read my avatar

 

yeah waht us02 said,

 

I also cringe evrytime I hit these craters on the interstate! esp when Im running 80mph! no matter how hard I try to avoid them, they're just EVERYWHERE!!! I just hope my shocks/wheels will hold up to these stressors, cos Im not sure if i can!

 

Boommer,
I was told the same exact thing, we can't be sure above 70...same same. If they only built the Max to run 70 they should put a limiter on it. The tires from the factory on the SE's are V=140mph rating seems rather useless. During one of my many conversations with Consumer Affairs, the man Gil put my feelings into one statement that was totally relevant " sir you bought this car to DRIVE! not putter around in traffic" You need to stay on them and make them balance or REPLACE the tires. Nissan put all 4 sets on my Max, all they could keep saying is the tires are bad over and over again. I manage a tire store/repair shop and the RSA's have had several issues. They put 2 sets of those on before the opted up to the Michilen Pilot Sport's and they claimed that one set of those were bad. After they put the last set on the dealer in Orlando-----Reed Nissan------(beware) the service manager told me that was it they were not going to do anything else. (Still had the vibration) I took it to (please don't ban me from the site) a BUICK dealership that road force balanced the tires again, got them down to a maximum 18RFV, I think Nissan spec is 20-25 and guess what, it still vibrates granted it is much better than it was before but in I75/I85 traffic at 80 you are getting run over. Sorry to ramble. I really only wanted to say force the issue with them make them understand that there needs to be a resolution for the issue we all are having. Dave

 

bfb,
Who have you been dealing with at GP Nissan? I have had an issue with them also, but when I got ahold of the service manager JT alot of the problems have subsided.
Dave

 

www.nissanhelp.com

 

www.readallmaximaorgstickies.com
as long as this thread contributes to the Shimmy Saga and not repost the "same old same old".....
but yes we all know it's the biggest TSB issue and is covered in the according Sticky.

 

Sorry Nismomax80 I don't know what you're talking bout???... I'm new to this site as you know... and a bit older than you. So I'm having a difficult time figuring out what you're saying... Please elaborate or clarify... Thanks

 

If you folks really want to know all about what the Nissan Techs know about your vehicles ask them for some of their TECH TALK mags... Also, If you know how to HACK or Have a good friend at a NISSAN dealership you can gain access to ASlST.net

You will at best, get in trouble though , unless you're SSD
This is the last time I will ever mention one of the behaviors described above. We all know what that is.

 

Just an update, my transmission started whining the other day, took it in to the dealer. He told me that he believes that the transmission is the source of the vibration in the car. Does anyone with a strong vibration have a 6spd? Will update when the new tranny arrives........someday

 

This is a follow up to my previous post regarding my 05 SL with a shake/vibration at 70. The rebalance worked for about 200 miles and the vibration is back as it was from the outset. I now have about 1300 miles on the car. Really do like it a lot...below 60 MPH.

So, back to the dealer tomorrow AM. Also, have the buzz from the rear package deck, which is reminiscent of the description in another thread. It does sound like it is coming from the driver's side of the deck...I printed off the 04 TSB for my service guy.

Right now, I have grim optimism I will be able to resolve this.

 

egld,
Stay on them hard about the vibration, I finally got the service manager at GP nissan here in duluth to admit that the problem is in the driveline, not the wheels and tires......unfortunately my trans had to take a powder before they admitted it. Not sure which dealer you are dealing with but make them understand that the issue is a vibration, not the shimmy. Hope they get you all worked out!!
Dave

 

Thanks for your response. For whatever it's worth, the SE and SL that I drove pretty extensively before deciding on the SL did not have any vibration like this. It leads me to believe that it is not a design issue. I have the auto., not the 6sp.

