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Infiniti M35/M45 Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • art234art234 Member Posts: 99
    My issue is with the way it was handled. It is not appropriate for a service manager to address a buzz in the passenger compartment by telling me to turn the radio up.

    The tramlining was fixed by changing the tires--get Michelins to replace the Goodyears, and no more tramlining.

    The wheels are fine--they have been tested and no issues found. The problem lies somewhere in the drivetrain.

    Most annoying is that they had the car for a week, and the advisor took the car home twice and said no problem found. When I went back and made him take a ride with me the front noise appeared in 5 minutes...he could not figure out where it was coming from and the service manager refused to do anything about it and told me turn the radio up.

    My next step is to publicize the treatment I have received....via Newsday and other media outlets. If this were a Nissan Versa I could understand but not a $52K car.
  • james27james27 Member Posts: 433
    It's time to replace my rear brakes...just barely squeaked by the annual inspection with a little less than 40K miles. For those that have done this on this car, were you able to get by with turning the rotors, or did you just opt for new ones? Also, has anyone tried any other pads or rotors other than OEM? I used EBC sport rotors and Greenstuff pads on my last car, and A6 that seemed to work well, but the (slight) noise from the grooved rotors was a little annoying...I do think they stopped a little better.
  • bocatripbocatrip Member Posts: 194
    If anyone is seriously interested in purchasing a new M, it would be a good idea to arrange a courtesy drive with the dealership. These are extensive drives for a number of hours or even overnight. You will be able to take the car on long runs and decide for yourself on all that you hear about it on various forums. Not all dealerships will give you this option, so find one that will. I would before spending $40+ on a car.
  • barryendbarryend Member Posts: 121
    Pepe Infinti in White Plains is very good. Perhaps a call to them would be productive. They would never talk to you like that.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Hi Art. If you haven't already, you might want to post a review in our Dealer Ratings & Review section. Good luck to you.
  • art234art234 Member Posts: 99
    Thanks for the idea...when I cool off I may just do so.

    I am actively looking at other cars right now. I am including BMW 5 series, Lexus GS, and Acura TL as the top 3 contenders at the moment--I am limited in that I MUST have all wheel drive.

    I expect a call from Infiniti customer service any day now--and if they don't call me I will hound them until I get to the right person.

    Oh, and I drove the 2009 M35X and it is still geared wrong and has a worse ride than the 06. There is no excuse for 3000 rpm at 70 mph in top gear.
  • shmangshmang Member Posts: 297
    With all the issues we heard here (as well as reported elsewhere). I am just wondering how those compare with Lexus or Acura. I am sure they have some issues. But overall, is Infiniti / M line doing better or worse - as the M was rated very high or fit & finish and build quality & reliability since 2006.

    I know Infiniti has not changed much for the M (Other than the 7 spd for M35 - Not for M35X or sports, as well as some minor changes). Is the sales going down or pretty much remain the same - relatively speaking (i.e.: Compare to Lexus and Acura) - I understand that the car sales are down due to current economy situation in general. Do you still think the M are a solid car that delivers good value or it is somewhat a joke or maybe somewhere in between?
  • shmangshmang Member Posts: 297
    Oh, just want to add my $.02. I still believe the M is well built and very reliable - only had 1 issue in almost 4 years and was taken car under warranty. So, I am happy with the car and think it is a good value - other than the gas mileage for the V8 that married with a 5spd.

    What is your take on this as an M owner?
  • barryendbarryend Member Posts: 121
    I drove the Acura TL 4 wheel drive and was very impressed but it was too ugly in front to look at for three years. I never talked deals with them.

    The Infiniti G37 sedan is a super car.

    Lexus GS may be a good deal since it has been out for years. They may be financially aggressive. Not known for a sporty drive or ride.

    I would have road tested Caddy CTS but GMAC no longer leases. If I optioned it up like my M35X was it would have a 50,000 sticker. They say they sell at at invoice and have aggressive financing. Probably buy it loaded in the low 40s. 100,000 mile warranty for all GM's credit is worth.

