Changing the air filter was not the easy 10 minute job I envisioned. More like 20 frustrating minutes. The procedure I used was as follows: 1. Remove engine cover (4 bolts) 2. Loosen 2 clamps & remove flexible (4 in.) hose 3. Remove brace bolt 4. Unsnap 4 fasteners & move housing forward 5. Remove & replace filter The hardest part was getting the flexible hose off and then back on. If anyone knows of a better way to go about changing the filter, would like to hear from them.
Thanks froze for the tip on the plastic rivet. It worked like a charm! I couldn't believe how easy it was to remove with a screwdriver. I'm not sure why I didn't think of that before. With the air diffuser cover off and the car up on Rhino ramps, the oil filter and drain plug are a breeze to change. I'm sorry to hear about the air filter change difficulties. It was very easy to change without any hand tools on my previous I30t. Unfortunately with the G35 it looks like it will not be nearly as easy.
What is the story with the car's tire air pressure requirements? The side wall of the tire states 55lbs of air pressure max, while the sticker inside the car states 35 lbs all around. Why the difference and which is correct??? Am confused! Also, how often does conventional wisdom say that the air conditioning air filter located in the glove box, I think, should be changed? Or is it alright to just get it cleaned or blown out? Comments appreciated! What should the cost be ?
55 is the tire's limit, according to the manufacturer of the tire. It's meaningless; go with the ranges provided on the door jamb/owner's manual.
And the air filter should be swapped at 15k miles, if memory serves. But if you live in dusty, dirty conditions (e.g. LA) it probably wouldn't hurt to change it more often.
Hi, Does any body has the link to infiniti owner's manual online. I remember I saved the direct link to it a while back but can't find it any more. Any help is appreciated.
I decided to buy a clear bra application offered by the dealership for $279 at the time I bought the car after reading numerous forum comments about paint chip damage. It's being installed today so I can't comment on what I think of the install yet. It is supposed to protect the front of the hood, the area around the headlights, and the front of the side-view mirrors. I have a '94 ES300 that still turns heads, but learned my lesson about stone chips since moving to Pittsburgh.
I replace my own cabin air filter....6 screws is all...the first 5 are easy to find...the 6th one is hidden by the right side passenger kick panel. You'll need a long screw driver for that, prefereably with a magnetic end.
That seems really high to me too. I just purchased an 04 G35 and will have the "clear bra" (3M Film) installed this weekend by a third party. The hood, front bumper, headlights, side mirrors and front door edges will be done. The cost is $695. I would check out pricing from a third party.
What are your thoughts regarding replacement tires for G35 Coupe-stick. We, of course, want a good tire that will hold up well and a set of tires where we do not have to mortgage the homestead to pay for them. We can live with a slightly harder ride if the tires will last longer. Any thoughts regarding name brands appreciated. Does it have to be the same exact size as the original tires? Can speed rating differ either up or down one notch? Thanks.
The best value I've een that fit the car are the Yokohama AVS ES100. You'd be looking at around $160 per tire front and $170 per tire rear. The original Michlelin Pilots are around $210 front and $250 rear.
Probably have been discussed many times before. I should be picking up a 03 6MT. Need tires cuz I am in Western Canada. LM22 Blizzaks are good choice? I think I will look at that, and Toyos. Plus whatever else you might suggest :-)
I'd like to thank everyone who has posted information on this site. I've read every posting concerning the G35. With the information you all provided I placed my order today for a 2005 G35 coupe. You might be interested in viewing pictures of the 2005 models at the Nissan Motors press release web site. The address is www.infinitynews.com. Thanks again for all of your input.
Does anyone know of a way to run the fogs without having to turn on the headlights. I wanted to upgrade my fogs to superwhites, they look horrible with the Xenon when they are on together(very yellow). I would like to be able to run them independently of the head lights
I spent about two hours last night changing the air filter and still don't have it right. I ended up stuffing it in and it tore a bit. I would appreciate any experience any one has in changing this filter. Also, I have the 3M plastic bra on my hood (about half way up) and the entire front bumper. It is hardly noticeable and has prevented the stone chips others have been reporting. I have 14,500 miles.
My '04 G35x (bought in 8/04 at a dealer in NY) is coming up for her first oil change (3,750 mi), so I called a couple of dealers in Northern NJ (where I live). Ramsey Infiniti quoted me $110 for oil change and "other check ups." Are these guys for real? Granted I don't expect to be able to get away paying the $30 Edmunds says is fair, $100+ for oil and filter change??? Are all dealers this unscrupulous? This is downright criminal. Questions for experienced drivers:
1. Do dealers charge differet prices for customers who didn't buy from them? (Ramsey and another dealer both asked me if I bought from them.) 2. How negotiable are service quotes? 3. Are most dealers out to get you like this? Any honest service dealers in the northern half of NJ??
