Infiniti G35 Maintenance and Repair

raizelgs

You might want to check out the following link. Car and Driver did a tire comparison in Dec of 05.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/10252/tire-test-the-quick-and-the-tread.htm- l

First place was the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3, but you should read the whole article.

RG

esfoad

I'm running Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3's right now on a set of AT Italia wheels 18x8. They stick like glue. Only small negative is thay are a little noisy compared to the stock 17" Turanzas. But the handling is like night and day. I also hear good things about Yokohama tires. Good bang for the buck!

njjuliano

I'm pretty sure that this was mentioned in the link provided in one of the posts above, but I dont remember it being mentioned here. The Easy Entry is in the Premiums, but does not come if your car is 6MT, even if you have the package. Only the autos have them.

bocatrip

I have an 04 G35 Coupe with 14,000 miles. When I back out of my driveway and then go forward, I get one loud click when I step on my brakes. The same thing happens when I then go in reverse and step on my brakes. The dealer has retorqued and greased the rear axles, replaced the rear pads and rotors, replaced the front pads and turned those rotors and the clicking is still there. I also replaced the compression rod in the right front for the drifting to the right problem. I am getting disgusted with this. Does anyone else have this problem? Have you been able to get it resolved? I am planning on going to Infiniti Consumer Affairs. A car with 14,000 miles should not have this problem.

treacherous

Is the Diamond Graphite paint holding up on the G35's? If not which seems to be the most durable paint color that is resisting chipping better than others?

Thanks!

bocatrip

All the paints chip. It's a good idea not to leave the dealership without a clear bra.

garnetfire

I purchased my 2003 G35 (GarnetFire) 2 months ago and have recently become aware of numerous paint chips on the hood of the car; not too many elsewhere. Before reading this forum, I was sure my G35 was the only one with the problem, but the issue is apparently common. Thanks to the background information on this forum, I have a basis for trying to obtain some resolution of the issue from my Infiniti dealer which I'll initiate tomorrow.

The interesting thing about the chips is that they don't appear to be generated by stones and sand that would cause scratches, but rather by a flaking of the paint with no disturbance of a chip's perimeter. The chips range from about 1/16 - 1/8 at the maximum dimension.

joeshan

I had the same sort of problem on my G35X. It turned out that one of the rear lower control arm bolts needed tightening.Hope this helps.

treacherous

Is full clear bra package on front with install around 1K?

toca

Yup. MT's don't get this option. My very short response was to phenomenhan who has AT w/ Prem, was confused and wanted to take legal action for false advertising. :confuse:

tenman

Treach,
The most common price I found for the complete system (hood, mirrors, fenders and bumper) cost $820.00. The bumper is the most expensive. Be sure to get a real professional to do the work. Once the system is installed, it should be as smooth as the clear covers in front on the fenders of the rear wheels. Get references of your potential installer and see other cars they're done in person if possible. Also, don't fall for the air bubbles will come out later line - they don't. I had to get the work redone.
Good luck!

rayle9

I had the same problem with my '05 G35X after only 800 miles. My car spent 18 days in the shop LOKEY INFINITI in Clearwater, Florida. At first they told me there was a loose bolt in one of the struts. It continued and I took it back to the dealer. They had to call in a tech from Infiniti and finally diagnosed it. There were 3 spot welds that were missed in the front engine mount. That's QUALITY! it took them 3 additional days to drop the tranny, remove the dash and the pedals and weld the spots. While they were welding it they also burnt an area of the coolant system so now anytime my air conditioning is turned on it stinks. I've written several letters to IGO & VALENZUELA at INFINITI corporate in Cali and they had their assistant call me back and tell me the dealer in Clearwater told them my car was fine. GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE!! INFINITI SUCKS! I am getting ready to sell this car now with 19K miles on it. I recently bought an '06 MB E350 and it is a much better product and Mercedes listens to me when I have an issue. I would suggest trying to LEMON LAW the vehicle. Get in touch with me if you want the addresses for these 2 idiots I listed above.
Good luck!

falcon_on

I am trying to decide whether '06 coupe is a good buy. My heart loves how the car looks, but my common sense tells me to stay clear of the vehicle after reading numerous problems with the vehicle;paint problems, fuel economy, tire wear and countless others.

Are '06 models better or do the problems still persist?

I am also considering the likes of bmw and audi.

