Infiniti G35 Maintenance and Repair

whittonm

Just completed a three day road trip: Dallas to Ottawa Canada. Noticing a weird noise, like a vibrating part, at around 70 mph constant speed. Not overly loud, but noticeable, sounds like soft hand clapping from under the hood. It can also be heard occasionally when the auto trans is shifting from 1st to 2nd at about 3000 rpm. Sounds like a loose part in the engine or transmission. Does not occur when accelerating at high speed or decelerating. Tried higher octane fuel to see if it was pinging, no change. No other ill effects noted, mpg were between 24 and 26 mpg on the trip, acceleration OK, no lights, no sign of overheating, checked engine oil, etc. Car Specs are: 2004 G35X, auto, nav, pretty much loaded, 10000 miles. Anyone else heard this, any ideas?

rayle9

I'm new to Infiniti (recently purchased an '05 G35X AWD in April). I've been having problems with the car since I hit 800 miles. I noticed a noise in the front left area of the car when I was backing up and cutting the wheels. I took it into the dealership (Lokey Infiniti in Clearwater, FL.) and their maintenance said it was a loose nut in the strut. I picked the car up a day later. At about 2000 miles I noticed the problem again. Called the dealership and they told me they would check it during the 3000 miles checkup. When they diagnosed the problem at 3000 miles they informed me there were 3 spot welds on the front of the car that were missed and they needed to have an outside body shop perform the welds. This to me was total BS that a new luxury vehicle would need 3 welds. They had to remove my dashboard, my pedals, the transmission and the exhaust to get to the area. 2 weeks later I got my car back, they said it was fixed. A week later I moved from FL. back to Texas. I've only been here a week and am noticing the problem again. This time it is louder and I am noticing a strange smell coming from the vents. The car now has 5700 miles on it (2000 miles since driving to TX have been added). My questions are these, has anyone on here had any problems that resemble mine and #2, even though I've moved out of the state should I consider the Lemon Law in this case? I love the way the car performs but I think when you spend $40K on a new car that you should be taken care of. I don't feel safe in this vehicle. Anyone have any suggestions? I'm tired of fighting with Infiniti about these issues because it seems to fall on deaf ears. Thanks in advance.

barryg35

I am glad to see this question, I just purchased a beautiful G35 and have had problems with the seat controls pinching the nerves in my leg. The dealer told me they not heard of this problem before and said to call Infiniti customer affairs. The girl that I spoke with told me to put something like a pillow on the seat, I told her I felt that paying $38000 for a new car I should not have to resort to that. Then she told me that I was the only complaint about this and THEY WILL NOT REDESIGN A NEW SEAT JUST FOR ME! I am having it looked into by an outside source.

frisconick

The dealer told me they not heard of this problem before

This seems to the the standard response to any problems. My car over heated, never heard of that before.

willmcdowell

2004 G-35 Sedan, 42,000 miles, equipped with the premium Bose audio system with built in 6 CD player/ changer. I have used the CD player an average of 10-15 hours per week and I have never had a problem with this unit playing any kind or make of CD until this morning, as I was pulling out of my driveway, when I immediately notice that my CD player is not playing. Unit will not play any of the six disks inserted, reinserted, changed, a "check disk" message appears on the display. I've unloaded and reloaded the cds with and without the the car running, left the cd's out of the unit for several hours, while car was in my garage and it still will not play. Next step is CD lens cleaner??? Any other suggestions or fixes are appreciated!!!

frisconick

I would take it to the dealer, it seems like something is broken.

esfoad

I had a loaner car with Sirius installed. The display scrolled so you could see the whole title playing. Is this a feature that can be turned on? My Bose radio with XM only shows whatever fits in the display. Not a big deal but if it can be turned on, why not?

colonel35

I, too, thought this would have been an easy and elegant way of dealing with the limited number of characters in the display, but it's not possible, unfortunately.

sd_diver

Okay, just got my 2K5 G35 sedan. Can not find anything in the OM on auto-lock. Can this be? This will be my first vehicle in 15 years to not have this... Its no big deal, mainly it a surprise. It is often the little things like this that determine satisfaction. Like the above post about auto-scrolling. For my mp3s, the first 4 characters are taken up by the song #. That's really useful...

dkm

I have had my 05 sedan for a month now. There are no automatic locking doors when you drive off, I even have the premium package, so such luck.