    Personally I downsized to an Audi A4 2.0 with sport package (suspension, 18" wheels, summer tires). Delivery due soon. Wife has had two 3.2 A4s and we love them. The 2009 is larger and the rear seats fold down so I can get 2-pairs of skis in. It is big enough for me and allot easier to maneuver and park than the M35X. 28 mpg hwy.

    BMW is aggressively leasing too.
  • bcorig1bcorig1 Member Posts: 3
    When I bought my '06 M35 in '05 I thought the vehicle was XM ready. I can find no SAT or AUX button on my sound system. I did not get the Bose Surround system, I got the next system down with NAV.
    Do I have to get an aftermarket system for the car? :D
  • shmangshmang Member Posts: 297
    Are you saying you want to add XM radio now and did not buy the XM option in 05? Since if you already had the XM option, you should be able to just substribe to XM radio to activate it and the XM stations will show up.
  • hilleyhilley Member Posts: 10
    My navigation system has an intermittent failure. The screen has a small glow and all other functions such as radio etc. fail, but the AC and heat will function, but cannot be controlled. I took it to the dealer and they said that I needed a new screen for $1065.00. I did not believe that it was the screen, since it worked on occasion. Since taking it to the dealer during the winter months, the screen and other functions begin to work correctly more often after Spring arrived. I soon discovered that everything worked fine when the outside ambient temperature was slightly above 70F. When the screen is off their is no power to the navigation DVD. Even though under hood temperature seems to have nothing to do with the problem, I checked the fuse socket. Anyone have a suggestion?
  • alanpreston05alanpreston05 Member Posts: 36
    My 06 M35x does pretty much the same thing, after 3+ years of working perfectly. Cannot display map (map button does nothing). Eventually map will show up but gets stuck - red directional arrow turns but streets do not advance. Voice recognition takes 30 seconds or more to execute commands, usually fails completely. Only button that always works is Status.

    Dealer replaced Nav unit twice, to no avail. They cannot replicate the problem (?) so I made a video of the problem, and sent it to them. You can see it here: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=889DD1B0B

    Unbelievably, they tell me they want to replace the SCREEN - obviously not the problem - after speaking with senior engineers at Nissan/Infiniti. I am very frustrated with this experience to say the least. Sounds like a mother board/memory issue with the system. I saw a TSB on the 07 with similar issues relating to the GPS antenna interface - but my dealer apparently didn't look there. I plan to take the TSB in with me. Luckily it's still under warranty.

    What's up with Infiniti service?? I may not buy another one - it's a royal pain to get repaired... :mad:
  • hateinfinitihateinfiniti Member Posts: 1
    If your state Lemon law allows just go straight to an attorney. I had an intermittent non-start issue with my '07 M45 (4500 miles on it) starting 6 weeks after I purchased it. It spent a total of 42 days total with the dealer. Infinti of Tysons service department is the worst. You call and no one calls you back. They treat you like you are stupid. I worked in a dealership and I would have lost my job if I had treated people like they treated us. Infinti Consumer Affairs is not much better. Offered me one car payment and a maintenance contract for 6 years. So I got an attorney. They eventually did get the car fixed. Windshield was leaking into the fuse box. I did receive a settlement from Infiniti. Not what I wanted but better than I expected.
  • hsmolinhsmolin Member Posts: 20
    Just a follow up to my last post about tramlining. My dealer, Legacy Infiniti of Lynbrook, NY made a courtesy change of my tires from Goodyear to Michelin and performed a wheel alignment on my leased 2008 M35X with approx 6,800 miles. Yesterday was my first chance to try out the new tires on a 3 hour drive. Tramlining definitely reduced but still there to a lesser extent. I'm sure its a design flaw on the all the wheel drive versions. Kudos to Legacy as I thought I was in for a fight but they came through and made the change. Shame on Infiniti for not solving the problem and recalling the car. I own a 2006 G35 coupe and love it and I love everything else about the M35 but the tramlining is disturbing. You have to hold on so tightly to the steering wheel at highway speeds that it makes long drives very tiring. I like to drive and have made the trip to Florida from NY in other vehicles several times. Would never consider it in the M35X as it would drift right off the road if I was tired and lost concentration. Its too bad because the M35x is an excellent value as a sporty luxury car. I'm glad I only have one year left on my two year lease but sad that this inherent problem will cause me to shop with a different manufacturer. I was going to consider the M45X next year. Anyone have another suggestion?
  • art234art234 Member Posts: 99
    I am glad your dealer at least tried to help you. I had to pay half the cost of the tires, which DID fix the tramlining issue completely (Michelin). There is a known issue with Goodyear tires, and the regional service rep said that I should be reimbursed--whigh Infiniti customer service initially agreed to and then rescinded the offer along with the month payment they had offered.

