Frustrated Future 7th Gen Owners
 

This e-mail was from my mom to me regarding my dad's decision to buy a new Maxima. Understand when she says "Big Boy", Big Boy is a 6th Generation Maxima that I am buying from them when I get back from Iraq. After reading this if anybody has any input that they can assist with it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advanced.
Scrappy

PS No hatin' or hittin on my mom cuz she is 60 and owns a Z lmao.

Well just let me say that you are getting a better car then we are buying. How that works out I just don't know but it does. Dad decided on a new Maxima. We went to the dealership a couple of times to look and the car in the color he wants, Tuscan Red, is not available anywhere so it needs to be special ordered. Special order cars can take up to 90 days for delivery and by then you should be on your way home, so a decision had to be made. We had to give up stuff to get stuff. We originally wanted the premium package with the wood grain finish and the fold down rear seat with the rear radio controls. Believe it or not, that Maxima only comes with what they call summer tires. In order to get all weather radial tires, you had to get the Sport version of the Maxima, the 3.5 SV with the Sport Tech. package. you really could not just add different tires because the Sport Maxima comes with a different suspension then the Premium. The only difference besides that were the options. We did not care about the two moon roofs. I wanted the wood grain like our present Maxima has and Dad wanted the rear controls. That is basically {besides the tires} the only difference. To spend more money to get cheaper tires is so stupid. We also had to add the navigation pkg. That we could do, add some extras but not tires or the back seats or the wood grain. It has to do with what is sporty. You also cannot get the 4 window down feature and the old Maxima has that.It is the same as my Z, the Maxima has options like memory seats and heated steering wheel that I can't get in the Z. The MPG on the old Maxima is better then the new one. In this day and age that is insane. The interior will be charcoal leather with black metallic trim on the doors and dash but a beige color on the roof. Big Boy is all charcoal inside and I think it is nicer. Well it is not my car and I try to stay out of it except for the financing so I will let it be. If you write back, don't resend this letter because I don't want Dad thinking I don't like his car. It is a beautiful car with I guess, some fun doodads but I think Big Boy is classier. I am sure there is a lot more to the car, I just touched on some of the features. Mom

Dear ingognito friend - It seems your folks are having to deal with a normal dealer. That is never good.

No, you will not be getting a better car (6th gen) than your folks (7th gen). The 7th gen is better than the 6th in many ways. More power, faster 0 to 60, faster in the slalom, better steering wheel, four foot tighter turning circle - - the list goes on and on.

Someone (dealer?) is very confused. The summer tires are ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY a no-cost 19" OPTION available ONLY with the Sport package, which has 19" wheels. All-season tires are STANDARD on ALL VERSIONS of the '09 Maxima, including those with Premium and Sport packages. Nissan is shipping a few Maximas equipped with the Sport package to which they added the no-charge summer tires option, but that is the ONLY place they will be found on the '09 Maxima.

No, Nissan has not yet begun shipping cars in red or jade, but I expect that to change within a few weeks. Yes, this early in the production run, I would not count on seeing a special order Maxima in much less than 90 days.

I'm not sure about the 'four window down' option you mentioned, but the Premium package on the '09 gives the 'auto-up-down' feature to ALL FOUR windows. I only had it on the front windows of my 6th gen.

The MPG on the new Maxima is not only NOT worse than the 6th gen; it is actually one MPG better. You may be confused on this because the government changed the system of calculating MPG between the '07 and '08 model years, and the new system gives clearly lower (but generally more realistic) numbers. I expect to get around 30 MPG on many freeway trips in my '09 Maxima.

The option packages, contents and names are all new for '09, and unless one goes to nissanusa and digs around and prints the whole options/contents list, has little chance of figuring all this stuff out.

I wish there were some way someone who has a grasp of all this '09 hodgepodge could spend an hour or so with your folks. Sadly, they may not find that help at the dealer. Tell them few salespersons have become familiar with the new '09 option packages. Encourage them to get and study the official brochure with all specs and options laid out. If their dealer does not have a brochure yet, they can access one online via nissanusa. But rest assured the '09 Maxima is a very stylish and technologically advanced vehicle that most folks would be very proud to own.

I know I sent u a private message but I wanted to publicly thank you once again for your help with this. I hope with pasting what u said to my folks that they will take the time and go back and get what they really want. I mean they are retired not like they have anything else to do lol. Thanks again.

Seriously... they need to just wait and get what they want. The car was just released recently and it takes time for the market to get saturated with vehicles that have the options you will be looking for.

