# 02 Maxima GLE Bose/Clarion



## l1235 (Jan 16, 2006)

I paid $28,000 for my 2002 Maxima GLE (my third, previously owned 1997 and 2000) The Clarion CD player/6 CD changer was defective off the showroom floor (ERR F3) error code which no one at Nissan or Clarion can decipher.
Over the past 3+ years the unit has been changed out 5 times with refurbished, defective replacements. Two greivances with Nissan Consumer affairs were closed out by them without satisfaction. Have been lied to by comically incompetent service managers from Dick Smith Nissan Columbia, SC where I bought it, North Augusta Nissan, and Wilmington, NC Nissan who have also serviced my stereo system to no avail.


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## nemesis7 (Aug 29, 2006)

Your experience is exactly like mine. I've had my stereo replaced on my 03 Maxima & am now getting CD ERR F0 msg., cant play the CD player, insert or eject anything. Unfortunately, I am out of warranty & Nissan dealers are talking $2000 for replacing it!!! I worked with a Michael Arbuckle at Nissan who gave me the run around raising hopes of getting it repaired & in the end left me in the same situation. Nissan is well aware of their extremely defective stereo systems. Not to say that Bose makes good CD players, cuz its just more of brand identity....but even the Bose stereo that Nissan boasts of, is actually made by CRAPPY Clarion. I'd hope enough of us can get together & make a case against Nissan....until they actually think about a recall.


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## nemesis7 (Aug 29, 2006)

I went through hell but FINALLY HAVE MY STEREO FIXED!!! My CD ERR FO/F0 error in my Nissan Maxima 2003 is fixed! Here is the saga of my long but fruitful ordeal & wish to share it with everyone.

As my car is out of warranty (3.5 yrs & 75K miles), the Nissan dealership (Sterling McCall Nissan in Houston) flat out denied me any service. I then contacted Nissan N. America (Michael Arbuckle @ 800-NISSAN1 ext. 57749) & worked with an agent who told me to go back to the dealership & have it diagnosed & worked upon, saying Nissan would cover the costs. I took a day off from work & went to the dealership who insisted on not doing any diagnostics & simply replacing it. Later, both the dealership & Nissan N.A denied me any service. The Nissan agent said that he thought I had 58K miles, when infact I had clearly told him every single time I talked to him on the phone that I had 75K. Not only did he not waste my time & raise my hopes, I lost a day of vacation & nothing got done at the dealership after spending 2. 5 hrs. To replace just the unit, Nissan dealership asked for $2083.00!!!!!! I could buy a good & used Camry in that money!! I am not stupid to spend that amount on a radio.

I then contacted my original Nissan dealership (David McDavid in Houston) & the service manager told me to come in on a Sat.& said that he understands my situation & would try to fix the error & help me by covering the cost. I was a little bit skeptical about this guy, so the Fri before the appointment (Sat), I called to confirm my appointment & I reminded him that "look I am coming in tomorrow but I just want to you to clearly know that I am out of warranty & my car has 75K miles". He then said "Oh...sorry, I thought your car had 54K miles & I must have mis-heard you". This made me really furious a 2nd time. I lost all hope & gave up. I was not going to pay $2083 to get a mere stereo replaced. However, I did not want to get an after-market CD/radio installed because (1) It will drastically drive the resale value of the car down, as people would want the original Bose 6 CD changer factory installed unit...otherwise it looks as if the car has serious electrical problems. (2) Bose is simply superior to anything else in the market (3) it would cost me a significant amount to get another radio installed of the same quality/performance.

I also contacted some online vendors & talked to them, however, they sound kinda shady & was afraid of shipping off my system & ending up with nothing. They did not sound convinvincing or genuine.

Finally, I took my car to a car audio specialist, who normally does not work on factory installed systems, but agreed to help me as he is a friend of a friend. He took out the radio & ran some diagnostics & told me to check the following week. I called & VOILA, my CD system is fixed & working as before. He charged me $250 for removal, parts, labor & installation. For me thats very worth it, as I didnt up spending a fortune on getting it replaced or getting a new one installed & have my car system back in its original form (I plan to sell the car). Besides that, I had the peace of mind as someone I knew & trusted worked on it. 

So there you go! That was my long but fruitful saga of getting my stereo fixed. Let me know if you need any help.Removing the stereo is not a big deal, as I saw the tech. remove it & there are some online guides as well. Let me know if you need any help, as I can feel your pain. Feel free to contact me.


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