Chris Alexander

Is there anybody who has had their 6th gen for a while and never had a single issue with it? Is there any 6th gen owners who bought theirs brand new and never had a single problem? I bought my 6th in January 2011 and fixed alot of things now i'm going thru a period of time where it's running fine with no problems with 87000 miles it feels like a brand new car with no signs of giving out when everything is running great. I added 22inch wheels and the steering wheel shimmy dissapeared all of a sudden.
Just hate to wonder what's gonna go wrong next I do plan on keeping it for the next 15 to 20 years. Most people hit problems with these and they end up on used car lots. Where I live I see people have their 6gens for 5 or 6 years and then end up with new cars in their driveway. Alot of people dont keep them very long.

NmexMAX

iTrader: (22)

Jesus, 15-20 years?

flyanbrian

Yea i 2nd that, no way I'd keep my 6th gen that long with all that issues I have had. and will not go back to another nissan again after this one

Chris Alexander

Lol it's worth it guys I plan on buying a second car and keeping this one it's a love hate relationship!

CRiME

iTrader: (21)

This is the million dollar question? Man, what a letdown.

LandsEnd

I will have had this car 6 years in August. It has never needed a repair. Most reliable car I have ever owned. I have steering wheel shimmy, and passengers front side door lock issue. (I think all cars have this issue. Heard switching tires to another brand other then Goodyear RSA's fixes the shimmy issue. I do mostly stop, and go driving so it doesnt bother me.) Oh, I replaced a front right headlight bulb 1 time. lol I change the fluids myself. I've been happy! (My miles are low, and I drive about 3,500 a year.)

2004 - 49,000 miles

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

Have only needed normal wear items replaced (brakes, struts/shocks, wheel bearing, tires). 107k

Although I found extensive rust on passenger floor recently I'm not too pleased about. Rivited a plate on top and sealed underneath. Hoping it lasts. Nissan messed up filling the holes used on the assembly line.

Chris Alexander

Everything is running smoothly right now I hope it stays that way the only problem i'm having right now is ants in the car.

Scramblinman

We bought or '05 new 8 years ago. In addition to routine maintenance, during the last 8 years and 135,000 miles we have had to:

Replace the Bose amplifier (covered by warranty)
Have the exhaust rattle fixed (dealer)
Replace both cam position sensors (myself)
Have the valve body rebuilt at 94,000 miles (transmission shop)
Replace the passenger side front wheel bearing at 118,000 miles (myself)
Replace the OEM chrome wheels when the flaking chrome on the bead area caused too many leaks at 118,000 miles.

The transmission issue kind of pissed me off, but otherwise it's been a pretty good car. I expect to keep it to 200,000 miles with a few more small repairs along the way. But 15-20 years? No way.

Chris Alexander

The cam shaft sensor problem, what happened was I had a hard start for a while, then I had the rings around the sensor fixed but not the sensor. After that it did the hard start for a while then all of a sudden it stopped doing it for good. it's payed off keep it and get a another ride thats the plan. Either a Tahoe or a Lexus LS460 but im keeping this one.

timpol

iTrader: (1)

15 years? These are machines that take a lot of abuse. I've had mine seven years and have had a couple of major issues. I'm also pushing 208,000 miles.

steezmuffin686

recently picked up my 04 (139k). and man was it not taken care of. mad timing chain rattle, outer tie rods, inner tie rod, ball joints (apparently a common nissan issue) other than that not much else. might do cams while i do the secondary tensioners considering il be half way there. my 4th gen hasnt given me a lick of problems. i can tell the starters going so its got a battery and starter as far as maintenance is concerned.

ima tech so maintenance isnt a big issue at all. just the time to do it. lol

and op, ur shimmy went away prolly cause the fresh tire balance. always my go to for a steering wheel shimmy. other than that, warped rotors usually causes shimmy, when braking i should say.

Chris Alexander

steezmuffin686 It sounds like your 6th gen is in good hands with you! post a picture. And what do you recommend for all these people around here in the forum with the laundry list of complaints about the transmission do you blame a badly designed Valve Body or lack of maintenance change transmission fluid every 30,000?

Scramblinman

It's a bad design, in my opinion. It has been problematic across the range of vehicles in which it was used. Volvos seem to be the worst.

Chris Alexander

I think a 7speed automatic option would have been much better instead of a CVT. If the 7th gens had 7speed right now that car would be money! it would do so much more. The 6th gen I think a 6speed AT would have been revolutionary at the time and a much better match for the car.

-AoW-JP

I've kept my second car since 1980. All I can say is have a cash fund ready when it breaks down. Timing chains every 60 to 90k but not for everyone I'd say most. Auto tranny depending on how you drive. These are the big ticket items. Everything else I've done was reasonable. I love the car but I'm looking for something now. I might keep it because I only replace what bad with high end parts. It rides better than when I bought it so I understand you wanting to keep it. Good luck!!!

JW3101

We bought our 2008 new and the only issue we had was replacing the struts at 48k miles, we did not use Nissan struts and have not had any other issues with the car. It now has almost 93k miles and runs great!

