Infiniti M35/M45 Maintenance and Repair

kfhmail · May 2005

OK...let's see if there are any problems with the 2006 M35.

pat · May 2005

Well, how 'bout we add the M45 to it as well?

varix · May 2005

Purchased M35X liquid plat with premium pkg one week ago. Only one problem; static from left drivers seat surround speaker at higher volumes. Getting it replaced next week. That's it problemwise, otherwise flawless...

drtravel · June 2005

The moonroof frame rattles a little while driving over bumps or whenever I make hard turns and the car's body flexes. I hear this "squeaky noise" behind and over my right ear. It's a pretty irritating noise especially when driving on freeways and their multi-grooves.

Took the car over to Tustin Infiniti. They heard the noise and had the Japanese engineers look at the car. They removed the headliner, adjusted a few moonroof bracing members and added a piece or two of rubber. Took the car for a test ride and claimed success.

I picked the car up and after only two miles of driving the noise was still there. Was not a happy camper. If I hadn't actually seen my car with it's headliner down I would have suspected they did nothing at all. I've driven it for three weeks now and the noise seems to be getting more noticeable - of course I could becoming more sensitive to it.

Will take it back but they again need the engineers to look at it.

drtravel · June 2005

Whenever my car is parked and cools down (even after short 3-5 miles trips) I hear a banging sound (sounds like a loud wind chime) from under my car. Sometimes this goes on for over 30 minutes with a chime every 5 minutes or so. The first one occurs about 3 minutes after engine shut-off although often this is a small chime. Later occurrences are louder.

Took my car over to Tustin Infiniti and again the Japanese engineers looked at my car. They diagnosed the noise to be caused by the contraction of the exhaust heat shield. Umm...they classified the noise as "normal". The technician tried a fix by heating up the shield then reconnecting it in the fully expanded position. He also put a minor crease in it to allow for some flexure. Sounded promising at the time but alas the noise is still there - maybe even louder but then again I'm probably more sensitive to it now.

Will take it back but again they need the enginners to look at it - say their hands are tied because the car is new.

My big issue is that the noise is classified as "normal". When I first took the car in the service writer heard the noise (for at least 30 minutes) and said he had never heard it before. I actually test drove four other M's at two dealers - drove them hard then parked them and listened for at least ten minutes - heard nothing. I have been monitoring these boards carefully and no one else has reported this problem. Believe me if you heard the noise you would complain. If this sound is normal it would occur on most cars yet I have no evidence that this is the case except for Tustin Infiniti and their Japanese engineer saying so.

alexr9 · June 2005

I'm having the same problem with my car. Yesterday I took my M35 to the Infiniti in Valencia and they gave me the same song and dance that the noise is "Normal". The dealer said that they are going to order a new exhaust and hopefully this will fix the noise.

I agree that the noise is very annoying and extremely loud. I'm hoping that by replacing the exhaust the noise will be fixed.

prophet · June 2005

I have an (infrequent) overhead clicking sound which was traced to the moonroof rails by two tech's from the dealership. They are on order for replacement. With 4,600 miles on my M35, its a much better vehicle than my BMW 5 series was & the electronics are first class.

tom43 · June 2005

I have owned my M35 for 4 weeks now, with 1400 miles on it. I have a very annoying rattle noise coming from the rear passenger side (I can't seem to isolate the exact location). Is anyone else hearing that noise? Other than that by far the greatest car I have ever had and driven. Look forward to any feedback.

prophet · June 2005

Have them check the moonroof assy. (it was hard to pin down but that's where mine was).
However, it sure beats my previous 2003 BMW which had a drivers door/window creak which wasn't fixed until the month before I traded it in for my M.

m45sportowner · June 2005

The only problem I've had, and it's more of an annoyance/poor design than a real problem, is that the car doesn't clear a standard concrete parking block. Any stall I pull into I have to be careful because the front undercarriage scrapes against any concrete parking block.

Otherwise the car has been an absolute joy.

drtravel · June 2005

Spoke with the owner and service manager - both of whom said my noise was definitely not normal. The called the Infiniti engineer from Japan who brought along a few other factory engineers with him who did all the repair work.

They replaced the entire sunroof assembly which took care of that problem.

They also replaced the Y-Pipe for the exhaust system - this might have been a newly updated design but am not sure. They all seemed very interested in this problem. Anyhow the noise is no longer present.

Dropped the car off Monday AM - it was ready Tuesday PM. Suprisingly quick considering they had to remove and replace the headliner plus get the parts. I'm guessing that the factory engineers had some pull.

So now I give Infiniti two thumbs up!!