 

Yeah this issue is really going to be beat to $hit on this forum.....
I have GY F1's, does not get much better than that....Still get a shimmy on certain roads approaching 60MPH when the car and tires are COLD. I had it balanced twice and was told it is balanced fine. Nomatter what, The car shimmies when I take it out and drive for the first 10 mins or so, then by the time im on my way back to where I was going, along the same streach of road, at the same speed, the car does not shimmy. Explain that? I know of several particular roads that cause shimmy, and many that dont...drive the car on smooth concrete, it is rock solid...drive it on some year old blacktop and WHEN COLD, the car shimmies a bit. If its not balanced correctly, why would the shimmy cease to occur, or get considerably better when the car warms up?

 

Blackmaxx,
Have seen the same issue as far as the shimmy, but the issue that I have been dealing with is a VIBRATION, (ie the whole car shakes) severely. I have delt with the shimmy issue also I finally got a service manager to admit there is a problem in the car, as I had stated in an earlier post ( only after the trans is heading south) He assures me that when the trans is replaced the VIBRATION from the harmonices in the trans will fix my car. Holding out hope that this will be the case, but do not have much faith that it will.......

 

Dave, what I have is shimmy only, so yeah, you're car is exhibiting a whole different level of problems. Im wondering if people who upgrade to aftermarket wheels still get a shimmy? Or if they had one and then it went away.

 

I have asked a couple of people about changing the wheels to aftermarket but have not received a solid answer.

 

Stock rims, my after market MKW rims, RSA tires, Michelin tires, doesn't seem to matter my car has vibration. At least most of the steering wheel shimmy is gone now with the Michelin's, but you can feel vibration throughout the car. I've also had a steering rack adjustment, struts replaced several times, the rotors turned, control arms replaced, stut isolators installed. I have to admit it's been much improved, but it's horrible on concrete sections of highway, especially when above 60. Also, I have had power loss. The dealer changed the air filter and checked the computer. Everything appears to be running to spec, but I know there is a power loss. Just doesn't pull in 1st and 2nd like it used to. Max w/o power might as well be an Accord or Camry.

 

Clipper,
You are one of the first people that have responded with a 6spd, have you ever had any transmission problems? My service advisor claims that the vibration is due to a trans issue, of course he only said that after the trans started making all kinds of noise. What speed is the vibration most noticeable for you? Mine is from about 76 up, the faster the worse it gets.

 

Time for me to chime in. All of this is the same issue...nothing engineered into the Max to absorb vibration. With all the aluminum, anything unbalanced or out of round is transmitting vibration into the cabin. 04black has tires that are possibly underinflated or for some other reason are flat spotting and when the tires have the heat from rolling to raise the psi they are flattening out. Any other car with adequate dampening and a steel frame would not feel this miniscule level of flat spotting. BTW, tires must be balanced warm to prevent flat spots causing issues with the balance. Drop your car off at _____ tire shop and see if they drive it for 20 min. and put it in the air immediately. See the TSB on steering wheel shimmy.

Dave, as I have said before, I hope the tranny fixes your problem, but I am less than optimistic that your tires will be perfectly balanced by the time the tranny comes in. See my point? When people are arguing that their car has a shimmy in BBB hearings, they are not winning because Nissan is saying that the car is much improved from when is was first brought in and that the remaining vibration is an acceptible characteristic of the car. That means that Nissan match-mounted your tires and replaced every thing that could have been out of balance with other man-made, imperfect parts to appease us and after 20 hours of service labor, 5 rental car days, and road force balancing until the Hunter machine was tired, there is nothing else to be done.

Nissan has come just short of rebuilding Clipper's front end and he still has shimmy. I have had 22 tires on my car, new rotors (on my dime), multiple alignments, and more trips to _____ tire shop for balancing than I care to mention and the front is much better, but the back is acting up now. My decision is simple:
-slight vibration with happy marriage and plenty of lunch money because I bought a sensitive car at a good price, or
-slight vibration with pissed off wife, broke from all the crap I have tried replacing to make my NEW car ride smoother and piles attorney bills from the lemon law hearing that I didn't win because I bought a sensitive car at a good price

Seems easy to me. I am about to the point of living with it for now and when it is time for new tires/re-balance, take it to the dealership and pay whatever for the hunter road force balance and returning for rebalance, etc. until the tires are to the point where I can tolerate the slight vibration again. It will be humorous to call consumer affairs complaining about the same vibration after I have new tires mounted by the dealership with 120k miles on my 7 year old Maxima in 2012.