Thanks.

ttcoolk

If you are going for pure driving experience, go with the G35. With Audi and BMW you spend another 6,000 usu for relatively same package. Plus BMW stock and premium stereos are terrible. I have a 2004 w/ Performance Package, sadly in black. Looks great clean but a TON of chips in the front. Way more than my old 4Runner with 280,000 miles. Service department is pretty good plus service is half the price of a BMW dealership. BMW 3-series also had piston seal problems at launch but you won't see a dime if you have problems. No problems with cust. service here in WA, could be a local thing.

zheka212

My breaks are squaking @ only 9700 mi. My mechanic has told me that the pads are pretty worn, and are also deformed from overheating, which pretty much means I need new breaks. I never had any issues like this with any of my previous cars (my '02 accord had the original brake pads when I returned it after 36k miles).
Infiniti is not exactly known for being proactive in their recalls, so everybody driving an '05 or later who has been told it's time for new breaks after 10k or so -- call Infiniti Consumer affairs (800.662.6200) and tell them you want to file a complaint. It can't hurt the cause if everybody calls in, and if someone ever starts a class action suit, your complaint will probably help. Just my $0.02.

rphwack

I have a 2003 G35 with the Sport package. I am now out $584
for my 3rd set of Brake pads and rotors. I have 33,900 miles on the car. I had a Maxima and for 10yrs and 105,000 miles and never touched the rotors. I called Infiniti consumer affairs and they took my complaint. I have to decide whether or not to extend the warranty and buy a new set of tires before July 1st. The car is great but for a luxury performance vehicle shouldn't I at least get more out of my brakes? Especially since the car drinks gas like crazy. Is this too much to expect? I hope that Infiniti will show some good will. I'm ready to start looking at other vehicles since I have one recall coming up with a fuel line replacement and a most likely fix for the control arm bushing noise.

vgrinshpun

I replaced factory pads with Hawk Ceramic Brake Pads on my 2004 G35 Sedan, with excellent results: OEM performance, virtually no dust. Original pads lasted 21K. So far put about 3K on Hawks. Hawk part no's: Front-HB268Z665/3, Rear - HB370Z559/4

bocatrip

After 2 1/2 years of ownership of my 04 G35 Coupe with 14,000 miles I have been giving considerable thought for a change after all the numerous issues with this vehicle that are inherent and will never be resolved. The car eats up tires, (on my 3rd set, all paid for by the dealer), goes through brakes and rotors, (had both pads and rotors replaced front and rear...paid by dealer) clicking noises from brakes or suspension that can not be resolved, weak paint (chips easily) and loves to drink gasoline! What will I do after the warranty is over? I am not shelling out big dollars for tires and brakes on a regular basis. I have checked the M3, Porsche Cayman S, Lexus IS 350, M35, and will next try the GS300 lexus. The German cars don't do anything for me (overpriced, unreliable electrics, high maintanance) and the IS 350 was a great,fast, luxurious car with no looks. I won't buy another Infiniti and may consider looking at the GS 300 even though it is underpowered. I want reliability and a car that DOES NOT HAVE STAGGERED TIRES THAT CAN'T BE ROTATED! I'll keep you guys informed.

dem739

I wrote a 4 page letter to Infiniti Consumer Affairs regarding my brakes that had to be replaced at 11,000 miles. I got a form letter that said take it up with the dealership. Which was what I did before I wrote teh 4 page letter. I also called the letter write and she told me to speak to the service manager.
Found out from the service manager the brake pads on the G35X are made to last 12,000 miles. Funny the salesman didn't mention that when he was selling me the car and telling me how great it was.
On my last service visit, there is a note on my bill that says " will need new brakes and rotors on next service visit." That will be at 18,000 miles. Looks like the owners of the 2005's need a class action suit, too.

dkm

Did you get a reply in writting? If you did could you possibly post a copy of the letter you wrote and the reply. My pads went at 11,600 km on my 2005 G35x(yes km).

macman246

On my 2003.5 sedan, my first set of front pads were replaced at 15K miles, and my second set just last month at 20K miles. Seems strange that I only got 5K miles on the last set. I don't ride the brakes, and I don't brake hard either (except to avoid hitting a large rabbit this morning!).

Now on my 3rd set of front pads, I am seeing a lot more brake dust on the left front wheel than on the right. It's hard to quantify, but I'd say at least 2-3X more dust. And I clean the wheels weekly so it's pretty obvious.

