Infiniti M35/M45 Maintenance and Repair

blackkhightf3 · August 2005

Have you folks who are of the weightier size had any problems with the drivers seat in the M35x? Im 64" and weigh about 245. Ive had my car for a few weeks now and Ive noticed that upon acceleration or deceleration, even the slightest, something under the seat, maybe a spring or mount moves and causes a slight thump sound. Its a great car overall, but the thumping is getting to be rather annoying. The G35 that I had for few years seemed to have seat mounts that were somewhat weak. I expected the M seats to be lot stronger. Maybe I should lose a few pounds.

jdewberry · August 2005

Thanx. I like your solution.

Dew

ritter3 · August 2005

I purchased a m35x in April. The car is the best car I ever owned. The only
complaints is the low beam headlights and the rubber seal around the driver's
door. I have 3500 miles on the car and the seal is worn thru. When I drive
at night I can only see a few feet in front on my car. I'm in to turns before
have time to react. It tends to slow me up on curvey roads.

Is there anybody else with any of these problems?

donsherman · August 2005

I too had a problem with the high intensity low beams, as did consumer reports in this month's issue- this was the only fault in a car they said was the new #1 among ALL cars tested- including full size luxury cars. However, I had the dealer adjusted the lights at my insistyence 1" higher ( normal 30"- I asked for 31") and its better- and I have not had any oncomming drivers flash their lights that mine is too high when using low beams. I am not sure how it is adjusted for a do it yourself job - does anyone know how to do it?

mexibec · August 2005

Well, I'm 180 lbs, and I needed to have the driver seat rails assembly entirely replaced because it was too loose. When braking moderately hard, the seat would move forward by a few mm, and then come back. I had to argue a little, but they finally conducted the repair (and it takes a full day).

prophet · August 2005

I had the drivers door seal replaced at 7,000 miles. Its very soft and appears to have torn due to entry/exit wear.

csrmax · August 2005

I have the problem that the halogen high beams seem to "wash out" the Xenon low beams. Do you know if the high beams can be replaced with Xenon? My dealer told me no, but my last to BMW's have bi-xenon lights. Any suggestions?

donsherman · August 2005

You may find state laws dictate the legality of high intensity high beams. I believe the high beams are changing the color temperature of the high intensity lights, and not washing them out (IE negating their effect).

csrmax · August 2005

Thanks, I'll check into it.
I believe that when you dealing with 2 different light sources, IE Xenon and Halogen, that they don't work well togetherwith the different spectrums of light they provide. As I said, my last 2 BMW's had bi-xenon headlights, so I'm assuming that there shouldn't be any legal or state issues here in PA.

mexibec · August 2005

A cost-effective solution is to replace the halogen bulbs and replaced them with Xenon bulbs. You will not get more light (at least, not significantly), but you will have the bright white light effect.

csrmax · August 2005

Thanks for the info. Any idea of difficulty?

mexibec · August 2005

I had it done on my Z3 by my mechanic during a tune-up and it took about 15 minute for all 6 bulbs (high, low, fog). I can't tell for the M45, but I think you'll have a pretty good idea if you try to find out how to access the bulbs...

donsherman · August 2005

I have read owner evaluations and road tests on the Goodyear Eagle-RS-A tires(standard on the M 35's) at the Tirerack web site. In these tests and owner reports on many different vehicles, the tires do very poorly on wet road surfaces compared to other high performance all season tires. I have only had my car for a week (M35X), so I have no wet experience with them. Its been a dry summer in Boston! Has anyone any input on driving on very wet roads, or any problems with hydroplaneing? What effect does all wheel drive have on hydroplaneing, and how would the car shift power from the front to the rear axle under those conditions, as the front tires do not rotate normally with hydroplaneing? Thanks,

jamesam · August 2005

llkj

csrmax · August 2005

Thanks!

janssen · August 2005

I just brought my M back from a visit to the dealer, and am noticing a very strange behavior to the passenger side mirror. The control will move the mirror up and down, but not sideways.

