshield had popped loose and we were able to pull the guy out through the front. If we'd had to break out a window, he might still be in there.

Nossir, no auto-locking doors for me! No way.

Mike

Mike_TX

Oh, btw, if you really must have auto-locking doors, you can get them added for under a hundred bucks by anyone who sells car alarm systems. Auto-locking is part of many aftermarket alarms, and you don't even have to have the alarm part hooked up if you don't want to.

Mike

2004 Smoke

Here is my list of pet peeves:

1. Heated steering wheel light - hard to see
2. Some computer functions that do not return screen to 'normal' after a period of time (have to look for a function that returns computer to 'normal')
3. Heating and cooling controls that are hard to remember, and illogical overall
(the "have to have this other button on to get this to work and can't have that button on to get that feature to work" issue)
4. Seat belts that don't always retract. I have to almost always retract them myself when outside the car before I close the door, otherwise the door will close on the buckle.
5. A trunk lid latch that often hits me in the head when doing a deep dive into the trunk (ouch! F-Me!)
6. Bull**** auto tranny dipstick locking thingy....
7. No fog light light (already mentioned)

But overall, I love my max, its ergonomics are excellent and I love most of its excellent features and functions! Just needs Nissan continuous attention to the detail, year over year, to get it right.

Atomic_Ed

The auto door lock feature is something I have had on every car I owned since like 1992. I like it because in the morning if you get in and forget to manually lock the door and work in a not so good part of town like I do, you could save yourself from a carjacking incident.

The writing on the controls is a bit small IMO and since the buttons looks so much alike I find myself trying to memorize each button's function by its location.

I'm not so sure I like the fuel reserve at 4 or 5 gallons. It seems to me that the gauge goes down quickly even though there is still more fuel than it registers. I always consider a 1/2 tank reading as my empty mark so this feature throws me off a bit.

Also wouldn't it be cool if the computer also talked as well? You know like the older Nissans back in the mid 1980's did. The screen can be tricky to watch while driving and having the audio feature could make it easier to keep your eyes on the road while using the computer.

Oh yeah, and there is no flux capacitor support on the onboard computer!

I do think the Maxima is a terrific car and really love it so far.

NIKV69

You guys are all nuts!!

I will give you the fog light one.

The sulfur smell will go away

Auto locking doors are ridiculous, the other three doors don't unlock when you get in the driver door and if you want it locked (which I think is dangerous) lock it yourself.

Orange interior light?

My trunk light is fine. More than enough light.

As for the height of the front wheels, not everyone wants to lower their car 2" and have a ride as hard as a rock, I would rather be able to drive 110 MPH and be smooth.

The gas reserve is fine! Be a normal person and fill up before you go under 1/4 tank!

The gas cap ***her is fine.

As far I am concerned, the only things not perfect about the 05' Max is the Halogen headlights

As for Mods Nissan doesn't build a car so you can rip it apart and make it look silly!

ceehan

iTrader: (1)

-the rear view mirror not being automatic
-something that the dealer did (they put temproary registration on the back window and the sticker part is still on the window. afraid of using a blade to peel it off because i dont wanna cut the defogger. any suggestions?? btw, i hated my dealer
-the screen being so hard to clean

Skylersmax

I think that the only thing that I can think of is the home link buttons on the mirror should be lit. You have to turn on the interior light or feel around for the button so you can open you garage door at night.

Tek-Niq

iTrader: (3)

you guy are complaning about "auto locks", come on guys you can turn that off on the screen. just press settings on the dash and it will go to a menu wich has alot of options that you can control, like how long the lights stay on on auto, when they come on at night, if you want the wheel to go up when exiting, ect, ect

** what the hell is an automatic rear view mirror

** doors locking on start up? that will suck for people that warm the car up in the morning and don't have a remote starter, you forget to unlock it you will lock the keys in it.. (please don't say use a spare key to do it)

** you guys are mostly complaning on things that can be changed, like a gap, drop the **** the car has 18 inch rims with a beaffy tire.

