Mjscott22

2017 Maxima SL bought from shady dealer and now has 50k miles. It was an Enterprise Rental car, from Canada and came with 3 different kind of tires and one was chopped pretty badly. There was sand all under the hood, but as far as I (and other mechanics can tell, not a flood car). It came from Vancouver area, made its way to Michigan by the lake (hopefully where sand came from) then down to the midwest where I got it. Car report was clean.

I assume the vibration was there the whole time, but i chalked it up to a bad tire. Got General AS-05 Tires online and had a buddy install them, and that is when I noticed the vibration. Had tires re-balanced by Dobbs, and an alignment...Still vibration. had re-checked again and alignment adjusted (they made my steering wheel crooked)...still vibration. Returned the Generals online, and got Continental DWS-06 from local tire shop, and alignment check again just for fun...still slight vibration. Had balance re-checked again, and front left was .5g off. I believe the issue lies around the Front Left. This last re-balance was after I replaced the front rotors and brake pads...they were pretty warped and really vibrated when breaking. The rhythm of the driving vibration was about the same as the breaking vibration, so I was hoping that was it somehow. Still same issue. Steering wheel barely shakes, if at all, but I can feel the vibration in my legs and face, and also see it in the cup holder and maybe the hood while driving. It honestly seems to come and go, here and there, making it even more fun. I realize the road surface can affect it, but other times i can see the steering wheel visibly shake when on smooth roads. Oh I also had the CVT fluid replaced when they were mounting the 2nd set of tires.

Front end is all tight...I have checked and the places I had it aligned also said there were no problems. I have not been to the dealer yet but its either that or sell the car. As far as I can tell the suspension is all good, it doesnt bounce, and no leaks from front struts and passes my bounce test.

Im going to have to test drive a new and used Maxima to see if im being crazy and maybe that is just how they are, but wanted to post here to see if anyone else has suggestions. I have searched but didnt find anything other than an altma with a bad gromit on the air box....that is a crazy thing to find all on its own. Its obviously not under warranty so it will all cost me money to troubleshoot and throw parts at.

compyelc4

Where are you getting your tires balanced? Well-known reputable place?
What type of balancer do they use? Best is Hunter Road Force.
How many lbs. air in your tires?
Based on what you are feeling as you drive, I believe you are correct in thinking the problem is with the front end and not rear.
After 2 sets of tires you may also want to have your wheels checked for run out. Wonder if one took a big hit and is out of round.

I own a 17 SL and I can tell you this is the smoothest ride I have ever had. Using OEM Conti's.

Mjscott22

I had meant to put the tire pressure and I lowered it to 33 from what they set it at. I would think they look at wheels when balancing but who knows, I should specifically say that. A Mercedes dealership but the first set on, then Dobbs and Autotire. Both local chains.

RickSmith

Alignment has nothing to do with your problem of feeling a vibration. You can have your alignment checked/adjusted as many times as you like, but that is not your problem solver.

Out of alignment does not cause vibrations.

doug4cad

sounds like cv joints or bearings just take it to nissan dealership get it check out it will give you piece of mind.
Brought mind last year had some issues but first thing I did was take there.

robtroxel

Radial tire Runout is a test to determine if the tires are in fact "round". Great advice from this poster. Since it is a rental car, I would just replace the wheels on the front. Most of the rental cars in service catch hell from frequent curbings and even if they have been repaired that does not guarantee they are "true". If you get to the dealer, have them check the CV joints as a hard curbing could have comprimised one of both at each end of the drive shafts. As you probaly know, there are lots of Maxima Wheels (not rims) for sale on EBAY. Make sure you get a new one and not a repaired wheel.

As an aside, I hope you got a great deal on this car but as you can see, there is danger lurking with so many "I don't give a damn "rental drivers. Best of luck and keep us posted!

As a PS, vibration as a seat of the pants feel usually means it is the back wheels, conversely placing your hand on the dash with the index finger raised while driving and watch for finger movement tells you it is someting with the front end

Mjscott22

UPDATE:

Took to the dealer and they “road force balanced” them. They said my tires were pushing back 40lbs...and then wanted $500 to balance them. (I called another dealer in different location but same family, and it was $74 total). I took it back to Autotire and the confirmed 3 of my tires were junk and wheels were fine. Had them warrantied out, so my third set of tires, and vibration is less at lower speeds but still there. Had then force balanced and all are now within spec.

Yesterday i I went to a different dealer to test drive cars to see how they felt. I tested a 16S with 29k miles, 19SL with 300 miles, then a 19 Altima with 200 miles. The first two had Continental and the last had Hankook tires....all had the same vibration if not worse. You can visible see the rear view mirror shaking, passenger seat shaking, feel it in your face, and when putting you hand on dash can feel the pulse. I then tried a Buick with 235/50 rather than the 235/40 and it was much better and I was really looking for it as well.

Is this just a low profile tire issue? I came from a 2004 Colorado that had its own vibrations so perhaps not used to a car, but this is crazy. More than likely I’m going to do this again at another dealer on different set of roads just because