My 2004's rear end is noticibly lower than the front, seeming like its sagging. Looking at the amount of space in between the fender and the top of the tires, theres more than 2 inches in the front, and about a half inch or less for the back. Every other Maxima in traffic I pass I drop everything I'm paying attention to to see if they're all like this, but the others don't seem quite as bad. Mine looks pretty ridiculous and I'd like to address the situation... I'm just scared it's gonna be struts or springs, or something I've never even heard of and cost a fortune and I'd rather hear it here first than from the mechanic. I got under it to notice any issues in the wheel/strut area but I'm pretty useless in that dept and don't know where to look. Any ideas would be very much appreciated.

 

My 04 is the same way. I think it is because I replaced my front struts and not the back shocks. I'm planning to replace the back shocks to see if it corrects the problem in a few weeks (recovering from surgery at the moment).

 

Post some pictures...

 

Alrighty I'll be sure to post some pics. Not the original owner so not sure when each set of struts were done. Thanks!!

 

Ok... now i'm full steam researching this deal. Do the maxy's have struts or shocks in the rear? I went to monroe.com to start looking at possibilities and it has the recommended rear part as passenger car SHOCKS, but every other source says they use struts. I'd obviously prefer replacing the less expensive shocks, but i don't want to get my hopes up.

 

Fronts = struts
Rears = shocks

buy = GR2's not monroe!

 

ok... i have pictures but i'm not sure how to post them on here haha

 

the rear fender gap is a lot smaller than the front.

 

alrighty. that's reassuring, i did notice an '08 in the parking lot at work and it was the same... so unless something went very wrong in a year for that maxima i think i'm in ok shape.

 

I went to the dealership and they told me I needed front struts and shocks and they quoted me a priced of 950 including labor. I would like to buy my own parts but im not sure what to buy or where to buy it. Could someone up a link to 04 struts and shocks. Thanks!

 

My '05 Max also sits low in the back. I do know there is a recall on the rear suspension for bolts breaking off when removing.I take my car to the dealer for all my service and nothing has ever been said about me needing struts or anything. You know if there is something wrong they will tell you. Take your car to a dealer and let someone look at it.

 

Do struts comes as an assembly or do you need to buy additional parts i.e. boot, bolts, springs?

 

My 2008 Maxima is noticably lower in the back also. I have 18,000 Miles and an extended warranty. Is this normal for maxima or should i have it replaced? Also i been seeing other people with 2004 maxima installing an extender peace to the springs in the rear and that has helped the car rise up in the back. Someone please help me i dont know what to do. I want to be prepared if i have to take the trip to the dealer.

 

The 04-05 all look like that. Like the azz is to heavy or something. Shouldn't have anything to do with the struts. The springs determine how high or low your car sits

 

I just got back from the dealer and according to them the front standard suppose to be 29 inches from ground and the back suppose to be 27 inches. They claim i meet standards. I know i notice a big difference so i am stuck now. As far as the springs go. I have seen some people installing some spacers in their springs to make the car level.

 

27 and 29 from the ground to where it touches the fender?

 

 

I had a 2000 GLE, 2003 SE and now I drive a 2005 and and I notice they all like that........

 

Just kinda getting back into this problem, I've been accepting it for a while but I think it's worse than before. I put snow tires on about a month ago, and they're 17" rims versus the OE 18"ers. I don't know if that would affect it, but I want to find some way to address the heavy rear end of my max. I can no longer see the whole rear tire because it goes inside the fender. Time for new shocks or springs? passes the bounce test with flying colors, so you'd think that would indicate suspension problems... if this is what nissan engineered, i'm not a fan.

 

Really? 5th gens have struts all around iirc. So Nissan downgraded the rear suspension for 6G's from struts to shocks? That's weird.

 

if i gotta pay for replacements i'd prefer shocks! struts are insane

 

They didn't downgrade them, they upgraded the 6gen to an independent rear suspension!!!

 

Hi Maxy04SE,

Did you check to make sure that your rear sub-frame was replaced as per Nissan's TSB Recall?

Also, have a dealership test the rear to make sure that it meets the specs. If they tell you to replace the shocks then I suggest to change all 4 to KYB GR2. They offer a significantly better ride and are also much less expensive to replace plus they are covered by a lifetime warranty.

Just for the record...my car is lowered with Eibachs and I have KYB's too.

Just my 2 cents....good luck! -