Hi folks,

I searched these out, seems to be common problems. I have an '03 loaded 'cept NAV.

2nd gear whines on decel bad (other gears do also but not as bad). I have a 95 Talon w/130k and it doesn't whine like that. i read about an earlier year having its trans replaced because of the whine. Any of the '03 guys have this looked into further?

I know warped rotors are a very common problem with these cars. I have less than 200 miles on my '03. Yes, only 200, and I'm already noticing the rotors warping up.

I went through this a lot on my Talon. I finally used power slot rotors and they have been perfect after a full year and 20k miles. My point here is, if rotors are decent they won't warp. Nissan must be using crappy metals in the rotors or something. I'm beside myself that a car with only 200 miles has warped rotors already.

I seriously thought about returning the car I was so mad about the rotors and trans noise. But I'm sure all my contracts are squashed so there is no way. I wanted to return because I thought this car must have been beat on before I got to have warped rotors already and a noise in the trans. But after doing my search I see these are common so I'l try to get the car fixed.

Anyways, if anyone with an '03 had your trans replced due to the whine I sure would apprecaite hearing from you.

I'm going to complain like all heck about the sub-standard rotors and see if they will spring for Power Slots, I'm totally serious about that since it's so obvious they are using really crappy rotors.

Thanks for any help!

 

I have a 2k3 and had the rotor problems - noticed it at 1000 miles because I was going easy on them for the break-in period, although I'm sure they were fu*cked to begin with. There was a TSB on the 2k2's but I don't think it has been extended to the 2k3's. I took it to the dealer and they ended up cutting the rotors (all 4) to get them back into round. I argued like crazy because I felt that they were not addressing the problem, rather putting a bandaid on it. Also, they are taking more life off of the rotors by cutting them. All this and they didn't replace the pads!

I called NNA (Nissan North America) and they agreed that they should just be cut. I explained my concern that they are just taking life off of the rotors and what happens when I need to get it cut again? They said if it happens again within a short period of time I could have a case because I documented it.

I'm thinking that I'll run these brakes out until they are dead, then get some real ones. Tell me about the ones you are talking about, any links?

It's a shame, I have a 1993 Mazda MX6-LS as a beater car and that thing could stop a few days before my Max!

 

I agree about life being taken away from the rotors. They will warp even faster after material is removed.

I really drove the car like a granpa for break-in. It's not even broken in yet, that's what has me so upset about the rotors getting lumpy already.

My Talon was horrible for warping rotors. First, they put on tiny rotors up front. They were 11" rotors. The first thing I tried was to put a set of Brembo rotors on it (same size as stock). These felt good at first, much better than stock. But I still noticed just a tiny bit of warp, it was really subtle. So subtle that I actually put 50k on these before it got so bad it was time to replace. This time I went with a a big brake upgrade kit. I upgraded to 12" rotors and dual piston calipers. I have a FWD talon turbo, the AWD turbo came with 12" stock so the calpier mounts and calipers were direct bolt on.

The reason I went to a larger rotor is because I've read and beleive that the more material a rotor has, the less it is prone to warping. One of the first things I noticed about the max rotors is they look thin.

I took a chance on the power slot rotors because they came with the kit. I was a bit apprenhensive because these are slotted rotors. I don't drive the car in a way that requires slotted rotors, and the rule of thumb I've always gone by is that the more material you remove from a rotor, the more prone to warping it will be.

It was the best mod I ever did to the car. I have about 8k on the upgrade and I can stop from any speed and they are smooth as silk.

Here's a link to powerslot:

http://www.powerslot.com/

I think you need to go through a reseller to get them. From what I see on their web site, they don't have 'em out yet for an 03 max.

The other thing I like about them is the entire rotor is coated in a zinc wash, even the swept area which just wears away leaving the zinc on all exposed surfaces. The rotors do not have any rust on them, not even in the vents.

Does anyone know what size rotors on the max? I'm guessing 12". That would be nice, I think 12" is the minimum I would ever want on a car. I'm going to measure the thickness of the rotor tonight, I have a feeling they are thinner than the ones on my Talon. If that's the case I think this will be a problem for the life of the car.

 

Thanks for the link, looks like they have one for our car:

2000-2002 MAXIMA - 507 PSL & 507 PSR

The 2003 Maxima is supposed to be exactly the same thing as the 2002. How much did you pay for your set? Did you get new pads to go along with it? I like the way x-drilled rotors look, but they make some good points on this website as to why theres are better. I'm going to have to do some searching on the .Org to see what everyone thinks of these.

 

I've done rotor swaps before and kept used pads, I don't think it's an issue at all. The pads wear to the rotors, so they seat fairly quickly.

I paid $198 for the ones on my Talon.

Definetly stay away from x-drilled, they look good but aren't very practicle for a daily driven car.

 

the '02-03 have a larger front rotor than the 00-01. Be wary placing any order where the part numbers are the same as 00-01.