hey its me, the one that just got his maxima like less than 2 weeks ago. my car has a problem with the drivers door in that it doesnt align correctly and the top edge corner of the door rubs against the top corner of the rear door and is chipping of a very small section of paint. this is due to the door being slightly dropped at the hinges. has anyone ever had this problem? apparently they sent it to a body shop to get the door alligned and to repaint the chip on the rear door. theres a no-cost 30 day unlimited warranty, so basically what that means is that you can take the car to carmax for just about any stupid little thing you can think of and they'll fix it.. as long is its within the first 30 days. i also complained about a knocking noise in the front wheels accompanied by a loose feeling in the steering wheel when going over imperfections at low speeds..almost as if the lug nuts where loose..even though they are not. its slight and its not bad..but i'de figure what the hell, i'll let them figure it out. my guesse is the struts or the engine mounts, (most likely the struts).

anyway until i get my maxi back, i'm stuck driving a loaner car. a 2005 saturn L300 sedan.. .. its this car. same color. its drives soo cheaply... (the power isnt too awfully bad but, still... at least i didnt get an ION or a crapalier...

 

I'd like to meet the tech that checked in your Max when CarMax bought it...

 

yea I think you should tell them you want a different max, that door alignment issue sounds fishy. I would suggest you get out now that car could be loads of problems

 

Almost sounds like a poor repair of unreported damage

 

exactly what i was thinking...

 

Is it aligned wrong because the hinges are bad?

 

Dood, it's ok. It's got SFC. check the SFC thread for more info on misalignment after SFC.

Jae

 

idk why its aligned bad... ok ..let me see if i can explain.. once the door closes, its on nice and straight, but right before the latch catches and the door is completely shut, you can tell the top right hand corner of the door makes slight contact with the top left hand corner of the back door. i was told there is something wrong with a bushing (looks kind of like a washer) on one of the hinges.. and it drops the door a several millimeters, enough to slight make contact with the other door right right before you close it. so i'm not sure what to think.. but its the only thing i can think of wrong with the car.... it drives str8 as an arrow and seems fine..no signs of repaint anywhere in the engine compartment or anything. and the "strut" problem, well i was reading threads in this forum that complained about the same exact thing, so it seems like something normal for the maxima...

and what is SFC?

 

I thought an SFC was Sub-Frame Connector? What would that have to do with anything?

 

Seems like you just need new hinges.I hate saggy doors.

 

It's something about how you place a load on the car (I think depending on whether or not it was welded on using jackstands or a lift and where the car was raised) when you install the SFC's... Do it wrong and the door(s) won't align properly with the rest of the car.

Edit: Here it is... Click me! Check out post #76.

 

so what are you suggesting? that at some point in this car's life, it was improperly lifed off the ground, flexing something that caused the driver's door not to close correctly? here's another theory..i noticed that alot of older ppl like to put alot of their weight on the car's door when climbing out of the car. have you noticed? when some old heavy dude (for example.) climbs out of the car, he grabs the top frame of the door after he puts one foot out of the car and sort of "heaves" himself out. perhaps the last owner was like this and 5 years of continuesly doing this caused the door to slightly misalign....

 

^ Quite possible... Or like others have said, a jacked-up post-accident repair... Hope it works out well for you!

 

Tell em to just install the lambo doors for you or go suicidal (on the doors that is, suicide doors) J/K Good luck and hopefully it's not due to poor repair after an accident!

 

well ....carmax being a such a reputable company.. one would think that the car wouldnt be accidentized in the past... perhaps they don't sale salvage title cars, but they do sale cars that have had minor collisions..... ?? idk what to think....all i know is that i want to give them their stupid saturn back and get my maxi.. the car is in great shape, and as far as i'm concerned, if this is the biggest problem that the car has.... then i'm not so bad off..

 

Over the past week I have been very thankful to have rented a 2007 Chevy Malibu for free while I get my insurance for my Maxima squared away. My Chevy Prizm was totaled :'(

 

This is not an uncommon issue. There have been other reports of saggy hinges over time.

 

man i tell ya,, i want my car back soo bad. i've had this saturn for over a week now. they have fixed the door and repainted the small part where it chipped off some paint. and now their rotating the tires, blancing them, the wheels are getting aligned and i'm getting a new set of struts up front as well as rotors.... (this was do to the wheel shimmying issue i had) cant wait to get it back.

 

I think you should exchange it...

 

got the car back yesterday......its ALOT better! but, on 5.5gen SE, is it normal to feel lots of imperfections on the road thru the steering wheel. it doesnt really bother me, i'm just wondering if this is normal due to a stiffer ride or something. or does it have to do with the tires?

 

Well, the wheel shouldn't feel "wishy-washy" if you know what I mean, but you do feel the road through the steering wheel, the tires could add to that effect too. I don't know, I like to "feel the road" through the wheel, it gives me more sensory input, like if I keep my hand on the shifter I can "feel" the tranny (even though I should have both hands on the wheel if I am driving spiritedly).

 

well, what i mean is that when i am on the highway for example, going over expansion joints and uneven pavement with scars on it and stuff like that... the wheel goes into force feedback mode and i can feel just about everything i run over. even i dont see what it is i'm driving over, i usually can identify what it was just by the message the steering wheel is giving me......like i said its not bad, my dad used to have a protege5 that felt like this as well....

 

How wide are your tires?

 

well, i just went outside and wrote this down...not sure which number signifies width.

225/50R17 94V

 

Nice to hear that you got your Maxima back, I'm STILL waiting to drive mine. I am STILL waiting on the guy who hit my Prizm's insurance company to give me the money for my car. I blantly told them that I'm not giving that rental 2007 Malibu back until they give me my money. But as long as I have that rental, I can't afford to drive that Maxima, although I took it for a test drive yesterday after changing the transmission fluid.

As far as your problem goes, I have no idea, I never had anything like that happen on the highway but mine is a 4th gen. Did it do that before you took it to the shop?

 

Dude, don't worry it's normal. Sensory input is a must when designing cars that don't get people killed all the time. As long as you dont feel the bumps jarring your legs, then you are fine. Remember those old chevy belairs (sp)? There is a reason why they dont make steering boxes with ratios like that, anymore, you could steer with your pinky and it was smooth as silk, all the time.

 

Your explanation of "feeling the imperfections" sounds a lot like bump steer, which can be amplified if you have wide tires, or, as it seems in your case, come from a car that does not experience it as much.

 

lol, ya i know dude.. you're talking to someone who used to own a 94 Towncar with an air suspension and everything..... i could be driving on train tracks in that thing and i wouldnt feel a thing. dont ask how i ended up with this boat cuz its a long story. but it was the biggest POS i ever owned.... and the average age in the lincoln forums was 65 years old..so i was considered an infant.. lol

but baq to the subject. this steering thing does not worry me in the slightest bit, in fact i dont mind feeling the road at all... i was just wondering if its normal and if other 5.5gen SE owners feel the same thing..

 

Did CarMax provide a carfax for you? pm me...