hi guys
we have owned a 2000 i30L for 8 mo. now with 5000mi...the car is just not very well made....so many little problems..they r so annoying....the engine is nice when accelarating...but when i'm at a stop light, its not smooth.
the tranny suck big time...the car doesnt shift like a luxury car at all...the car rattles...brake suck..when i brake from any speed to a stop..the car kinda shake...i did all the recommended maintanance and the car just suck...
i dun think i will get a nissan/inifiti again in the future..when i decided not to get euro cars since they generally have more prob than japanese car..o boy i was wrong..i30(maxima) got the japanese feel but not the japanese reliablity...i've seen so many ppl posting problems too...or should i say it is reliable..car never break down and i can drive it...but it just feels like a civic....personally i dunno why some magazaine rated VQ the best engine..i think toyota's v6 ( in avalon or camry) is so much better than VQ, i should;ve gotten the TL..it drives like a $30k car..

any comments are welcome

 

As far as the shuddering while stopping, have your dealer check out your rotors, they could be warped. Seems to be a common issue among us maxes.

 

the vq engine is rated so highly because it is such a damn good engine...my parents just bought a toyota avalon (2001) and the engine is so quiet that you can't even tell when the car is on

you should tell your dealer about your problems and tell them exactly what you told us...since you found these problems, you don't plan on buying a nissan/infin. again...or you could call nissan u.s.a....just a suggestion if you want all of this fixed for free (+ since you have an infiniti you should get a rental car while it is being fixed)

 

You probably just got unlucky (which shouldn't happen, but that's Nissan for ya). There are some Maximas/I30s out there that are running with no or very few problems.

The VQ is a good engine. It's quiet, has a lot of horsepower and torque, and it sounds GOOD!!!!!!!! Plus it's one of the most fuel efficient V6 engines available. The Lexus IS300 uses the 215hp V6 from the GS300 and it eats 19mpg city, 22mpg highway. The TL's 3.2L SOCH V6 eats 19mpg city, 29mpg highway. And I believe the Maxima/I30 uses 22mpg city, 28mpg highway and it still produces more horsepower. Those are magazine numbers, but I'm pretty sure they're within range.

As for the TL, it is a good car, but they did skimp on a few things to cut costs. It's not as roomy as an I30/Max, but big enough. Overall it's a better car than the Maxima, but they aren't within the same class. As for TL vs. I30, Car and Driver gave the TL 1st place. Again, magazine numbers, but it does show that the TL is a pretty good car. But as someone mentioned here, the Accord/TL V6 "moos" along while the Maxima purrs...

 

Welcome to the world of rolling the Nissan dice. Its a crap shoot with Maximas and I30's. You may get a good one and you may not. I crapped out My beefs with Nissan sound just like yours. I have absolutely no fear of this car crapping out on me engine wise.....other than that (well I like the looks) Im not too sure on the rest of the car. Too many squeaks, rattles but lately I've just come to the realization that they are here to stay.

Would I trade my car for another Max? maybe.... but not without going over it with a microscope before it left the lot(even then the Nissan boogyman could pop up at anytime)

I think the IS300 is next.....

 

That was me that mentioned the "MOOOO"...the engine in the Accord V6 doesn't make any exciting sounds. Slow revving combined with little torque down low gets anoyying sometimes when I drive it. Also, the car is slow to change gears and jerks when it does it. When you take a turn without comming to a complete stop, the tranny starts out in 3rd (!) and once you give it gas, it jerks and downshifts to 2nd. Everytime you come to a stop, the engine vibrates the steering wheel where as in the Maxima, its all smooth. Must be the electronic control liquid filled engines mounts along with the microfinished crankshaft and camshafts

I can totally agree on you with the Toyota V6 engine. That engine is equal to the Maxima in smoothness and excedes the VQ in quietness ( stand outside and listen to the engines...The camry is just plain quieter ). This engine revvs just as fast and makes nice sounds in the process. But the engine feels "soft" and doesn't have that " whip-lash inducing" power. But the transmission downshifts shifts WAY smoother and faster.

Plus, the Maxima VQ just made Wards Auto World test best engines list for 2001. Its been on the list ever since its introduction in 1995. The engine has an unusual combination of smoothness, right-now-on-demand toque and high revving Power. No other V6 can give such a responsive feel at any price. Wards Auto World Jan 97 "....revs like no other engine this side of Ferrari."

Thats a pretty good accomplishment considering you can buy a car with the VQ engine for under 20K and that its not an exotic engine. Also, its the only engine to be on the list 7 straight years.

 

I love the torque on the freeway... I hate idling like a race car at the stop light. there isnt anything smooth about the VQ now. it hiccups in cold and just acts plain bizarre in any weather besides a perfect 72 degrees. I think Nissan changed the emissions, intake and exhaust without retuning the car for different climates. Like that dying thing in Canada.... well when its 15 degrees, it does that here too (AR). And in extreme heat, it idles so rough. it has fleeting moments of greatness in spring and fall...

Just be glad you have an I30, you would be really upset if you had maxima.. Some car, less service.

I'm sorry, I dont know where Wards gets off with that list, but I think Nissan has really cut back R&D in these lean years. Toyota and Honda have really caught up, if not passed it. Their torque bands are purely marketing. They make some monster racing engines and have all the aftermarket support. I dont think they are trying to compete with Nissan on the VQ. Why would they? they dont need to, Nissan is its own worse enemy at the moment (and its service).

