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Infiniti FX45 Infiniti FX35

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Comments

  • petew4petew4 Member Posts: 71
    yeh...I wondered about that- where the active mechanism was located. Is it actually in the headrest? ...or the seat back? Even if there's nothing in the headrest itself it could damage the dvd screen when snapping forward (seems to me).
  • wibblewibble Member Posts: 569
    The mechanics are all in the seat backs. I've seen DVD screens installed in the headrests of Fxs and G35s and it doesn't interfere with the operation of the active headrests at all.
  • crikeycrikey Member Posts: 1,041
    From the illustration on the Infiniti website:
    image
    Description:
    In certain rear-end collisions, active front head restraints move upward and forward to help cushion the head and assist in helping to reduce whiplash-type injuries.


    It seems the active headrest safety feature is more mechanical and does not seem to have an electronic component (I could be wrong).
  • wibblewibble Member Posts: 569
    "It seems the active headrest safety feature is more mechanical and does not seem to have an electronic component."

    You are 100% correct. It is a fully mechanical system.
  • petew4petew4 Member Posts: 71
    I just got back from a 1150 mi. road trip & noted a curious anomaly. I've previously done this trip twice before - once in July & once in November & both times had about a 17.2 mpg gas mileage. It's to the Smokies from MD & I always mix in some Mtn. driving on the Blueridge Parkway & any other windy mtn. road I can find (yehaa!) but most of the mileage is freeway at 78-82 mph. Anyway, this time my mpg was 18.3 with an average speed of 50.4 (about the same average mph as previous trips) but for the other two trips I averaged 17.2 mpg. I had just had the 22.5K service & they had taken the tire pressure up to 40 lbs (35-36 cold) from my usual 32-35. I left it there because I wanted to see how it performed with the extra pressure & it felt good (a lil harsh but tolerable). To make a long story short (shorter?), it seems that the extra air pressure makes a significant difference in gas mileage (17.2 vs. 18.3). Otherwise I can't account for the difference. BTW- that's with a 45Tech/Sport with 20 in stock wheels and tires. Anyone else experimented with the tire pressure?
  • infinitifaninfinitifan Member Posts: 5
    That's in line with my experience as well. As long as you don't notice any adverse effects on handling/noise, you should be OK. Infiniti recommends 35 cold psi for both front and rear tires so it sounds like the service tech did a thorough job!
  • jpiatchekjpiatchek Member Posts: 177
    I'm only running about 32lbs in mine for the last 6000 miles. Haven't noticed if that makes a difference on mileage or not, but it seems like my mileage isn't as good as it once was. I have an FX 35 and run about 80 on the hiway and used to get about 19.5-20mpg. Seems like it's dropped about 1 mpg here lately. I have noticed what seems to be a drop in mileage when I use 89 or 88 octane. How are your tires wearing? I have 15,000 on mine and don't think I'll get another 10,000 out of them. I've read in places that the tires tend to wear down the middle if run at 35lbs+. Curious to what you or others are experienceing.
  • petewat3petewat3 Member Posts: 83
    I've got 25K on the 20 inchers and I can't tell that they have worn much at all. Most of that time has been at 32-35 lbs.. I'll see how the 36-40 works for wear - I think I'm going to leave them at that for a while since the mileage is so much better. I do feel the road more though.
  • petew4petew4 Member Posts: 71
    ...that there is not much activity on this thread. To me it says that there aren't any problems to discuss.
  • jgq1jgq1 Member Posts: 11
    The only problem I noticed with my 7 hour old FX is that it tend to slow down traffic on two way roads when I'm trying to make a left. I wind up staying longer than I used to on the same intersection :)
  • d_in_njd_in_nj Member Posts: 23
    Umm... that would be me slowing down traffic. Every time I see one it hits me inside how much I love it!

    Test driving tomorrow. I have heard from one dealership (no price yet) on a 2004 FX35 - touring & sport. Tomorrow, I'm also calling the far away dealership to see if they do in fact have an '03. I'm curious now to see what they would do with it. They didn't email me back when I inquired if they had it.

    Thank you so much for invoices on the '03. I just didn't see them at first on my own.

    Deanne
  • d_in_njd_in_nj Member Posts: 23
    My thank you should be on the FX buying thread. Anyway, you guys are great, too!
  • jgq1jgq1 Member Posts: 11
    d_in_nj: go to the infiniti website and contact all the dealerships that are within driving distance. Within 24 hours some will contact you and other may not be as fast. One thing for sure, infiniti corporate Customer Service will contact you to rate the response from the dealerships you contacted. If any did not respond to you, you can bet that they will after you rate them with infiniti corporate!