I tried moving the mirror by hand, past a few clicks. No change.

I got to my garage, which entails going over a small bump. Then the mirror control moved the mirror side to side, but not up and down.

Then I shifted into reverse, the mirror automatically declined, and I was back to the original state.

Is this just a setting, or something wrong?

TIA

docnukem · August 2005

Were you in reverse when you tried to move it by the controller? If the slide is toward one mirror or the other, it will decline when in reverse. Don't adjust the side-view mirrors unless you are not in reverse. Neither mirror will tilt-down in reverse if the slide is in the center position.

I don't use the tilt-down feature normally. When I used it initially, I had it set for the passenger side. This was OK when backing out of the garage.

sangone · August 2005

I know previous people have posted about this problem but I have not seen any resolution and thought I would bring it up again. I've been lurking in this forum daily hoping someone has found a solution.

The Artist/Song Title gets cut off after 10 characters on my XM radio display. As was mentioned before, during transition from one song to another, there are roughly 20 character that show "--------------------" on the screen. One poster says he's had the same issue w/ XM on his Acura. It seems both XM and Infiniti think it's the other party's problem. Has anyone found a solution to this issue?

I've had my car now for 9 days and it seems to be one of those little, annoying issues I'd like to resolve, if there is a fix.

joeysan · August 2005

I've had my M35X for about 3 months and it's a great car but it has had a number of glitches. The eject button on the CD will not eject discs. The dealer has to replace the entire unit. The service light comes on (dealer said b/c the gas cap wasn't tighten properly). The low beams don't project enough (dangerous on dark roads) dealer said it could not be adjusted but saw posting here where dealer did adjust them (anyone have similar experience?). I also had a brake sensor failure after only 7 days that shut off the speedo and ABS. It took dealer days to repair b/c of delays in getting the part. The XM display truncation is a pain and should be fixable. Still a good car but they need to work out these problems given its price.

bidyut · August 2005

I think it's called speed-sensitive steering.. at higher speed, it makes it tighter, so that you can steer well and at lower speed it's looser to take turn and park easily.. this gives you a more feeling of how the car is moving.. I have it in my 98 eclipse.:)

ewl88 · August 2005

Yeah, I figured. I think I would prefer slightly a tighter feel at lower speeds. I had my dealer check the steering out and the mechanics say everything checks out. (however, they said that the mechanic stewards weren't in and they had the most experience with the M's) I had the feeling that the steering loosened up slightly during the break-in period. Just a subjective feeling rather than a problem.
No other major issues with the M except one episode of amnesia with the seating settings. Or maybe I pushed the wrong button and erased something.

pfonguy · August 2005

Blackkhightf3,

Same problem here.. M35x' 63 275 about a week after getting the car I noticed the same noise. Seems to be coming from the front left seat anchor. Acceleration/deceleration, up/down my driveway I hear a popping sound

statman · August 2005

I had a bad accident 3 years ago in a Dodge Intrepid with Goodyear Eagles, Going straight on a 4 lane highway into a pouring rain (about 55mph). Went to change lanes and spun completely around and across 4 lanes of traffic into a cable guard rail. The back tires were worn half way and there was a dip in the road right when I went to change lanes. I still can't believe no one got hurt. Anyway I changed the tires right after I got the car back from the shop. Very poor tire design for wet roads as I read on the Web. The Intrepid was front wheel drive but I would stay away from Eagles or don't let them wear to far down.

donsherman · August 2005

Thanks for the info. Glad you lucked out in a tricky situation when you spun out. I found criticism of these tires on the tire rack web site, both by many users, and by a test they ran on 3 different tires. Where else did you see references ?at what other web sites? Thanks again for your input. As you realize, a single instance like yours becomes more meaningful if there are other cases as well.

alanpreston05 · August 2005

Another solution is to plug your iPod into the connectors that are located on the rear of the center console next to the power outlet. This connection exists even without the rear DVD system (which I do not have in my M35x). You'll need a "2 to 1" connector and I would recommend a good quality one (e.g. Monster). Then if you set the DVD-Audio player to "AUX", your iPod's music comes through perfectly. I use it this way all the time, and plug a power cord in as well.