I remember when the '04 came out... I searched and searched for an SE with navigation... nobody in my area had one... then one dealer got it in that sand looking color which I didn't care for. I wanted it, but knew I wouldn't be happy if I didn't get exactly what I want. And guess what... a few weeks later my main dealer called me and told me they got a silver SE with Nav (and Elite package... which I don't regret spending the extra cash for, surprisingly).

Just tell them to wait and get what they want. It's a lot of money to spend just to settle for what you don't want.

^^^ YA , isnt this always the case when a new car comes out that has some following behind it.

this dealer does not know what he is doing...

as light said, tell them to wait and they can get exactly what they want.

Pointless how.............this guys parents could have very well ended up with a car that they did not want if they didn't get advice from people that know what they are talking about. And its up to moderators whether a thread should be considered pointless.

parents giving up 6th for
 

uavscrappy - If your parents have internet access they could spend some time looking at these forums. I am so thankful for them, they are surely helping me make decisions. If they don't have internet you could possibly cut and paste some info and mail it to them. Nissan, like so many other dealers is not making it easy to get some of the things we want without getting some others we don't, however I'll enjoy the extra "bells and whisltes" I am going to get! It would be great if the sales reps were more informed but we have to gather our info for ourselves these days. Take care and be safe in Iraq.... Thanks for all you are doing over there.

Hey guys thanks for most of the support especially NissLover I appreciate you having my back. I haven't heard back from my mom yet, if I was home in Florida things would be much different but being in Iraq it's not like I can pick up a phone or go with the to the dealer and tell him he his FOS. I am sure everyone here has those parents that are in their sixties and though they have a computer and the internet, they just arent saavy in to coming here like I do or going to the Nissan Website. Plus everyone knows how it is dealing with the Dealership you just want to stick bamboo chutes up underneath your fingernails than rather deal with them. Hopefully this will have a happy ending to it. Thanks for the support, I will now crawl back over to where I belong which is the 6th Generation side lol.
Take Care
Scrappy

...then maybe you should just shut up and go elsewhere with your comments!!!

Scrappy, I noticed that lightonthehill touched upon one of your questions but was not completely sure...

The auto up/down windows for every window (front and back) is ONLY available with the premium package. So yeah, it seems like everything they wanted (plus some they are impartial for) are in the premium package. So I would wait and go to a dealer who knows what they are talking about because as light said, the all season tires come standard with all of the packages.

Big Juice no worries mate, just gotta be the bigger man and ignore peeps like that lol. Only way he can get out of newbie status is to post moronic comments like that lol.

Nitro Thanks for the info, I talked to my folks last night, and they went ahead and ordered the car in the color he wanted and I am pretty sure with pretty much all the toys he wanted. In other good news I just got my orders and will be back in the US by mid-September by then I will be a proud sixth gen owner lol.

Peace
Scrappy

almost 2k miles, i'm luving the 09, get one if you can.

G09madmax - Don't be stingy with words. After 2K miles, you doubtlessly have info we want to know about. The world (well, Maxima.org) awaits a few details on your experience with your new Maxima.

Hey guys, I've had my '09 for one week now and really love it. The Ds shift mode feels much better than D. CVT takes some getting used to. Just noticed no auto up on any windows in mine, disappointed that this part of an option package, really liked that on my Altima. I am getting 20 mpg with my foot in the SV most of the time. Currently considering custom exhaust, axle back only.

jacejax - What gives, buddy? I feel sure '09 has auto up and down on both front windows, and I know the Premium package adds auto up and down on the back seat windows. I hope you don't have an early bug in your ride? Of course I'm talking about operating from the switches inside the car, while you may be talking about operating with the remote from your third floor office window.

I have the SV w/ Sport and Tech packages. This configuration has auto up on the two front windows but not for the back two.

lightonthehill
I may have a some bugs. 12V plugs in console do not work
No auto up, just checked, they work on the fob, but not in the car.
SES light has been on twice in 500 miles. First one was me starting the car while fueling, second one?

Something to add to my list I guess.
Sport and Tech package, AU/AD is listed on the window sticker as a standard option.
They do down, but no up! I let you know how this turns out.

jacejax - Thanks much for the info. Anyone here checking out an '09 will know to try out these functions before signing anything. I'm not aware of any report of any of these three problems an any of the other '09 Maximas bought by other ORG members so far.

You didn't say if the inside regular 'up' switch (not the 'auto up) works. But we don't need to know that to narrow this problem.

The fact the auto-down works from inside the car, and both auto-up and auto-down work on the fob tells us this is more than just a fuse type problem. Also tells us the motor that moves the window is fine.

