By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
kdshapiro: "Still with a BMW the cost is $0"
That is absolutely NOT true.
blueguy.com:
I never shopped leasing terms when I bought my G back in January. Leasing for me is a silly waste of money.
I can tell you for a fact that to purchase a similiarly equipped 330i would have been $5,800.00 more than what I spent on my G35.
Conservatively I figure that the routine maintenance cost for my 2 years (I drive 25-30,000 per year and the BMW covers up to 50,000)with my G will cost approx. $1,150.00. That still results in a net savings of more than $4,600.00.
I've been on both sides of this fence. Bottom line is they are both great cars. We are all very fortunate to be able to drive some of the finest sport sedans ever built. Love what you drive & drive what you love.
You guys make it sound like I didn't research this car. Hello, I had solid plans to order a 2004! The G has two maintenance schedules listed either 3750 ot 7500, as told to me by a friend who owns a G. Last night i picked 5000 as I recalled the car had a frequent service interval.
Regardless, at Freshalloy there is a post about the cost of maintenance. A frequent poster and Infiniti manager DFW wrote the following for service costs at his dealership:
$99.95 7500 Mile Service
$199.95 15000 Mile Service
$399.95 30,000 Mile Service
Others prices ranged from free (something no Infiniti dealer in san diego would do) to over 150 for the 7500 mile service.
http://forums.freshalloy.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Boa- - - rd=UBB25&Number=328793&page=&view=&sb=5&o=&am- p;am- p;am- p;fpart=1&vc=1
Someone else added this as an outline of 7500 mile service work:
Change oil, Replace oil filter, Lubricate door, trunk, hood hinges and latches, Rotate tires and adjust air pressure, Inspect brake pad condition, Inspect belts, hoses and tires, Inspect exterior lights, windshield wipers & washers, Inspect suspension, exhaust system and flanges, Inspect all fluid levels (fill as needed), Inspect steering gear and linkage, Adjust parking brake (as needed), Inspect steering linkage ball joints and front suspension ball joints.
Maybe you cats can adjust the parking break, inspect the suspension and ball joints. I have neither the training nor the inclination to perform those tasks. That's why I bought a luxury car!
So am I making up numbers? No. At the San Diego dealer the 7500 mile service is $69, and 15,000 mile is $280. Huh, I'm at over $340 right there. Even using a 10% coupon it's still over $300. I'd say it's well within reason even following Infiniti's 7500 and 15000 mile service interval to exceed $200 in a year on just service. Or am I making up numbers?
Sheesh...
I am being objective! If the maintenance schedule calls for certain activities to take place then I will get them done. This is akin to those people who won't buy premium gas. They just spent 30k+ on a sports sedan and now they're gonna cheap out over gas or maintenance? That makes no sense.
BTW, the 7500 and 3750 intervals list conditions under which one should perform the shorter interval over the longer. Due to my extreme driving style, I'd opt for the shorter (at the very least 5k service). I run my cars hard but I also like to make sure they get the most complete service.
And that premature brake wear is another scary expense I've seen on Freshalloy. I've had two nissans that ate brakes like nobody's business. My previous and subsequent cars haven't been nearly as bad. I'd imagine even if the brakes lasted some kind of work would probably need to be done to them within 45000 miles.
In the longer term, will the car need an alignment? Yep. Will I need tires eventually? Yep? Will I probably have to have some bodywork done at some point? Yep. Will I need brakes at some point? Yep. And except for the brakes, all those other items will cost money. But it will also cost on every other vehicle also.
One great feature of owning both a BMW and an Infiniti is that if you choose to have your service done at a dealer, most of them have loaner cars available. That is a huge plus for me.
Unlike BMW, Jaguar offers free maintenance and this is NOT included in the car's price. They do anything to keep the customer happy. This is to keep you a customer for life.
I hope Infinity starts a similiar program.
For those in the looking zone, the G35 does have some problems and these are easily corrected. Compared to other vehicles, I would say the warped rotors, worn brake pads and chipping paint issues are not major. As this is a first year vehicle, one has to expect something. I think Infinity did a wonderful job and the newer models should only improve with time.