 

Dave,

My shudder/vibration is most severe at 75 and above. Under that it usually isn't too bad. No transmission noise or problems, but I do notice some shimmy and vibration during acceleration merging on the highway. This is during swift acceleration in 3rd and 4th gear. I talked with Nissan Consumer Affairs today. They won't buy it back yet, but they did extend my warranty. They gave me the Gold Plan (I think that is what she called it, she's sending me the info packet) with a zero deductible and 72 months or 100K miles. At least if my problems continue for the life of the car I'm covered.

I'm taking it in again for the shudder and for the strut noise (hollow sound and loose feel in steering on bumps). Maybe I'll have them check the tranny. I have had power loss, too. My new info screen is all scratched up and has dust behind it. I swear the Nissan techs where I go are clueless. I noticed the other day when waxing her that I also have the chrome strips that have a different finish. One's from the front windshield to the roof are dull (these were replaced when the tech broke the original ones installing a new windshield). Ones on the back window have much more of a shine, which makes them appear different in color.

I simply looked at the dash board the other day and it developed a scratch.....LOL Seriously, heavan forbid you try to dust the car inside. You end up with scratches if you're not careful.

Ughhhhhhhhhhhh!

 

Vibration from the transmission = some new bull$hit from the stealers?

The assembly would be in pieces and dropped if the vibrations were really comming from the tranny. That gear lash must be HUGE huh. ;-)

 

Don't take it up the a$$. Sell the car asap (if you lost the Lemon route). This goes with any kind of car. Measure the cost of getting out of the car now versus the cost to upkeep it.


I'm still suprised that you lost the Lemon route. How come? Wtf?

 

I would agree normally, but with the extended warranty which they just gave me because of all the trouble I've had, I don't have any cost for up keep. Covered for 6 years, no deductible and free loaners. I have 24K and have a new set of tread for the 5th time (not at my expense), so I will have at least 1 less less tire replacement out of pocket, too.

 

Clipper,
I already have the 7/100 warranty, purchaced it when I bought the car so I probably can't get that offer, unless they refund my 1700.00....LOL My vibration sounds just like yours, just a quick question do you spend any amount of time on the highway? I have noticed that mine comes and goes while driving. I set the cruise at 80...76mph real speed and the car goes through, I guess you could call it an oscillation type of thing, The vibration comes and goes with varying degrees of severity. To jason, I agree the trans is NOT the problem, but they insist so I will allow them to spend their money to try and make me beleive that they know better.
The chrome and LCD issues are agreed and have been addressed on other numerous posts. Thanks for your input at least I know that I'm not the lone ranger. I really appreciate all of the QUALITY advice and help that I have received through this thread, especially to Nash, he helped me get just a little farther than I have so far. I will just continue to hope that the situation will pan out for the best!

 

If you can, go through the Lemon route. Get an attorney. I have, and so have many others. Just don't take it up the butt anymore. Fight! And if you lose, get rid of the car. Then get something that will make you happy again. You know that feeling i'm talking about. That is some healing power right there. To get out of a $hity car... is worth every penny.

 

I have about a 15 minute drive to work that is all highway and I would agree. Mine comes and goes at times with varying degrees of severity. It gets worse as the tires age. Of course, that's if you want to call 1000 miles aging. At 2000 miles it will be worse and so on. Even though the vibration is present with the Pilot Sport A/S's at least they feel more planted and handle better, especially when it's wet! The RSA's blew!

Actually, that remind me of something. When it is raining my ride seems better. The vibration is just about non existent. I usually don't drive any slower unless it's raining really hard, so it's not because I'm going under 70. Have you noticed this?

