# Noisy Maxima brakes



## Guest (Jan 3, 2004)

Hello everyone,

I am new to this site and in need of some help. Ever since driving my new 2004 Maxima off the dealers lot in Sept. the brakes have been squeaking when applied. When I scheduled an appointment one of the "so called" service advisors told me Nissans were famous for noisy brakes. After I talked to the service mgr. :dumbass: he denied this and said his "advisor" should have never told me that. After he drove it several times over the course of a week it was in the shop he said it never squeeked or made any sounds. I picked it up and it has been doing this ever since. Has anyone else had similiar problems with Nissan brakes?? I need some ammo. as I am scheduled to m,eet with the service dept. again next week. Thanks in advance~ Mark


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## Ruben (Oct 15, 2002)

what is your current mileage?


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## nekengren (Feb 5, 2005)

*Maxima Brake Squeak*

I hope you have better luck fixing your brake squeak than I did with my 1995 Maxima. I have visited the dealer twice and Olson tires twice with pad changes, inspections, etc. and nobody can fix it. The squeak is quite annoying especially at slower decelerations.

I notice there MANY technical bulletins about 1995 Maxima brakes which only confirm my suspicion that many people have these same problems. 

http://www.alldata.com/TSB/41/95411757.html

Man, I actually paid $1,000 extra for these anti-lock nightmares.

Neal Ekengren


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## Matt93SE (Sep 17, 2003)

What brake pads are you guys using? many metallic or semi metallic pads will squeal like a school bus. yuck. 

for brands, I recommend the OEM pads, Bendix IQ series, or Wagner pads. Stay away from those $17 autozone cheapo pads. yuck. they suck horribly.

anti squeal shims applied?
was everything clean when you put it together?
sand or pebbles stuck in a brake pad somewhere?

pull your brake pads off and sand the surface off with some 60-100 grit sandpaper (I usually just scrape 'em on the driveway). Sand until the hard, shiny layer on top is gone. usually it'll take a minute or two per pad.

Also hit the surface of the rotors with some 100 grit. go in circles on it to just kinda rough up the surface a bit. you don't have to take tons of material off, just give the brake pads something to bite into.

once you do that, spray the back of the pads with some anti squeal spray- it's usually $3-5 a can and you can get it at most parts stores.. once it dries, it's just a thick gooey substance- like syrup that's been spread out and dried some.. if you have anti-squeal shims on there, spray them as well and stick them on the pads. 
If you don't have the shims, buy some from the dealer (the 2004 model should still have the factory ones. your 95 model may have been removed when the pads were changed in the past).


once all that's done, put the brakes back together and go for an easy drive. see how it sounds.


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## nekengren (Feb 5, 2005)

ok Matt. You were right on the money. I went to a second Nissan dealer (after 3 years of nastiness squeaks) and they found the Shims were missing. I had them redo the brakes with Nissan pads and done right and they no longer squeak.

Well go figure why the first Nissan dealer failed my complaint. Olsen also supposedly put their "best" pads on the second time. But of course you leave parts off, then..........

Overall our Maxima has been great. Very few problems. The car is 10 years old and looks like new. It should keep my wife going for a long time. 

My biggest complaint are the window motors. I have had to replace 4. And one back window is permanently closed (by my own invention) because I'm tired of shelling out hundreds at a pop. I grease the window rubbers which has seemed to help some.

Neal Ekengren


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## carpetrider (Feb 23, 2005)

*squeeling like a pig*

the only proper way to fix the infamous squeeling of maxima brake pads is to use O.E Pads and have them installed proparlly with the shims. it's that simple.


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## carefree41 (Mar 4, 2005)

*nissan brakes*



carpetrider said:


> the only proper way to fix the infamous squeeling of maxima brake pads is to use O.E Pads and have them installed proparlly with the shims. it's that simple.


HELLO, I WILL BE HAVING MY 95 NISSAN MAXIMA BRAKES REPLACED THIS WEEK. RIGHT NOW WE HEAR A GRINDING IN THE BACK TIRES. SHOULD I TAKE THIS CAR TO A NISSAN DEALER? ALSO, WHAT ACTUALLY ARE OEM PADS? DOES EVERY MECHANIC KNOW TO PUT ON SHIMS WHEN THEY REPLACE BRAKES? I DON'T WANT TROUBLE B/C I CAN'T AFFORD IT. WANT TO DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME AROUND. ANY SUGGESTIONS???


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## carpetrider (Feb 23, 2005)

*RE: brake job*



carefree41 said:


> HELLO, I WILL BE HAVING MY 95 NISSAN MAXIMA BRAKES REPLACED THIS WEEK. RIGHT NOW WE HEAR A GRINDING IN THE BACK TIRES. SHOULD I TAKE THIS CAR TO A NISSAN DEALER? ALSO, WHAT ACTUALLY ARE OEM PADS? DOES EVERY MECHANIC KNOW TO PUT ON SHIMS WHEN THEY REPLACE BRAKES? I DON'T WANT TROUBLE B/C I CAN'T AFFORD IT. WANT TO DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME AROUND. ANY SUGGESTIONS???


 



O.E. pads are Original Equipment pads that are specifically designed for a certain car. You can buy them from Nissan. When you buy them, they come with thin pieces of metal that act as a backing plate for the pads. If installed correctly with anti-seize for your calipers then the squealing should stop. Hope this helps.


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