Bring on the AWD!!!
Does anyone know if there is a computer enhancement to bring the G35 Sedan's engine up to par with the G35's Coupe's engine (260 vs. 280 hp)? Cannot find this in historical posts.
Thank you.
So what's the point? I paid X dollars and got free maintenance. You paid Y dollars and didn't. I'll bet you would gladly pay Y dollars plus some increment for the same type of "free" maintenance on your Infiniti.
BTW - How can you say free maintenance isn't included in Jaguars price but is included in BMWs price. Do we have people who work in these companies innermost circles planning the financials?
Find me 3 people that do exactly as the dealer says on their routine maintenance and I'll show you 20 that don't. Dealers call for more maintenance than the factory does. You can waste your time and money at the dealer if you want but that doesn't mean that we have to. BMW may offer free maintenance at first but it won't last forever. Are you going to do exactly what the dealer suggests after his free maintenance runs out?
Then when they switched to the "free maintenance" schedule, the intervals magically jumped to the "computer suggested" approximately 10,000 mile duration. Is that a coincidence ? Is the "free maintenance" really free ?? Or, since BMW is paying for the "free" maintenance, are they really stretching the maintenance needs of the car ? Are we all being taken in by such marketing ploys ? Hmmm...
I think if we really intend to keep that BMW beyond the regular warranty period, we better start spending the dough in doing more frequent maintenance on the car, more along the lines of a 3750 or 5000 mile duration, depending on how enthusiastically it is run. But.....that will have to be paid out of our pockets !! Only "scheduled maintenance" with the 10,000 mile durations, is "free" !!
If it is a leased car that would be returned back at the end of the lease period, I would suggest to go with the 10,000 mile "suggested" maintenance intervals. Frankly, I certainly would not want to buy such a lease-return BMW for myself.
Later...AH
Clear?
Hunter do you really believe BMW would jeopardize it's future, by recommending maintenance intervals that cause the car to fall apart prematurely, to save a couple of dollars on free maintenance? Doesn't make sense to me, and that's what lawyers are for.
bigorange - it doesn't matter how many you know that don't follow the manufacturers recommendations. I do. I find it hard to believe a G35 would last 10K with one oil change in a year. However, the BMW service is much more than oil. Ever need to change the wipers? How about the carbon microfilters in the car, if they even have any, etc? It's okay to sort of rationalize that free service is a gimmick, I'll take it, and the loaners as well.
Denial...it's not just a river in Egypt!
Please don't try to put words into my mouth like "I'll bet you would gladly pay Y dollars plus some increment for the same type of "free" maintenance on your Infiniti." The fact is I would not.
PS: You might want to check who is posting before you make a comment like "BTW - How can you say free maintenance isn't included in Jaguars price but is included in BMWs price. Do we have people who work in these companies innermost circles planning the financials?"
I never made any such comment. See post #7795.
First, my response post was written incorrectly and I know you did not say that.
Second, I agree the cost of the car is everything one pays for in services. And I'm also a believer that that get what you pay for. However, I stand by my assertion that most people, maybe even you, would rather pay X dollars on top of a cars having a BtoB maintenance policy similiar to BMWs. I would gladly have done it for every single vehicle I owned.
Later...AH
I've had my G since February. The Nav. works great. To me, it is very easy to use. I've looked at the manual once to check out why the sat. picture in the top left changes colors. Basically to show signal strength. No complaints from me. I love having the Nav option.
Don
I will try contacting the Infiniti dealer about this, but I am interested to hear everyone's take on this. Also for 2004, I have heard that there will be a new color and interior choice, does anyone know what this is or whether it is even true.
Also sorry for all the questions as I am trying to get up to speed and have been reading this message board as fast as possible.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
How Charming
Since this car is proving to be a piece of @#$%*, and I cant sit in the seat, I think its time Infiniti buys these pieces of junk back.
All cars have recalls and new models have more. I've read nothing that indicates the G35 is unusual in this regard.
