Has anyone noticed that there is a blind spot just behind the front post on both sides of the max? I recently found this out when trying to change lanes on the interstate and almost side swiped a mazda. Any suggestions or solutions? I've thought about getting some convex spots to place on the side view mirrors. Not sure if I will like the look but might be better than extensive body work.

 

I just recommend learning your car and be more careful next time. I've done the same when I wasnt paying attention, and now it doesn't happen. Try to be aware of all the vehicles around you.

 

just get those convex mirrors. i got them on mine. they help quite a bit.

 

Whatever happened with the "quick glance" to the side you're changing lanes too??????

 

Oh no... not the OLD LADY BUICK mirrors!!!

 

The only annoyance, of which there is no solution whatsoever, is the overly thick A pilars. I literally have to look around them to make sure I dont go out infront of someone when makig a left out of my street. The pillar can completely hide an oncoming car and I have had more than one close call, ****ty design.

 

or how about you align all of your mirrors properly and glance at them real quick while checking your blind spot and make the turn?!

 

Or just drive so fast that you insure there is nobody next to you.

Honestly, after the accidents I've been in, I look two or three times before changing lanes, no matter what car i'm in. You really can't account for the actions of others, with or without old lady mirrors.

 

meh, old lady or not, i rather look at them then turn around and look. a lot of stuff can happen when you're turned around looking back.

 

Up here us "crazy canucks" call it checking your blind spot. It involves a quick glance over your shoulder before you change a lane immediately after you've checked your side mirror.

...and remember the same technique should be used when making right turns to check for people on bicycles.

At least thats how us crazies up here do it.

 

yea, if you're a and are turned for like 5 seconds while going 80+mph.....................it's called a QUICK glance

 

my friend also did a "quick" glance and end up plowing into a car going 50 that was in front of her that braked hard all of a sudden. i rather not risk it.

 

Forget the convex mirrors, not worth it. Place your mirrors correctly; I see most people not pointing their mirrors toward the blind spot, but actually pointing at their own cars, an accident waiting to happen.

And 80+ mph is not that bad, try to do it F1 style with someone next to you at 170+ mph...80 mph doesn't sound so bad after all! Let's be quick when turning those necks people, is not that complicated.

BTW, F1 rules

 

IBIgotwhiplashbecauseItriedtodoaquickglance

 

The criticisms of some here may be slightly askew.

The 'A' pillars are NOT 'sh---y by design'; they are somewhat wide because they each house a sidecurtain airbag. Granted, they somewhat impede the view, hence add slightly to the hazards of driving. But the potential benefits from these bags are worth the extra trouble of shifting the head slightly to see around them.

The outside mirrors are NOT rear view mirrors. The inside mirror is the ONLY rear view mirror. The side mirrors are exactly that; side view mirrors. They should be aimed directly at the 'blind' spots. This means aimed at the adjacent lane at a spot around eight feet to the side of each end of our rear bumper.

This is where Nissan has fumbled the ball very slightly; the furthest I can adjust the side mirrors outward on my 6th gen gives me a view only seven feet or so beyond the ends of my bumpers. But that still gives me a peek at what most consider to be the traditional 'blind spot'. We can see even further into the blind spot by simply shifting our head to the front slightly when looking into the side mirror.

And no, I would never change lanes without also taking a quick peek. If done correctly, this quick peek should take less than half a second. We aren't trying to identify the make or model of any car that may be there, or count the passengers; either something is there or it isn't there, and the quiskest of glances tells us that. If that causes us to hit the car in front, we were tailgating.

 

the quick glance method has always worked for me.

 

Again, "light" has all of the right answers. Way to go !

 

Very well written and totally truth, hence like I said from the beginning pay more attention its not rocket science. When I was younger I too rocked those cheesy mirrors. I would never put them on any of my cars now. Maybe when I'm 70 and can't do quick glances and too stubborn to take my butt off the road I might rock them again. #1 driving problem in FL.

