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Long Term Reliability of Nissan Altima

65 messages,  Last post on Dec 19, 2011 at 8:47 AM

You are in the Nissan Altima Forum.

What is this discussion about? Nissan Altima, Sedan

Messages Page 7 of 7

#56 of 65 Cold engine fast idle too high! by 251lister

Dec 13, 2009 (12:31 pm)

We drive a 2007 Altima 3.5 SE, purchase second hand with 26000 km. When the engine is first started the RPM rev's to 2500 then drops to 2000 until warmed up then drops to 750. We have complained about this problem and had scan's done and nothing comes up in the scan. We feel the engine should not be revving this high on cold start up as it causes premature engine wear. Is there some place that could reprogram the ECU to lower the cold start up idle?

#57 of 65 Re: Cold engine fast idle too high! [251lister] by 12bdriving

Jan 12, 2010 (10:52 am)

Replying to: 251lister (Dec 13, 2009 12:31 pm)
I believe that is actually intentional. We live in Minnesota and my 07 3.5SL does something very similar. I have always used Synthetic Oil to maintain lubrication to the engine even on cold starts and actually think that this is a by-product of an emissions control requirement as it allows the engine to warm faster when it is in its most lean run period.

#58 of 65 Re: Long Term Reliability of Nissan Altima [bitpoh] by nick87

Jul 25, 2010 (3:38 pm)

Replying to: bitpoh (Jun 05, 2007 7:48 am)
1998 Altima with 255,000 miles. In the 12 years I've had it, excluding tires and front brake pads the only issues I've has was replacing a CV boot on one axle ($108) and a pulley came off on the serpentine belt($30). Couple of light bulbs also. Do oil changes about 4,500 miles, replace coolant and transmission every 30K and thats about it. Hope to make it to 300K in about 2 1/2 years.

#59 of 65 Re: Long Term Reliability of Nissan Altima [nick87] by ilene5

Feb 25, 2011 (4:58 pm)

Replying to: nick87 (Jul 25, 2010 3:38 pm)
I have a 1998 Altima I bought 10 years ago when it had less than 40,000 miles. It now has more than 222,000 miles. It's been an amazing car. I never gave it a tune up in all that time. Just this week, after driving more than 180,000 miles, a spark plug went bad and my car got a tuneup. The mechanic said it sure was a quiet running motor. Bravo to Altima for this highly reliable car. I've done little to it in 10 years.

#60 of 65 Should I buy this used 2003 3.5L SE? by lookingnow

Mar 28, 2011 (5:12 am)

#61 of 65 Should I buy this used 2003 3.5L SE? by lookingnow

Mar 28, 2011 (5:12 am)

It's got 88k mi, Carfax looks good, no accidents and lots of maintenance records. 2 deep but small dings and 1 paint chip on the exterior (it's black and I hear the paint is thin on these).
 
More important to me is:
Will the engine run another 5 years?
Is it a gas guzzler?
How will it perform in the snow?
 
I love the power but I could get a used 2.5L Altima for a lot cheaper and those seem to be much more plentiful here in Boston.
 
It's a bit outdated but loaded. I can get it at a dealer for $7999.
 
It sure is pretty but will it last? Any major problems with these after 100k mi?

#62 of 65 Uh-Oh. by lookingnow

Mar 31, 2011 (3:26 am)

Yesterday I bought a 2005 Nissan Altima S 2.5L with 93k mi on it. It felt beautiful when I test drove it the other day but once I took it away yesterday I noticed problems.
 
I am planning on taking it back to the local Used Nissan dealership today to ask them to fix things. Maybe I should take it to a good local mechanic first to be sure what I'm feeling is wrong is in fact wrong.
 
I have discovered that this car sat on the Used car lot for 5 months. That isn't a good sign, is it?
 
Problem 1 - It takes bumps VERY hard and I noticed they changed the front struts but that apparently wasn't enough?
 
Problem 2 - Half the time when I turn on the engine I have to keep the key pushed forward for 3 full seconds in order for it to start. I fear this is one of those "bad" QR25DE engines.
 
