i recently purchased a 1996 nissan maxima which needs a right front strut, my question is, how do i find out what model of maxima i have,the parts store can't quote me a price with out this infro. i've look under the hood, door jams, in the trunk, and also in the manual
I don't think it really matters as the 3 flavors of the 1995-1999 maxima were GXE, SE and GLE, and the difference in suspensions was minimal. The SE had slightly stiffer rear struts but that's about it.
If your maxima has foglights then its probably an SE. The GLE and GXE had the same suspensions.
CD
If it has the rear wing and white faced gauges, it's an SE. If is leather, and/or a leather wrapped steering wheel and/or a sunroof, it's an LE. Otherwise it's a GXE.
thanks, its a gxe, next question, would it makes a big difference if i buy an aftermarket strut or dealer?
I'll second what Codifus wrote: The factory struts are the same on all (US) models of the '96 Maxima. The only substantive suspension differences between the models are the rear springs on the SE and I30t models.
You might ask your parts guy to look up the part number for a right front strut for an SE and then again for a GLE. If he comes up with something different, I would try a different parts guy.
Another thing you might consider is that if it needs a right front strut, the left probable isn't in much better shape. Change them both. Its a good idea while you have the struts off the car and apart to replace the upper strut mounts as well.
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