im installing viper smart start tomorrow. Not sure what kit, a shop is doing it. That works with my iphone. Wondering if it has a key fob as well..

 

You can get a key fob too but it's pretty crappy also.
The viper itself is great my buddy has it on his TL

 

HORRIBLE re-sale value.

 

got the smart start this morning. $450 and no key fob whatsoever. I didn't even know that it requires a monthly plan. Its like $5 a month. I learned that after it was installed. Couldn't back out of it now. Oh well. Looks pretty cool tho.
I never keep the keyfob in my pants pocket. It is too difficult to take out, so I hang it out. Unless I have jacket of course. This thing looks cheap, man, and feels cheap to the finger touch too. And it IS fkkn cheap. Perhaps the cheapest looking and feeling component of the car.

 

My only gripe on mine is not having the back window partition. I'm use to it on my 04. I think as much as they cost the back window partition should come standard on all of them.

The HID lights should come standard on all of them as well.

 

THIS! Brought mine to the dealer for a closer look. They tightened a few bolts and sent me on my way....problem still persists. My wife thinks its a safety concern.

 

I think Nissan along with many others is still catching up on the bandwagon. Most of the new Nissan models come with leds standard for drls, an option i have to manually customize for my 11 maxima. Mine has HIDs but i do agree i hope the 8TH gen comes with some nice standard options.

All in all the Max is a nice car, i just dont like the no power cvt from zero mph, and the whining i get from it.

 

Brought it in for another look and they claimed there was no issue so I dragged one of the shop guys out for a demonstration. Its a bit of a tough visual but he did agree he could hear that there was some 'play' going on. The more I talked with him it became apparent this has been somewhat of a problem and they have replaced some seats. He seemed to think it was caused by 'larger' drivers.

Apparently the entire seat has to be replaced which would explain why Nissan are reluctant to ackowledge the problem.

 

I absolutely love my Maxima but it does have it's downfalls. I'm only 26 and I bought this car directly from my dad with around 90k. It is by far the nicest car I have ever owned and people definitely look at me a little differently. I've loved cars my whole life but the money wasn't always there and my dad could never see buying his idiot sons a car more than $2500. The cars I've owned previously were a 96 Maxima, 97 Lumina, 94 Concourde, 2001 Grand Cherokee, 2006 Taurus, and a 2002 Maxima MT. I really loved my 2002 Maxi but it had so many rust problems because of the Indiana winters.
My friends are all still stuck driving their college cars but I told myself as soon as I get a career, I will buy a nice car. I drove a whole bunch of different used cars in the $15,000 price range but my dad offered me too good of a deal, partially because my mom had just ran over a dead dear and stripped all of the protective plastic off the car. I probably would have bought this car anyways even if he didn't give me a deal. I used to sell Nissans in college the first year the 7th gens came out. Even the techs agreed these are must nicer than Altimas. They were also so much better than the CTS, Impalas, Chargers, 300s, (I wouldn't even think of owning a toyota or honda), and whatever else the Japanese and American car makers offered as their high end sedan. I didn't even look at German or European cars. Pain in the *** to work on. My girlfriend had a Passat and everything required some special tool, special fluid, or removing one thing to get to another.

The things I've noticed so far that I don't like:

1.) Paint Quality - chips, scratches and swirls
2.) Predisposition to rust - this is a gripe with all car makers. Using Zinc coated hardware on the underside of the car instead of stainless steel. The difference in cost would probably be around $100 and cause a lot less issues. However, most automakers know that rust wont develop for around 6-10 years and by that time you will be out of warranty.
3.) The CVT - not a fan especially if something goes wrong. Extremely expensive to replace and techs really don't like working on them. Coming from a 6spd to a CVT has been an unpleasant transition.
4.) 60/40 folding back seat - I'm glad I don't have the ski hole but my base 02 had the whole back seat fold down. I miss that when I'm trying to haul plywood or mdf. Also not a lot of room in the back seat.
5.) Beefy Hips - Another salesman and I used to say this about the car. It really does have a wide stance. Takes some time to get used to turns and parking in this car.

Otherwise this car has been great. I'm hoping to drive it until it doesn't want to go anymore.

 

So, something new and interesting...

My 2010 S is at the dealer's for engine work. They gave me a 2014 S with 19s and ten miles on it as a loaner. Mostly it's the same, except for two things:

1) The steering is lighter at highway speeds.

2) The transmission is wildly more responsive. It was actually shocking. Pushing the pedal 30% of the travel pops the revs to 3500 immediately. Doesn't matter how fast or slow your start was, it's always responsive.

I don't know what the deal is, but I asked my dealer to take to take a look at the transmission programming while he's under the hood. While it may still be torque-limited below 40, this takes away one of my biggest gripes about this car. This 2014 is really fun.

 

That's one of the things I dislike about my 2014. The steering is too light at highways speeds.

