30th Nov 2005, 08:30

I have a 2003 SER Spec V. I had that whining noise at the point of release and then it only got louder and louder. The dealership replaced the clutch and flywheel. NOW...2 months after replacing it... it is making the same whining noise again. ALSO, I have a clunking noise in the back which they say is the heat shield rattling. They said the entire exhaust system needs to be replaced. I called a muffler shop and they said it didn't and that the heat shields need to be tacked back up. Could this really be the case? I'm not sure with the comments I read above about the clunking noise in the back.

PS) I am a 37 year old woman and haven't driven that car as hard as a younger kid would. :)

20th Sep 2006, 00:10

I have a 2003 Spec V in black with 17,000 miles. The only problem I have is when I turn left or right, I hear a clunk noise near the front of the car and the dealership is saying car is fine yada yada, you're better off taking it to a performance shop where they specialize with the Spec V.

22nd Nov 2007, 08:47

In all honestly, while this car is a great performance value. However, if I had known what I do know about it, I would have never have bought it. The engine is plagued by all sorts of issues that are well known within the SE-R community. Here's a short list of most common issues...

1. Pre-Cat break-up. The pre-catalyst is known to break up and get sucked back into the engine, wreaking all sorts of havoc.

2. The butterfly plate screws within the intake manifold are known to come loose and get sucked into the engine, and bounce around in the cylinder, and of course, that's very bad.

3. The mass air flow Sensor is overly sensitive to vibration and can go bad.

4. The crank position sensor goes bad.

5. The head gasket is known to blow.

More information on all the above and other issues that plague this car can easily be found on the following website:

www.b15sentra.net

6th Dec 2007, 14:41

OK to keep people on track, the two major engine issues, corrected early on, like adding a header and using loctite on the butterfly screws, Spec's are approaching the 150,000 mile mark with no oil consumption, some using turbos, some naturally aspirated, and most of these reports are from people road coarsing their rides.

Overly sensitive MAF was from over oiling gauze filter and poor mounting.

My spec just turned 52,000 miles, makes no noises, consumes no oil, has a header and warm air intake.

People are three times more likely to get on the Internet to complain rather than post a positive experience. This is why 9 times out of 10 you can find complaints over great results.

4th Jun 2008, 01:56

I really think that some of these comments were overly critical. I've had my 2003 SER SPECV since 11 of 2002. It's got about 61,000 miles on it. There were a few recalls, yes. There is a common air conditioning problem that can be remedied with a parts and labor under 200 bucks. I'm working on six years with it and am still getting wonderful performance (knock on wood). I used to be a devout Honda owner, but my position changed with this car. Suffice it to say, my next one will be a used 2003. If you are buying used, make sure that all of the recalls were dealt with before anything major broke.