Does anyone know if the techs are adjusting the brakes so that they grab harder, thus using up the brake pad faster? Is it possible that the left side is grabbing harder than the right? I'm debating taking it back to the dealer, now that I'm a few weeks out of the brake warranty. At least I found a good brake shop down the road, so I can get the Hawk ceramics everyone's raving about and get it fixed for good.

rollbar

It’s a hydraulic system. I don’t think there is a way to manually change the pressure on one wheel. However, uneven wear could be caused by a sticking caliper on one side or the other. There is also a valve to equalize pressure; you might want to ask them about recalls or troubleshooting the valve’s function.

Were both pads worn out or only one side; which side and did they check for other mechanical problems. New pads on one side and worn-out pads on the other would be a huge red flag for any competent wrench.

If you wore out a set of new pads in 5k miles you may also want to look at the rotors. I’d be surprised if they (or one) were not warped from the heat. You had to be dragging those pads all the time. When you braked hard did you feel the pedal throb? That’s a sign of warped rotors.

One other thought comes to mind. The G’s along with other Infiniti models, are equipped with a system that charges the brake lines with pressure when sensors detect you are making a panic stop. My FX had laser pointed out the front, so it could detect an object and anticipate the driver braking hard. The G does not have the laser. I am uncertain just how the G “senses” imminent hard braking. Just the same, perhaps the system, however it works needs to be checked. It may be applying pressure at inappropriate times.

I think 5K miles for a set of pads is outrageous unless you’re tracking the car every day. Are you tracking the car by any chance?

Roll

PS The FX was also hard on brakes. I had to replace the Rotors every 10K and pads every other time. After 40K miles, and with brake work every 10K miles, I never paid for the repairs. The dealer took care of it under warrenty each time. I traded the FX on the G 35 Coupe.

macman246

Thanks for your ideas. They didn't say if one or both pads were worn down. The sheet just said they were < 2mm. My brakes have always been "grabby", but so have the loaners I've driven. You learn very quickly to brake gently or else all your passengers slam forward. I've never felt the brake pedal throb, or even the ABS kick in for that matter (well, once maybe), and I don't race at the track.

The part number they used at 15K was "Pad kit-disc brake-D1060-AM80B". These pads only lasted 5K miles. The part number they used at 20K was "Pad Kit-disc BR-44060-AL586". I'm wondering why the part numbers are so different. I wouldn't have the good fortune to get reformulated pads that last longer. And as far as I can tell, they've never replaced or resurfaced the rotors.

I have an appointment at the dealer next Wednesday, so I will let the brake dust build up until then. I've requested they assign their best mechanic that knows about brakes.

06infinitig35x

It might be beneficial to "bed in the brakes" when new brakes/rotors are installed. This process may not be not be possible for everyone but for those who can manage to do this safely you might find a considerable amount of life added to your brakes. Here are some links that describe the process.

http://www.zeckhausen.com/bedding_in_brakes.htm

http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=85

http://www.se-r.net/car_info/brake_performance.html#Brake Fade

knr5

I have a 2003.5 G35 6MT. I changed (free) the brake pads on the front wheels for the first time around 31k miles. The rear brake pads still have 50% life! In my experience, the sin of the original brake pads (while highly effective in their job of scrubbing off speed) was merely the massive amount of brake-dust they shed. The new pads don't seem to produce as much brake residue. There must have been some quality control issue for a significant number of people to experience premature tire wear in the 2003 and 2003.5 models. I think (hope!) it has been corrected for later models (using different spec pads).

knr5

OOPS! I meant brake wear and typed tire wear!

rollbar

Great info. My first time seeing specific instructions for bedding brakes.

Thanks,

Roll

I suppose I should add I have seen my wife brake during my attempt at bedding but that's different.

macman246

I looked up the part numbers I listed above. The most recent part number used was for standard '03-'04 rear pads, not fronts. I could have sworn my work order said the front pads were < 2mm. I'll double-check it tonight. I hope they didn't put rear pads on the front.

I guess if I got 15K miles on the fronts and 20K on the rears, that's OK (but not good) for 99.5% city driving with steep hills thrown in daily.

ensy

Yes ... to date they have replaced both fuel senders in the tank . Each time I took the car in, it was agreed the fuel gauge was not reading right and I should come back again to replace the sender. Two senders - four trips to the dealership! The gauge continues to read a quarter full when the tank is nearly empty and I was in the dealership yesterday. Now they are going to replace the instrument cluster and guess what...another trip to the dealership. One problem, six trips! Hyatt Inifinti in Calgary Alberta Canada....what a treat! :lemon: :mad:

ensy

One more thing from a very disgruntled 2003 G35 owner in Calgary Alberta Canada.