 

Interesting! I wonder if they use the new CVT now. I know what you mean, my '13 Altima (new CVT version) had a much more responsive CVT than my '13 Maxima.

 

That would be nice to know if its a program or something to have more rpms on throttle tip in. When it lugs around in low rpms it cant be good for the engine.

 

Doesn't seem to be a big concern from the buyers point of view.

 

surprised to see another MB E55 on here. I just sold my 2005 E55 AMG for the 2014 Black Maxima. great car just getting long in the tooth. so far very happy with Maxima all the same features on my E55, except the 500HP.

 

To me the W211 is a design I will never grow tired of. Like the E39 M5 or a Porsche 993, it will always look good. I drive both cars and prefer different things about either car but the stand out for the Maxima is the better steering, brake feel and handling than the E55.

 

No option to turn on DRL's (They have it wired for the Canada bound cars, all made in the same plant)

 

Love the Big face dials for RPM and SPEED. but only marked every 20 mph and no hash marks at 55mph, I know alot of places increased the speed but now i am doing alot of guessing at 55mph, 65mph and 70mph.

 

And I don't believe anyone makes an air deflector for the panoramic sunroof-- only the regular moonroof. So that doesn't help...

 

Rocking drivers seat
All of the controls at lower left side are an ergo nightmare.
Door catches don't hold door open
Front end paint easily dulled by sand, salt, snow, etc
Both LED mirror signals stopped working

HORRIBLE HALOGEN HEADLIGHTS

 

I hate that the driver seatbelt buckle keeps getting stuck between the driver seat and the left post. The post is all stretched up. And you have to be careful when you enter the back seat, or you'll walk right into the pointy part of the rear door, ouch.

I do love the Bose system - loudest , most bass from a stock system. You have to get a whole aftermarket stereo system to get better sound.

 

Yeah, I don't really understand the Bose hate I've seen in this thread. I'm pretty pleased with my Bose system, and I've had high-end aftermarket systems in other cars in my younger days. The Bose audio is loud enough, with crisp highs and great lows that don't get distorted. The only thing I'll possibly upgrade would be the head-unit to get bluetooth functionality. Otherwise I'm completely content with the car's audio.

 

You might want to look at how the seatbelt buckle is positioned as I don't have that problem with getting stuck or with scratches. I agree with you on the Bose system, for stock its great.

 

Right now as its getting cold, i have a ton of rattles, some are squeaks and some sound like 2 flat pieces bounces against each other. It definitely is the cheapest built Maxima i've had. My 02 had no rattles, my 10 SV drives me nuts. At first I thought it was the covers for the panoramic roof, but that doesnt seem to be it. Sounds to be coming from the back, but its hard to tell while driving.

This is the 1st winter im going into with this car. Why cant you run the defrost on recirculated mode? I normally just keep it on defrost in the winter, but dont want to smell the "Fresh Air" exhaust while driving in traffic.

Also dont like the placement of the heated seats button where i have to reach around the shifter, and the placement of the heated steering wheel button, where i have to look to the side of the steering wheel

 

I usually find that people who really like bass don't usually like Bose systems. Bose tends to focus on mids and highs...
It's why you don't see too many rappers putting Bose in their rides...

 

I agree with the last comment I have had alpine systems with jl audio and infinity speakers with amps and the Bose system sound okay although the sound only is upfront or mid car .

 

Does anybody else have a problem with their rear defrost sucking ***??? I will run mine through 2 or 3 cycles before I start to see any improvement in clearing the back window. The car is pretty decent otherwise but this little issue shouldnt even be an issue to begin with!

 

Paint damage and chips easily poor quality paint
Tires RSA Eagles are deadly in snow or rain.
Mud Flaps are not mud flaps they are stone chip guards the car gets filthy.
Gas Pedal to far away
Torque Steer is dangerous if you don't know about it can be deadly
Horrible in snow
Poor in Rain
Front bumper too low scrapes curbs
Steering wheel radio controls stick out too far and accidentally hit them and change channels frequently.
Drivers Seat uncomfortable.
Leather on sides of seats, mid back seat and headrests not real
Can't fix headliner rattle after two times
Dash computer controls not visibly accessible, have to take eyes off road to use
Seat warmer buttons in hard to view location
Electric outlets in bottom of arm rest and have to empty out consoles to use.
Ipod and av jacks in bottom of closed console and need to empty console to access
Car gets filthy in light rain because mud flaps are fake and are small chip guards
Programing Bluetooth by voice is impossible because it scans by name at letter A and runs slow
Cant scan it by alphabet
Front Seatbelt clips bounce off side cowl scratching it
Brake pedal is half size of regular one
Doors close on you if not open all the way even on flat ground
No option to lower radio when answering bluetooth phone, therefore when ending call radio blasts creating a significant driver disturbance.
Tech display is off on Radio display by avg. MPG. IE. Read 22.7 Avg MPG and at refueling tank took 17.665 gallons and B trip gauge that I reset every refill read 366 miles. That equals 20.7. This has been consistent for three months of tracking.
Steering loose out of hard right turns.
Gear shift **** lever has a recess in it that catches the skin on your finger
Cannot independently lift the windshield wipers. The Drivers side must be lifted first then the passenger side.
This makes it very difficult when removing ice or cleaning the windshield. Have to keep walking around the front of car.
Taillights fill up with moisture and Nissan says that’s normal.
Nisssan customer service reps are scripted and monkeys would do better.