    Best of luck with your purchase!
  • d_in_njd_in_nj Member Posts: 23
    exactly what I did on the '03 and have yet to hear a word back. I'll happily leave feedback on the situation!

    It's funny, so far it seems I'll get initial feedback, but if they don't have exactly what I want, they aren't wanting to work on it. Their loss, I guess.
  • infinitimaveninfinitimaven Member Posts: 19
    There are ZERO '03s out there, you may give up on that quest UNLESS you're looking for a pre-owned. Dealers do have a lot of inventory on the '04s, though, you will be able to cut a good deal if you're reasonable in your expectations.
  • wibblewibble Member Posts: 569
    I'm sorry but your post is nonsense. My local dealer has 18 new 2003 FX's in stock. Within a 50 mile radius there are 54. even with my limited arithmetical skills I can see that 54 is a lot more than zero.
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    My local dealer...

    Unless you guys live in the same town it's not particularly illuminating to challenge the accuracy of local claims quite so vigorously.

    tidester, host
  • wibblewibble Member Posts: 569
    I would take issue with that. Most Infiniti dealers will deliver a car anywhere in the U.S. so the fact that I live in southern California where there are at least 54 new 2003 FX's within an hours drive it not necessarily irrelevant to anyone elsewhere. When a car can be delivered from California to Maine for around $600 then there is no reason, if someone can negotiate a good deal for a 2003 over the Internet or the 'phone, that they cannot obtain one.
    I really don't want to get inot a contest with infinitimaven over this. He is the one who stated there were ZERO (his caps, not mine) new 2003's available.

    P.S. There are 5 of them within 50 miles of his location. Not many but not 0 either :)
  • jmoneyjmoney Member Posts: 25
    I was just shopping for a new suv and had narrowed it down to the Cayenne S and the FX 45. On my first over the phone negotiation to the first infiniti dealer that I contacted, I got them to offer an 04 FX 45 with prememium and technology packages, xm radio, cargo net and splash guards for $47,300 which is about $300 over published invoice. As decision time approached, I got them to come down another $500 just for settling on a color other than silver (my first but not only choice).
    In the end, I chose the Cayenne S because of an incredible deal that could not be passed up. Might point however is that deals can be had on the 45 much more than the 35. If you work it right, you can get an 04 fx 45 with all that extra power and all the goodies for just 3 - 7 k more than a comprably equiped 04 fx 35. Assuming that you can't find an 03, give the big a shot.
  • d_in_njd_in_nj Member Posts: 23
    $36,600 on a 2004 FX35 with touring, cargo net, splash guards & roof rails. Exterior & interior color I want. Looks to be about $300 over invoice. Decent deal, ya think?

    ? - How up-to-date do you think the dealership inventory is on Infiniti.com?
  • jmoneyjmoney Member Posts: 25
    Not bad at all. Sounds like we're talking about the awd fx 35. That's a very good markdown for a 35. Get them to throw in satelite radio for that price and you got a deal.

    As far as inventory, I crossed referenced different dealer websites inventory with infiniti corps. website and found it to be about 90% accurate, at least for the vehicles I was looking at. They seem to have enough vehicles in stock so getting one configured the way you want it should not be a problem....
  • drcsfdrcsf Member Posts: 36
    In my garage I now have a slightly used 2003 FX45, Silver with black interior. It seems to be fully loaded, has navigation, DVD system, 20 " wheels, roof rack, mudguards, Bose, etc. It has 9135 one owner miles on it, was bought on Sept 22, 2003 and was just traded for a Porsche Cayenne S at my local Porsche dealer. No accidents and regular maintenence at the local Infinity dealer. The Porsche dealer has let me take it home for the weekend. I have not bought it yet but have to decide tomorrow. Their price is $41,500 plus taxes and tags - I thought that was a fair price but based on some of the posts here I may be able to do almost as well on a new one. Also, and more importantly, the car was smoked in and smells like smoke. As a non smoker, I'm wondering if that can be removed or restored to a fresher scent. Any comments on the price or the smoke odor would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Craig
  • jmoneyjmoney Member Posts: 25
    If you are severely restricted by price and a few $k makes a big difference, that deal is ok. But with about 6k more, minus dvd entertainment system and plus tax, you can get a brand new fx 45 with full warranty remaining. I bet you can get a 2004 demo for very close to the price of the '03. All Infinti dealers are willing to sell the 45s at, near or below invoice. Most dealerships only carry about 5 fx 45s and since about 70% of fx sales are comprised by the fx 35, they'll work pretty hard in locking up a deal.
    As far as the smoking issue, I smoke, but have not smoked in any of my vehicles since 1992. The smell of stale ciggarette smoke in a car is disgusting and to my knowledge, impossible to fully elliminate.
    IMHO, I would check out a new '04.