Alan

alanpreston05 · August 2005

I wrote to Infiniti (on paper via snail mail) and a representative called. She said that they don't have a fix for it at this time. It's "just the way it was designed". She promised to create a case file and that the issue may very well be addressed at some point in the future. She was an administrative type and left a message on my machine. HOWEVER, an Infiniti Engineering representative is coming to my dealership in early September and is meeting with owners to get feedback. I was really pleased to be invited to meet with him/her. I don't know how widespread this program is or whether it's just M owners or what. This is my third Infiniti but the first time I've been asked to come in to talk to a factory rep. In return for my comments, they are giving me a $200 certificate towards future service. Has anyone else met with such a person yet? I don't know what to expect, but I will certainly mention the XM radio issue that we've been complaining about if given the opportunity. I do love the car, more so every time I drive it.

carnaught · August 2005

This is the first I've heard of these meetings with a factory rep. I think it's good P.R. Where is your dealer?

alanpreston05 · August 2005

Infiniti of West Chester (PA)

brianfox · August 2005

My seats only seem to get slightly cool at the highest fan setting. Has anyone else seen this? How strong is the fan supposed to be? I'm not expecting an air hockey table, but this is pretty anemic.

alanpreston05 · August 2005

Yes, unfortunately I got the car serviced yesterday and the problem is worse! I can hear the rattle over the stereo! I even took the dealer the www.infinitihelp.com bulletin, and he said they had seen the problem before. Obviously I will take it in again (if I'm lucky TODAY) and get this taken care of correctly. It's obnoxiously loud and doesn't go away by opening the sunshade or pushing up on it or anything. Did they even test drive the car??

Does anyone have any other ideas besides the service bulletin and what has been already posted here? Thanks!

:mad:

bw45sport · August 2005

My seats only seem to get slightly cool at the highest fan setting.
I'm not expecting an air hockey table, but this is pretty anemic.

I'm not sure if you've had other vehicles with comfort seating so it's a little difficult to answer your question.

If you have had comfort seating before and you believe the M's to be anemic I strongly suggest you have the dealer look at it. While I wouldn't mind it blowing even more air, I have found the M to provide the greatest cooling of any comfort seats I've experienced. Most other ventilated systems use fans that merely move air rather than cooling it and seem to move less air.

If this is your first experience with comfort seating you can take it to the dealer but may be disappointed to know that currently, IMO, this is the best that comfort seats get.

With my lower back firmly pressed against the seat I notice that I don't get warm but don't really feel the air move. Slide your back away from the seat though and you'll definitely notice the difference and feel the cool air moving.

brianfox · August 2005

My car came from the dealer with not all the gunk removed from the screen. I wiped it with a lint-free cloth, but I'm still getting a lot of dust particles and glare on sunny days.

Does anyone know of an aftermarket bezel or anti-glare film for these things?

I have owned three Infinitis now and each has had the same issue with glare on the nav screens. I like how Lexus has a tilt option.

merlin_az · August 2005

I haven't gotten my car yet, but pocktepctechs.com makes an antiglare screen protector for pocket pc's.
They may be able to cut one to size.
I have their clear screen protector on my pocket pc which works great.
We'll have to see.
Email them with the dimentions and see what they say.

prophet · August 2005

I made a 3 sided Nav hood from thin black rubber foam sheeting & secured it with double back tape - looks fine & works great. Could be a great aftermarket item that looks like its made for the car..

brianfox · August 2005

I, for one, would love to see a picture of your modification. Could you possibly private message me or post it to a URL. Also, could you provide the name of the product you used and where you got it? Thanks a bunch.

alanpreston05 · August 2005

UPDATE on the "ticking sound". My dealership performed the update and for the first 12 hours or so, the ticking was worse! Then, for no apparent reason, it stopped. I have driven the car in very warm and very cool weather since, and the sound is completely gone. I was pretty upset when this annoying noise (which happened to occur practically right next to my ear) got worse after servicing. Now I have my tail between my legs and am scratching my head. Oh the joys of the age-old automotive mystery!

brianfox · August 2005

When I play a 5.1-specific movie or music, the sound is outstanding, as expected.