So far, every instance of interaction with Infiniti dealers has been filled with irritation and general unpleasantness. When I am ready to buy my next car, I'd be highly tempted to go with a European make, just to avoid having to stress over service costs. I'm not whining about spending $50 extra per oil change on a $35k car, but it's a matter of principle. That is, "am I being treated fairly" is the issue.
I understand the TCO (incl 4 year maintance costs) for a G would be still far less than that for a 330xi over the same period, for example, but I feel that it's not just a matter of saving a couple of grand over 4 years. It's the whole experience that matters, and when I'm told I have to fork over $110 for an oil change, it just kills me.
Lots of dealers charge an arm and a leg for "dealer recommended" service. Ask them what the price is for the oil change only, since that's probably all the real service that would be performed other than checks. Check your manual to see what the factory recommeded service items are. You can probably get just the oil change for $30-40 from the dealer.
(1) $110 for an oil change is absurd. I buy my own Mobil 1 at Costco (about $25 for a case of 6) and have the dealer use that oil. They charge me about $23 for this, so it shouldn't be much more than $30 or so if buying their oil.
(2) Note that the manual says you can safely go up to 7500 miles between oil changes if you do mainly highway driving, which I do. The dealer (naturally) tries to get me to change every 3-4k, but it's obviously a way for them to make more money. Trust the guys who designed the engine, not the ones making money on servicing it.
(3) I don't think service quotes are negotiable, but for 15k and 30k services, where dealers usually try to tack on a bunch of other services and inspections, you can certainly request/demand they do only that which is specified by the manual.
(4) As for European makes, I agree and think it's high time the Japanese luxury plates similarly offer 3/4 year covered maintenance. Although, what they lack in generosity they make up for in reliability. It's either funny or pathetic how often S-class and 7-series visit their respective service bays.
I'm living in the Northeast and want to install a remote starter before the winter really gets here. Anyone know what kind of remote starter infiniti provides and if it's of any good? Or any other suggestion or information you can provide is great, too. Thanks!
I have a G35X (w/premium) which does not come with the mp3 player. Is there any cost effective way to upgrade my current cd player to play mp3 as well? I'm not looking to add a third party mp3 player (it looks horrible). I'm thinking more in line of a software upgrade or something that can be performed by the dealer to the current unit. Any suggestion??? Thanks!
My guess is the software is part of the ROM in the headunit and does not support flash updates. In which case, your only option would be a complete headunit replacement, which I'm sure would cost far more than what you'd be willing to spend just for MP3 capability. The cheaper alternative would be to just rip your own music CD's from your MP3's, especially now that blank CD's are dirt cheap.
Hate to upset you but the dealer I use (Coconut Creek, Florida ) gives you the 3750 check up and oil change for nothing. There other prices seem to be fairly reasonable.
Paying over $100.00 for an oil change is absurd. A local service station should be able to do it for approx. $45.00 - $49.00 using Mobil 1. That is about the same price as the person who goes to Costco, buys the oil and has the station do the work.
As for dealers, some really suck and some are great. In Washington, DC, we have one that could care less about the customer and one that bends over backwards to ensure you remain with them. I do agree that the European dealers are better as a whole. You can read my previous posts as to how I feel about some local dealers.
Use the Purolater "Pure One" filter. It had the best filtering of all oil filters out there and is considerably larger than that little filter Infiniti sells.
Just getting to 3,750, I was just quoted $29.99 for the oil and filter change at Tampa Infiniti.
If you look in the "Infiniti Service and Maintenance Guide" you'll see that the Schedule 1 and Schedule 2 maintenance call for only oil and filter changes.
The "Premium Maintenance" schedule is, in my opinion, mostly for dealer profit and for those who have a lot of money to spend and want to feel good about the way they're treating their car. Except for the oil and filter change, everything else is to 'inspect' something, like wiper blades, fluid levels, etc. Same goes for the 7,500 except for rotating the tires and road testing the car.
I took my car for an 33750 oil change and they advised me to get my front brakes replaces as they had a 1min30sec left on them. Is this a normal wear and tear and how much would it cost. The dealer tells me that it would cost me around $800.00. Can i trust the dealer with that price. Can someone guide me in this regard.
The dealer also told me that I would be needing new tires in about 5K -7K. Which puts it at 40K. I guess thats about reasonable. Any comments.
Which model do you have? I know there was a brake recall on the standard brakes (non-Brembos). Regardless, if they're replacing the pads, shoes, and rotors, $800 sounds almost reasonable, but you can call other dealers in the area and get their estimate fairly easily. FWIW, on my Coupe--with the Brembos--I was told at the 30k mile service they still had about half their life remaining, which surprised me. I did replace my original tires at 35k miles, however. (The latter, by the way, I'd recommend buying directly from Tire Rack and having some local tire shop install; the dealer will charge you way more for OEM tires.)
