This thread has a lot of useful information in it so I would like to add something I have learned.

If you want to shut of the engine without turning off the accessories (A/C, music, etc) You have to double tap the Start/Stop button but don't double tap too fast or it won't work.

If this is in the Owners Manual, I couldn't find it.

 

I was reading another forum about how there is a special ipod/iphone connection cable? I have a 2012 premium tech and I don't see any ipod cable in the car, nor do I see another connection (except the usb input in the center console). I just use the charger cable that came with my iPhone and plug it into the usb input...

Also, when i plug it in, is there a easier way to scroll through the songs? some of my playlists have 100's of songs and I really dont want to sit there and hold the down button or keep scrolling the **** to get to the bottom of the list..any help would be appreciated!

 

With 2009 models you have to use a certain cable. But with 2010+ models you can use a regular USB cable.

When you hold down the scroll button on the steering wheel or the arrow on the scroll wheel below the nav sreen it will go through letters instead of each song or whatever you're scrolling through.

 

Modern engine oils are multi-viscosity oils which mean that the viscosity changes with the oil temperature. Therefore, Nissan or any other manufacturer do not recommend different oils for different ambient temperatures. If you have issues your warranty may be voided.

 

What you say is true,

BUT

My dealer actually put 10W30 Shell oil in my '09 Maxima (and others he serviced) until around 2010. He insisted it met warranty requirements.

And that variable viscosity you mention is the one thing that enables cars to use different viscosity oils, as long as they are very close in viscosity, and appropriate for the weather.

I have used 20W50 oils in cars with high mileage engines that I drove very aggressively during very hot weather, but the only oils I would use in these refined Maxima engines are 5W30 and, unless cold weather was going to be involved, 10W30 or 10W40. Those last two oils are viscous enough to work fine, even in an engine with the close tolerances we have in these Maxima engines, unless the weather is very cold. If I still lived back in Tombstone AZ, I would probably stick with 10W40.

This is one of those situations where I take Nissan's suggestions under strong advisement, but also draw on 64 years of driving experience (and 28 years of owning nothing but Maximas). For instance, Nissan recommends 33 psi in the tires and frequent tire rotation for the 7th gen Maxima, but I find I have better control of the car and more even tire wear with 36 or 37 psi in front tires, 35 psi in the rear, and a 15K rotation period.

But if I was fairly new to the Maxima, I would adhere to Nissan's recommendations.

 

I am pretty sure it is normal, but I just want to make sure.

My mom has a 2010 rogue and at stop or at very low speed her steering wheel is very easy to turn, however, I noticed on my new maxima that it is a little bit harder to turn even at stop. I just want to make sure that is how it is supposed to be (if someone has experience with the rogue and maxima and knows the comparison?)

 

Firstly, NEVER try to turn the steering wheel when the vehicle is stopped. Many here would never believe the tremendous stress this puts on steering components. If the power steering was not working, most people would never be able to budge the front wheels if the car was stopped. The car does not need to be moving more than one MPH to enable the steering to be done without undue stress, but it really should not be standing still.

When the 7th gen Maxima first came out, auto mag testers uniformly mentioned its steering quirk of very easy steering at low speed that suddenly becomes stiffer when speed picks up. I still see that mentioned in mags such as Consumer Reports.

I think the very practical Rogue was designed more for localized driving or a second car or wife's shopping SUV, and the feel of the road at high speed was not a consideration. So it should steer with absolutely no force needed on the steering wheel.

By contrast, the Maxima is more of a driver's car, and the feel of the road at higher speeds is very important. Part of that feel is obtained by not deadening the steering by eliminating the need of some force to turn the wheel.

Another factor is that the Rogue is slightly lighter, and has slightly narrower tires that have slightly less contact area with the ground (less resistance when turning the steering wheel) than the Maxima.

Unless the road is heavily crowned (higher at the centerline to help water run off) or tire pressures are not uniform or there is a problem with the tires or wheels or the alignment is out, the Maxima should be rather easy to keep straight with only slight pressure to the left needed to offset the slight crowning of the road. On totally level ground, my Maxima tracks straight ahead without me touching the steering wheel.