    good luck
  • so_caliso_cali Member Posts: 65
    the infiniti dealer in san diego offered me a FX 45 for nearly 10k under msrp! 39,900 plus tax and license for a 4k mi demonstrater with premium pkg. it's still on the lot as i passed and got the deal of the century on a 35 (over 10k less!) so your deal in the smoked in 45 is too much unless it has the navi and rear camera!

    i personally wouldn't take a smoked in car. you're paying over 40 thousand dollars and you are going to settle for this vehicle?!?
  • jmoneyjmoney Member Posts: 25
    I agree with you in regards to setling for the smoked out vehicle. Im sure that particular fx had the technology package but it still a deal to be avoided. The pice of $47k that I got from contacting only 1 infiniti dealership included premeum package, tech package, xm sat radio, splash guards and cargo net. Pretty much fully loaded give or take the chrome wheels and dvd entetainment system. Definately the way drcsf should go.

    Don't forget, I only contacted 1 dealership. If you get 2 or 3 of them involved, I can easily see a below invoice deal possible, which with this configuration would be $46k and change.
  • drcsfdrcsf Member Posts: 36
    Thanks to you who answered my last post. The used FX45 does have the camera, the navigation, the DVD, etc and all the little extras (roof rails, mud guards, cargo mat, etc). It really is immaculate except for the odor, a real bummer. And I do like the Silver and all black interior

    I drove over to the Infinity dealer this afternoon (of course they were closed) but it seems they have 7 45's and 13 35's on their lot. None are in the color and interior I have now, and not all are fully optioned either. But I plan to call the Infinty dealer tomorrow and see what they'll offer on a new one.

    I'll keep you all posted. THANKS AGAIN !

    Craig
  • otis123otis123 Member Posts: 439
    Please comment on real (not car computer calculations) MPG for the FX35 AWD. Please indicate if numbers are obtained using the winter gas mixture (like in the NYC metro area). Difference between reg. and winter mixture MPG is usually 10% in my experience.

    Trying to decide between the MuranoSLTouring w/VDC and FX35Touring. $4200. seems to be the spread. FX has better warranty/image/build/reliability/diversity antenna...Murano better mileage/no timing belt maintenance/100K tuneup/cheaper service bills/crap radio reception... Both seem to hit bumps the same - somewhat harsh - but FX seems to resonate/rattle less = tighter.

    Little "practical" man on left shoulder says Murano, "go for it" man on right shoulder says FX. Wife doesn't care (and she will be driving it during the week to work...garage at work)

    Thanks in advance!
  • petewat3petewat3 Member Posts: 83
    I'm surprised that the dealer couldn't get rid of a smoke smell. I bought a used car a few years ago that had a leather interior and had it detailed specifically to rid it of the smoke smell & it was gone. Leather and plastic lose it easily and the carpet/headliner etc. can be shampoo'd to rid them of it. I wonder if they really tried.
  • drcsfdrcsf Member Posts: 36
    I spoke to my local (Baltimore) Infinti dealer today. They actually still have two fully loaded 03 FX45's for sale - he says he can let them go for just under 48,000 - his cost, but no lower because he says Infinti gives nothing back to them on leftover 03's. A new 04 would only be a little more. Didn't make sense to me but he said thats the way it is unless Infinti decides to kick in something. He also said the price on my used FX45 was below wholesale and could not believe they were willing to sell it for $41,500. He basically told me they would sell that car for at least 45,000 and to take it before they raised their price. So now I don't know if he just didn't want to deal with me over the phone or was actually honest with his info. I am making some calls about the smoke odor as well. I need to decide by tonight - there is supposedly already another buyer for this 45 if I don't take it.

    Craig
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    I think part of the problem is that smoke penetrates into places that you can't get to unless you tear the car apart. Like the foam beneath those leather/vinyl seats.

    I bet if you ground up fresh coffee beans every week and tossed them in the ashtray (assuming a smoker's car had an ashtray, lol), it'd mask the smoke odors.

    Steve, Host
  • crikeycrikey Member Posts: 1,041
    I may not be the best example since I live in FL and I'm not too sure if FL employs the winter gas mixture that you mentioned since FL has relatively mild winters in comparison to the Northeast.

    Most of our driving is city with a few spurts of highway, I would say 75% city and 25% highway. Our FX35 AWD constantly averages about 18 to 19 mpg.