I have a 2003 G35. The last time i went to the dealer they said they fixed the recall, but to my surprise i was told that only the rear brakes were done. Is the recall on all the brakes? If so, can the dealer I go to now can fix it.
You can call Infiniti consumer affairs (800.662.6200) to verify, but I, ahem, "recall" the recall being applicable to all four corners. But I don't know why the dealership would have only done the rears, since they'd be fully reimbursed for the recall work by Infinti. Perhaps there was a misunderstanding?
I get my car serviced at Jim Coleman in Bethesda, which is acceptable but I've had my share of minor gripes with them. Nothing huge, but not the kind of service I'm thrilled with. I've heard very good things about Passport (Alexandria), and similarly very bad things about Rosenthal (Tysons Corner). (I got my 30k mile service yesterday at Coleman, who charged me around $490 for the service; I happened to call Rosenthal as well for a quote, they told me $695; Nobody picked up the phone at Passport.)
Today, after I got my oil change at the dealership. I noticed that my taillight was busted. The thing is I didn't notice it until I got home. But I'm pretty sure it wasn't busted before I took it to the dealership, because I put my mat covers in the trunk before going tp the dealership, so they could vacuum and I didn't see the busted taillight then. I called them but they said I had to call Monday morning to talk to the service manager. I doubt they will own up to it, and was wondering how much a taillight cost???
I would like to know the answer to this too. I was really worried about my brakes but everytime I take it in and ask them to check them, they say they are fine. I have an original 2003 G35 (the first version) and have now about 34,000 miles on. Is there a time or mileage limit on that brake replacement "recall" notice? I am afraid I will go over 36,000 miles and they will then say "sorry, you are past the 36,000 limit" and charge me. Incidently, I did have them check the brakes as I had some "pulsing" upon putting on the brakes at times. Tech said the wheels were "cupped". I have no idea what that means but he said to replace tires at about 40,000. Let us know what they say about your brakes, dpbhyd.
Well. I called the dealer in Ellicot City, MD and they told me that infiniti has something called courtesy service until 36000 miles which will take care of all the wear and tears. So they replaced my brakes for free. Well, now I am close to 36000(about 500 miles away) and the dealer in Annapolis,MD says that i need to replace my tires as they are at the wear mark. That doesn't make any sense to me, as i had my tires checked out when i took it for my brakes change. But if you are so concerned about your brakes, I would probably ask the dealer to replace them, before 36000 miles.
I was just quoted $850 for a 30K check on my 2003 Infiniti sedan. Among other things I was told they would replace transmission fluid, differential fluid, brake fluid, coolant, and normal things like wipers, micro filter, etc. I checked my service manual and discovered it calls for inspection but never replacement of any of the fluids except coolant unless indicated by the inspection. I complained to my sales rep and he had the service manager call me. The service manager told me Infiniti changed the service schedule from 2003 to 2004 to specify changing out all the various fluids every 30K. I have one question and two observations. The question; Can somebody tell me if the 2004 and later service manuals specify fluid replacement? The observations. 1) I also own a 1999 Mercedes ML320 (perhaps the biggest lemon I ever owned) and it specifies a lot of fluid changes which didn't seem to help it's reliability on iota but did generate substantial revenues for the dealer. 2) If Infiniti is using such poor quality lubricants in their vehicles they should not expect to get premium prices for their vehicles. My guess is they are looking to boost dealer service revenues much like BMW and Mercedes did until the negative feedback caused them to include scheduled maintenance in the cost of the vehicle. I also suspect they no longer require quite the laundry list of service items now that it's "free".
Observations welcome, answer to question greatly appreciated.
I'm not technically or mechanically inclined but I love my '05 G35x. I opened the hood the other day and noticed that the surface of the engine and components looked very dirty...(lots of snow and salt this winter)..can I safely spray wash it with water? Can I use soap? How do I go about cleaning it or should I just leave it alone? :confuse:
I'm not sure about any changes to the recommended maintenance schedule, but the claim sounds dubious to me. I would think Nissan and Infiniti would be obligated to inform all their customers if, all of a sudden, there are recommended changes to the manner in which their cars are serviced, and not just inform dealerships.
Call around other dealers: One nearby dealer quoted me $795 for the 30k service, but I got mine done at my usual dealer for less than $500 (bringing my own oil, but otherwise asking them just to perform everything in the owner's manual).
See http://www.carcareonline.com/viewarticle.aspx?art=4 for a discussion about cleaning the engine bay. This company knows their stuff about keeping cars clean, inside and out, and I recommend their advice and sales department.
