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I am sure you read the title and said "New? BS." Well I stumbled across a 2018 Maxima SR that was a factory demo unit. Nissan auctioned it and a local dealer brought it a few weeks ago. I just took ownership of it today with 125 miles on it and full factory warranty that Nissan has confirmed.
Anyway. I noticed two issues when looking at it.
First is the headlights do not work. I am under the impression that the SR trim comes with LED low beams as standard. Can anyone confirm this and give some suggestions on possible cause? I figured I would start with the fuses. What else?
Second issue is the Navigation SD card was not in the car. I figured since this was sitting on the floor as a factory demo it might have never had one or someone took it. Local Nissan dealer quoted me $368. Was wondering if you guys knew of a cheaper alternative.
Take that back to the dealer where you bought it. Salesman probably wanted one for a customer and took it out of your car. They owe you a card the car should come with one. Also take it back in and get the lights fixed maybe somebody pulled a fuse.
Good luck.
Odd thing is the high beams and fogs work. I assume it would be the same fuse. The fuse box does not list anything for headlights. The dealer that sold me the car is a Bentley/Lambo dealer. They advertised it as having Nav so will see if I can hold their feet to the fire and pay for it.
Local Nissan dealer said they would talk to regional corp and see if they can do anything, but not holding my breath on that.
Hrm was hoping for a bit of a manual fix for this. SD cards being used for this are under $5 wholesale. That leaves over $300 for the software and plugging it in. Auto industry needs to get with the times. They make this harder than it needs to be.
Quick update on the headlight issue. Its been a long process, but working out in my favor.
So this car came from Nissan to the dealer. Passed through a couple companies before the dealer took ownership. Between Nissan and the dealer someone stole the headlight assemblies and put in damaged(looks like accident damage) OE headlight assemblies. The wiring harness was damaged and low beam bulbs were not installed. The dealer never tested the headlights. Their response was "it was brand new from Nissan" so they never even thought about it.
Anyway, apparently the 2018 SR comes with halogen low beams standard and LED is an upgrade option. I was not aware of this. I had a different dealer run the VIN and confirmed this to be the case. Anyway so they ordered replacement assemblies and got LEDs instead of halogen. Mistake, but I am not complaining one bit about the free upgrade.
They pulled the front bumper cover and confirmed no damage and its factory. No signs of accident and the damaged wire harness which makes us believe the theft/replacement story. If the idiots put in low beams I might not have noticed for quite some time. I'm thinking they were in a hurry and screwed up. Hope the *****(s) are caught.
Oh and the dealer found the SD card. I popped it in and it worked instantly. The young new salesman didn't know they kept them locked up.
Last edited by DocHolliday; 05-02-2020 at 10:13 AM.
Quick update on the headlight issue. Its been a long process, but working out in my favor.
So this car came from Nissan to the dealer. Passed through a couple companies before the dealer took ownership. Between Nissan and the dealer someone stole the headlight assemblies and put in damaged(looks like accident damage) OE headlight assemblies. The wiring harness was damaged and low beam bulbs were not installed. The dealer never tested the headlights. Their response was "it was brand new from Nissan" so they never even thought about it.
Anyway, apparently the 2018 SR comes with halogen low beams standard and LED is an upgrade option. I was not aware of this. I had a different dealer run the VIN and confirmed this to be the case. Anyway so they ordered replacement assemblies and got LEDs instead of halogen. Mistake, but I am not complaining one bit about the free upgrade.
They pulled the front bumper cover and confirmed no damage and its factory. No signs of accident and the damaged wire harness which makes us believe the theft/replacement story. If the idiots put in low beams I might not have noticed for quite some time. I'm thinking they were in a hurry and screwed up. Hope the *****(s) are caught.
Oh and the dealer found the SD card. I popped it in and it worked instantly. The young new salesman didn't know they kept them locked up.
LED low beams have been standard equipment on SR and Platinum Trims since 2016. High beams were halogens on all trims. The dealer should know this. They didn't make a mistake, they ordered the correct part # for your headlights. The reason the low beams weren't installed is probably because the plugs/harness are not the same. The person who took the headlamp assemblies out probably cut the original harness to have the correct plug for the LED lowbeam portion of the headlamp assembly they stole from the car so they could work with a SL or lower trim.
I’m glad it worked in your favor! And as was said above led are standard on SR and Platinum. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise. As for the “didn’t check Bc it was new from Nissan” that is not acceptable. Every new car once taken into inventory needs a PDI (Pre delivery inspection). The fact that they weren’t tested is unprofessional and makes me think the entire car wasn’t properly inspected when taken in. There is even a list that was given to me at time of delivery that the PDI that was completed. I would start servicing at a different Nissan dealer if possible. I would refuse to go back to them.
Thats what I did when I had Maxima. Never used them though because I live in the city. Sometimes people flash high beams to get others attention. High beam LEDs work like a flash!
This car has a unique history. It was owned by Nissan corp. Listed as a factory demo. They had it for 2 years then sold it. A Bentley/Lambo dealer near me purchased it through their Nissan dealer. It changed hands a few times during that process.
I agree that 2018 SR's have LED standard....everywhere I look its listed as STANDARD, but the strange thing is when my local Nissan dealer (family used these guys for 30 years) pulls the VIN it says its an SR, but has halogens. Whatever, I got LEDs now and they look great! I've been testing every feature the car has and checking every square inch of it. Put it up on jack stands and inspected the undercarriage.....pristine like the day it rolled off the assembly line. Think I got a solid deal.
Next up is Illuminated kick plates. Just put the order in for that and when lockdown is over getting the windows tinted.
This car has a unique history. It was owned by Nissan corp. Listed as a factory demo. They had it for 2 years then sold it. A Bentley/Lambo dealer near me purchased it through their Nissan dealer. It changed hands a few times during that process.
I agree that 2018 SR's have LED standard....everywhere I look its listed as STANDARD, but the strange thing is when my local Nissan dealer (family used these guys for 30 years) pulls the VIN it says its an SR, but has halogens. Whatever, I got LEDs now and they look great! I've been testing every feature the car has and checking every square inch of it. Put it up on jack stands and inspected the undercarriage.....pristine like the day it rolled off the assembly line. Think I got a solid deal.
Next up is Illuminated kick plates. Just put the order in for that and when the lockdown is over getting the windows tinted.
The kickplates are cool additions. I also love the rocker panel lighting option which can also be retrofitted to your rig.
04-08-2020, 04:30 PM
Headlights do not work on a new 2018 Maxima SR