Yes I make mistakes and today, in haste, I did not fully turn the ignition to "off" and left the car with the electrics engaged. Came back a few hours later to a dead battery but no worries, right? I have "Roadside Assistance".

I place the call asking for a truck to come to give me a boost. They check their files and note that my car was purhcased April 11, 2002. Roadside Assistance is good for 4 years. Therefore I could pay them an unspecified fee with my credit card to renew the program (which would take 48 hours to activate) or they would send a truck out to boost the car at my expense.

Admittedly they are technically correct to say their contract with me expired 14 days earlier. But in the interest of customer goodwill, do you they would cut me some slack? After all, I have never requested their help in the past 4 years. The answer was an unequivocal and unsympathetic "no".

The Infiniti Ownership Experience as they euphemistically refer to it - bad brakes, squeaks, rattles, fuel gauge problems, lousy mileage, disintersted dealership and corporate arrogance - is brutal. This is the end. Time to sell to someone who does not read this forum (poor guy/gal) and buy from a manufacturer who understands quality and service. Infiniti's ambivalence to the customer at the corporate and dealership level is abysmal. :lemon: :mad:

Mr_Shiftright

Can't make you feel better but I got a tip for you. Get that battery CHARGED on a trickle charger...DO NOT let your alternator charge up a fully dead battery if you can avoid it.

macman246

I confirmed last night that my work order stated FRONT pads replaced and rotors resurfaced. The part number used was for REAR pads. Upon closer inspection I saw that the REAR rotors have swirl marks on them, like they were ground down. Is that the proper way to resurface rotors??? I'll need to research that further. Seems to me you'd get some arbitrary thicknesses and surface variations using a hand grinder.

rollbar

I can't, in my wildest imagination, believe the shop ground the rotors by hand. Resurfacing is done on a lathe. My bet is that the work was billed incorrectly and in fact they replaced the rear pads and turned the rear rotors. Pull a rear wheel off, secure the vehicle, and stick your head in the wheel opening to look at the pad thickness. I bet you have new pads on the rear. If true, you got 15K out of the front pads and 20K out of the rear. I would consider that normal for a car designed for spirited driving. Some might get more mileage out of a set; some less. Fronts usually wear faster since the greater share of braking is done at the front.

My opinion anyway.

Roll

rollbar

Oh, one more thing. It's entirely possible the parts and labor for doing the rear is less than doing the front. I would check with the dealer about that. (I guess since the part numbers are for rear you already paid the correct pad cost.)

Roll

utter

I know this isn't quite the right thread, but there seem to be lots of active owners here.
I looked through the Accesories thread and found quite a few postings about iPod integration...one that I noted in particular was the ability to route a hardwired connection from the iPod to the Satellite jack. It was only a suggestion and I didn't see anything more about it.

Has anyone done this? If so- what is the necessary cable to use?

Other suggestions, FM-modulators are not a good enough option!

treacherous

Here is step by step:

http://ipodincar.net/guideInfinitiModulator.php

dancerman

The proper way to prepare rotors for new brake pads is to use a lathe to remove all the deformaties from prior use and make the two surfaces parallel and true (no wobble). Then, a sanding process is sometimes used to remove any sharp edges left by the lathe cutter. This can leave a swirling pattern on the surface if done with a rotary tool. You can overdue sanding if not careful.

carguy19

Hey, I have a 2004 Infiniti G35 Sedan - only 30k miles. I've taken it to my dealer 10 times (twice on a flatbed). Battery dies overnight. No abuse. The car is stock, no aftermarket crap. Dealer has no clue. I've seen several blogs, etc. with others with same problem. They've replaced the battery (2x), stereo, nothing helped. HAS ANYONE GOTTEN THIS RESOLVED???? HOW????

carguy19

DID YOU GET YOUR PROBLEM RESOLVED? I have the same problem.... I have a 2004 Infiniti G35 Sedan - only 30k miles. I've taken it to my dealer 10 times (twice on a flatbed). Battery dies overnight. No abuse. The car is stock, no aftermarket crap. Dealer has no clue. I've seen several blogs, etc. with others with same problem. They've replaced the battery (2x), stereo, nothing helped. DID YOU GET YOUR PROBLEM RESOLVED?

neptungrll

Hi Macman. I have a 2003 G35 Sedan. I bought it as a demo with 4,000 miles on it in August of 2002. I went until 45,000 miles before I changed any brakes! At this point there was 3 mm left on the pads and the rotors were turned. That was it. I have read where others have had to change them very soon. I got sort of scared about it and every time I had the G in for service I asked them to check the brakes. I wanted to be sure I got the free service if under 36,000 miles and the pads were bad. But, they always said they were fine. I never had any braking issues.