I'm thinking about leasing a G35x but the nearest dealer is about 45 mi away. I'm willing to travel to the dealer to purchase the car, but I wouldn't want to go that far to have it serviced. Could I have my car repaired, if necessary, and/or serviced at a Nissan dealer, which would be way more convenient?
Technically, a Nissan service tech should be able to handle most maintenance/repair work on the G35 (since so many of the components are shared with the Z), but I don't think they'd be able to honor any warranty work, nor do they stock Infiniti-only parts. Plus, the Nissan almost definitely couldn't provide you with a loaner car.
Comments
The procedure I used was as follows:
1. Remove engine cover (4 bolts)
2. Loosen 2 clamps & remove flexible (4 in.) hose
3. Remove brace bolt
4. Unsnap 4 fasteners & move housing forward
5. Remove & replace filter
The hardest part was getting the flexible hose off and then back on. If anyone knows of a better way to go about changing the filter, would like to hear from them.
requirements? The side wall of the tire states 55lbs of air pressure max, while the sticker inside the car states 35 lbs all around. Why the difference and which is correct??? Am confused! Also, how often does conventional wisdom say that the air conditioning air filter located in the glove box, I think, should be changed? Or is it alright to just get it cleaned or blown out? Comments appreciated! What should the cost be ?
And the air filter should be swapped at 15k miles, if memory serves. But if you live in dusty, dirty conditions (e.g. LA) it probably wouldn't hurt to change it more often.
Does any body has the link to infiniti owner's manual online. I remember I saved the direct link to it a while back but can't find it any more. Any help is appreciated.
What brand is the other clear bra offerred at other dealerships? What price did you pay for it?
Thanks
It's actually http://www.nissannews.com/infiniti/2005vehicles/g35_sedan/index.s- html for the sedan and http://www.nissannews.com/infiniti/2005vehicles/g35_coupe/index.s- html for the coupe.
1. Do dealers charge differet prices for customers who didn't buy from them? (Ramsey and another dealer both asked me if I bought from them.)
2. How negotiable are service quotes?
3. Are most dealers out to get you like this? Any honest service dealers in the northern half of NJ??
So far, every instance of interaction with Infiniti dealers has been filled with irritation and general unpleasantness. When I am ready to buy my next car, I'd be highly tempted to go with a European make, just to avoid having to stress over service costs. I'm not whining about spending $50 extra per oil change on a $35k car, but it's a matter of principle. That is, "am I being treated fairly" is the issue.
I understand the TCO (incl 4 year maintance costs) for a G would be still far less than that for a 330xi over the same period, for example, but I feel that it's not just a matter of saving a couple of grand over 4 years. It's the whole experience that matters, and when I'm told I have to fork over $110 for an oil change, it just kills me.
Any insights would be appreciated!
(2) Note that the manual says you can safely go up to 7500 miles between oil changes if you do mainly highway driving, which I do. The dealer (naturally) tries to get me to change every 3-4k, but it's obviously a way for them to make more money. Trust the guys who designed the engine, not the ones making money on servicing it.
(3) I don't think service quotes are negotiable, but for 15k and 30k services, where dealers usually try to tack on a bunch of other services and inspections, you can certainly request/demand they do only that which is specified by the manual.
(4) As for European makes, I agree and think it's high time the Japanese luxury plates similarly offer 3/4 year covered maintenance. Although, what they lack in generosity they make up for in reliability. It's either funny or pathetic how often S-class and 7-series visit their respective service bays.
Also, do you know if the G and the 350Z filter is the same? I am ready for the first oil change and have a Nissan dealer much closer to home.
Thanks!
As for dealers, some really suck and some are great. In Washington, DC, we have one that could care less about the customer and one that bends over backwards to ensure you remain with them. I do agree that the European dealers are better as a whole. You can read my previous posts as to how I feel about some local dealers.
If you look in the "Infiniti Service and Maintenance Guide" you'll see that the Schedule 1 and Schedule 2 maintenance call for only oil and filter changes.
The "Premium Maintenance" schedule is, in my opinion, mostly for dealer profit and for those who have a lot of money to spend and want to feel good about the way they're treating their car. Except for the oil and filter change, everything else is to 'inspect' something, like wiper blades, fluid levels, etc. Same goes for the 7,500 except for rotating the tires and road testing the car.
The dealer also told me that I would be needing new tires in about 5K -7K. Which puts it at 40K. I guess thats about reasonable. Any comments.
Thanks.
Patty
Observations welcome, answer to question greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Call around other dealers: One nearby dealer quoted me $795 for the 30k service, but I got mine done at my usual dealer for less than $500 (bringing my own oil, but otherwise asking them just to perform everything in the owner's manual).