About the MP3s, you can change the display so it shows the track name, artist, file name, etc. If you show just the track name that might remove your song number from the display. Have fun with your new toy, mine has been wonderful so far.

sd_diver

Thanks for the info. I have tried changing the display. For example, the first page might show
"008 TEARS I", with the second showing "N HEAVEN". I'd like to just see "TEARS IN HE" (or how ever many chars there are in the display. No scratch that - I'd really like to see it scroll!

elguapo

Anyone have problem w/ brakes squealing excessively?

brought it to the dealer once , they thought it was the front brakes, didnt solve it,

brought it again now they fixed the rear brakes, ill find out tomorrow when i pick it up.

ive got about 13k miles in the sedan.

rjb6

Picked up my G35x AWD yesterday - when I test drove the car I fell in love with the reving engine and tight driving - But now I am thinking that the high reving engine and tight feel might be too much for every day driving. I used to drive a V6 3.0 honda coupe.

Has anyone felt the same after their initial pickup of the car - and then after a few thousand miles did the feeling change?

esfoad

What???!!! What made you look at the G in the first place? That tight feel and fabulous motor is what this car is all about. I hope for you that you get over it soon and really start enjoying your new car. Have fun and let the car be what it was designed to be.

larryallen707

Sounds like buyer's remorse. You bought a great car. Next time you see a kid in a souped up sports car at a red light, line up next to him, rev a couple times, blow his butt away when it turns green... and then feel good about your purchase!

klpeel

I picked up my G35x a few weeks ago, and have found it a joy in navigating my daily 26-mile roundtrip commute through the treacherous landscape of the District of Columbia. It is tight and very responsive, but not rough even on the tough roads I drive. I got sick and tired of the airy bouncing of my old Passat. I actually find the G35x to be a better ride, and I think you will too.

mnrep2

NO....I loved it when I tested it, and at 1,500 miles i love it more...

andy2812

I have an 05 g35x with a little over 2000 miles. Last week a heard the front brakes squealing a couple of times. In the last couple of days after driving on the highway, when I came to a stop there was a loud noise coming from the front brakes although the brakes worked fine. It was similar to the grinding sound you hear when the brakes are worn. The temperature were in the mid 90's the last of days so I'm wondering if the heat has anything to do with this. Has anyone else experience this brake noise. I'm concerned because I know there was a problem with the brakes in the earlier models and hoping that the problem isn't now surfacing in the 2005 model.

mnrep2

It is most likely, that you have a small stone caught behind the rotor. This makes an awful noise. Had this happen with my Passat when it was new. Take it to the dealer or local mechanic and have him remove the shield on the back side of the rotor, and the stone will probably fall out. No big thing!!

andy2812

Thanks for the hint although I noticed something else yesterday which leads me to believe it's more than that. Since I can touch the front of the rotor through the wheel I compared the surface of the front and back rotors. While the back rotor felt smooth, the front rotor was not. I would think that after only 2,000 miles the front rotor should be as smooth as the back one. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

rjb6

Esfoad,

OK - so I originally stated that I think I made a mistake with getting the powerful G35x versus the plush TL - but every day I drive the car the more and more I start to love the drive and engine of this car. The body is looking better and better every day. The clean interior layout is great....

esfoad

Hey, no bad intended from my reply. I'm glad you are getting used to your car. Mine just turned 9k miles yesterday and I'm with you lovin' her more each day. Again, not intended to look down on the TL, a really beautiful car but my preference is the G35X!

CRJ

Hi,

I currently lease a G35 coupe and I was wondering if someone can tell me if Infiniti will expect an OEM windshield as a replacement? Will they consider replacement with a non-OEM part excess wear?

Last week I was driving on the highway and a stone cracked my windshield. I contacted my insurance company and they recommended Safelite to repair it since it was smaller than a dollar. Safelite tried to repair it but it didn't work, so they offered to replace the windshield. I asked for an OEM replacement, which I waited about a week for, but they replaced it with a PPG #FW02367. The person who replaced it did a great job, but I now realize that PPG is not the OEM part. After driving today I also noticed some distortion and rippling in my line of sight. I'm going to call Safelite on Monday to see about replacing it again, but would like to hear some opinions on OEM versus non-OEM windshields, especially on a lease.

Thanks.

hrrodz

I have a 2003 G35 sedan with 55K miles. Since last winter I started to hear this noise behind the instrument panel, like water moving from one side to the other in the area directly in front of the driver side. I noticed it specially when driving and moving from side to side. Initially I thought that snow/ice had melted and there was some water accumulation, but now during the summer I still hear the noise and have not notice any odd smell or anything. Anybody out there with similar problem. Thanks.

whittonm

The dealer in Canada says the whole motor and transmission must be replaced. He suspects the #5 piston or cylinder is faulty. We are stuck her for the next 2 weeks! The roadside service says they will cover some costs of our layover. THe Canadian dealer network does not seem to be as extensive or well trained as in the USA. They are friendly, but are impossible to get on the phone.

perrysdad

I took delivery on Saturday of a 2005 RWD 4-dr G35 coupe. Started with 9 miles on the odometer, and I've added 176. Three times already I have applied the brakes only to have the car begin to accelerate forward quite rapidly. I have barely avoided collisions with vehicles in front of my car when this happened. I haven't had a chance to review prior posts. Has anyone experienced a similar problem with their G35? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

nyrefugee

"- But now I am thinking that the high reving engine and tight feel might be too much for every day driving. I used to drive a V6 3.0 honda coupe."