I had them changed a couple of weeks ago at a Nissan dealer down the road. (Otherwise I would have had to drive 98 miles one way to the dealer). Now the only problem I have is the squealing of the brakes. I have had it in once and they lubed them behind the pads I think and it stopped it but it is coming back. I am going to go out tomorrow and follow that "Bed in the brakes" article that was posted and see if I can't get rid of that squealing. I hate that noise. If not I am going to make them change pads as it should not be doing that. Good luck!

Patty

rphwack

I spoke with Jennifer at infiniti Consumer affairs. The company has rejected my appeal to be reimbursed for my 3rd set of rotors on my 2003 G35 with 33,900 miles ($584.00). I'm very discouraged and am asking for advice on the next course of action. I'm po'd enough to start looking at Lexus 350 or a passat 3.6L. I have 6 weeks to decide on extending my warranty or trading in and buying one of the above choices. Any suggestions are appreciated.

macman246

I would try to go back through your dealership's service manager. Mine said that Infiniti was being "very generous" with the 3yr/36k brake warranty.

They ended up replacing the rear rotors yesterday that they ruined by resurfacing a month ago. Although they never admitted they were at fault for grinding the heck out of them (work order stated squeeling noise complaints), it didn't cost me anything. This is with 20k miles total and 2 weeks out of the brake warranty.

rphwack

It didn't sound like he was able to do anything when I asked him for some help in this matter. I did tell my service advisor that I was going to extend my warranty for 6 years but I guess he didn't take the hint that i would be spending all that money on over-priced service. I still don't understand why they put a 3 year limit on this obvious defect. If they wanted to be customer friendly then they would go unlimited years/36K. I know that time isn't wearing out my brakes, driving is. They would have showed me a lot if they went unlimited years/36K.They'll probably lose me as a car buyer. i can't wait to see how they are going to handle the recall for the bushing problem they're going to have to address.

vgrinshpun

Rpwack,

What information do you have on the "bushing problem". Looks that I do have one (clicking noise from the front suspension area). Do you have information that recall is in the works, or just speculating based on the fact that many owners have complains? Any information/references/links?

Thanks.

rphwack

I noticed sometime last year that when I went over a speed bump that I would hear a dull metal on metal sound. I took it too the dealer and he said that they tightened or re-adjusted the front end. i still hear the sound. I had it with my Plymouth Duster back in 1980 so i know that the bushings are at fault.
I spoke with the service advisor in January and he said that they know there is a problem with the bushings and that they are working on a fix. Bushing are usually a warrantied item so everybody should be covered. When the fix will be ready it's anybodies guess. I still think it may be time to trade-in because It will cost me at least 1400 to extend my warranty for 2 years + $600 for new tires. It's a shame but this brake thing really does bother me. i can live with the car sucking up gas but i think the wearable items should last longer so I can justify spending $51.00 to fill up my gas tank after driving 271 miles.

rollbar

Anyone know?

Is the Verizon Razor compatible with the Bluetooth that comes in the 06 G35 Coupe ?

Thanks,

roll

bocatrip

We have cingular and use a Razor with our 06 G35 sedan. Works fine. The voice quality from the car to the recipient is not that great. Sounds very tinny. The quality into the car is fine.

nycny

I took my car to my local mechanic and he said I needed new front brake pads when the car hit 19k miles. I didn't think much of it since he said this is within the range of normal wear and tear. However, based on the postings on here, I thought it might be covered under the warranty. I spoke to the Infiniti Consumer Affairs representative. She said that the warranty was valid for '03 and '04 models for specific VIN's. '05 models are not covered at all. Did anybody get Infiniti to cover the brake pads for a '05 car?

bocatrip

The brake warranty is only for 03 and 04 G35s.

rnieporte

Hi I was wondering if you ever resolved the problem. I have the same issue at 70-80 on an 05 g35 sedan w/ 8700 miles on it. I don't remember it doing before 2 weeks ago.

Please advise
Thanks