    Recently, we drove a bit of a distance on the highway, about 100 miles each way. Before the drive, the tank was filled up and it seems that we were able to get around 22 to 23 mpg cruising around 70 to 75 mph with a few 80+ mph runs to overtake other cars.

    We only use Premium gas, around 93 octane.

    While it isn't that great, I can say that it's not as bad as the 2001 Nissan Pathfinder 2WD that we had, which averaged 17 mpg under the same driving conditions. The best mileage I got out of the Pathy was 21 mpg. The Pathy was a great vehicle also.

    Hope that helps.
  • cainepcainep Member Posts: 35
    My average, using California gas, is around 19 mpg (measured manually and within a few tenths of the trip computer). I usually use 91 octane, but have recently been using 87, with no noticeable difference in how the car runs. Lowest mpg on a tank was 16 (all city driving), while a couple of weeks ago I got 24 (almost all highway cruising at 70 mph).
  • petewat3petewat3 Member Posts: 83
    "I spoke to my local (Baltimore) Infinti dealer today"

    I'm in the area and bought my FX45Tech from JBA Infiniti in Ellicott City. Just an FYI - I was pleased with the buying experience there and the service experience for 24K mi. has been the best I've had with any dealer. Is that who you're talking to?
  • petewat3petewat3 Member Posts: 83
    Crikey - FL isn't required to use oxygenated gas in winter. I had previously posted this table & here it is again....
    http://www.epa.gov/otaq/regs/fuels/oxy-area.pdf

    Many of the areas that were originally required under the Clean Air Act no longer use it but FL never did.
  • drcsfdrcsf Member Posts: 36
    Actually I had called Nationwide in Timonium only because they were listed as the selling dealer on the CarFax. But it turns out the car was actually bought at Ellicott City but was listed as Timonium because Nationwide used to own both places, and just recently sold the Ellicott City store to JBA. I live in Owings Mills so I can go to either place if I take this car, which was traded for a Cayenne at Len Stoler Porsche/Audi in Owings Mills. All the records are actually at Ellicot City (4 oil changes in 9000 miles, no problems at all). Craig
  • petew4petew4 Member Posts: 71
    well good luck with it. As I said, I can recommend JBA. Always accomodating, always can get it in for service within a week, Infiniti loaner is always available (I always opt for a G35- zoom zoom), and they always clean it inside & out no matter what it's in for (which I think is an Infiniti service standard now).
  • huma2huma2 Member Posts: 24
    hey, i bought a leftover 2003 45 fx tech ( loaded with every option). i got it for 43,000. bargin hard.
  • jmoneyjmoney Member Posts: 25
    The price on a leftover 03 at around 48 seems high unless it's got more options than the tech and premium packages as well as satellite radio. Like i wrote earlier, I got a quote on a brand new 04 with the aforementioned options for $47,500, about $500 over published invoice. That was the first dealership I contacted! If I didn't opt for the Cayenne S and pressed the issue with a couple of other Infiniti dealers, who knows how low it could have gone.

    The depreciation alone should warrant a better deal on the 03 and not the fact that dealers don't get anything back for selling last years models.

    The dealership that quoted me is Flemongton Infiniti in Flemington NJ, about 2 hours driving time from you. It might be worth a road trip!!!

    Good luck and keep workin' it
  • carnaughtcarnaught Member Posts: 3,497
    pass on the "leftover '03 FX45's for around $48k". The car owing to it being a year old model takes the immediate hit in resale. Current owning a G35 and having researched and driven the FX35's and '45's, I understand that the '04's are improved and refined.

    I also think a new loaded FX45 could be bought close to $48k.
  • clpurnellclpurnell Member Posts: 1,083
    I would get the car you are driving if I could find a '03 FX45 with the equipment I want for the price I would probably trade my 35. But I would ave the dealership get the smoke smell out before signing anything.
  • 29632963 Member Posts: 37
    Purchased my FX45 the other day ('04 with premium & technology packages / XM / cargo protector / splash guards), and haven't stopped smiling since. I love this thing!

    Despite the fact I've been babying the engine (and will continue to do so until I've got about 500 miles on the odometer), the acceleration and performance characteristics are far beyond what I imagined.

    Only two gripes noticed thus far (and they're minor ones, at best): the truncation of XM data (artist, song title, etc.) on the navigation display, and the lack of illuminated controls on the steering wheel.

    I can easily get by the first gripe, but the second one kinda causes me to scratch my head and wonder what the folks at Infiniti R&D were thinking when they opted to pass on this simple (yet extremely convenient) feature. I was driving my in-laws '04 Toyota RAV4 this past weekend ($21K MSRP), and their baby-ute had illuminated controls... Again, a minor issue, but one that will hopefully be addressed in future model years.