- Mark
I am fully aware that new cars can have problems. But if you review the list of "problems" that the G35 has had, and considering that the Skyline is an existing model in Japan, I do not consider the faults acceptable, and neither do many others. I had bulletproof reliability with a Honda and a Subaru, and yes, I expected better.
Considering the breaking power of this car, which is the best I have experienced, I would be concerned especially at night, if I had to stop short and the break lights did not come on. Perhaps u live on the edge with your family, I do not.
It seems you agree that a single problem doesn't a lemon make, so let's hear about your "list of problems". I have heard of a few random things, but nothing that indicates there is a pattern of major issues with the G35. I'm sure the others readers here would like to hear the full story.
- Mark
It's funny, I don't own a G35 or any Nissan but this reeks of a smear by a few either disgruntled owners or owners of competing nameplates (that someone brought up honda makes me think one is a TL owner).
Freshalloy would most definitely have this information. I read it daily and I haven't seen anybody commenting on this so-called problem. You want to moan about rotor problems? i'll believe you. You want to join the vocal minority of Sat radio crybabies at Freshalloy, and again i'll believe you. You want to claim that Infiniti as a whole has poor customer service or there's some major flaw with with the "breaks" I'm not buyin' it. The legions of users on Freshalloy would have made it known.
Sometimes certain people run into something that is not completely positive, it must therefore be totally negative.
So far, the TSB's that I have heard about have either been precautionary in nature, or insignificant (i.e. the plastic cap over the headlight aiming adjustment screw, or door rattles, etc) The more serious one's have been regarding the fuel line suspected of not being torqued down to the proper value, and the air conditioning noise...
I had the air conditioning noise problem, and they fixed it during a regular oil change, and they made the oil change free as sort of a "sorry about that" I've been into dealerships for Ford, Toyota, and Isuzu recalls and they always made me feel like I was taking up their valuable time and it was my fault...
The thing is, none of the TSB's has kept my car from me one second longer than just the normal maintenance schedule dictated (I drop my car off in the morning for oil changes, get a loaner, and pick it up after work)
If a brake light switch "alert" tsb was issued, and peete concludes because of this, the G35 Sedan is a piece of "&$*#$", then just about 99.9% of the cars on the road could be categorized as such... Expand on the evidence a bit, think of all the car makes that have all kinds of trouble documented, and yet the manufacturer just shrugs and turns away, filing official TSBs only when critical importance (financial risk) is at stake; Rear door latches on SUVs opening in minor crashes possibly ejecting occupants in the back, steering racks that fail and cause loss of control, faulty seat belts etc...) Then here comes Infiniti with a "We've noted a modification that will eliminate a rattling sound in the door" and "We have to put a plastic cap on the adjusting screw so you can't blind other drivers" type TSBs and all of a sudden this is considered hard evidence to call Infiniti the Anti-Christ of auto makers?! LoL!
I'm thinking that in peeete's case, Reason is simply the first victim of strong emotion, and, we're all human after all, so who can cast stones there? other than to perhaps point out that if the negative point is valid, then I can claim the opposite, that there is nothing wrong with my Brake light switch and therefore the G35 is the best car in the world
It may just be me, but I get a distinct impression from the nature of the Infiniti TSBs that Infiniti is saying "dang, made a mistake and we'll make good on it for you" whereas I get the distinct impression from other TSB lists (particularly from the big three) that its more "Bean counters say we'll lose in the lawsuits that come from this, its cover our asses time!"
What cannot be denied is that in today's standards, the G35 is an excellent value, and excellent vehicle... Saying its not because of a minor TSB is like saying Sammy Sosa is a sucky ball player because he used a corked bat once
Have a good one!
Faenor
Peeete, thanks for the Info! I got pulled over because my rear brake lights were not illuminating. The police officer noticed my temporary tags (used '03) and was lenient. Infinity is taking immediate action and the car is going into the dealership tonight.
The recall will be sent on June 30, 2003.