    I would NEVER even look at another Infiniti product--especially when the service manager at Massapequa responded to a complaint about interior buzzing by telling me to turn the radio up......

    I can't WAIT to be done with this car and this company.
  • barryendbarryend Member Posts: 121
    Park it near Yankees Stadium with the door open and motor running.
  • shmangshmang Member Posts: 297
    Recently, my M45 has developed a bad smell when ever I use the A/C.
    If I turn the A/C on, there will be some smell (When the A/C is on, the smell is not strong, but, if I pay attention, I know it is there). But, when the A/C is turned off, immediately, there will be strong smells, like almost bad food / fungi smell and it will last for the rest of the trip, but, it becomes minimum the next day. I replace the in-cabin filter every year, so I know it is not that.

    I have read that this could be caused by the evaporator and is a known problem (for any car with A/C, not M specific). So, I am just checking if any other M or Infiniti owners had this problem? And if this will be covered under warranty? If not, what did you do to fix this and how much it costs?
  • osbornkgosbornkg Member Posts: 30
    You have likely checked this but when the car is stopped w/ the A/C running is water puddling under the car? Have someone make sure the A/C evaporator pan drain is open and allowed to drain.

    We are on our 2nd M35 and have had no problem with the condition you are experiencing.
  • barryendbarryend Member Posts: 121
    When I had my M35X I lost a $300.00 Palm. Bought an Iphone and the Palm turned up 6 months later under the seat track. I had looked under the drivers seat 6 times with a flashlight and never saw it. So, look around you never know what an M can eat.
    ;)
  • shmangshmang Member Posts: 297
    I did see water dripping off, but not sure if there is any congestion and I want to thoroughly check this. I know where the drain pipe end at, but where is the evaporator pan at? I want to check on both end to make sure there is no standing water up there.
  • fiddler2500fiddler2500 Member Posts: 4
    I have a 2007 Infiniti M35x with 26,000 miles and it has been having some steering issues since I bought it.

    The steering feels precise when turning left. It snaps back correctly when straightening the car, and seems to have the right tension. However when turning right, the steering does not feel precise, seems to be have less "tension" (feels loose). The difference can be felt at slower speeds.

    I got four new Michelin Primacy tires just recently, so tires are not the issue. And this issue has been there since I got the car at 20,000 miles (when it had the older tires).

    Has anyone seen issues like this with their M35?

    I went to the dealership and went for a test drive with the service tech. He says he can't feel the issue and says there is probably no issue since there are no noises from the steering. Not sure what to do here and this is frustrating.

    It takes a while to get a feel for the car and only then you can detect the issue. The car is not fun to drive when the steering is not precise.

    Does anyone have any ideas about this?