 

Ive noticed the come and go nature of the shimmy, oscillation, whatever you guys want to call it, but I think we all are talking about the same thing here. It makes me think twice of spending ANY money on a balance, I mean, because the last time it was balanced, it was done at goodyear, its gonna cost me around $100 because the dealer cant verify it was done right by goodyear they say. That would be all fine and dandy if I didnt see posts where people get a balance, and dont see any improvement, or it comes back in 200 miles. Whats more is when the car drives with no shimmy at any speed, whats that tell you? The wheels must be balanced correctly, they arent throwing themselves in and out of balance!!!! .

The car has too many pluses to make me hate it because of this issue, I mean it sux, but in the grand scheme of things its minor to me. I think its just poor design, some type of flaw...but nothing serious enough for me to take legal action, but to those who are, more power to ya, the car will have 200,000mi or more when your case is over, and you wont care anymore.

 

Hey Blackmaxx,
My car has always, except for one balance job, please don't hate,done at a Buick dealership( because a friend is the service manager---it lasted a week 300 miles) had the vibration. No 1000/200/50 miles about it. The "shimmy" I have learned to live with, it is much improved from new, but you get used to it. I feel as you do that the car has an awesome amount of advantages, and as long as I rent a car to take my business trips in it I guess I'll live with it, but I travel as part of my work and purchaced this car as a treat for my trips at work, ( got tired of the plain jane accord...LOL) My biggest complaint is that NISSAN has produced a KNOWN defective product and will not address the issue. I like most of the people here understand that the lemon law really does not benifet the individual, and the fact that ALL of our 6th gen rides have taken a beating for value does not help.
What Clipper has described is the same issue that my car has, entering on a interstate ramp winding up third gear----80mph the car shakes so viloently that you feel as if the car is about to go out of control--- this is a MAJOR safety issue. I will say that over time the vibration has lessened, now only a 6.5 instead of an 8.0 on the richter scale, but come on...the Sentra renter didn't do the same at 90...... I am holding out hope that somehow the issue will be resolved for ALL of us that have the problem.

 

Wow...no..mine is like this small, albeit annoying shimmy I sometimes get around 60-70...once the car hits higher its gone...and like I said, it dosent always happen..and when its happening...If I give it some gas, or floor it..the shimmy stopps...its worse when coasting.

 

Just a quick up for everyone, they put the trans in my car yesterday. I took it on a 70 mile jaunt and the vibration didn't show up.... so far. Going to try to take a long trip this weekend so I'll find out... wish me luck!

 

This is a followup to my previous posts....after the dealer had balanced the tires for the second time, we took a trip to Hilton Head. ATL I-75S to 16E to 95N...70-75 MPH, occ bump to 80 based upon traffic flow. Trunk was reasonably but not ridiculously full; 1 wife, 1 9-year old aboard.

Here are my observations:

- The vibration came back. It continues to feel as if it is originating from the back of the car, but who knows what that means. There is little problem transmitted to the steering wheel. The vibration typically starts around 73-75, worsening as I approached 80. I think it was "better" but still unacceptable. It was most prominent after we had been on the road for a while. It seemed to happen on both outbound and homebound legs after about the same time on the road.

- Definitely affected by the kinds of roads. Cement pavement with expansion cuts were difficult to assess, but I think the ride in general deteriorated. The smoothest asphalt did not consistently provide the least vibration. The older the surface, the worse the ride, even if there were no patch jobs scattered about.

- When the vibration was most pronounced (and the Coke in their bottles in their cupholders were setting up standing waves), I asked my wife what she thought of the ride. (Hadn't told her to pay attention to the ride, but she did know the car had been in the shop). She said that she could feel the vibration in her legs and seat. She said that it was not normal.

I think that the dealer is being reasonably responsive, but I wonder whether any post balance test drves are being done under the same conditions and length of time that the car is routinely being driven. I am going to bring it back in and have a talk with them.

Question #1 to the forum. My OEM tires are the Continentals. Is that what others have at time of purchase? What have people replaced OEMs with for average highway driving...no snow ;-) here in the South, but heavy rains can be an issue....

