xorbitman

iTrader: (1)

I am just disgusted with all the suspension problems I have had with my Maxima 05 SE. Even before I lowered the car I had been through several warranty replacements: 1 front left OEM shock, 2 front right OEM shocks, bushings, plates, bearings etc. and after my original warranty expired and I realized that the extended warranty did not cover the shocks, I decided to go with aftermarket shocks KYB GR2 (lifetime warranty) and lowering springs (Eibach Pro Kit 1). I can honestly say that I am impressed with the service and support I have received from these two companies and I am very grateful for that. However Nissan has to step up to the plate and admit that the design is flawed and present a new solution....just my opinion. I have owned 11 different cars and my wife has owned 3 different cars (we are married 20 years since 1989!) and even her 2002 Toyota Corrolla that has over 100K Kms is only now showing problems with it's shocks. Cars that I have owned: 1981 Chevrolet Malibu Classic Coupe, 1982 Pontiac Acadian (Lemon), 1984 Chevrolet Celebrity, 1985 VW GTI (Lemon), 1987 VW GTI, 1989 Ford Probe LE 4cyl . 1991 Honda Accord EX-R, 1996 Mazda 626 (Lemon), 2002 Maxima GLE (RIP), 2004 Maxima SL (Lemon), 2005 Maxima SE Auto Premium; wife: 1982 Honda Civic, 1996 Nissan Sentra, 2002 Toyota Corolla. And out of all these cars including those of my parents (6 cars)...I have never experienced the problems with suspensions I have seen on my 2005 Maxima! This is just shamefull and ridiculous especially since I had extensive suspension work done just last year on this car and have barely driven it since (I work from home)...I was very careful not to drive in to pot holes and avoided the man hole covers on the right hand side of the road. I did not drive it on the bad snow days and basically babied this car during the past year. It's just disgusting! I'm pretty sure that my top bearings are finished and need replacing....plus all the other parts that hold the shocks together at the top. Not to mention that I will be replacing the front right shock for a second time in one year and a left front Eibach spring which I replaced (both springs were replaced 2 weeks ago...left spring had broken! - see my other posts here).

BadBlackMaxSL

iTrader: (1)

You said it. The weakest link in the Max is the front suspension. It keeps the Max from being a truly great car for the money. I was sad to see that the 7th gen uses basically the same setup. Nissan should take a look under a Honda or an Acura to see what a FWD car's front suspension should look like.

04BlackMaxx

Man you've had alot of lemons...is it you or the car?

2LEET4U

iTrader: (4)

chances are, your springs were installed incorrectly.... i had an 05 max with Progress springs and KYB suspension.....NO PROBLEMS...

2 other local max owners with 05's and same setup.... NO PROBLEMS....

i now have an 08 maxima with Eibach springs and stock suspension.... NO PROBLEMS....

the difference is, i had major help with installing my springs and struts/shocks.

Mr. CoolMax05 is the best guy to ask on these forums.

Also, i have to admit, there are a few tricks of the trade that need to be done in order to get the right lowering suspension to work correctly.

IMO, it looks like you are blamming everyone else except for the lowering springs and the installer.

NiZMo1o1

iTrader: (45)

Acutally the Weakest link is the Tranny , Nissan decides to go with a Renualt/VQ35 Motor and Saturn and Volvo Tranny parts.

The 7th gen suspension is way better than the A34s

Ive had Progress Springs and Stock OEM struts in the front for 2 years , with no issues..

The Rears I changed out with AGXs

xorbitman

iTrader: (1)

Everyone here knows that VW's were not exactly the most reliable cars.
Also I found out that 1996 Mazda 626s are "not recommended" by consumer zine's. When you've been driving for 30 plus years you're bound to encounter some problem vehicles, especially 80's cars....Cars today are better designed....for example look at Hundai, Kia and Chrysler in the 80's and compare them with today.

Everyone here knows that there were a lot of issues with the 2004 Maxima....Mine was a bucket of loose bolts. Even my service advisor at my stealership used to call it the Friday afternoon special...because we think it was assembled just around quiting time on a Friday afternoon!

Some people are lucky with cars others have to be careful. My wife's 2002 Corolla CE has been exemplary...knock on wood!

I wish you lots of luck with your cars! You're less than half of my age so if you go through as many cars as I've been through in your life you're bound to encounter a bad one either you directly or someone close to you.

BTW Nizmo101 and 2leet4U; you both live in fairly warm climates. Plus Arizona and Florida have much better roads than Montreal. I know, I travel to Florida at least once a year and I have friends in Arizona. You guys don't have winter driving conditions...It is now law here to have seperate winter tires...so the wheel and tire package changes 2 times a year. That puts stress on all the suspension components. In winter sometimes my street is completly covered in packed snow for close to 2 months! Try driving a car in -65 F with the wind chill factor and snow squalls and storms....cars here go through extremes and thus have to be manufactured to withstand them. Your driving conditions are a piece of cake compared with ours. Our summer temps go as high as 110 F with humidity in the shade in July too BTW. Also we have a lot of corrosion due to the use of salt and sand on the roads. That's one of the reasons Nissan redesigned one of the suspension compenents already: The top rubber mount used to have a steel plate in the middle and is now made entirely of a silicon/rubber compound.