Also getting the brake pads which finally arrived replaced under warranty. Some on the edmunds.com boards list the dealer will not replace these under warranty. The dealer should replace the rear brake pads as there is a TSB to eliminate brake squeal. I love how Infinity "words" the TSB in order to save themselves from legal issues. The true problem is the pads themselves and the squeal is just a symptom of the pad problem. They must run the TSBs through legal before issuing them?
Swimminglady,
Thanks for posting the url for: www.nhtsa.dot.gov/
It is, indeed, VERY interesting. One can print all the Infinity TSB's and recalls in order to approach the dealer in a an educated manner. It certainly is helping me and I am very thankful for your post.
Some of you have attacked me because you think that due to the break switch I think the car is crap. Nothing can be further from the truth. Ive owned two fords, and believe me I know what crap is
However, I have have had several problems with the car as well as poor customer serivce both at the dealer and at ICA. Thats it and I dont have to justify it to you in a lengthy post. If you read the forums on fresh alloy or Edmunds, there are no shortages of complaints from people in several major areas.
The biggest problem really is the poor way Infiniti and the dealer have addressed these issues. That really ticks off me and other who have spent a lot of money in anticpation of a qulaity car and premium service. It has not happened for many, but of course most Im sure are very satisfied.
I think the car offers a lot of value for the money, but the poor serivce really depreciates the value of the car and the brand.
In closing I also point out that while there has been no discussion about the break switch on fresh alloy (i looked too), the fact that it is a recall means that there must be a problem somewhere. I suspect once it becomes more generally known people will talk about it.
http://tinyurl.com/e5hc
It looks like you got stuck in the nexus of a collection of problems regarding your G35, a significant one of which seems to be seat discomfort.
Alot of people seem to experience this though legions appear to have no trouble at all (Thankfully, I'm one who finds the seats almost a little too comfortable)
I'm not certain what causes the discomfort, though it seems centered around the seat controls, but then I have to pause because some have offered that they have trouble and are physically smaller than I, and then some claim also that the seats are great and they're 5 inches taller than me and another 50 pounds heavier, so who knows what is happening here
Maybe the seat design/steering wheel position/pedal location offer a narrower window of comfort depending on, aside from other things, natural body driving position?
I was thinking on this matter a while ago, and I'm wondering wether the fact that we're dealing with a "near Luxury" marque has something to do with this... I could surmise that if someon bought a Hyundai and the seats were uncomfortable, they would shrug and say, what the hell, its a Hyundai... Whereas if someone bought an Infiniti, and the seats were even a tiny bit less than perfect, you'd feel far more justified in voicing concerns...
Just rambling...
I'm sorry you're having so many problems with your car... I bought my Sedan in March of 2002, just a few days after they were offered for the first time. I have almost 30,000 miles on mine and can swear its the funnest car and with the least headaches I have ever owned, and its sitting in the garage right now next to the other car, a 2003 BMW 330Ci (which is also a great car! but just came back from the dealer recently to have an electrical problem fixed
Have a good one!
Faenor
I agree completely with him regarding his assessment of the G. I love mine too. I am such a big fan of the G that I am about to correct the only real issue that I have with my 5AT sedan - I am trading it in on a 6MT sedan next week.
Take Care!
BTW - my dealer took immediate action and is correcting the new recall along with the list of TSB's I printed for them. These are issues they should have completed before selling the car. This is not Jaguar service, that is for sure. However, this is also not your father's Datsun. I would rate Infinity middle-of-the-road based on owning many other makes. If they want to play with the big kids, they should take lessons from Jaguar and BMW.
Will let you know what they did when the car is ready and also how they fixed the seat discomfort issue.
Also, does anyone know how to make the sedan engine function like the coupe engine?
That's amusing and slightly uninformed. All new models have TSbs and recalls. Goes with the territory. and I'd never point to customer satisfaction with the likes of BMW (I own one and many family members do too) or Jaguar. Infiniti hit #2 on JD power customer service. If they want to play with the big boys they'd be best served ignoring BMW and Jag and trying to emulate Lexus.