I fear my mother and I, two kind, innocent looking women, got scammed by a used car dealer who frankly made my skin crawl. He offered us absolutely no incentives or waurantees on this car.
 
What could be wrong with the car and what course of action should I take with the dealership? They've got a "father" dealership nearby who I'd rather deal with, where the car initially was traded in to.

#63 of 65 Nissan Altima Reliability by troy123

Apr 25, 2011 (9:19 am)

Replying to: lookingnow (Mar 31, 2011 3:26 am)
Every time I plan to post, I find that I am not a member or too lazy to sign up.. today I took the time to sign up so that I can post my comments.
 
I own a Nissan Altima 2000. and have been driving for the past 10 + years
I got it new however from the beginning itself I had maintenance issues.
 
Every time I plan to get rid of it due to its high maintenance costs.. I am ending up keeping it.. cause each time I feel this is the last repair.. and the car should be good(since I got it new)I have currently around 110K miles.
 
I have had many issues. from intake manifold gasket replacements twice( costing around $800 each time); alternator; 02 sensors;AC compressor switch; gasket problems; Replacing radiator twice..
 
I feel this is the worst car on repairs

#64 of 65 Altima reliability varies by m_z

Dec 01, 2011 (1:54 pm)

Different models were made at different times with varying quality control at that time so some were better built than others. It really depends so read the forum or other online forums to get a sense of "reliability" of the Nissan Altima.
 
I have a 2005 pre-owned Altima S w/auto which came with 20,001 miles on it.
It had rust all over the engine compartment and the cabin seat bolts. Finally got a cleaning that cleaned up most of it or at least made it look better.
I've gotten 2 extended warranties, the last is the final one and not worth a 3d due to the car's age.
 
Over the past 7-8 years, esp. within the past 2-3 months, repairs have been growing even though the car has ~75,000 miles on it
Vibration problems lead to replacement of suspension parts, new tires, new brakes, new steering wheel components, got confirmation upon replacing my rear fenders that car was previously involved in accident but didn't show up in Carfax when I bot the car (as Enterprise Rentacar, its previous owner, fixed it themselves shoddily and not reported)
 
Issues... you bet I have issues with MY Altima but most were, thank fully, covered by warranty except for wear and tear like the tires/brakes
 
I'm dealing with vibration issues now... winter is coming which means the fuel efficiency will DROP since the car's performance sck in Cold weather as the 23/27 city/hwy mpg I have (due to monitoring) drops to 18/23 city/hwy in cold weather esp. in the winter.
 
Get rid of the stock Continental Tires which, as many reviewers noted, SCK. It has decent traction in warm weather but is lousy in cold weather and it wears down relatively easily!
 
Some people may not have problems with their cars while others do.
Good luck!

#65 of 65 Re: Altima reliability varies [m_z] by gh81

Dec 19, 2011 (8:47 am)

Replying to: m_z (Dec 01, 2011 1:54 pm)
I've driven some good and bad cars over the years in terms of reliability, the best being a 3 series BMW, the worst being a 2003 Mercedes C Class (luckily it was a company car and not me paying the bills). When I purchased this car I was concerned about buying a car that would be reliable long term.
 
I purchased a 2006 Nissan Altima 2.5 S (special edition) in July 2010 with 45k miles on the clock. As far as I understand it was one of the last Atimas to be made before the updated model was released. Currently it has 71k miles. I became somewhat worried about some of the problems and recalls that I heard about the 2.5 engine, but so far, so good. So far the only unexpected repairs have been a suspension component and a battery. It starts first time when it's -20C outside. I've spoken at length with several mechanics who have seen this model reach 200k miles, they were much more negative about the Sentra and early Rogue. I have a friend who brought the same model on the same day as me in 2010, his car has higher mileage than mine and has had one minor issue so far. I will report back if I have some major problems. When you look through forums you'll undoubtedly see people posting about lemon cars, all manufacturers will make them (some more than others), but based on my experience I would recommend the Altima. It's a great car, comfortable, quick, much more interesting than the equivalent Toyota, Mazda, Chevrolet, Ford etc etc.

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