Try the auto up and down switch located on the door on the passenger side. If it works, the problem is in the driver's side door auto-up/down switch. But if the auto-up switch located on the driver's side door and the auto-up switch located on the passenger side door neither one work, the problem is not in the switch, but in some central electronic processing area.

The 12V console plugs could be a fuse. If you don't feel like doing the fuse-checking, the dealer should be able to confirm this rather quickly. I assume you were checking these outlets with the ignition switch on.

The dealer should also be able to get a computer readout telling what caused the SES light to activate.

All this is of course warranty covered, but I am very surprised you have three apparently unrelated problems in a new Maxima. Even considering this is a complete redesign, this is unusual.

We definitely would like to know what your dealer finds concerning these problems.

lightonthehill

You are the bomb! I went out to make sure I just wasn't doing something stupid.
Auto down, no up driver's side. Passenger door, auto up/down both.
Back to driver's door to try again, guess what both work now. No, window lock was not on, fob was on my person, although I did this w car in Park. Will try tomorrow while driving. I wonder if auto lock at speed could somehow cause this to not work?
Previous failure was at speed and parked. Thanks anyway. Still no 12V outlets
car running or not. Something else I have noticed is shortly after starting the car my audio source will cycle to the Ipod, even if I was listening to sat radio prior to engine shut off. Any ideas, this is my first car w built in Ipod interface.

jacejax - I'm glad the suto-up worked the first time on the passenger side. That indicates any problem that may still exist must be in the driver's door switch, which should be easier for the dealer to fix than a central electronic processing unit.

I am glad the driver's side auto-up seems to be working now. You asked if auto-lock at speed might cause this? I wouldn't think so. Having the fob on you should also play no part in this particular scenario (assuming you didn't press any buttons on it while in the car).

Play around with this several times before taking the car back to have the console outlets fixed so you will know whether to have the dealer work on this during the same service trip. This auto-up absolutely MUST work when the car is running and the tranny is in park, as that it the most normal situation you would use it (at an ATM). Hopefully, it may have just been a glitch, but only time will tell. These third millenium cars have some pretty involved circuitry.

Since the console outlets do not work even when the car is running, this may well be a fuse. The dealer will be able to tell rather quickly. Whether it is fuse or not, this is clearly a warranty item that must be fixed. This is one of the simpler circuits in the car, so it probably won't take the service tech long to find the problem and fix it.

As to the SES light, if you can recreate it, the dealer should be able to obtain the code and know what triggered it. It may be that he can obtain this code even if you can't recreate it, as much info is kept in the onboard computer.

As to the IPOD/satellite situation, I have never had satellite radio, and don't know what an IPOD is. I had neither one on my '49 Studebaker, nor on any of the dozens of cars I have owned in the 59 years since. Yes, I am very old, and illiterate when it comes to today's modern technology. It may be something as simple as if you have the IPOD plugged in, that will automatically be chosen whenever you start the car. But I don't know if an IPOD even plugs in. Someone else here (someone young, probably) will be able to help us with this IPOD thing.

Let us know what the dealer finds out.

I'm having problems with my 12V outlets and my radio won't come on any more.

I was having trouble getting my air pump to work using the 12V outlets the other day. I thought maybe I was just not pushing the connector thing in far enough or something like that. Now I am starting to wonder. Especially after I cranked up my car Friday night and can't get the audio to work at all.

Sometimes, these plug-in connectors can be difficult to fully insert, especially on a new car. I'm sure you had the ignition on when trying to use the 12V outlets; they are not live when the ignition is off. The radio thing (assuming you have not somehow left the volume setting to maximum low, or a fuse or fuselink of some type has not blown) will be a dealer warranty thing.

Okay, good news. I did some checking of the fuses and nothing looked wrong that I could find. The next time I started my car, the radio was working again. I guess when I pulled out one of the fuses and put it back in, it reset itself or something. I'll try to mess with the outlets again. I didn't have the engine started all the way..just to the "on" position so the radio and stuff was on. That is usually all that's necessary. Seems like I read in the manual that one of the 12V outlets (the one in the center console armrest?) would work without the engine on cause it works off of the battery. Anyway, glad the radio is working. *sigh of relief*

Tell your parents to use carsdirect.com they will get exactly what they want and the lowest price possible. The best thing they only have to go sign and pick up the car no dealership hassles you can even talk for them with the online agent. The Dealership is the worst to deal or even neg. with and it is surprising because they should try to sell some cars since there sales figures are down the tubes lately.