I love my car and there are things that i don't like as much, but for 30k you are geeting enough. mercedes with all these options will run an easy 45k, so enjoy the ride..

Jeffs04SE

1) the cup holder lid doesent open by itself anymore
2) wish i got HID's and navigation

Tek-Niq

iTrader: (3)

the spring probably fell out of place.

Atomic_Ed

I think everyone here loves their Maxima and I also think petpeeves are being taken as complaining when I did not take it that way. I think they are just little things that people are pointing out as being useful to them or not. I shouldn't think people should take any offense by them.

For instance I only mentioned the autolocks because for the last 13 years or so every car I owned had them even a 92 pontiac and I am now like it or not conditioned to the doors locking on their own when the shifter is put into gear. You can not accidentily lock your keys in simply be warming up a car with autolocks because they do not lock until the gear shifter is moved. Because of this I sometimes do not realize the doors are unlocked and where I drive to work each day this can be dangerous!

The fonts on the buttons are IMO legitimately too small and hard to easily make out. I say this in hope of future improvemnts from Nissan and not to take away from how nice the car is. I think it is a fine automobile had I not I would never have bought it.

The other things were simply little observations or my input on what might be improved upon for my needs. That is how all improvements get made with product, by people pointing them out. Sometimes there silly and other times beneficial. ither way it is great we all have opinions and share them on the forums.

wsu

Is there a way to turn on all the interior dome lights at once with one switch? Perhaps I have missed something, but from my experimentation so far with the light switches, the only way to turn on all of the dome lights is to either open a door or actually turn on all four switches (two in front and two in back). Many cars have a setting on the stalk on the steering wheel or a switch on the front panel around the steering wheel, but I have not been able to find anything that will turn on all of the dome lights at once. Does anyone know differently?

Mike_TX

I agree with you, Ed. My carping about the automatic locks is because I just really hate 'em. It wasn't meant as a slam.

I bought a Dodge Dakota pickup a few years back, and when I started to drive it off after taking delivery, the doors locked (Dodges do it at 5mph). I backed up and told the salesman that unless he could stop it from doing that the sale was off and he could have it back since I hadn't actually left the dealership premises. He laughed and got one of the service writers to reprogram it. Told me I wasn't the only one who felt that way.

Mike

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

my pet peeve is 6th gen owners complaining about minor details they could of asked for before buying. Then you could of paid $20k+ more to have the little extra-extra features from lexus, bmw, or Merc.

but I'll give you:
paint durability(always a downside w/ Nissan)
*oil dip stick (same one that nobody loves since 5th Gens)
headlight switch (even though I found my way to make it perfect, yet still a tad sensitive)
trunk light (could just get a better bulb)
adj. pedals would be nice (though My car, just right for me)
Lack of NISMO love (it's a sedan, but hope is still alive)

No care:
Fog indicator (my yellows are obvious)
Gas cap (i figured how to do it right, or cut the cord)
door locking (I'm not that lazy to tap a switch if i feel the need, child locks good enough)
auto dip-stick (keeps Dips away from my fluid)
4 gal. gas reserve (great idea)
orange int. lights(love them)
auto rearview(u don't have the package)
HVAC(best out there, idiot proof is AUTO)

but we are all the consumer, hopefully Nissan will consider your ideas. I Love my Max 99.999% When I pass someone on the highway effortlessly.... 200%

CanadianMoFo

Those auto-locks annoy the heck out of me too. I'd pay to have them disabled! If you're so afraid of driving around with unlocked doors you could always just reach over and press the lock button.

CanadianMoFo

Well said.

ThunderMaxi

I love the new ride... Play with the stuffon your car to get familiar with it... THe switch for all the lights is on the console... push it in all the directions. Auto door locks... I always lock the car when I get in...

Max rocks.