 

Wow... Anything you did like, like the decals or the cup holders? Maybe the sunvisors or the indicator stalk? Hope you trade it in on a nice Camry or accord... Reeeeeeeeee

 

sy-1177 I have not personally experienced this. My rear defrost is probably the quickest I've seen, and at the very least comparable to my camry.

 

Saltdet- you must have a pretty meseds up car, as I don't have hardly any of the problems you list, and if I do have them I work around the minor things.

The windshield wipers on my car can be lifted independently, you must have oversize wipers as mine are stock.

 

For a stock system, the Bose system was good. I thought it imaged very well. I grew tired of not being able to tame the higher frequencies, so I switched out those speakers first. I'm used to very good sounding aftermarket systems, so in all honesty the Bose system wasn't going to cut it for me.

By the way, the saying goes...no highs, no lows, must be Bose...

 

I thought I'd check in here to see what the latest news on the 8th gen was... and I had to throw my 2 cents in.

I traded in my '12 loaded SV Max for a Jeep GC because my lease was creeping up and I needed the SUV space for some hauling, and the damned 2015 Max will never come out (it seems).

But I can tell you the Max storage space kicked butt. When I cleaned out the car, I couldn't believe how much stuff I had laying around in the glove box and lower center console storage areas, as compared to the capacity in a mid-sized SUV. Of course the back area is much larger, but I liked the fact that all the areas I could access while seated stored anything I needed.
I also really miss the music box drive to store my CDs in memory.

I never really got used to the CVT transmission, with that famous rubber-band effect under normal acceleration from a stop. But, if you go WOT, that thing jumps like a rabbit.

My passenger side mirror LED blinker died a quick death, and the usual seat rocking kicked in within months (Is this so difficult for Nissan engineering to fix?)

But all in all, I miss it, thus why I'm still waiting for the 8th gen to show up.

Someone mentioned the mud-guards...I had to laugh when I read that. When I picked mine up, and paid extra for them, I had to ask if they forgot to install them, only to be told those strips were actually the mudguards. Ok, I assumed they would be similar to the unobtrusive little flaps that my '95 Max had, not these screwed-on molding bits. But oh well.

 

Can't stand the gas tank being 2 gallons less than my 2002.

The controls for the LCD under the speedo are where again!?!?! Poor placement!

Those circles on the steering wheel with the toggle for cruise control and the enter button..come on Nissan more buttons would have been much easier to deal with!

The navigation isn't that bad but not being able to set at least the STATE makes yelling at the car an address (almost always from google maps) a pain.

 

The drivers seat creaks and the center console is loose. Maybe cuz I'm a fat *** lol.

 

Your fuel tank capacity in your 2002 Maxima was 22 gallons? I thought it was like 18.5 gallons...1.5 gallons less than the 6th and current 7th gen's 20 gallon capacity.

 

The 2002 had a 18 and change gallon tank, the 2011 takes 16 to 16.5 gallons to fill up. If I drove the 2002 to near empty, it drinks 18 gallons. Having to refill after driving 340 miles is on the short side.

My 2002 had its share of engine problems at 290,xxx miles and to see less per tank on a 2011 with 20,xxx miles..

 

The optional autostart really ticked me off, the SV sport/tech I got had everything I wanted but that.
My parents have a ford truck and a chevy equinox both have factory autostart, my dad took my 2014 for a spin and couldn't believe it didn't have it.
Horsepower would be second. While 290 is nice most the cars in this and similar classes have more.
I love the cvt tranny. I think many of the racing and horsepower freaks are forgetting this is a sedan and most of us don't want to drag race on city streets. In a year or two there will be turbo packages for gen 7s and upgrades for the cvt to control hp better. But honestly a even 300 hp would of been perfect as I enjoy speeding on the interstate trips but don't mind just looking good in the city.
Again, to people like maxima187 who want 500 horsepower all wheel drives to whip around town and track maybe find a different car and forum.

 

Not true. I brought my 2014 to my local stereo guy who will be installing a add-on system this spring and he said the bose factory to him is much more impressive than most. One just has to tap into the signal from the rear speaker and you can add subs and amps in trunk. If still not pleased on can grab a processor and work off the factory head unit and replace or add on whatever speakers and amps they want. I will post pics and info of all my mods by April including stereo upgrade to Bose factory system.

 

Speaking about all wheel drive, I am rather put off by having an aggressive looking car with more power sent to the front wheels versus the Subaru Legacy limited 3.6 that has less power and what I call blend in styling but all wheel drive.