lightonthehill

Brooklynyc1 - I think Cleary D is headed in the right direction. It takes far more power to start the car than it does to operate such things as radio, lights, etc.

For whatever reason, the battery has lost part of its charge. Remove the battery, take it to a place like AutoZone, etc, and have them recharge the battery and see if it will hold a charge. If it holds the charge, then put it back in the car and resume your life. If it won't hold a charge, you need a new one.

Remember that the battery in the 7th gen Maxima is not sealed. Be sure the fluid level is up to the full mark. Also, batteries often do not last longer than two to four years on the 6th and 7th gen Maximas.

In very cold weather, I am careful to NEVER use any power from the battery when the engine is not running. No radio, no letting the headlights stay on for 30 seconds after I shut the car off, no leaving the car door or trunk lid open longer than absolutely necessary. Keep the battery at full charge, as starting a cold engine in a cold climate requires maximum power.

If I lived in a cold climate, I would use a plug-in engine heater. Leaving that plugged in overnight makes the engine far easier to start next morning, and reduces the need to warm the engine up before heading out.

lightonthehill

This is a 'first.' I have not seen this mentioned here.

Magazine reviews of the 7th gen Maxima often complained about Nissan having the steering extremely easy to turn at low speeds, but then having the conversion to reduced steering assist (making it harder to steer) begin rather abruptly when speed picked up. Most reviewers liked the feel of the steering when rolling at cruising speeds.

I have not noticed needing any force to turn the wheel at speed. My problem is always getting tired of holding my arms up for hours on end. I solve this by lowering the wheel to my lap, and resting one hand on the bottom of the wheel with my arm on my leg. I have been doing this on long trips for over sixty years.

Make sure your car has NO tendency to pull in either diredtion. A tendency to pull can make any long trip very tiring.

As to your problem, The first thing I would do would be to keep 35 psi in all tires (lower pressure tires are harder to turn, even at speed). I actually keep 37 psi in my front tires. If the steering was still a little stiff after that, I would have the dealer let me check out the steering of another Maxima. If that car behaved the same as yours, then it may be that you have grown too used to the bland steering of Detroit's Big Three vehicles, which require zero effort at any speed.

Let us know if higher psi helps.

tjack57

lightonthehill, Thanks for your reply. There is no pulling to the right or left. It just keeps going straight. I increased the front tire pressure from 32 to 37 psi and the rear to 35 as you suggested. I can feel no difference in the steering force needed. I have been driving 50 years with quite a variety of vehicles. My last one was a 2002 Maxima, putting 150000 on it. It actually drove better on the highway than my new 2011. Is there a different steering ratio between the two? Maybe I am too picky but I would prefer more assist at highway speeds. Is there a way of doing this?

mseals

I have not noticed any increase in effort to steer while at highway speeds, in fact I drive at 70-80 mph with just my finger and thumb and noticed just the other day how I would like a little more weight in the wheel so that it would feel more stable at high speeds. If you are saying the steering is overly heavy at highway speeds that is worth having it looked at since it is still under warranty.

brooklynyc1

Cleary D, lightonthehill- thanks for the info fellas and sorry for the late reply, didn't keep up with my own question. ended up getting a duralast platinum(sucker for paying more and expecting the world) needless to say the car started like new and have not had any problems.

lightonthehill

tjack67 - My experience is the same as mseals above. I haven't noticed a difference in steering force required between my '09 Maxima and all my many other Maximas I have owned during the last 27 years. And at my old age, I would not like any steering that required much effort; that would take all the fun out of long trips.

If I were you, I would complain again to the dealer, tell him other drivers on the 7th gen Maxima board do not have this problem, and and ask him to let me drive another Maxima just a few minutes just to see if there is a noticable difference in steering effort.

lightonthehill

Glad you problem is fixed. You might have fiddled around and gotten another year or so from your original battery, but it may well be that it had reached the end of its useful life. As I mentioned in my previous post, I have been getting only around three years on the original battery in my last few generations of Maximas.

