Hello ... new user here Sam from Austin, Quebec CANADA

After 5 years and 63,000 miles driven myself on a used 2004 Max SE 6 speed manual with 69k miles when I purchased it in 2004, I have just traded it in for a "used" 2010 Maxima SV (no sport or tech toys).

This is the first time in 12 car purchases (so far in my life) that I have bought the same make-model, basically because I was so pleased with the experience I had with my '04 Max and the great service I had from my local Nissan dealer. That '04 had to be the best car I ever owned and had a few: Toyota Rav4 '01 (junk), Toyota Avalon '99 (OK), Ford Explorer '96 (junk), Acura Vigor '92 (great), etc, etc.

There was nothing really that wrong with my '04 Max that I couldn't live with for another year or two of service but I just had the bug in me to drive something newer. And so I saw the 2010 Max SV listed at my dealer (I live in the Eastern Townships part of Quebec, very near the Vermont border) and saw a pristine 2010 SV with 30k miles on it at the average list price. I picked it up just last week and haven't put 350 miles on it yet.
But so far I love it .... everything about it, but I DO MISS that 6 speed stick ..... I'll have to get used to the change .. I suppose I will ... I never really liked it in the traffic, but out here in the country, I rarely saw any....lots of hills and twisty roads.

The CVT does take some getting used to. For example, its been really cold here last few weeks -25C (-15F) and my first mile of driving when I leave home is straight up a long hill (10% grade). She growls like she hasn't woken up yet and doesn't seem to like the cold. But after 5-10 minutes and flatter terrain all is well and at 50mph the tach barely shows 15-20k. On the highway at 65mph it feesl like the engine isn't turned on and I'm running an electric on steroids.

My only problem so far is in my head .... could someone please help? I was told straight out by my dealer about the extended CVT warrantee to 10 years-200,000 km that was transferable to me. Sounds great, but it kept me up all night the day before I laid down the money. Why did Nissan offer the extension in the first place? Am I buying a load of transmission trouble? Just my first week of driving doesn't show any problem at all, except for the weird intrinsic feel of a CVT. Its all in my head...right? And when I read the Max's user manual and saw the "Limp Mode" section .... I sort of went limp myself. I don't have money to throw away and its just killing me that there is even the possibility of tranny problems that I could have avoided by steering clear of a CVT vehicle.

I've looked at all the posts and boards I could find and tried to rationalize the good and bad comments I've read so far. It seems that there are always problems and people will complain, but probably fewer will voice their opinions when it ain't broke. And there just has to be about a million CVT's running around word-wide since '03 or '04? I haven't heard about a million CVT repairs or even a recall. Edmunds and JD Power only give an average mechanical rating - high design rating.

So here goes and because its my nature to worry about things, I'm holding my breath for the next 5-6 years waiting for the shoe (or tranny) to drop.

Sam Austin

 

Congrats bro! The cvt does take some time to get use to. i really dont think I've heard too many bad things about the tranny.

 

Thanks for positive thinking!

Now if I can only figure out what the %^&! this Music Box thing is thinking...

 

Sam this is my 4th Nissan vehicle, 3 being Maxima's, (97 SE 5 speed, 03 SE 6 speed, 10 SV and a 10 LE Murano). I test drove a CVT back when they first came out but couldn't get used to the non-shifting transmission.

I bought the Murano in Apr 12 but traded it after 6 months because I never saw anything close to the gas mileage it was supposed to get. Now I have a 10 SV Maxima with paddle shifters and all is well in the universe again. I get an additional 25 hp increase in power and I'm averaging about 23 mpg's without drastically changing my driving style.

I haven't heard a lot of complaints about the CVT transmission and I believe Nissan gives such a long warranty on it because it is still considered new technology. Also, because no one outside of them can actually work on them, but thats just my opinion.

 

Thanks Maxgig...

More +ve encouragement is great. How's the traction control work for you in the Midwest in snow? I'll bet its somewhere near freezing or below in your part of the town .... I'll let mine warm up a few minutes before I start off .... its about 20F here but a lot colder overnight. It feels like she doesn't want to go anywhere until fully warmed up ... but I guess I'm the same. Also I think after week 1 I'm still eggshellling the pedal ... I'm just heading out the door and I'll give her a little nudge and see what happens. I drove that '04 std 6spd semi-hard and she never complained... just fed her frequent oil changes and even used 87 gas most of the time.

 

Welcome to the forum! There is a lot to learn and plenty of advice to be heard from within this community. Everyone for the most part is very helpful and we all tend to crack jokes. I know a great deal of the members out on the road..very very good people.

This was my first CVT too and It just goes and goes..and goessss! I like the sport mode though because it sounds nice with the Intake I have on. Being that my car has bald tires almost..I can't really get around in the snow..although I still tested it and still made it from and to my house surprisingly!

Good Luck and don't hesitate to ask me if you have any questions or mod concerns!

 

Hello and welcome here, Congrats on the new SV, as far as the CVT goes, I've read numerous great things on it and very few bad reviews or problems on it! It does take getting used to without a gearbox, but the Sport mode sure makes some fun for when you want it!

 

X2... I'm definitely not used to it yet.

 

Rest at ease. Consumers Reports gives the CVT a much better than average relibability. I have rarely seen on this forum discussion about CVT failres.

 

Congrats. Regarding the CVT warranty, Nissan was the first to offer CVT to the masses in automobiles. However, alot of people were unaware what a CVT was and worried about a new tech out in the market. To Counter that Nissan included a CVT warranty as a piece of mind.


Also Keep in mind, Nissan holds most patens for CVTs and is the largest maker (through Jatco). They make CVTs for alot of the other guys.

 

Thanks all for the +ve thoughts. It really makes me feel that I'll enjoy my '10 a much as I did my '04 Max. By the way, yesterday I went out to play in the snow.

I got my local dealer to put on brand new Hankook winters when I picked up my '10 ... a really aggressive tread - not Michelin ice as per usual and I drive through fairly hilly twisty country roads ...Owl's Head, Qc ski hill just down my road and I can see Jay Peak Vt. from my house. And this was right in the middle of the Nor'easter dumping all that snow. I felt like I was driving an SUV or AWD. Traction/VDC light came on whenever I pushed through turns at 45-50 mph. I would have felt white-knuckled in my '04 (That's why I kept my old Toy RAV4 with the '04, as backup for snow days - but traded it in last week - save $$ on plate-insurance-repairs-tires).

Not bragging or showing off ... I drove commercial tractor trailer and respect the road but I have to say this combo car/tire did the job.

 

There's a noticeable difference when jumping in different cars and then going back to the max with CVT. You certainly notice the acceleration jerks and pulls in some other cars, but the max w/CVT is nice and smooth. That's how it feels for me, anyway. There's plenty of pep though and if you want or need to go fast quickly (like from those ridiculously short on ramps that make us stop and yield to get on the freeway we have here), the car seems to perform nicely.

 

I like the CVT. Dont love it, but I certainly like it. And I think that for the rest of the maxima world who ISN'T on forums and wouldn't be considered a car-enthusiast, I bet 95% of them are big fans of the CVT. It really is smooth, quiet, quick, and I think for the average 7th gen driver they'd prefer the CVT if they ever switched back to a regular auto tranny. I bet they'd really miss all the benefits they had with the 7th gen's cvt setup.