 

Your friend must have been following too closely! Not picking on her, because most people these days just don't leave a safe distance between themselves and the car in front of them. Us oldtimers were always taught one car length for every 10MPH that you are travelling. Now I also realise that when you do practice this rule of thumb, people are constantly using that space to change lanes. Just a by-product of all the traffic that is out there these days.

 

jc, you nailed that one. If you are going 50 and are only 2 car lengths away and that person suddenly slows down hard, your in their trunk.
The pillars are wide and I have to look around them and the mirror when I take a left sometimes. So far no close calls with that. I had the same problem with my 98 too.

 

look back at the lane with your own eyes; its not like we're driving semi-trailers that we can't see out of any of the windows in the car, although this model is far more restrictive than previous models (no problem in my 3rd gen, kinda hard to see in my 5th gen, a bit harder to see in the 6th gen)

cant be as bad as a 350z

 

Id rather have skinnier A pillars and not need the airbag in them when one of those times the car hidden behind them ends up hitting me.

Seriously, Ive had times where the car to my left is hidden by the pillar while we are both in motion...for about 5 seconds before I get the the stop sign...I stop, then its like WHOA...

 

A look back may be preferred in normal traffic, but almost never used here in NJ during rush hour traffic. There are just too many cars on the road we drive too tightly. At 80 mph, we usually have only three car lengths separating us. The driving environment is flat out dangerous. We barely look at the car in front of us. We have to focus on the car that is two or three places ahead of us if we hope to respond to any emergency. To take our eyes off the road, turn our heads sideways, turn back again and refocus takes at least a ½ second or more. In that environment, it is too much time. You have to rely on your mirrors. You see a lot of “rockers” here. When we use the side mirrors, we sort of rock forward, toward the steering wheel to increase the viewing angle of the mirror. When we do that, the face is always forward so our peripheral vision can still see what’s in front of us.

 

Sounds like a poor excuse to me, and trust me here in Miami driving in traffic is like being in hell. I have never had a close call when I do the "quick glance" technique. As someone mentioned, it's a quick technique, it's not like if you're trying to see who the driver is, and what car it is. Allow yourself some space and you can easily do it with no problem. I've also used the "rocking" technique where you lean forward, it helps, but regardless I always do the "quick glance" to make sure, especially down here in Miami where it seems as though they give away licenses to anyone 18 and older.

 

As I mentioned in the first line of my post, the look back (quick look) technique is preferred in normal traffic. I use the look back technique most of the time. Being “sure” is smart. But I still argue that it is not safe all the time. In really fast moving, tightly packed traffic, it’s too dangerous to turn your head, even for a split second.

With all due respect, I’ve driven in Miami during rush hour (FL Turnpike, Palmetto Express, and 95) and I agree it’s congested, especially 95. But it is not the same as NJ Parkway or Turnpike in North Jersey during rush hour.

 

Thanks for all of your comments. I have done the quick glance proceedure but ( and perhaps it's just me) but several times I have looked and still almost missed a car that either was just entering the interstate or was still in the blind spot. I'm getting the spots (you can call them granny mirrors if you want) but I'd rather not test the function of the side airbags anytime soon.

 

+1 Speaking the truth there.

 

Max_Ash layed it down proper.

 

LoH... is it just "age/experience" that gives you all that wisdom?????

AscendantMax: no offense to women drivers..... but i have noticed that some of them (younger are more prone) .... they want to "know the model of the car" behind and tend to look sideways (and some even turn their head all the way behind!!) for a longer period of time.....

but as most have said here... the "quick" sideways glance is the best ... saved me a few embarassing moves on the highways! (and no, i do not point my "sideview" mirrors at the rear of my car... i know where it is!)

 

In case anyone is interested here is a how-to on setting your mirrors "properly", link. Use at your own risk.

 

.............................Looks like this topic was beat pretty good...

 

Yes. And because "light" has more age than I do, he has more experience.