Several here on Maxima.org have gotten only two years. There are a lot of electrically operated features on this 7th gen, and Nissan did not bust their budget when choosing a battery for this car.

Cleary D

Which reminds me, I want to place the battery in the trunk so I can drop a cold air on easier and clean up the engine a little better, plus easier access to an amp if I want. Anyone ever have problems or roadblocks they ran into doing this?

Maxima2012S

I'm brand new to these forums, and I have dilemna. Somebody stole my brand new maxima wheels last week. I have the limited edition ones, and no one I know in NY has them. Now, I found a listing on craiglist, where the person used a picture of SOMEONES MAXIMA ON THIS FORUM who lives in another state to try and say that it is his.

I would post a new topic, but I can't because I dont have 15 posts.

What should I do in this situation? IM 99.9% certain that he is the guy who stole them from me! Thanks..

brooklynyc1

damn man that suck. cant help but only advice is i wouldn't do anything irrational unless you have definitive proof that they are actually yours.

Jbling700

You have to remove the carpeting on the trunk in order to access the license plate lights. It's simple. For other how to, go to Installation Instructions / How-To's / FAQ's / Reviews / Recalls / Accessories on the sticky. Get prepared to spend a lot on the Max this year

09maxnj732

Bought an 09 maxima 3.5 s...it came with this ugly beige stripe down the side of it that i would love to take off...just wondering if anyone knows will i have to get the car detailed after i remove it? And also when i debadge the car i just use fishing line?

bw1128

i have a 2011 sv premium tech maxi. now i want to get remote start with or without alarm, but everyone here in austin tx, either will NOT install it or will run my like 1000 to get it installed. is everyone else running into this? no one wants to help or do it for less than a G. also, some require hiding my second remote somewhere in the car, forget that. any advise would be greatly appreciated!!! please pm if you have some advise on where around my area that would be good.
thanks!!!

psu9296

I installed 20-inch rims on my 2011 sv w/prem pkg and I'd like to upgrade the brakes. Does anyone have a recommendation for a big brake kit that would fit? I noticed the aftermarket product thread mentions Stillen, but I'm trying to determine if there are other options that don't require major modifications. I'd like to go with a larger rotor w/red calipers. Is $4.5k for front and rear brakes (installed) realistic? I don't drive on the track, but I like to push it when I can.

Wheel specs: Foose 20"x8.5, 35mm offset

slicknick

I am trying to hard wire some stuff and need to remove the panel under the steering wheel near the fuse box. Can someone tell me how to do this? I don't want to start pulling on it as I only see one screw but there may be more.

thank you

slicknick

Nevermind, I figured it out. Was pretty simple.

C-North

I can't find the engine block heater cord to save my life does anyone know where it is? Thanks

bw1128

anyone?

Jbling700

Sup bro. Well I'm located in NJ and I brought my Max to the Nissan dealer cause I don't know anybody that would work on a push to start car. They charged me $215 for the remote start plus $175 for the labor+installation. If you didn't bring your Max to the dealer, bring it and ask them for the price. IDK why shops are charging you like $1000 on installing a simple remote start on a car. Sounds like they are ripping you off. Install time on my Max total was almost an hour wait but it felt faster than that. If I were you, I'd sacrifice and drive up to the northern states to get that done if you really need it that bad. Most cars here in NJ have remote start for the winter and here in NJ there's more competition so expect better prices.

VQLover

Hey guys noob question. I just wanted to know when they got rid of the auto folding mirrors? My 05 SE has it.

lightonthehill

Dropped those with the release of the new 7th gen on June 26th, 2008. The 7th gen has so many new goodies that were not on the 6th gen that Nissan thought nobody would miss the folding mirrors. They were wrong.

slicknick

just a quick question about the payload for the 2011 maxima sv. I am about to take a road trip and it says 900lbs? My buddies and I aren't huge guys but we aren't small either. Ranging from 205 to 255 pounds we will be pushing the limits with hardly any luggage. There will be four of us. Seems like a low number for a large car.

Should I be worried?