The G's engine is not high revving in the meaning that it has to rev high. It is perfectly happy at high revs and it sounds great and it is very fast, but for ordinary driving you do not need to rev it high at all.

You can be perfectly fine if you drive it like a V8 just keep it rumbling at low revs. Just take it easy on the gas. The engine has plenty of low end torque -- it really does feel like a V8.

I have an 05 coupe with a 6 spd manual and I can drive perfectly happily under 2.5 k rpm.

As far as the harsh ride, you will get used to it. I have the 19 inch wheels this my ride should be significantly harsher than yours. It was quite a pain in the beginning but now i am used to it. Now any other car I drive feels like a boat.

sd_diver

Oh my! I'll of course assume that you don't have really wide feet and mistakenly hit the gas instead of / with the break. Don't drive it. Call the dealer and have them pick it up. Your life (and that of others on the road) is not worth it.

joeshan

Yes, the car should not be driven if there is a problem with the drive by wire system.
I think that another owner posted about this problem previously. Good luck.

rjb6

NyRefugee,

I have learned to keep the engine reving lower through the proper application of the gas pedal (I have a automatic) - However, at 80 to 85 miles an hour the RPMs get high - and there is nothing you can do about it. I am used it though...

perrysdad

I initially thought that I might have hit the gas pedal as well as the brake, but the more I think about it, I don't think that I did. I have called the dealership and will report back the results. Thanks joeshan for you input as well.

shopping3

GO TO THE DEALER OR SHOP IMMEDIATELY!!!
I heard that same noise on my parents car (different make/model) they had purchased in the winter. I had been using the a/c for the first time and the drain line had come off. Having bought it in the winter, they did not notice the problem.
That water is all trapped behind your dash. It is accumulating. Lift up your floor mats and see if it is wet. My parents was soaked. My dad had to take off the whole dash and reattach the line. If you can do it yourself, I would recommend it. If its still under warranty, you are lucky. Very labor intensive problem.

sfg35

Everytime the needle on my rpm gauge is between the 1 and the 2 and I am driving at a steady pace with the foot on the gas, yet not accelerating...my car jerks forward. Passengers have noticed and other people who have driven my car have noticed and it freaks everybody out. However, it only happens at very specific moments when I'm driving exactly between the 1 and 2 for about a minute or two without any acceleration or deceleration on the gas pedal. It is hard to drive at this speed intentionally so I have not been able to duplicat it for them. I've taken it into the dealer twice and they insist that I may be driving the car "improperly" which I know is not the case . Obviously, if I'm intentionally trying to get the RPM to read a certain number to show them what I am talking about I am gonna slow down and speed up to get there. They also say that it may be "normal" and that my loaner car would probably do the same exact thing. Anybody have similiar problems?

mkrzyzek

I have a 2005 G35x that I absolutely love, but there are a couple of questions I am hoping someone can help me with.

1. Is there a way to scroll the name of the song/artist/etc. when you are listening to XM? There are times I want to know the full name of a song, but the display only shows the first 8 or so characters. Some stations will also display phone numbers if you want to call in, but I can never see that on my display.

2. I am not usually a loud music player, but there are times when I play the music at a higher volume, I hear vibrations coming from either the right or left door. I can't determine if it's from the speakers near the windows or what, but it can be annoying. I'm not playing heavy bass either - just your normal rock. Any suggestions here?

I look forward to keeping up to date on this board, and helping out when I can.

Mitch

dmhltd1

XM doesn't provide the whole name. It's annoying but that's the way it is at this point. I have an XM receiver that uses my tape deck for power. It does the same thing.

esfoad

While that's essentially true, many XM units provide more than just 10 characters of display as our G35 units do. It would be nice to get the max that XM provides.

mkrzyzek

My friend just installed XM in his Chevy Avalanche, for for channels like O&A, the phone number appears on his display. This isn't a huge deal for me, but still it would be nice to see all lines of text.

carboy35

Anyone change plugs on their G35? I want to put iridium plugs in and index them, but this thing (2003 G35) is a horror show compared to the old I30 and Maximas. Dealer wants $138 labor - looks like a mess as wire harness runs over coil assemblys. I would appreciate any help on whats required to change these plugs.

norcalguy

Hello all! I got a sand color G35 sedan in April; love it and drive it everyday. Unfortunately last week when I pulled in to a parking spot, I got too close and scratched my right front bummer. It was on the surface and no read damage done.