PS. As far as the engineers knew I was the only owner who had these two problems, which makes the new M a very reliable car.

infinity2 · June 2005

I have the same problem. The rattle in the moonroof drives me crazy. I went to the dealer and he said I was the first person to complai about it. They tried using some insulation tape but it did not work. I am not sure I want them to ttake the roof assembly apart and repalce the sun roof. I will play it by ear and see if the rattle continues to annoy me.

infinity2 · June 2005

I get the same loud bang about 5 minutes after I turn off the engine. Happens about 50% of the time. I hae not spoke to the dealer about it yet. I will watch and see if it gets worse

infinity2 · June 2005

I have an m35 and really like the car. However, the engine seems really loud at times and I am wondering if it is normal. Anyone else have that problem?

Also, A moon roof rattle and loud banging noise coming from under the car after the engine is off for about 5 minutes are problems as well.

Anyone else have suggestions of the same problems?

prophet · June 2005

Engine sound under acceleration is normal given the gearing on the M35. Its higher pitched than my BMW 530i was but otherwise the same. The Moonroof clicking I had went away by itself. Ironically, the exhaust system heat expansion/cooling noise on shutdown is still there although not as loud. If it continues I'll have the dealer look at it during my next oil change.

With more than 5,000 miles behind me the car runs great. The electronics are first class and beat anything I've ever owned.

docnukem · June 2005

Interesting. I had a moonroof rattle (kind of sounded like two small glass globes knocking together) from the rear passenger side of the moonroof. I have not heard it for some time now. It was usually present for most rides but went away for short periods. Now it appears to be gone.

pete15 · June 2005

I have had my m35x since late March. Recently the moonroof stopped opening or closing all the way when I hit the button. When I hit the button it goes an inch. If I hold it down it goes an inch. It happens in either open or close. I can get it to open all the way and close all the way but it takes dozens of button pushes to do it. It had been working fine until about a month ago. I am scheduled for a visit to the dealer in July.

Is this a malfunction or an incorrect setting? Anybody else have this kind of problem?

carnaught · June 2005

Had I think similar problem. A piece of plastic on the right when popped up was acting as a splint. It was fixed at the dealer in the drive and I was on my way with no problem(s) since.

tomnh · June 2005

I have also had my M35x since late March and my sunroof stopped like yours. The dealer ordered a new motor and replaced it. Last week it happened again. They are now telling me that the rails need to be replaced as well. This will happen next week.

ewl88 · June 2005

I posted this earlier in the main infiniti m35/45 area but I guess this is the more appropriate place...

I have ~1200 miles on my m35x. I've noticed my steering wheel seems to have less resistance (feels "looser") esp at lower speeds ~20-25 mph compared to when I first got the car. Then it firms up to where I want it when I reach highway speeds. Is that expected? Is this just a function of the breaking in period? (I think I preferred the steering feel at lower speeds before)

Has anyone else noticed this? It's subtle. So much that I'm wondering if it's just me and not really a problem at all.

:confuse:

stixpixx · July 2005

I finally purchased my new M35 with Tech/Journey at Tustin Infiniti. Sales manager was great. With the help of Car_Man in the Leasing forum. I walked in they had the car I wanted, worked with salesman and sales manager, told him what I was looking to pay and what leasing numbers I expected. The deal took 2 minutes to get done. Got $2700 off MSRP of 49910. Paying $607.00 a month plus tax with $1637 drive offs on a 39 month 15K miles. Thanks to all, these forums have been invaluable in acquiring my new M.

mexibec · July 2005

My M45 has 650 mi and the driver's seat is becoming loose. Not a lot, but if I have to break moderately hard, the seat will move say 2-3 mm forward. Visit #1 to dealer...

paulj · July 2005

We picked up our M35x Premium late March - fantastic car. This is by far the best initial ownership experience of any car we've owned ever. But with something this good, I am stumped why the XM radio will display only 10 characters of Artist / Song Title name in the LCD monitor. XM sends 16 characters fixed, scrolling to 32. I can put my XM handheld next to the LCD montior in the M35x and see the complete data that XM is sending. I've reset the M35's radio twice using XM's web site; no joy. When no data is being sent (say, between songs), the LCD monitor in the dash displays 20 hyphens (--------------------), so there is no limitation there. Somebody was asleep at the switch when they designed this. Others may say that this is too picky, but MHO says that for a car that is marketed the way that the M is - as a technological wonder - this is just plain unacceptable. Surely a car that can answer the question, "Where am I?" by reading satellites in space should be able to spell "Frank Sinatra" (XM Channel 73 is the best thing yet!) without it coming out "Frank Sina" and "My Funny Valentine" as something better than "My Funny V"

ewl88 · July 2005

followup:
I think the steering feel was just breaking in. The automatic is shifting more smoothly after ~1300 miles. One weird thing is that my windows went from non-one touch (have to hold the button down) to the one-touch and the windows go down fully. I think I prefer the former rather than the latter although it just takes some geting used to. I didn't go through the instruction manual to switch so I don't know why it did so.

dickster1 · July 2005

If my dealer weren't so far away, I wouldn't post this.