    Thanks.
  • osbornkgosbornkg Member Posts: 30
    A suggestion to you is research this forum history - print-out these histories for your dealer to review. Many owners of M35X infiniti's have addressed steering problems with the X vehicle. Some dealers have resolved this problem, however there have been many X owner's who have not been satisfied when addressing steering problems with their dealer. This concern boils down to your relationship with the dealer. One of the posts I recently read stated in affect you might be better off leaving your car off in a high crime area and having it stolen. And, so it goes with steering problems with the M35X. We love our M35 and we now have had two to judge from and they have been just great cars - we live in AZ and don't need 4 wheel drive.
  • barryendbarryend Member Posts: 121
    The 2006 M35X had a steering rack issue. Mine was replaced in warranty and shortly after the OEM Goodyear GS-As were replaced with Conti Contact Supremes at 27,000 miles. They were excellent tires and helped allot. Still on-center tracking was poor. I suspect it is a steering geometry engineering short coming. My lease was over in February and I would not have another M. If I still had one with your problems I would keep up the dealer and factory pressure. There may be no solution available.

    I assume you have checked tire pressure and alignment. Rotated tires and wheels are true? Do you drive on highly crowned roads? Try a flat lot like a mall lot after hours.

    Write Consumer Reports. Their glowing review encouraged me to lease mine.

    This steering problem has been widely remarked on this and other forums.
  • fiddler2500fiddler2500 Member Posts: 4
    The roads are crowned, and I do have the trammeling issue. This is about the loose steering on one side at slow speeds. The tire pressure is good, and the tires are new too. I will try on a flat parking lot after hours to nail down the issue. Thats a great idea. Thanks.

    I will write to Consumer report too. They should not be recommending this car so highly.
  • barryendbarryend Member Posts: 121
    Perhaps it is a hydraulic problem in the power steering pump system. Of course check your fluid and perhaps bleed out air bubbles if there are any.

    Maybe call Ron Ananian the talk radio car doctor.
  • shmangshmang Member Posts: 297
    Has any of you replaced your driving belt? For those who did, what was the mileage / age at the time of replacement?

    Also, how often you replace the in cabin air filter - once a year?

    What about tranny fluid - According to the user manual, it say under normal driving condition, change every 60k, but the dealer recommended 30k - it looks and smells perfectly new at 40k, so I want to wait until 60k miles, what do you guys think?
  • peaceofmind1peaceofmind1 Member Posts: 1
    I bought a certified-pre-owned M35 in Dec 2008 with 49,000 miles, after about 4 months I started hearing a high pitched buzz when driving the car over 15 minutes. Ear ringing...headaches. I made 2 trips to the dealer and they could not hear anything..no surprise. The manager asked me when was the last time I had my hearing checked...Wow!!. Frustrated, I invited a neighbor to help me locate the sound. Well, he found the buzz and is was coming from underneath the rear seat and the rear-passanger side wheel well. The problem was a faulty gas pump which is accessed by lifting up the rear seat. The dealer replaced the pump at no cost..and no ...no complimentary oil changes for diagnosing the problem for them.

    The second high pitch noise is much more difficult to find. It sounds like a buzz when there is a short in an electrical current/transistor. The noise is much less when I drive with the windows cracked a little. Because the cabin is so air tight it may be a positive cabin pressure issue similar to when your flying, ears ringing and popping. Could the vents for entry and exit of outside air be malfunctioning. Help...peaceofmind.
  • enofileenofile Member Posts: 1
    I took my 2006 M35 X in for routine service. Now, every time I put my headlights on, the computer - navigation screen creates a black background that is almost impossible to see. I called the dealership here in Louisville, and of course they have no idea what I am talking about. Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks.
  • james27james27 Member Posts: 433
    I did not opt for the nav system, so this may not be correct. My guess is that the system switches the display to night mode when the lights are turned on verses using a light sensor or the time from the gps. I know just the basic menu displays do that. My handheld device (a Garmin) switches between day and night displays based on the sunrise/sunset program built into it after determining exactly when and where you are....much more accommodating.