    I'm thinking about putting in a K&N air filter, and may look into a clear bra as well. Otherwise, I'm really looking forward to tapping into every one of those 315HP once she gets broken in ;-}
  • petewat3petewat3 Member Posts: 83
    that smile will hang around too - mine has for 9 mos. with no break in it with my loaded 45.
    I think you'll find that in no time you won't need illumination on the steering wheel controls. Once I got used to them by touch I never have to look at them any more & illumination can be distracting at night. What color did you get?
    Enjoy it!!!!!...there's lots of us here that have that permanent smile.
  • kcrudupkcrudup Member Posts: 26
    I'm glad they didn't light it up, and besides, you'll learn it before two weeks are up
  • drcsfdrcsf Member Posts: 36
    Well after several gut wrenching, almost sleepless nights, I have decided to buy the 03 FX45, 9000 miles, with technology/DVD, roof rails, cargo cover,& mudflaps for $41,500. The smoke odor has been treated by the Porsche dealer with some "ionizing fog treatment" that has amazingly removed the smell completely. They sent the car out for this, it cost them 90 bucks, they showed me the bill, and they're absorbing it. I think I can definitely treat any residual odor that returns with off the shelf stuff or pay to have another treatment if needed. I spent a fair amount of time looking at leftover 03's with money in hand and could not get any of three dealers to let one go like mine for $43,000. The best I did was $45,500 and that was for a fully equipped 45 with a sign for $46,400 hanging on the mirror (JBA Infiniti) They said absolutely no way they could go any lower, they'd rather sit on them then lose several thousand dollars. In the end my final decision was not the $4000 difference but the exterior/interior colors available. The one I'm buying has the silver exterior and an all black interior. I really really like it ( not judging any other colors or combos!) I cannot duplicate that here in any leftover 03's. I can't see paying $7000 more for an 04 than the 03 I'm buying. And the final piece of the puzzle is I was able to get the original owner's name. So I called him. The guy is a 50 year old lawyer who buys and trades new cars every few months. The guy currently has the Cayenne Turbo he just bought, a BMW M3 convertible, a Lexus RX330 for his wife, and a damn Bentley! He broke my FX45 in properly, had no problems, did the services at the dealer, liked it, and put most of the miles on on the highway. He traded it because he's "a man of speed" and it wasn't fast enough - so he bought the Cayenne in its place. Too much money I guess. Anyway I pick my car up offically on Monday - sorry this was so long and thanks for all the help. I'm happy with my decision and will check this board often.

    Craig
  • clpurnellclpurnell Member Posts: 1,083
    Congrats and enjoy!
  • jmoneyjmoney Member Posts: 25
    well done.

    You definately went the extra mile with your research. I would have opted for an 04 because of the three main factors: depriciation, miles on the car and the treated smoke odor.

    The bottom line is what works for you. It sounds like you have no post decision anxiety and are not only comfortable with your decision but extremely happy with it.

    Enjoy the car and welcome to the performance SUV club.
  • duffer7duffer7 Member Posts: 17
    There has been some chat about gas mileage . Now, with gas prices SO high, I want to let you know what I experieced on a 2845.7 mile trip from upstate NY to Florida & back.
    My FX 35 encountered speeds of 2 mph ( when I-95 was closed for hours at Fredericksberg VA & I-81 @ Harrisburg PA ,& 98.6 miles VERY slow miles slogging around Naples FL ) and cruising speeds of 75- 85 mph thro NC-SC-FL. ( I'll admit to a several miles of 90's+ if no smokies are reading this and can issue me a retroactive ticket).
    Anyway, the FX achieved 21.8 mpg based on MY calculation ( Not the on-board computer, which, by the way was very accurate ). The average speed was displayed as 52 mph ( for that's worth ). Anyway,I feel that my FX has great gas mileage and shoud be a big PLUS for anyone thinking about buying a great car.
  • jgq1jgq1 Member Posts: 11
    I've had the FX for a week now and I'm sure that it's less than 21.8 MPG. However I've seen some posts that it will improve with time.

    By the way, I've been using the premium Gas so far, can I get away with with middle priced one?
    I'm not cheap but curious :)
  • petew4petew4 Member Posts: 71
    Congrats....sounds like you made a good choice. As I posted earlier, I've had that smoke treatment done on a vehicle in the past & it did not come back.
  • jpiatchekjpiatchek Member Posts: 177
    Good post. I have 15k on my FX35 AWD with tech. I drive 80-85 on the hiway and have never averaged more than 19.5 or so on long trips. Your mileage sounds much better than mine. Do you have AWD or 2WD? Thanks.
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