Suddenly my nav system had become intermittent. When I go to enter a destination, the highlight (street address) goes from yellow to grey- totally unresponsive. Then it will go to yellow gain and in the middle of entry it goes grey- and quits.

It happens some of the time. When it works, it's ok- but then the problem recurs.

Any suggestions other than a visit to the dealer?

carnaught · July 2005

I'm sorry if I don't understand. Are these changes dependent on your being stopped vs. in motion? If so, that could explain it.

dickster1 · July 2005

Actually the problem occurs either at rest or in motion- kind of when it wants to. Obviously, if I need to program an address, it will be at rest or if in motion, then by a passenger.

It would seem as though the computer has a glitch which comes and goes.

docnukem · July 2005

If you are moving at all (or for a short period after coming to a stop), you will not be able to program a new address. I even discovered that you cannot scroll past the first five previous destinations while moving (once you stop, the old ones can be reached).

As far as I know, other than using previous addresses or using voice commands, there is no way to set a new destination until you come to a stop (and wait a second or three).

rustydog · July 2005

drtravel, does the replacement of Y pipe fixed your clanging sound problem? If yes, can you provide more information (ex. phone # and contact at the service department) so I can pass the info to my local dealer.

I have the same the clanging sound problem from the Exhaust system after shut off the engine, the dealer in Santa Clara heard the sound but won't admit it's a problem and fix it since there is no "TSB" (technical service bulletin) yet.

The dealer's suggestion is to call the 1-800 Infiniti number (1-800-662-6200, then 7 for customer satisfaction) to report the problem, hopefully with enough "inputs" from earlier adaptors a TSB will be created by engineering department, then local dealership can fix this nagging problem.

Please reply if you have better luck with your local dealer and call 1-800-622-6200 to provide feedback to Infiniti.

drtravel · July 2005

Yes the clanging sound is no longer part of my life. You can contact the Service Manager at Tustin Infiniti - can't give names or phone numbers on this forum - google it. I made a big stink about the problem with the owner of the dealership.

The main service man said the exhaust system's design was flawed.

Good luck

rustydog · July 2005

Thanks for the detailed information about faulty Y-pipe. With that the local dealer finally takes my case seriously, they called the factory and found out a TSB will be issued in the next few weeks. Hopefully this is the end of my problem.

drtravel · July 2005

Ah the joys of buying a completely new product. I guess that's why Consumer Reports suggest that you wait until the second production year before buying - hopefully they will have worked out all the bugs. I don't hold anything against Infiniti - every first year model has issues. My Lexus had a few and don't get me started about the MB!!

When I bought the car the salesman introduced me to the owner - little did I know how important that introduction would turn out to be.

Glad things will work out for you.

csrmax · July 2005

Does anyone know if the halogen high beams can be replaced with Xenons to match the low beams? My dealer told me that they couldn't, due to the amount of time they take to heat up?? My last car, BMW 530I had bi- xenons.... any suggestions??????

yeagerda · July 2005

I'm simply posting to concur with paulj. Minor, but annoying issue, and seemingly avoidable... maybe even fixable with a software upgrade? It would be interesting to get a statement from Infiniti on this. Since XM is US only, chances are probably pretty poor that it will even get 'fixed'.

bluzzzzman · July 2005

When I first signed up for XM on my M45 I was mildly annoyed with the XM display and the way it chops off the artist and title. Now that I have had it a while, it REALLY BOTHERS ME!!! I think it is unacceptable. It is obviously a bug. There is no way they did this intentionally. I can't imagine why they would. Regardless, I want a fix soon!!!

s54 · July 2005

Sorry, but I think the issue is with XM. My Acura did the same thing and it is lame. S

mrivision · July 2005

I called XM radio regarding this issue. They told me that they transmit the full artist name and song title. They said the problem was with Infiniti.

mexibec · July 2005

I just came across this:

http://www.infinitihelp.com/Infiniti/Bulletins/M/2006/1.htm

The site (infinitihelp.com) provides a lot of valuable information for maintenance, known problems, etc.