But I am hoping that it can be touched up instead of repainting the whole thing. Anyone can provide me with some recommendations please? I am in Fremont/San Jose/Sunnyvale/Santa Clara area. Thank you (if the forum rule is that no names can be posted, please feel free to email me at mark_tuy@hotmail.com - thanks again!)

pisciotta

I have an 04 G35x with only 3,500 miles on it, Today I let my brother in-law test drive it. While my brother in-law was test driving it, He wanted to see how fast this car was and he hit the gas and the car took off but to his surprize the car continued to accelerate on its own !!!! and he said listen I didn't do that, so he hit the gas again and the car took off again by itself at over 6000 rpm, he had to hit the brakes to stop the car!!! so I said let me try it because I couldn't believe it and BAM!!!
it happened to me the gas pedal just left my foot and accelerated!!!!!!!!!! I had to brake to stop the car I called Infiniti Consumer Affairs right after that but they were closed will call first thing in the morning!!!!!!! THIS IS DANGEROUS!!!!!

carboy35

There is a maintenance bulletin that specifies installation of a foam pad kit for the door vibration. Had it done on my G35 and it fixed the problem. The car had to be manufactured aduring a certian time period etc. The service mgr was great and asked me about 3 other service bulletins and performed those services also

rjb6

Thanks for the Information Carboy35,

How do you check the bulletin for service request? What time period were cars built that needed the foam kit? Mine was built 01/05.

larryallen707

That sounds unbelievable. Maybe you need to drive the car more!? 3,500 miles on a 2004? What did Infiniti say? Who did you talk to? I think more info is needed to prove up your story. :lemon:

pisciotta

Its true the reason for low miles is because I have a couple of cars. I called infiniti and they didn't seem to care ( what do you expect from Infiniti Consumer Affairs) I told them they should have an engineer check out this car. they told me to bring it to the dealer and if I didn't feel comfortable driving it there I could have it brought there on a flatbed!!! Thats all they said !! maybe I would have had there attention if I would have reported it to 60 minutes (lol) but all joking aside if you have a G35 try it for yourself on a highway or open road. Just floor the gas pedal and see what happens! please let me know. Thanks

mnrep2

I have an 05 G35x bought in July with 2,300 miles on it. I have not seen this behavior. If you floor the accelerator the car moves forward with great velocity. I believe this to be normal behavior in most automobiles.....

Sounds like the Audi suddden acceleration fiasco. Nothing was ever shown to be wrong with the cars, but their reputation suffered in any case... :lemon: :lemon:

grossie

I had this problem on my 92 Honda Civic Si. It happened once or twice then I figured out that the gas pedal was getting caught under the floor mats. It never happened again once I figured out that the mats had to be placed slightly to the left.

There is a particular setting in the G35 that you can use if this happens- it's called "Neutral" and it's indicated by the large "N" on the shifter. The engine will rev, but you won't kill anyone by shifting into neutral.

The audi thing turned out to be a problem with pedal placement- the gas and brake were too close and a little awkward. Old people were hitting the gas instead of the brake and killing pedestrians.

whittonm

My 18 month old G35X with 12K miles was making a rattling sound during a family vacation. I took it to an Infiniti dealer in Canada where we were vacationing who diagnosed an engine problem and said the whole block must be replaced, under warranty thank God. However, the part (engine block) was not available in Canada according to the dealer. I then contacted Infiniti USA who tried to source the part in USA and said it was not available there either and must come from japan. How could this be for such a popular car? A week passed with many phone calls, and then it was determined that there is a compatible part with a slightly different part number and it is available in Canada. It looks like I will get the car back next week after 3 weeks at the dealer. My advice: get Infiniti USA involved and keep pushing when you get the "part is not available" answer. :sick:

frisconick

At least they should have given you a nice loner? Did they?

neptungrll

I have 39,.000 on my 2003 G35 sedan. I have never had any brake work. Every time I have taken it in to the dealer to have the brakes looked at, they say they are fine. Is this possible? I know some folks had trouble and others did not. They say my pads are okay. How long should they reasonably last? I am about to get some new tires and don't want all this expense at once. Anyone replace tires with Toyas? I can't find out too much about them so probably will just go with the Eagle RSA that came on them in the first place.

Thanks, Patty.

ichafat

I had an Audi 5000 with the accelearation problem - it was definitely NOT a matter of hitting the gas instead of the brake. There was a solenoid that would open the throttle on its own at intermittent times. A lot of different car makes have suffered from the gas peddle/brake peddle confusion over the years, and others have had real problems. The Audi was not a problem for normal drivers - just hit the brakes. However, a G35 with a lot more power would be more of a handful.