Question #2 to the forum and the moderator. How many of you think that the the 04 steering wheel 'shimmy' and the 05 'vibration' are two different problems? If most think that they are two different issues, then should the threads be split off?

 

egld,
I will PM you later when I get home from work about my discussion with the Nissan DTS on Wednesday, there are a few issues that he informed me of.
Dave

 

Hey man, share the info. Please!!!!!!

 

Here's the note I sent to Clipper and Nashmax.... easier to cut and paste rather than re-type...
Hey, just wanted to give you an up. Well got the trans in yesterday, and believe it or not, the vibration did not rear it ugly head. I was only able to give the car a 70-mile trip after I picked it up but there was pretty minimal vibration up to 120. I set the cruise at 80 and ran about 20 miles and the car was smoother than it had been before, on my return trip I did a short burst banzi run and let off and the car reacted well. The only problem I had was that this morning I went to the garage opened the door and smelled gear lube….along with a 12” round puddle under the car……they left the fill plug loose……. I talked to the Nissan DTS that checked my car today, we spoke for about 30-40 minutes and we covered a lot of ground. We spoke of some of the known inherent problems with the Max and he told me some things that are in the works and some that already exists. We discussed the heavy rack, the parts already exist. It is actually a heavy steering wheel/light rack assembly; he told me that they were using this repair in vehicles that have a severe case of the shimmy. He also told me that the steering was designed to have BOTH hands on the wheel for the steering balance, basically that the extra weight of holding on the wheel kept the shimmy minimal. He also told me that the in the seat of the pants vibration, they are trying to address with SER Altima rear control arms due to the stiffer bushing construction. I do not understand that, unless the Max arms have a lot of bushing play allowing them to generate the harmonics. He did agree that the FA platform (Max, Alt, Mar) has a very high harmonics rate. He also told me something that really surprised me, he asked if I used a bra on the front of my car, which I do, and also asked if it was a Nissan factory one, which it is, then he told me that the factory bra’s create a harmonics in the car that causes a vibration at approximately 80mph….He told me that if I had the issue with the bra on take it off to see if the vibration goes away…..strange but if it happens I will try it. He seemed certain that the vibration was due to too much endplay in the trans, but he gave me his cell number and told me to call him if I had another problem. Just wanted to pass along what I learned, but they would not address the trans until it started making noise, which it was.....kinda whined like my ex.....LOL just kidding. I'm going to try to take a long run this weekend, maybe to Chattanooga and see how the car acts, I'll try to let you know how it goes.
I had also put an up the the shimmy thread about the steering wheel discussion but it was met with this is BS reaction. I'll see when I take her out on a run.
Dave

 

Thanks Dave.

 

According to my DTS, the 05s already have the "heavy" steering wheel on them. The rear subframe replacement seems drastic, but apparently has worked on multiple occasions. (Amputation and replace with prosthetic b/c of a case of arthritis) While there are situations where there is a bigger problem like Dave's tranny, the majority of the vibration problems in the 6th gen is platform wide. (See my and Dave's previous posts)
Have your dealerships use the Hunter machine on your tires. Have them tell you the rfv ratings from the machine. Nissan service specs call for a reading of 22 or less, I think. Michelins typically have the best rfv ratings. I had 2 of 4 Michelins that were not in line with Nissan's service specs for the Max. This would tell me that GY and Conti would be well below 50% of their tires within Nissan's service specs for the car. Make Nissan replace tires until you get four with rfv ratings of 22 or less. Nissan techline should be able to substantiate my assertion of the service specs for rfv. My DTS like to see the rfv no higher than the mid teens. Once the tires have been driven for 20 min., the dealer will have to put it directly in the air to keep the tires from flat spotting prior to analysis. Four balanced tires that have been done in accordance with the the infamous shimmy tsb with rfv ratings of 22 or less should have the car's ride in the range where your/my performance expectations overlaps with Nissan's expectations. I am pretty picky and still notice the vibration, but my service manager and DTS both say that my car rides wonderfully compared to other 6th gens. My wife even thinks I am full of crap (not just for the vibration though). Some of us are picky and some of us aren't.
Some people notice the vibration, some ignore it, some throw aftermarket parts at it hoping it will go away...all of us have the potential to have the problem, but all of us have hundreds of parts that could be slightly out of whack that could cause it. Nine time out of ten, tires are the main culprit b/c they are what touches the road surface. Tires on the 6th gen must be ROUND or as close as an rfv rating of 22 is to round in order to ride well under our suspensions. I think it each each person's response to/feelings toward the problem that differentiates the "oh my car is perfect" people from the "my car rides like crap" people. Based on what I have been told by people that have no vested interest in blowing smoke up my rear, my car rides great. Do I still get pissed about the vibration? YES