    I find it dissapointing that they don't use a photosensor to adjust the backlighting and other functions rather than just switching with the headlights. Several cars I've owned did adjust based on ambient light (a Saab and Audi).
  • ghstudioghstudio Member Posts: 972
    It's normal for the M35 navigation screen to move to night mode when the headlights go on. Obviously, your night mode brightness is too dark. You can set the brightness of the screen....or you can set it so it's always in day mode. Read the manual.
  • shmangshmang Member Posts: 297
    Has any of you replaced your driving belt? For those who did, what was the mileage / age at the time of replacement?

    Also, how often you replace the in cabin air filter - once a year?

    What about tranny fluid - According to the user manual, it say under normal driving condition, change every 60k, but the dealer recommended 30k - it looks and smells perfectly new at 40k, so I want to wait until 60k miles, what do you guys think?
  • finadvfinadv Member Posts: 59
    If I rotate my tires, does the computer pick up the new placement of the tires, or is this something that needs to be done at the dealer?
  • osbornkgosbornkg Member Posts: 30
    Don't have to go to the dealer. Computer with pick-up the sensors when you rotate tires. Discount tire in the west rotates tires free of charge. :)
  • finadvfinadv Member Posts: 59
    Thanks! That's what I thought, but wanted to make sure before I did it.
  • nolicnolic Member Posts: 11
    On my 2004 FX35 AWD, both belts were replaced at around 52.5K miles due to some minor crackings and trans fluid was flushed on the 60K maintenance. I have about 70K miles on my 2004 FX35 and it is mechanically flawless. I replaced the rear brake pads at around 45K and replaced the front disc/pad at 60K including the battery. Other than those mentioned, I haven't had any other problem. I love this SUV and in fact, I just purchased another Infiniti, a 2008 M35. Last but not least, I replaced the Goodyear RSA with a Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza at 35K miles and it's been great.
  • shmangshmang Member Posts: 297
    It is nice to know that you like your FX and welcome to the M family!

    I have the belt on my M45 replace around 45K miles - there are a lot of cracks - don't know what caused it. I will wait until 60K to do the tranny flush (at 49k now, so maybe another year since I drive 2 cars alternatively). It is kinda expensive - mainly due to the cost of transmission fluid and the capacity - 10.87 qts. It might be the most expensive maintenance item (not repair) on an M.

    Replace the RSA is the best improvement you can do to a M35/45. The rear brake pads on my M45 was replaced around 38K and have not replaced the front yet... I need to check and see how long they can last.
  • mako5mako5 Member Posts: 15
    Hi , What is the RSA on a m35 ?
  • shmangshmang Member Posts: 297
    It is the stock tire - Goodyear RSA, which need to be tossed after 10K miles. Don't know why Infiniti insist using that tire.
  • mako5mako5 Member Posts: 15
    What tire would recommend for a m35 ?
  • alanpreston05alanpreston05 Member Posts: 36
    I tried Goodyear Eagle 1's but had a bad experience with them. It is very important to keep the wheels in alignment, and to get an alignment when you purchase new tires. Because the M35x is all-wheel-drive, it is hard on tires. I had them rotated regularly but they still wore poorly. They became extremely noisy. I had to replace them at 18,000 miles. Fortunately the good people at Goodyear replaced them for free. Now I am trying the Goodyear Response Edge. Only had them for two days but they are quiet and handle quite well on dry pavement. A good place to review tires is www.tirerack.com.
  • osbornkgosbornkg Member Posts: 30
    We replaced the original Bridgestone tires at 25,000 miles with:
    245/45R-18 9V RRBL Michelin Primacy MXV4 RBL. 60,000 mileage tire. And, what a difference they made. Steering and tracking is much improved. Further, we are just drivers not performance nuts.

    I'm sure there are other tires that work just as well, but the Michelin's work for us.

    Wishing you well.
  • shmangshmang Member Posts: 297
    You mean replace the stock Goodyear tires (instead of Bridgestone), right.