I think your Maxima is probably steering as it is supposed to.

 

Reminds me of the recommendation also not to turn the steering wheel to the limit, such as when parking, so as not to stress the pump.

And along those lines, it reminds me of when I yell at my wife to stop her habit of backing out of the drive and flipping the transmission into Drive while she is she coasting backward. Drives me nuts!

 

The firmer steering on my Maxima at higher speeds is on feature that I really likeir feels like the car is planted on rails. It is the same steering mechanism as the Z370. The steering and ride quality are similar to the BMW 535i which cost $25K more. If you want to try the opposite drive the Toyota produsts like Camry, Vanza or Highlander that have overly assisted electric steering that makes road feel vague.

 

Anyone know how to take off the bugs/juice/debris/whatever it is from the front bumper? My mom's rogue has collected a lot of it and I washed and clayed it yet not much better. Also, any advice to prevent it from collecting on my maxima (besides nose mask/bra)? Would frequently washing it remove the polish and/or wax? Thanks

 

Also, I'd ask this on the appropriate thread but the LED Installation thread seems to be dead so I'll try here. I replaced all the interior lights with white LEDs, but at night I see when I have it on "Door", they sort of flicker (with the car on and off), but when I put the light switch to "Off" they turn off. Anyone have a similar problem?

 

Frequent washing will, of course, gradually remove the polish/wax. I know of two ways of removing bugs that have been caked onto the front of the car:

1 - (I use this method) Drive ten or twenty miles or so on open road in a rainstorm. The water soaks the bugs and the rain hitting them at 50 MPH gradually removes them. After they have been removed, you may need to lightly rewash the car because of driving in the rain, but the caked bugs will be gone.

2 - (My wife uses this method) Lay dripping wet towels against the areas that have caked bugs, and let them stay there for an hour or so. When the towels are removed, the bugs have absorbed enough moisture that they can be wiped off without pressure.

 

Hey guys,
Just wanted to let everyone know that im a noobie here when it comes to posting on the .org but ive been following the site since 03.01.09 after i purchased my girl. Hands down Ghotz,Kmoney and even in the day KillaKam have really made me fall in love with her as far as modding the 7thgen. There are others on here also that amaze me with there love for there "baby". Lightonthehill you are by far for me the most respected person on the .org for the knowledge you hold from your life experiences. So forgive in the future if i put my foot in my mouth for anything stupid that comes out.

 

Thanks for the insight lightonthehill! Haha I kinda want to try your wife's method first

 

CHATTAMAX - To have been here for 3 1/2 years and have only a few posts, I think your board name should be CHATTAMIN. Thanks for the kind words. It is nice to be on a board that is respectful of 'life experiences' (aka 'age'), as that is about all I have left going for me.

I do know a lot about vehicles from the 1930s and later, but am abysmally uninformed on today's communication devices. No iphone, no bluetooth, no ipad, no flat screen TV, no facebook, no twitter, and haven't been to a movie since the 1990s. So, on many subjects, I am the most uninformed person on the org.

I have reached the age where I understand there is no such thing as a 'stupid' question. We all start at the same place - born naked and knowing nothing. Then we spend the rest of our lives learning things. We learn some things the hard way, but learn others by being brave enough to ask other folks, crossing our fingers that they won't think we are stupid.

The reality is that we are wise to avail ourselves of the knowledge of others. That enables us to avoid making the same mistakes they made. We are fortunate to have this board that enables us to find answers to our questions specific to the 7th gen Maxima. Until the 1990s, there were no such boards. We live in a very good time.

 

You are most welcome. My wife's method is, as usual, better than mine, as her method does not consume gas or risk an accident by driving in the rain or require a subsequent wash to remove the dirt we get from driving in the rain.

 

Hey fellas,

This is my first car that has..well, almost everything that the 7th gen has (my last car was a 2000 altima). So paddle shifters and the +/- gear shift thing is new to me as well. I feel pretty comfortable using it, but I was just wondering if someone more experienced than me can just post a few DO's and DONT's of the paddle shifters and I have read that you can use downshift to slow down, if you could explain that as well. Thank You

 

Due to the electronics in this car, it is very difficult to not shift properly because the computer won't let you. If you hit redline it will shift for you. And it won't allow you to downshift to early.

