Small Nissan Frustrations!

[NissanSportSarah]

So, let's face it. We all love our Datsuns/Nissans/Infinitis... but sometimes, there are small things that are frustrating about them!

What frustrates you about yours? My Maxima has had a few little issues in the past months... it's had a consistant throwout bearing noise that I've thought would result in eventual slippage leading to strong desire to replace the clutch. Slippage hasn't materialized, and I'm driving it with a throwout bearing tick. Clutch upgrade is planned in the next few months.

More aggrevating, I think the car got upset about the lack of new clutch - becuase now the starter is going out. It's grinding and really slow to start, so here comes a starter replacement weekend. ACK!

Blower motor is JUST starting to get noisy so that's a bummer, but I've an extra sitting in my garage. It's also a tiny bit aggrevating that the sub rattles on heavy bass - there's a fix, but it's a big job and involves pulling apart the back seat. The body has a few flaws given that the previous owner thought that driving was done by ear, apparently.

But, for a powerful sedan with almost 140k miles on it - it's in AMAZING shape!

[IanS]

Sounds like you have been having a rough couple of weeks.

I cant say there is anything that seriously bugs my about my Nissan's. I work in the automotive industry, and I see things that annoy me to a much higher level. Both my cars have little problems, like the S14 is a rattle monster, but that's more a side effect of things I've added/removed. The broken manifold studs on my S13 create a nasty exhaust tick that wont go away. If I weren't in the process of switching from winter car to summer car than I might fix one.

[dmuramoto]

It frustrates me that the new 370Z's ergonomics are flawed when the Japanese design team decided to place the multi-function gauge down on the 3-pod instrument panel. You have to look down to see anything and it was much better placed on the 3-gauge panel on top of the IP. That silver-colored gas gauge with the LEDs is also gimmicky and looks out of place on an otherwise upgraded instrumentation package. Nissan got it right in the 350Z and should have carried it over to the 370Z, rather than taking a WRONG turn in this instance. Details count!

[IanS]

It frustrates me that the new 370Z's ergonomics are flawed when the Japanese design team decided to place the multi-function gauge down on the 3-pod instrument panel. You have to look down to see anything and it was much better placed on the 3-gauge panel on top of the IP. That silver-colored gas gauge with the LEDs is also gimmicky and looks out of place on an otherwise upgraded instrumentation package. Nissan got it right in the 350Z and should have carried it over to the 370Z, rather than taking a WRONG turn in this instance. Details count!

I agree 100%, I love the new Z, but that ugly silver fuel gauge annoys the crap out of me. It looks like some teenage kid put it in there.

[MinisterofDOOM]

I don't know what Nissan was thinking when they laid out the power window controls in the Q. Everything is so scattered and inconvenient. The way they're located it takes two hands just to roll down both front windows from the driver seat. I think it would have taken sincere effort to find a worse layout. In the Maxima I can hit all 4 windows at once with one hand.

[audtatious]

160k miles on my 2k2 Maxima and it's been relatively event-free. The only issue I've had that is annoying has been the drivers side power seat switch which was replaced once under warranty and now is acting up again. Seems to be something internal as I can hit the switch with something hard and it works for a while again. I have also had a few occurrences of the 4AT transmission slipping at times and forgetting what gear it's in when stomping the gas. Then there is the paint that chips if a rock looks at it and the glass foglight lenses that break easily if you still have halogen bulbs (2 years with HID's in the fogs and not a scratch).

Otherwise, I just hate the Eibach suspension.

[Dittoz7]

For Some Reason My S14 Won't Accept Any Aftermarket Radio.

I'm On My Third Radio, Thinking The Two Other Were Broken.Third Is Brand New and Still Not Working.

>:|

[Mr. Music]

I've got some annoyances with my Altima as well. The small stuff is a rattle coming from the passenger door panel, and the passenger seat belt buckle rattles against the b-pillar when nobody is using the seat belt. A smack to the door panel shuts it up for a few days, and I just put the seat belt over the seat bolster so its away from any plastic it could rattle against. The major annoyances are my air conditioning compressor and CVT transmission... **CLIFFS NOTES AT END OF POST**

My a/c compressor makes a relatively loud clicking/knocking noise when it's on. Nissan knows this is an issue with the 4th gen. Altima sedans and coupes. The compressor was replaced on 1/2/09; the sad part is that the new one makes just as much noise as the old one.

At 30-35 mph (steady, around 1,200 rpm), the car vibrates as if you were driving on an uneven/wavy road surface. However, this doesn't happen all of the time. It only happens when my car is in drive; if I switch it over to manual mode, the shaking stops; switch it back to drive, and it starts shaking again. I've test driven the car with a mechanic and he was able to diagnose this problem. Nissan's engineer said that this is normal on the four cylinder with the CVT, and calls it a "Booming Sensation". His recommended fix was to change my driving habits. What kind of bull**** is that? A lot of my driving is through areas where the speed limit is 30 or 35 mph. Nissan isn't going to pay for speeding tickets.

After paying a different dealership a visit, I got answers. For the a/c compressor, it's a design flaw in the compressor that causes fluid to back up, and a valve flaps open and shut making the noise. Nissan has no plans for a new compressor design. As for the transmission, at about 35 mph, the transmission solenoids are almost at the point of sending a shift command. The CVT's gearing is split in banks, first to third gear and fourth to sixth gear. Under normal driving conditions, the transmission wants to shift from its equivalent of third gear to fourth gear at around 35mph, but it basically doesn't know whether to shift or not; resulting in the car jerking back and forth as the pulleys fluctuate. Nissan considers this to pose no reliability, longevity or safety issues.

I'm also disappointed with Nissan's customer support line, 1-800-NISSAN-1. They were unable to provide any kind of help in trying to sort out my a/c compressor and transmission issues. Also, the new management at the nearest dealership sucks. About a month ago, I went in for my second-to-last free oil change, and met the new general manager and his boss. Of course, I took my shot at talking to somebody a little higher-up, but they haven't done what they said they would - I'm still waiting for their phone call. I've called just about every other day, and the general manager has yet to return my call.

CLIFFS NOTESMy 2008 Altima is a POS.

[CodeRed]

I own a Versa, it looks like a small minivan and it's terribly slow.

[Razi]

I own a Versa, it looks like a small minivan and it's terribly slow.

One of my heater hoses bursted yesterday.It sucked, but it's fixed now. Silly old car.

[MastaYu]

misfire

[snwbrdr435]

One problem that i have seen plague almost all nissan and infiniti's are window motors.

They suck.

[APEXi240]

I own a Versa, it looks like a small minivan and it's terribly slow.

Yup. Plus there's the added bonus of dash rattle on mine.

[PBfrEAk]

One problem that i have seen plague almost all nissan and infiniti's are window motors.

They suck.

haha indeed.

I've replaced all of mine in my Maxima except for the passenger side front...and my passenger side rear is broken again.



Other than that though...nothing too major. I hate the lack of cupholders in my max...oh and the digital clock that flickers off and on.

Of course with 210,000 (just turned over last night) I can't really complain too much.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Of course with 210,000 (just turned over last night) I can't really complain too much.

250,000 and only one window motor replacement. I win!