Tek-Niq

iTrader: (3)

hey CANADIANMOFO, plain and simple. go to "settings" right by the joystic, press it and you will come to a menu. scroll thru untill you see "auto lock" on or off. you don't want it on move to off. this will deactivated....


now pay me, I accept paypal...........

max_man_94_01

The scenario you gave as an example is true whether the door was locked manually, electronically, or automatically. It takes the same amount of effort to break thru the window whether the door is electronically locked or manually locked. If the door is locked...the door is locked...

I always make sure that all my doors are locked before I start moving the car. I for one want the "auto locking feature once the car starts moving" to be standard. Car jackers can jump in while you or your wife is stopped on street corners or even while the car is in motion.

MaxMus

for a $30K car, it should be standard. heck, even $15K Pontiacs have them, but not Nissan?

lightonthehill

Several here are still hung up on the 'auto lock' function. They evidently are ignoring TEQ-NIQ's TWO posts where he points out this feature can be set ANY WHICH WAY THE DRIVER WANTS via the personal settings on the screen.

I have mine set to not lock unless I lock them. I do, however, simply reach over and push the lock button if in situations where I may be moving slowly enough that a hijacker could get in.

But NEVER have your doors locked when moving on an open freeway or open highway. In fifty-six years of driving, with many coast-to-coast trips included, I have seen far too many accidents where would-be rescuers were stymied by locked doors. I have tried mightly to break more than one car window, and been amazed at how hard this can be. I think Mike_TX mentioned this, also. But then there are probably those among us who have always fantasized about being a toasted marshmallow or a drowned rat in their next life.

Like 2004Smoke, I would like for the heated steering wheel light to be visible from a normal driving position. But at least this goes off every time the ignition is turned off, and does not automtically come on again when the car is restarted. Unlike the heated seats.

If my wife leaves the heated seats on, they go off when the ignition goes off, but come back on every time the car is restarted, whether the seat is occupied or not. They will be on whenever the ignition is on FOREVER unless manually turned off. And the light indicating they are on is in a location a driver normally would not be looking.

The fog light indicator is not a problem for me because, having them integrated into the headlight assembly (instead of down in the lower bumper), and not excessivly bright, I never bother to turn them off. If I put in brighter bulbs, then I would like an on/off indicator.

2004Smoke - You need to cozy up to your dealer. I have not had a single instance of a seat belt failing to retract completely.

The 'gap' over the front wheels is purely a 'visual' thing that does not bother me. I want to be able to turn sharply through ditches, etc, where the car body will be twisted, with one front wheel rising several inches into the wheel well, without having it hit (and damage) the fender. I am for having full suspension movement available at all times. I wince every time I see a lowered car creeping very slowly over simple little dips and ditches.

I will admit I sometimes have difficulty reading the dash buttons while moving down the highway. But I blame that on the same reason I order 'geezer gulps' or 'senile sips' (senior drinks) instead of Cokes in restaurants. I am old, and my vision, though good at a distance, is awful up close. But the letter font in the Maxima probably should be a tad larger. And the order/position of dash buttons might have been a tad better

Like others, I feel it would have been more sensible to have the 'auto' setting of the lights be positioned AFTER the normal 'on' position.

I am getting very good gas mileage; I like the orange dash lights (although not as much as the cool silver look of the guages in my 2000 SE at night); I like the way Nissan handles the 'gas reserve' situation; I love the looks; and I am blown away by the performance of my 6th gen Maxima. I wouldn't swap it even-up for anything under $50K.

blakstarz

1.) The "lighter adapter" is in a very wired place (at the bottom of the passenger side).
2.) When I switch "modes" for air flow the A/C kicks in and I have have to press the button to turn it off.

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

1 guess that's why they added a third adapter by the stick for 05. (we also have one inside the center console)
2 you are supposed to leave A/C on year round. most current vehicles today do. it keeps the humidity down. it is so efficent now that the energy consumption is barely noticeable. toyota keeps it on but doesn't let you know. atleast Nissan shows you it's on (maybe they shouldn't)

blakstarz

Really? That's news to me, considering that it taxes the engine......at least I know that was the case on older model cars......