Parting words for the evening:

Any cocky tire guy will tell you that he can balance a brick with the right tools and enough time and weight. Balancing a brick will not make it round.

 

egld,

Your observations are dead on. I also believe that the issues for the most part are the same for the shimmy and the vibration. Yes, of course there will be some individuals that just have steering wheel shimmy that is solved by balancing, which I had too. But, it's the vibration throughout the vehicle that's most annoying. Sometimes it gets so bad it translates to the steering wheel, which isn't as much of a shimmy, but a violent vibration. My car is at it again now. So, I guess it will be back to the dealer for the same BS and a 6th set if new tires. Everytime my car is in the Enterprise assocaites know exactly what I need. They don't even bother asking about the insurance any more. A couple of times one of them even felt so bad that I was in again he even threw in the gas. Granted there was only a little over a 1/4 tank, but hey it's the gesture that counts right? It's s good thing I haven't had to pay for the rentals either or I'd be filing bankruptcy and my kid would be starving...LOL

BTW, I'm getting severe shake during breaking from highway speeds again, which means they will want to turn the rotors. No way, this time I'm demanding new ones. They turned them once at about 10K.

Oh yeah, some bastard opened a door in me the other day. Left a nice 1/4 inch scratch on the the door mold. All the way through the paint. I think it happened at work, which really pisses me off. Oh well, it's always something. Heaven for bid some one try to have something nice and want to take care of it.

 

Clipper:
Demand RFV ratings on your tires and have them checked for runout. If a tire with a runout issue is not match mounted, you will have wobble. If the RFV rating is out of specs, they will need to replace those tires. Call CA and have your DTS come do this work to ensure that it is done right. Also make sure that you make the dealer understand that the rotors are DEFECTIVE. Rotors are typically covered under the 12k mile adjustment period and not past 12k miles. However, if they are defective, they fall under the 3/36k warranty.

 

Got my car back yesterday, the SHIMMY that went to a SHImmy is now a Shimmy. I took it in for the right front Hunter Balance and Strut check, pulsating wheel when braking and to repair a rip in the rear leather seat.
I got my car back with 2 brand new rotors on the front, only 2,700 miles on the origionals, a balanced front tire, no strut problem (I doubt it but they will recheck it at the next service) a brand new leather rear bench seat (about a $1,200 repair for free) and they ordered me a new glove box b/c it doesn't line up right. The glove box never bothered me and I didn't even mention it to them but the ordered one anyway and put on their order form to Nissan that it rattled to get the go ahead to replace it.

They replaced the rotors with part number 40206-ZA500. They didn't want to turn them because when I would be ready for another turning I would be have to pay for the new rotors myself, this way, Nissan is paying for them.
My shimmy is now almost gone, I still think it comes through because of the steering column doesn't hold tight. I have the electronic tilt/telescoping wheel and I don't think it torques/clamps down enough to hold the steering wheel shaft steady. I am going to get under the dash and look to see if there is a way to tighten it up. I even turned off my steering wheel automatic enter and exit option because the wheel is now in a place where it doesn't wiggle too much- I don't want to ruin a good thing.

Overall, I am satisfied with my service experience this time around.
I take my 05 Nissan Pathfinder LE in for service after the 4th of July for some warranty work- buzzing exhaust, power window switch and a new tailgate chrome trim piece.