alanpreston05 · July 2005

Yes! I have the same sound. I am glad to see that I am not imagining it. If I open the moonroof shade it stops, so it's definitely related. Thanks!

alanpreston05 · July 2005

Me too on the truncated display on the Nav Screen...what a weird problem. There's plenty of room on the screen for more characters. I tend to think that it is an Infiniti issue because I know others who have XM in their other brand luxury cars and this doesn't happen. Further, we are limited to 13 numbers/characters in entering Phonebook entries. Not a big deal? Well, yes, because this means we cannot use pauses, symbols, PIN's etc. (for example to check voicemail somewhere). Doesn't this defeat the point of a "hands free" system? I have to dig in my pocket for my mobile phone to enter a PIN - not cool at all. What were they thinking here?

Also agree - the best car I've ever owned otherwise.

msu79gt82 · July 2005

I tend to think that it is an Infiniti issue because I know others who have XM in their other brand luxury cars and this doesn't happen.

It is my understanding that the new RL is having similar issues with XM.

varix · July 2005

Earlier I posted a problem with the driver's seat left surround speaker in M35X with the premium options. Loud buzz at higher volumes. Dealer agreed the speaker was faulty when we both listened it. And buzz disappears when I turn off the surround mode off or lower the volumes to less than 60% max volume or so. So they ordered a new seat speaker. Came in finally (5 weeks) and now the surprise! The dealer called me today and stated as they had never replaced one of these that they checked with Infiniti and found out that replacing a seat surround speaker in the M is a 5-6 hour job that requires removing the seat from the car and removing ALL OF THE LEATHER to get at replacing the speaker and wiring and then reupholstering and reapplying the leather to the seat! I said that was insane and they should just replace the whole damn seat. He said Infiniti corporate only will replace the components under warranty NOT the entire seat unit. This all seems outrageous to me so I took the car home without the replacement being done. I cannot imagine that any of those mechanics knows anything about leather upholstery and I am very certain my car will be their rookie attempt at this profession. I am also concerned that if I do get the entire seat replaced (if I complain loudly enough) that the leather won't quite match. Any ideas? Anyone else with this issue/problem? Anyone ever heard of anything quite this bizarre? Time to talk to a new service department? :sick:

ru4god2 · July 2005

I've had my M35 for 6 days and I have a clicking (rattle) in the moon roof cover. Stops when I press lightly against the cover. Sounds as if there's glue or some other tacky substance in-between the outside material and the inner side of the cover. I can create the sound when I press against it lightly.

Otherwise, this is one of the best cars I've ever owned. MB E320, BMW 325, Diamante, and others.... this one is the real deal. Trade my MB E320 for this one. Awesome trade.

rustydog · July 2005

You may want to review the 2006 SERVICE BULLETINS for INFINITI M from the following URL - http://www.infinitihelp.com/Infiniti/Bulletins/M/2006/1.htm (# 05024). You can bring this information to dealer to expedite the service if it matches to your problem. Good Luck.

alanpreston05 · July 2005

Hey thanks for this! It's exactly what I was looking for.

Take care

s54 · July 2005

I search but could not find how to edit and delete a phone book entry once you have entered it. I would appreciate more experienced users' input.

JS

stebro · August 2005

You have to press the "settings" button on the dash (NOT the phone button). Then scroll down to "Phone". Select "phone book," scroll to the number you want to edit or delete and select it.

tom43 · August 2005

Well I had my car serviced and they adjusted the sun roof for the noise. Got the car back and the noise is still there and getting louder every day. Seems to be coming from the front passenger seat belt along the outside of the car. Anyone else have this problem?

ru4god2 · August 2005

THANKS! Not sure this addresses the moonroof cover issue, but it might be a place to start. Appreciate it!

jdewberry · August 2005

I recently bought a M35 Sport and am interesting in using an IPod with the vehicle. Any information would be appreciated.

maben · August 2005

3 options as I can see them:

1) Buy the Belkin FM transmitter which pops into the top of the iPod. It can transmit all the iPod's music wirelessly to any radio station you desire. Used one with pretty good results in my old car, a BMW.

2) Have an after-market docking station installed. Be warned that this is still a very new process and that I wouldn't trust anybody to mess around my beautiful M's guts unless I had first seen their work firsthand.

3) The solution I hit on. The cd player is also an MP3 player. That means that I can burn my entire 5GB of MP3s on normal CDs and the CD player will play them perfectly. Plus, it will also display the title, band, and other information on your screen. Very cool and very easy.

Hope this helps!

Infiniti M35/M45 Maintenance and Repair

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