Progress Springs and H&R are not recommended for use up here and can void the warranty; the only approved aftermarket spring in Canada is the Eibach Prokit 1.
Prove to us that the suspension design in the 7th gen is better....it's the same basic setup. Time will tell....in fact I'm going to post the question.

One more thing. I did own a 2002 Maxima GLE (RIP) which was in a very serious car accident and the car saved my life. That car was a fantastic car with no problems what so ever in the almost 2 years that I had drove it. I was hit broadside by an 80 year old man who probably fell aspleep while driving late at night and was drinking wine at a Xmas party (I could smell his breath) Plus he was doing 50 MPH in a 25 MPH zone and went through a red light. He also had a bum right leg and needed a cane to walk...what's a person like that doing driving anyway?! So Nissan does know how to build good cars....If you guys want proof about the suspension issues of our 6th gen....do a search here. Although my join date says 2004, I've been a member here since 2002 under another name and changed it after my 2002 Max.

Both of you live in beautiful states and are fortunate for that. When I retire in less than 10 years from now I will spend my winters in South West Florida...(Somewhere between just north of Cape Coral and south to Naples hopefully). It's a common joke here that as soon as we cross the boarder the roads in the USA are far better than in Quebec. Even now Ontario has bad roads too.

04BlackMaxx

I live in buffalo and hated the maxima's reliability up till 40k miles...when it had a problem with the stereo cd player, the abs drama, the shimmy, and hte lumbar. Im at 97k and my thoughts have changed, she's running liek a champ and no BIG problems have ever happened, i honestly think i might keep it for another 4-5 years with no problem...i guess it takes some time to appreaciate that it actually is a genuinely good car that asidde of a few poorly designed components is made to last.

xorbitman

iTrader: (1)

Yes for the most part, I would have to agree with you on that. I love my Max and I don't want to sound like a bitter hater....it's just that I've gone through too much trouble with respect to my Maxs' suspension. The rest has been quite good.

04BlackMaxx

i guess the whole rear-subframe thing can attest to that...why they didnt notify me until 2009 i have no idea.

BadBlackMaxSL

iTrader: (1)

I hate to split hairs but most Max owners complain of a problem with the suspension while only a few have had problems with their trans. Now, dollar for dollar the trans is a much bigger problem but in terms of overall quality, I still vote for the suspension as the weakest link. Also, on the 7th gen, they still use the MacPherson Strut setup which is far less susperior than the double wishbone of the Acura/Honda. My 02 Acura TL had a sweet ride. On my Max I've had the Progress springs (went back to OEM springs), Racingline endlinks (had 2 OEM replacements and I'm now with Moog endlinks), Racingline strut bar and Monroe struts (after 3 replacements of the OEM struts) and nothing could rid the loose rattle of the right front wheel. I'm at 49977 miles and I love my 2004 Max SL 5 speed auto, except for that rattle over the bumps. I live in Cleveland, OH which is the poorest city in the land, after Detroit, and we have lots of bumps and potholes. I don't have any squeaks or rattles in the interior and the rest of the car has been solid. Oh, and my trans, still pulls very strong and when its warmed up, it shifts so smoothly I would swear it was a CVT.

xorbitman

iTrader: (1)

Good for you BadblackmaxSL for telling it like it is. And no you're definitely not splitting hairs. Another strange problem I have with my car. The bottom black pillar plastic mouldings just beside both front seats next to the seat belts keep poping out of place in the cold months...the plastic pieces expand and contract way too much for a car of this type and cost....I've seen new Hyundai's with better interiors. I'm also on my second transmission on this 05. The extremes of winter here were too much for it after only 3 winters. I still love my Max though and plan on additional mods. BTW - There is no incorrect way to install the springs...either you install them or they don't work. My suspension was working fine until my left spring broke...after the installation of the new springs the top plates and bearings were so worn out that they needed replacing so it's back to the garage. The Eibachs are supposedly the best lowering springs out there...and I for one believe that they are the best.

ramberg

iTrader: (29)

Sorry to hear about all your problems with your car. I thought the roads were bad in Brooklyn until I visited you last year. I thought the extended warranty would cover everything, I hope everything works out. Retire now and come on down so we can hang out.

sirphilo

Car handling is very important. It seems that the front suspension is a poor design.
I have had my 04 Maxima a couple years. I have had 5 alignments, new struts, new end links, CV axles (due to installer damage). The steering knuckle was recently replaced. I had a 89 Firbird Formula that constantly had alignment problems. The Maxima is driving good now, but I am afraid to drive it because it might throw off the alignment.

xorbitman

iTrader: (1)

Hey Warren...it's nice to hear from you! I do miss you! Why don't I try and organize a visit to NYC this June after Jen's convocation...yes, she's graduating High School at 16...hard to believe it goes so fast....