However, when I tune to FM or Siruis, it sounds worse than my old I30 (way worse). I don't think I'm simply comparing it to 5.1, either. I also have a Lexus SC430, and the radio on that sounds awesome - absolutely perfect. I'm not an audio geek, but everyone I show the M45 to says 'gee, that's how the radio sounds?"...

Is it possible there is a problem with my M45? Here are my observations:

1) Everything other than 5.1 sounds tinny - like a decent-quality AM broadcast.
2) My FM and AM stations come in poorly in the M45 but great in my old (Bose-equipped) I30 and Mark Levinson SC430.

brianfox · August 2005

Me again...

I guess my question is: considering the system will default to mono sound when the signal strength is very low, do you think it's possible the antenna connection is not solid?

drhippo · August 2005

Just got an m35x--so far, great, but a few small problems (ie., clock doesn't work, nor does homelink)--but my quesiton here is: do you have to reset the climate control to automatic every time you start the car, if you want it to stay on auto? This seems unduly complex, and I'd assume that Auto would be a default, but I have to set it manually each time I start.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

bw45sport · August 2005

but a few small problems (ie., clock doesn't work, nor does homelink)

If I recall, there is a fuse that the dealer is supposed to install for this. Not a malfunction of the car but a malfunction of the dealer

if I remember right.

do you have to reset the climate control to automatic every time you start the car, if you want it to stay on auto?

No, you shouldn't have to reset. The settings should revert to what they were when the car was shut off, assuming you use the same key fob.

bfeng7 · August 2005

Brian,

How do well recorded CD's sound?
Also, when you're trying CD's, please also try the Centerpoint feature.
Either way, the bass response shouldn't be too far off from what you experience with 5.1

The treble/midrange should also have comparable quality to 5.1, excepting for the lack of 4 channels of information!

If the system really has almost no bass and heavily suppressed midrange on CD's, then you need to take your car to the dealer and complain. If the dealer gives you the run around, you should contact Bose directly (Edmunds won't allow me to post the Bose automotive service telephone number, but you should be able to find it using the search option at www.bose.com).

Finally, FM performance involves a very difficult set of tradeoffs between performance in good signal strength areas, multi-path rejection, cost, and other factors. If you think your FM sound quality is poor even in areas with good signal strength (and the station is broadcasting well EQ'd material), then complain to your dealer. I am not saying that the radio part of your system is broken. What I'm saying is that the tradeoffs that Nissan made in the design of your radio might not have resulted in the best sound quality on FM. If Nissan get's enough customer feedback that the FM performance needs to be better .... then maybe it will get better.

B

marko7 · August 2005

See my post about poor Sirius sound on the main 2006 M35/45 thread. Hopefully it helps you resolve at least part of the problem.

BTW, I find it curious that this edition of luxury Bose does not support separate bass/treble settings PER AUDIO SOURCE as did the plain stereo Bose in my 2000 MB. Likewise, lack of the subwoofer under the front passenger seat (the one in the back shelf does not have enough oomph and is unpleasant to rear seat passengers).

homantag · August 2005

I want to burn a DVD with as many songs as possible, to avoid changing discs. I thought that since my M35 has the DVD player, I could do this. I tried using NERO to burn an MP3 Audio DVD, but the player will not read it. I noticed that through NERO, I can also use other formats. ANy recommendations on what format I need to burn the DVD in order to make use of the DVD player? Thanks in advance.

brianfox · August 2005

Thanks for the info.