Rathmax

Well said Light. I love my Max as well and wouldn't trade it for anything. Of course I say the same thing about my wife but that doesn't mean she doesn't do some things that annoy me.

NJ04MaximaOwner

See - this is one of the reasons to post a thread. I didn't even know this was available. I will go ahead and try to set it to auto today.

Thanks TEK.

They're called "pet-peeves" because they're not serious enough to break the deal. I love the Max. Now I have 1 less peeve.

Smoke_Screen

I agree, and I really love my Maxima. I wouldn't trade it for anything (except a newer Maxima :P)

None of the things mentioned bother me except for the headlight sequence. And even that wouldn't bother me if I had not read that with HID's you shouldn't turn them on more than once every 10 minutes or whatever. So I feel bad having to flash them on-then-off to just turn on the fog lights. (Maybe I'll eventually re-wire). My seatbelts, button orientation/font, trunk light, user selectable auto-lock on/off, wheel well gap is A-OK (you should see the Cavaliers if you want to see an un-natural wheel well gap OMG!)

And the thing that really bothers me considering this is a 30K car (which I know is fixed on the '05's) is that damn fake-aluminum which scratches if you wipe it with a cloth which happens to have a grain of sand on it. Even for 1st model year, they could have used better materials. I'm sure I'll eventually buy someones '05 trim after they install an audio system because mine will be scratched up more than it is right now.

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

the lock function only works with the key out of the ignition. it is a feature to simply lock the car for those that forget to do so when leaving it. It does not lock when driving.

everyone should check the personal settings. there are quite a few to adjust that your salesman may not of known about, or went over too quickly for you to remember.

our inadequate manual does not go into much depth about all the features the Max has to offer (if you have them).

this Personal Settings feature should eliviate a lot of your peeves since 5.5 gens either do not have as many features, or need the dealer to adjust them.

CanadianMoFo

That "was" the case years ago. It is a very small amount of paracitic horsepower loss (1% maybe) now to keep the compressor going.

The compressors need to get some use or they tend to seize up causeing huge repair bills. The compressor in most vehicles now comes on as soon as you use the defrost funciton. It reduces the amount of humidity in the air that is defrosting the windshield allowing it to work faster. Also it keeps the compressor in use and prevents it from prematurely breaking down.

As far as A/C vs. opening windows goes...running the A/C on the highway uses less power/fuel than the drag caused by opening your windows.

When you compare the cost of replacing a compressor, to the small loss in HP, or gas mileage its worth it to have your compressor operate occasionally year round.

CM

DocHolliday

Heh, those are my two biggest complaints. I hate turning the A/C every single time I make a change. I don't want it robbing me of precious horsepower and mileage.

The cig lighter placement is annoying too. I was able to run my cell phone charge thru the hole in the console holder down to the plug so its not to bad. Problem is the wite sticking out puts some pressure on the enclosure when I close it so I am worried its going to slowly damage it over time.

Tek-Niq

iTrader: (3)

**** if you turn the A/C off ****

on this here, notice that it only goes on A/C if you blow air towards the windshield, and for a reason. the reason is in colder climates like the NE the glass will fog up without it the A/C being activated, you can unfog the windows without A/C don't get me wrong, but it will often be uncomfortable heat air not good A/C air so you will be constantly turning the blower up and down. with A/C it keeps the windows unfogged automaticly. thats why the systems does it for ya. take it as a favor from nissan

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

see the other posts as to why A/C is necessary.... everyone please concede and just use AUTO it is one of the best HVAC systems out there today. 75 F and it's about perfect.

we have a second hole at the front of the console to run a wire out through just under the lid.

Tek-Niq

iTrader: (3)

yes, for cell phone wires... there is a small notch around the lip of the console where you can place the wire in so you don't have to squash the cable and safely close the lid......

as nismomax80 said..................