I'm almost there (retirement)...or semi-retired as they say. I have been working hard on both my companies and on my car too. I've been lucky with my aftermarket shocks and springs as they are covered with lifetime warranties...and as far as the dearlership is concerned...I use my dealer points to lower my hourly rate (oil changes and maintenance) so I get by without too much Pain$ in my pocket....

Are you planning on going to Maxus? I really want to go bad....I'm thinking of changing my spark plugs to those pulstars and I want to install the spacers from Aaron soon....then dyno tune the engine with the safc computer....and of course get the new led rear tails....I would also like to change the plate lights to blue LEDs need help with that though.

Cheers!

xorbitman

iTrader: (1)

Just found out by speaking with Eibach that the reason the car is making noises it that the Springs were probably not installed correctly by the stealership! Eibach states that the springs should be lined up with the line straight up and not rotated to match the top pad. Instead, it's the top pad that should be rotated to match the spring otherwise there will be un-even pressure exerted on the springs which could cause them to fail (break) and would also cause all the hardware the holds everything together at the top to wear out prematurely. My stealership claims that the top hardware parts are not covered by the warranty because of the aftermarket springs (Eibach). Yet talking with Eibach, they say that they are a recognized aftermarket part by Nissan and Nismo and that no warranty claims can be denied due to the use of their springs. I will be having a discussion with the stealership about this tomorrow morning and we all will be asking the mechanics how the installed the springs. IMHO it was a faulty installation by a Nissan Certified Dealer and Mechanic and therefore either the stealership will have to pay or Nissan will have to honor their extended warranty on these parts. Which was my reasoning for going aftermarket in the first place!
Nissan shocks are not covered by extended warranties...and aftermarket shocks such as the KYB have lifetime warranties...so do Eibach springs. The battle should heat up tomorrow and if I find that they incorrectly installed these springs they will have to reimburse the cost of the labor for the replacement of my springs (aprox $190) and today's labor and parts of $400! They kept all the parts that were replaced and they were in terrible condition with cracks and broken pieces etc!

I will keep you all informed....I am being told to hold my ground and have them replace these parts under warranty or dealership work guarantee...eitherwise why go to the stealership to have work done if they don't stand behind their work?

chernmax

iTrader: (15)

Before I went coilover I had EiBachs on my car for 3+ years with zero issues. Almost everyone who complained of noise was a result of an improper installation. EiBach has been around a real long time and to my knowledge has never been in the business of manufacturing noisy springs.

xorbitman

iTrader: (1)

Hi Guys,

Here's the latest update from this morning at the stealership. We looked back at the history of the maintenance of my car and found out that in May/June 2006 all the components holding the struts and springs at the top plate (rubber mounts and bearing mounts etc) had to be replaced due to excessive wear and failure at 50,000 Kms thats aprox 36,000 miles. At that point the car's suspension had not been modified with the only aftermarket part being an engine bay strut bar.(Stillen) which of course could not account for this premature wear. As many of you here are aware, I was the one here to bring to everyone's attention that Nissan had redesign the top pad seat...eliminating the metal sandwhich design and going with solid rubber. These parts were all replaced at that time under warranty by the same stealership and also I had them install the KYB's and the Eibachs at the same time. My issue in my meeting with them this morning was that it is possible that the pads were not turned all the way properly possibly or that the wear is just normal (sic) - premature wear due to improper design. They were saying that the wear was due to aftemarket parts....I proved to them that the original parts were replace at 50K when the car was unmodified and yet the parts this time acutally lasted longer! 70,000 kms! So their arguement could not stand up. They conceded and agreed to take up with Nissan and all agreed to cover it under my extended warranty! Including the repairs that I paid for 2 weeks ago when my left Eibach spring cracked and both springs were replaced by Eibach free of charge under their "Life time" warranty....so in the end all is well that ends well....except: why are these parts failing so soon? How come my wife's inexpensive 2002 Toyota Corolla CE which is almost at the same mileage only recently now has to have the original shocks replaced after close to 9 years!?

Also Chern, thanks for Chiming in and adding your experience!

xorbitman

iTrader: (1)

I made an appointment on Monday afternoon with one of Montreal's finest aftermarket performance garage's: Garbis Performance...they're going to have a look at the car. Over the phone the mechanic was telling me that it would have helped to loosen the bolts on the bottom table after the top install then line it up flush and then tighten....there would be no gap or offset angle. We'll see if that works.

ubersl

A couple of weeks ago I installed KYB's (struts, shocks and mounts) on my 04 SE. Had some noise before on uneven roads, small potholes at slow speeds. Now it's all gone.
But every time my car sits for couple of hours or overnight, I hear a sound like springs are resetting in place as soon as I turn a steering wheel for the 1st time. After that it's perfectly fine.
Is it more or less normal or should I recheck my installation? I can see that springs sit right where they suppose to on the bottom. And I used some lithium lube on top (from inside wheel wells) just to make sure it's not some metal on metal rubbing.
I would hate to take it apart again since I paid over $100 for alignment and balancing.

xorbitman

iTrader: (1)

I would leave it alone...if it's riding nice and doesn't make any noises while turning the steering wheel or riding over bumps or slight dips (uneven pavement) then just leave it!