Someone asked how CD's played. My audio CDs consist of original CDs and ripped versions of the same. I notice that when Centerpoint is DISabled, the vocals are dead center - at my steering wheel - where I expect them to be. For passengers, vocals are right at the airbag.

When Centerpoint is enabled, the vocals are located at the center of the dash. For that mattrer ALL of the music seems to be clumped in the center of the car for CDs with Centerpoint enabled. Centerpoint also KILLS the midrange - vocals immediately get washed out...at least for my CDs

So, at least for my CDs (be they originals or MP3 or WMA) it is definitely better with Centerpoint OFF. This is very disappointing to me, as Centrerpoint claims to give a 5.1 experience.

kaizenx · August 2005

I just joined this forum and I'm not sure if you are going to see review this message but I have the same exact problem and just brought my car in for service today.

brianfox · August 2005

This Bose system just seems to be plagued with issues.

Here are the latest two:
The first second of WMA files are getting chopped off. I verified the files are fine on my PC.
When a disk is in random play mode, jumping to the 'next track' using the steering wheel should (in my opinion) jump to a random track - like it does on all other Infinitis. Not this one. Instead, it goes literally to the next track (which in this case is the next file alphabetically).

What a useless MP3 player...

bidyut · August 2005

As far as I know, the dvd player would play, DVD-A, DVD-V and DTS and of course cds. I am not very sure about mp3. However, it would not play mp3 dvd. Because unless the dvd player has been to read mp3 from a dvd, it would not. Generally the dvd players look for certain flags to know whether it;s a dvd or a cd. If it's a dvd, then it tries to read into the dvd file system ( audio, video directory and different set of file extension etc.). So having a file with mp3 extension would invalidate the dvd file format and that's the reason why the dvd player can't play it.

However, if you want to really create your own dvd disc, then choose two options either create a dvd-a or dvd-v. Programs like Nero can create DVD-V, but not DVD-A. To create a dvd-a, you have to use different softwares like discwelder. By googling, you can find out more information about the formats and how they are read.

Hope this helps.

brianfox · August 2005

I tried some experiments, and here's what I have found (what they don't tell you in the manual):

1) When a disk is in random (they call it 'mix') mode, using buttons to go to the next track will NOT jump to a random track - like the I30 did.

2) Data disks (with folders) alphabetize songs in a folder - there is no other sorting option - unless you prepend a number on every song title.

3) WMA files will skip the first second of EVERY song - so much for convience of compressed files... Thankfully, MP3's don't seem to suffer from this.

4) If you need to make a Bluetooth call while listening to a CD, the player is not smart enough to PAUSE; it just mutes sound.

5) Centerpoint is GREAT for 5.1-encoded music and movies. It SUCKS for traditional CDs - for them, it pulls all the audio away from the center, and destroys the midrange. Given that, there is no way to configure the system preferences according to encoding type. You have to manually turn Centerpoint on/off.

6) You CANNOT customize the bass/treble settings per radio band. Who else would like to listen to AM radio with the bass cranked down, and FM with it cranked up? Everyone... For Sat radio, you can't even customize it based on category type (talk/music, etc).

Infiniti has had consistently good card and audio for years - this is my 3rd one. But this time, Bose has dropped the ball. They removed features they used to have, and didn't make the system customizable enough. Mark Levinson has them beat in every aspect as does Harmon/Kardon. This system is just a joke. A $50K car shouldn't have these kinds of problems.

The WMA bug alone should be an embarrassment to the engineers at Bose. Let's see them try to sell that one as a feature.

infinity2 · August 2005

I have an M-35 and I have noticed a loud rattles coming form behind the drivers side passenger seat. You can duplicate the sound by hittong the rear dash behind the drivers passenger seat. I opened up the area and found a rectanghler metal box that looked like an amplifier.If you tap it, it is the rattle? Anyone have this problem?

infinity2 · August 2005

I have an M-35 and noticed evrey so often when I brake and coming to a stop, the car pulls to the left or right. Anyone experience this?

Infiniti M35/M45 Maintenance and Repair

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