VQLover

Thats really interesting, because the 7th gen's mirrors will tilt down when you put it in reverse...So aren't they already power folding mirrors?? If they can go down, why can't they fold. lol. I hope they didn't take out too many features as I am trading in my 6th gen for the 2012 in June.

lightonthehill

Tilting down is a totally different movement than folding inward, and Nissan decided the tilt-down was preferable to the folding inward. Some agree, while others don't. They did add turn signals to the outside mirrors on the 7th gen if you get the SV level or higher.

I think you will find very few 6th gen features missing from the 7th gen, but a lot have been added. The TPMS system on the '12 Maxima actually works, and displays the psi of each tire individually. The TPMS system added late in the 6th gen cycle (and continued on early 7th gen models) was garbage.

Mario66

Anyone here having issues with the windshield wipers?
I have an 09 SV with 19,000 miles on it. Lately Ive been having intermittent problems with the wiper fluid not shooting out when I hold down the switch. The fluid level is topped off, its not frozen anywhere that I can see but sometimes it just doesnt want to spray. Im thinking of taking it to the dealer once I get some free time but I was just curious if anyone experienced this on their own. Also another thing that its done to me twice in the 3 years Ive owned it is the wipers just turn themselves on at random. Anyone?

Max_N_Minh

Newbie here! First Nissan for me and the whole family. We are a Toyota/Lexus/Honda/Acura family.

I was wondering if there is a way to set my car to where I get air only from within and not from outside. I know there is a button to press to get air from outside or air from within but when I start my car, it automatically gets air from outside and I will ALWAYS have to press the button so that I get air from within. Help!

Max_N_Minh

I have the 2012 S model and I have the exterior blinking mirror.

Max_N_Minh

I don't think so but be sure your tires are properly inflated. You might pay more for gas too since the load is a little heavy and you will probably have the A/C on during your trip.

Max_N_Minh

I would wait for when the weather is hot to debadge. Once it is hot, use a blow dryer and set it on super hot to blow dry the emblem to soften the adhesive. Then use fishing line or floss. Once that is done, wash it good with soap and water to get all the goo off.

lightonthehill

That is VERY interesting. I have never seen a base S with integrated turn signals in the outside mirrors.

If you check the Nissan web site, one of the items we get by stepping up from the S to either the S-LE or the SV is outside mirrors with integrated turn signals.

Are you sure you don't have either the SV, or an S-LE (S with the Limited Edition Package)?

Pearl09Max

im new to this website and i have a question...i need to buy tires in a few months and im stumped on which tires i should buy..i have the 2009 maxima sv with the 19 inch rims..could some one please help me...i tried to look in the "tires and rims" section either i missed or it wasnt there... please help! lol

Car Addict

Depends on your climate conditions, budget, and if you want something that handles well or has high tread life.

lightonthehill

There are many possibilities. You can go to www.tirerack.com and find comparisons between tires that fit your car by all major brands.

If you aren't into research, you can just opt for the Continental ExtremeContact DWS tires. Almost everybody here who has bought them has liked them. They are a safe all-around good performer at a reasonable price. Keep in mind that name brand 19" tires are not cheap.

Here is a link to the Contis. The 19" tires are on the last page:

http://www.conti-online.com/generato...tasheet_en.pdf

Pearl09Max

Yea i looked on tirerack.com i was just asking for personal opinions...i wasnt too worried about price i wanted to make sure i got a good tire..what tire do you use on your max?

Pearl09Max

Well i live in new york but it stays garaged in the winter and im not too worried about the price of the tire i know an odd rim size makes the tire more expensive i just wanted to see what u guys use and what u feel is the best for the car

Car Addict

I've heard good reviews of the Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta and the Nitto Invo. They both have a AA traction rating which makes them some sticky tires. I've seen people use them at the drag strip in my Dodge Challenger days . Both are summer tires but any street legal tire should be able to tread light water fine.

Pearl09Max

Where can i find these tires on the internet?

Car Addict

tires-easy.com

Mario66

so nobody with windshield wiper problems huh?

Pearl09Max

how do they compare to the continentals?