 

iclrod - I must disagree with the mirror alignment procedure referenced. They are suggesting using all tree mirrors as rear view mirrors, rather than using the outside ones to cover the blind spots.

I feel that is not the best for those drivers prone to not paying close attention to what is around them (on cell phone, listening to Meat Loaf or Ice T), or someone who dares change lanes without turning to look, etc.

It might be best for those who do not keep a close watch on motorcycles approaching from the rear, or drive a van, or a truck with body cover, or, for whatever reason, have the view to the back blocked to the inside rear view mirror, or ... and they go on to list other things that have never applied to me while driving my Maxima.

The positions they suggest are actually the ones we keep on our truck, as the load sometimes blocks the rear view mirror.

The reality is that I am never going to change lanes without glancing back, and I hope to never be coming up alongside someone who would do that.

By positioning the mirrors where I have the widest view of the expanse behind and beside me, I am usually able to know BEFORE TURNING MY HEAD whether something is there that would preclude my changing lanes. If something is in the mirror, that saves me the trouble of even bothering to glance back. If the mirrors seem to indicate things are clear, then my glance back is just to confirm what the mirrors are indicating. On somewaht open roads and freeways, I supplement this by always trying to maintain a mental picture of things that are coming up behind me.

Those jammed up in very heavy congestion have no opportunity to know everything coming from the rear, and have to be especially careful. The mirrors do not 'tell all', no matter what position you use. If you must travel so close to the traffic in front of you that you don't dare glance back even for less than a half second, my advice would be to avoid changing lanes unless absolutely necessary. Improper lane change is the source for many freeway accidents.

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SilverMax_04 - Just because I have been driving longer (58 years) than most here have been alive doesn't mean I am ready for the trash heap. When I get to Colorado, you better have your SE in tune, and a deserted stretch of highway in mind. I may not be the smoothest on crutches, the most maneuverable on my walker, the swiftest on my gurney, or be mistaken for Jeff Gordon on my three wheel Scooter (paid for by Medicare). But when I get behind the wheel of my Maxima, it is (quoting John Wayne) 'Katy bar the door'.

And for those who dread the thought of very old drivers ruining traffic, my wife will confirm I move right out. I go when the light turns green, keep right except to pass, have cruised over 100MPH several times in recent years (always on empty stretches of rural roadway), and have not had a single ding on either my 2000 SE or 2004 SL. And yes, over two million miles driven does help me to feel more comfortable behind the wheel.

Time to fire up the scooter and go search for that infernal bottle of Geritol . . . a gulp of that will dislodge the Centrum Silver capulet stuck in my throat.

 

Just as I suspected, you have more driving experience than I do. This August, I will pass 53 years of driving.

I doubt if a smooth running SL is a match for an SE -- even on the back roads of Colorado. On straight stretches, possibly. But if I take you up in the mountains with all of the ups & downs along with the curves, my money will be on the SE (particularly now that she has Michelin Pilot Sports for shoes).

 

Quick glance is part of driving. End of story. Welcome to real life.

Joshua

 

Set my mirrors a bit out so I can see part of the blind spot.... and don't be lazy to move around your head or do a quick glance....

 

Glance or be glanced at! That simple.

 

xoomer - So true. Folks have been shot around Atlanta for cutting off someone they didn't see in their mirror.

SilverMax_04 - I'll grant you the mountains. SE clearly faster there. Straight roads could be very close.

We may be closer than I thought on total miles driven. I thought back today to the cars I have driven, and the mileage I put on them, and decided I have driven around one and a half million miles, not two million. You may have driven more miles than I.

 

I would not know where to begin trying to figure the total miles I have driven in my life to-date. So I will easily give you total miles for lack of a way to even roughly estimate how far I've driven.

 

silver, LoH.... Wow almost 4 million miles between the two of you... me rough estimate.... abt 52000 miles on maxima and abt 200000 miles on other cars.... i'm just nowhere....in terms of experience.....

sorry to go off topic... but we are in the midst of some valuable experience from these two.....