 

I have to disagree, some people like above got a lemon. My 2k Max only had a tranny problems and we all know why. Except for minor A pillar rattles and rear deck which was fixed, the car was solid for the whole 20k miles, idled smoothly, etc.

Remember guys, even after 20k, I did all the maint on the car, but the plugs they say will last 100k, they will not. I recommend replaceing them somewhere between 15-30k and that is what causes rough idle. Trust me, it was a experience I had on my 98 Maxima, it got rough and I replace the plugs, smooth again. The maxima has more TQ and a better power curve than toyota or Honda, that is why the Engine is #1 by wards for 7 yrs! It got cold here my max never had a problem, I remember 10 degree days, it did not hicup once!

 

I invite you to roll the dice again on another... You may not be inconvienced by multiple trips to the dealer on your strut problem... or the week plus without your car for a tranny... or the rattles.. (I recollect you being alittle less patient at the time). I also remember you having the starting problems. Its like an old girlfiend Russ, you dont remember the bad things. But you'll find out again. and maybe you'll be lucky. A rough idle does not a lemon make, I'm sure the engine will last to 200K... but more about refinement. Also, you may not notice some things that others do. Some people cant hear high frequencies so a stereo might sound better to them. Some people are less annoyed by vibration, so the car seems smoother because they dont notice or care. I started almost every 2k on the lot and they all shook the steering wheel will with lights on, in Drive, with foot on the brake. Sorry, thats not smooth *to me*. Now, compared to my honda it was smooth.

 

Actually I forgot about the long strut problem. Yeah that was getting on my nerves till they finally fixed it. But I am hoping 2k1 or 2k2 hopefully will have the bugs fixed if any. I had problems you bet, but not as many cosmetic problems at all as I have had with the Sentra now. Engine,Drivetrain,suspension, etc have been great in the Sentra though, just cosmetic interior **** falling apart already.

 

Whats an I30L, I know of an i30, and a i30T and maybe if you got an Infiniti and not a Inifiti, you'd be ok

OK, I'm done being an A$$. I just got my I30t and hope not to have these issues. Definitely sounds like the infamous Nissan rotors, and some new plugs. This should have you running like new again, and under warranty in no time. (Happened to my max) My Dealer was rated #1 in the nation, but all infiniti dealers should have good service.

I was also considering the 3.2 TL, but I think I made the right choice. The Accura is more plane in styling for me, and less head room. The dual tips in the rear is just about all the “sport” I can see from this long looking sedan. Infiniti also out features it, plus I love the VQ.

I wouldn’t cry about not having the TL now. You had your chance, but don't feel bad. Honda makes some reliable cars, but how do you know the TL you would have got would have been worry free, maybe even worse then the I30? In manufacturing, you always get a percent that are not perfect. I know many maximas with no problems, and some with the ones you have described which sound like easy fixes.

 

I think the expectations of Infiniti buyers is higher than Maxima buyers. In no small part due to their higher cost. Most of the people buying Infinities are buying luxury cars and also probably looked at Lexus and Accura so their frame of reference is different. On a supposed luxury car things like warped rotors, rough idle, jerky shifts, squeaks and rattles are just not acceptable. Judging by what I've read at the Edmund's site, Infiniti dealers don't always have their act together either.

 

I30L, I think it means "leather-appointed" model in earlier years. But the 2k+, I think it means the "luxury" model as opposed to the "touring" T model

 

a lot being said...the problem is just as Tim mentioned..you roll the dice..maybe you'll get a good Max, maybe not. Most of my stuff has been what I guess most of you consider minor..The point is that you really shouldnt have to be making multiple trips to the dealer to fix all this stuff, I mean come on..we didnt buy Dodge, Chevy or Ford here...we bought one of the big 3 Japanese cars their "flagship" to boot....world class etc....

My friend has a 2001 Passat Wagon...now I've heard all the digs at them etc about what a piece of crap they are. So far after 4k his has no complaints or issues. My Max had about 25 miles on it before I needed to make a dealer appointment. The friggin rear window seal gasket was popped out....can you believe that crap? I love riding in that car...5spd V6 Audi engine is great and that thing pulls like a mother when he stomps it. More comfortable ride than my Max also...then again it also cost him 7k more than my Max....

I agree with Tim...my 91 Celica GTS 4 banger seemed to idle and accelerate smoother than my SE...weird....very weird.


Hey Russ...how is the stablity of that spoiler on the Sentra...just touching them on the lot I thought I was going to snap one off

 

The TL "moos" compared to our 4th gen Max..damn that thing sounds sweet. As for the shifting, the TL has a different transmission and I don't think it shows any signs of the annoying stuff you mentioned.

The TL in Honda's mind is a "sports sedan" and an "entry level luxury" car. The TL is only sporty if you add the underbody spoiler and rear spoiler..other wise, that thing is too plain. The TL's V6 has the same amount of torque as the Maxima, *but*, the Maxima reaches that amount by about 1000rpm lower. TL's gas pedal has more resistance too hehe.

TL has its own fair share of problems but probably not as much as the Max/I30. No matter how you look at it, the TL is a freggin' dressed up Accord. The Maxima and I30 are both very good cars, except for the few lemons.

 

I could not disagree more with your observations
concerning the engine. I live in eastern Ontario
Canada and it has been very cold for the past month
and half. I've never owned a car that ran better in the
cold. The engine is smooth at all temperatures. It
warms up very quickly.