    The micheline Primacy is fine just to drive around - as you stated. But, for a performance luxury sedan with 275hp (M35), performance should be take into consideration. With that in mind, I would recommend Bridgestone Potenza RE960 (Not the pole position, just the regular RE960).
  • tisleytisley Member Posts: 1
    We just purchased the Avon 550 M+S tires ,I have used them on our G35 and now our M35, its a good tire and last about 10,000 miles more than Michelin or Good years and About a third cheaper . Go to Tirerack.com and buy them and read the reviews.
  • shmangshmang Member Posts: 297
    Are you sure it is Avon - Just went to tirerack.com and searched under Avon brand and it is not offer anything for M35 (sport or non-sport). Did you get it with different tread width or different size? :confuse:
  • kvaillancourtkvaillancourt Member Posts: 16
    I have negotiated price/lease for a Lexus GS 460 and M45; both loaded. My issue; sound systems and dealer network. I have already listened to both with my own music and I believe the Mark Levinson is better than Bose and I am a current Lexus owner so I know my dealer. In fact, my Lexus dealer is awesome. BUT...I can not get enough of the M45. I travel a lot and always rent a M35 or FX 35 from Hertz and they are a true joy. I have 5 days to make my decision; I would appreciate quality wisdom. One last comment; it is nice to adjust the Mark Levinson with respect to midrange for that perfect sound and no matter how loud I turn the volume it never craps out. Thank you in advance. Another comment; do you guys/gals always stick with the 3750 mile servivce? I use Mobil 1 Syn and was hoping to go every 6 months or 7500.
  • shmangshmang Member Posts: 297
    If you can afford the GS460 - apparently you can, I would go with that. I love my M45, but I believe the GS is on another level of refinement. On the other hand, M45 is more sporty and might perform better.

    As far as oil change interval, I will definitely use longer interval - at least 5000 miles, 7500 would be OK if you do more than 50% highway driving and where you live is not very hot and dusty.
  • osbornkgosbornkg Member Posts: 30
    We are now on our 2nd M35. The 1st 2007 M35 we totaled with 9000 miles. I believe this car saved us from serious harm. We love our 2nd 2007 M35 and now have 43,000 miles. We did not need the all-wheel drive because we are in the sun belt. There has been much discussion on this board site regarding the all wheel M35X/45X. The problem seems to be in the steering and tracking. Don’t know if this has been corrected with the 2009. I would suggest you start-off with Michelin tires. We replaced the original Bridgestone tires at 25,000 miles with: 245/45R-18 9V RRBL Michelins. There was a marked improvement in steering and tracking.

    We are not into sound systems. When you get to our ages sound isn’t important anymore.

    Regarding oil changes. We purchased our two M35’s. We run Amsoil in our car. We have changed oil twice in our 2nd M35. Amsoil has an excellent record of accomplishment for extended oil changes and they now have an oil filter that runs the life of the oil. Their recommendations for changing are 25k – 30k mileages or yearly with their premium oils. Web site: Amsoil.com

    Lexus/Infiniti are excellent cars. You’ll be happy with both. I might stay with your current dealer. As you say, “my Lexus dealer is awesome” – that is meaningful.
  • ghstudioghstudio Member Posts: 972
    I think you have summarized why I now only lease cars for 24 months.....but my experience has not been bad with my 08M35....in fact, I have had zero problems.

    My 06 had a problem with the fuel fill cutting off and the passenger mirror was replaced because it was acting erratically.

    Overall the M has been very reliable but then again, I have an excellent dealer with a good service department. Having said that, I'll be moving to a mercedes E class in 2010 when this lease expires.
  • art234art234 Member Posts: 99
    Joseph,

    Welcome to the club. I had the rattle noise from underneath the vehicle, and they changed the Y pipe and shields after 4 times back--fixed the problem up until a month ago, now the rattling is back, not to mention drive train issues never repaired.

    Thankfully, I am returning the car off lease next Wednesday, and it will become someone else's headache.

    Good luck trying to get anything from Infiniti/Nissan-they are liars and not honorable, and my attorney is dealing with them now.
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