And yes feel free to downshift to slow down. Won't harm anything although you might see your mpg drop.

 

When I need to slow down I I use the paddle shifter on the left with the (-) sign to shift to a lower gear and let the engine braking do the work rather than the brakes. In my opinion it extends the brakes life with no consequence to the CVT.

 

Yeah I have been using downshift to slow down when I dont need immediate braking and that defin saves the brakes, but idk why I feel it could be doing something to the transmission. I just wanted confirmation its not messing with the transmission in anyway. Thanks fellas

 

Are brakes ever warrantied? I have 8,000 miles on them and they feel like crap.

 

If they are just worn, then no. But if there's a component that's not working properly then yes.

 

Brakes should normally never wear out in 8000 miles. Therefore, although the warranty does not cover worm brakes I suspect that you may have other issues probably hydraulic in nature or glazed rotors. Since the car is still under warranty I would take the car back to the dealer to look at.

 

Thanks, will check it out asap.

 

I got my new maxima less than a month ago and yesterday I noticed that there is a small crack (1-1.5cm long) on the windshield. I don't know if it was already there when I bought it from the dealership or it happend after. I doubt warranty covers it right? Any inputs??

 

You need to check your insurance policy, most cover auto glass without a deductible. I had 2 cracked windshields repelace for free under my policy.

 

Hey guys, I have a 2010 Maxima and the front driver's side suspension is making a squeaking noise every time I go over bumps. I keep bringing it in to the Nissan dealership to have it fixed and they keep saying that they fixed it and it seems to be when I get the car back but it comes back a few days later. My warranty is going to be expired in less than 500 miles. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

try a different dealer.

 

Go elsewhere if you can sounds possibly a strut tower issue

 

Good morning 7th gen family,

So I did the honors of getting myself a black car, now it seems inevitable to avoid scratches on it

 

I know the feeling. I had a black car before. Huge pain.

 

Alright so I am going to ask some basic questions that may sound stupid, but I am new to nice cars and have noticed a lot of people have their cars lowered, are there any advantages of having the car lowered other cosmetics? Is this what the Eibach(?) Springs are used for?
Also, what are spacers used for? I have googled this stuff and have a basic idea of this stuff, but I wanted to know from the Maxima fam as a lot of you have it done to the max.

Right now I have the stock wheels that come with the '12 premium tech package and eventually would like to get 19" 370 wheels (kinda like what Ghozt has - sorry for imitating you bro, but it is the best form of flattery)

 

Spacers I don't know much about, but the lowering kits not only make the car look nicer, but also increase cornering without making the cruising ride too harsh. For some reason, manufacturers tend to set the gap between tire and fender too high visually, which irks many people. The Eibach spring kit is around $300 and fixes your suspension about an inch and a half lower, whereas the full coilover kit runs more closer to $1000 and allows you to adjust the height as needed. Handy if you have a steep driveway entrance or something like that, so you don't scrape the front panel.

When I lowered my old car that much, I could take a 90-degree turn at 40mph. Not that that is a practical application, but the car looked good.

I also am waiting for the Ghozt to tell me where he got the rims.

 

Spacers are just cosmetic to push the wheels out towards the fenders.

 

What are some of the MPG you guys are getting? I mainly drive in the city so I get 20.6...any other city drivers get something similar? What about hwy drivers what are you guys getting?

 

I am getting in mixed city driving 23.2 MPG. Highway 27.1 MPG. However, these number are meaningless because they are not under controlled conditions. You need to factor how much stop and go traffic you experience in city driving and how fas you are going on the highway. At high speed wind resistance goes up by the square of the speed so even 5 MPH difference in highway speed can make a difference in MPG.

 

Oh wow 23.2 that's pretty awesome...I'm getting 20.6 :/

But yeah as you mentioned there are many variables not accounted for.

 

New 2012 Maxima. Never done mods before, what should i start with?

 

I'd say first get the windows tinted

 

Get some ideas for wheels here.
http://forums.maxima.org/7th-generat...ga-thread.html