Chris Alexander

I stopped going to the dealership for maintenance and all my problems went away knock on wood!

steezmuffin686

i like to think so as well! unfortunately i dont have a digital camera so pictures cant be done..sadly. i hear its mostly from ****ty designs w/ the valve body. maintenance not so much...of course, no maintenance would be a contribution to failure. i have a 6mt, so i luckly have all gears and syncros rather than belts. *YES*

dblock82

i have a 04 max i bought in 08 im starting to have issues now my front struts nd to be replace my tranny has what we call the bang effect from 1st to 2nd then park to drive , i just join i hear the transgo fixes the issue and i would never get rid of my max i just nd some help advise

Chris Alexander

I dont wanna jinx mine because this year I finally got it to the point where it's running flawless. Struts? what are the signs they are going out, I have mine checked usually everytime I get a rotation.

04BlackMaxx

In retrospect, im a 9 yr owner of a 2004 SE I traded in last year and it had numerous issues which began at <5k miles when the lumbar broke (small yes, but I had just bought it for $30,000 months prior) and over the years bigger things like rust, ABS actuators and sensors, stereo, rear subframe, control arms, wheel "shimmy" etc led me to the conclusion this wasn't a great quality product, I wouldn't buy another Nissan for as long as I live.

Chris Alexander

I bought mine in 2011 and did 6000 dollars in repairs most of the common problems Shimmy,Timing Chain,Transmission,mounts,AC hose i've had fixed I dont know what could go wrong next.

NmexMAX

iTrader: (22)

Looks as if some 6th gens really sht the bed.

My 95 and 03 have both been reliable as all hell.

I'd say roughly $1200 on parts which were easy as pie to fix/repair/DIY. That's saying a lot in 13 years of ownership, 258,000 miles and 2 cars. I don't count tires or batteries.

Chris Alexander

Its worth every penny to fix these cars are phenomenal!

ShortBusCrew

I will never buy another piece of junk nissan after this. They are costly if not as much as a European cars to fix with all the nissan only parts in Canada. I've dumped over 5 grand in repairs in the past year, and still have a list of problems. I'm just hoping it catches fire one day and have a pay out.

2 timing chains
timing chain sprocket
both banks of cam shaft sensors
water pump
More to list but, the next issue i have is i dont have tail lights when headlights are on, i dont have interior dash lights dimming nor my bose have any lights in the dark, fuses are not blown.

Fakie J Farkerton

iTrader: (51)

Sorry your so sore about it.
Should have got a 4th gen.

CRiME

iTrader: (21)

Wait til you have to replace the valve body

For the tail lights / interior lights, I know that you said you checked fuses, but are you sure that the 15a tail lamp fuse is good? it's located in the panel beside the coolant reservoir. People often miss it. The dome light switch is known to go bad and it can sometimes create a short which blows the fuse. That fuse will take out your tail lights and also your dash lights.

ShortBusCrew

Yeah, all fuses were good, and i replaced every single one of them for good measure. The fuse box is shot itself. even took a voltage reader on each fuse to see if the fuse works, and sure does. It goes into the shop at my new work, once the tail lights went it was time to take it in, i guess at cost is better than paying $100/hr now, so $30 is now affordable. Really dont want to sink more money into a car thats nothing but a headache. Love driving them, but seriously a POS mechanically.

A salesman has a 05 g35 And its a lemon as well. Beautiful cars, unfortunately their a pain, it was in the shop for faulty brake boosters, and even the aftermarket ones did not work worth a damn.

CRiME

iTrader: (21)

Sheesh. Sorry to hear that man. I hope it works out and that you can get back on the road without taking too much of a costly hit.

240tomax

Bought a brand new '90 300 ZX turbo and owned it for 19 years. Only replaced the fuel pump, exhaust, and brakes in that time. The car was awesome and a blast to drive. My 06 Maxima has had the manual transmission, cats, and long block engine replaced under warranty. Love the car but just keep wandering if major problems are about to happen. However, given my 300 ZX experience I would have no problem buying another Nissan.

Chris Alexander

you'll be fine as long as you maintain it, the thing with Maxima's especially the 6th gen is the upkeep. I learned that this car in particular as long as you maintain it it will run fine. That goes for any car but these you gotta do regular maintenance intervals. I dont wanna jinx anything but i've got mine running smoother than its ever before I used to think the same thing as you.

New2Maxi

Hello to everyone! Recently purchased an 08 maxima with 100K first nissan and last. The car is making an annoying noise on small bumps other than that it's ok, but no way I would want to keep it for 15-20 years 😅

Chris Alexander

Have your suspension checked out, I decided along time ago to just keep mine and buy an additional car or truck. I learned it's always good to have an extra car just incase you never know!

New2Maxi

Absolutely you never know! From reading other peoples threads I figured the struts are no longer any good, perhaps my bushings ? But the car does have more miles now so it's only normal time has caught up to my car.

po8pimp

15-20 years??? who do you know that still has a car they bought 15-20 years ago that didn't have a small annoying noise with over 100k miles on it?