Engine/exhaust are the same for any G35. The sport option only affects the suspension.
However, the adaptive tranmission may affect the "feel" of the car's responsiveness. I imagine you followed the break-in procedures for your car, and the adaptive computer is still using that to adjust how it responds, unless you've driven it hard for the last several weeks prior to taking it in for service. The loaner, on the other hand, was probably not babied by it's various users, and has probably been driven a bit harder than the average car, under the "it's not my car" driving style. As a result, it's adaptive computer will respond more aggressively.
Just a theory.
I do not agree that Nissan/Infinity can play with Jaguar and BMW. I own a few Jags and am used to fantastic service. You expect a Jag to be in the shop a lot by nature; so they treat you like royalty. We just have to agree to disagree and thank you for your informative historical posts. I do agree that Lexus is the one to emulate!
ryoken- thanks for the explanation. I think the previous owner "babied" the car which is not a bad thing!
I've found over the years that when two people agree wholeheartedly on a subject they share many opinions and beliefs, and when they bitterly argue, they still share many beliefs, but just a few less
Its an artificial crutch in a way, but avoiding emotional confrontation in a conversation where there is disagreement is sometimes all you need to get to the point where you learn valuable things from someone, valuable things you didn't previously know
Have a good one!
Faenor
Although you put forward that Jaguar and BMW service is superior to Infiniti, you added as an aside that this is because (in the case of Jaguar) you understand from the start that more service is required
I can't contend with your experience with Jaguar, since I've never had Jaguar service, but isn't what you're saying something along these lines?
You get much better service from Jaguar because you need more service...
It sounds very positive in an odd way, but not something I think you might see on a billboard or in a car magazine ad...
Isn't it better to need no service at all then to require fantastic car repair service alot? How comforting is the fact that you're going to be treated like a King at Jaguar, when you've got the hood up and steam pouring out of your engine compartment on the side of the interstate at 1230am?
I myself, have had nothing but EXCELLENT Infiniti service, better than any other I have ever had, for both routine and non-routine items, and though I am fairly vocal on this point, I think I'm a member of a far less vocal "silent majority" who shares my experience.
I think that Jaguar is an exemplary marque, but that its loyalty following is perhaps even more enthusiastic than BMW, allowing for the forgiveness of some sins (as you alluded to in your original post). There is nothing wrong with this, I'd love to own a Ferrari even if it was breaking down every other month, there is a mystique with the marque that is undeniable, and a mechanical allure and history that appeals to people who love automobiles... I think as long as I had another reliable drive, I would rather be under a Ferrari in my Garage than tooling around in a reliable Toyota
Have a good one!
Faenor
Faenor/Dane4
You could post and then answer the post as if you were someone else, but now the cat is out of the bag!
Agree with you about the Jag. That would be a nice billboard for Jag. No arguments. You hit the proverbial nail right on the head. Need to own one to really understand the "mystique" -- not to be mistaken with the Ford Mystique which looks like the Jag X-Type. Seems to be an unspoken sense of community with other Jag owners.
Hopefully Infinity will create the same "mystique" with a trouble-free badge association! Until then, we all have to live with the recalls and numerous TSBs. Another TSB/recall regarding the front brake pads is only weeks away.... In any case, this is a FUN car to drive and I would buy it again.
Am still trying to ascertain how the G35 sedan and the G35 coupe engines differ by 20 hp? The master tech. at my dealer said he will answer this tomorrow (after researching). If anyone else is interested, please post and I will let you know what he says. Maybe it is an easy answer, but I cannot find it in historical posts?
Didn't you buy the used G35 that needed new brake pads after only 6600 miles? If so, I don't think it was babied.
Although, I have been reading alot about G35 brake pads needing to be replaced every 15,000 miles. That is a big turnoff for me. I'd be replacing brake pads every year!
Granted they aren't insurmontable, but it seems that there are numerous issues that keep appearing.
How do you guys feel about Infiniti's support with these issues and are they proactive about
dealing with them?
I am also shopping the '04 CTS 3.6L VVT.