Infiniti QX56

katana2

Bigbadnin,I had the clearshield done at Motiv. They don't have a pattern yet so he had to hand trim it. Overall I'm satisfied although some of the lines aren't as straight as a pre cut pattern. I had a similar product on my 4Runner and never had a problem it protected well and did not yellow over time.

I got the PIAA plasmas from Everything SUV.com. They are pretty close to xenon although not as blue. I bought them from Everything because they matched the price of a lower competitor. They are super easy to install it will take about 10 minutes to pop them in, just don't touch the glass part of the bulb. They are definitely an upgrade over stock and are rated at 85 watts so they don't blind oncoming drivers. Hope this helps.

katana2

Josh684, I hope my previous post helps. I don't know if they are the best that PIAA make. I installed some Extreme Whites in my wifes I30T and am impressed with them as well. The Extreme Whites are available in higher wattages but use caution because the brighter you go so goes the heat. You don't want to melt you housing.

leslies

Does anyone know whether XM or Sirius Satellite Radio are currently available from the factory on the QX56? I can't seem to find one with satellite radio already installed. Any information on this option would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

energyhunter

I bit the bullet Saturday and purchased one of these bad boys. I had drove everything under the sun and as far as I am concerned, there is no comparison. This vehicle puts the Navi and Escalade to shame. I traded in a 2002 Sequoia, which I loved, but the Q' put it to shame also. I only have one problem so far. The compass won't read correctly. I have read the book and made sure it was set to the right "zone" but still get bad readings. In fact I am beginning to wonder if there is a south direction on it, because I have yet to see it. BTW, I have 700 miles on it already...no resonance problem at all. The day we drove home, about 300 miles, we drove on every type road and had winds in excess or 35 mph to drive through. Oh, and people in my town (pop. about 7500) break their necks looking at the beast! I have had a number of people tell me it is a "beautiful" vehicle.

tahoeqx

When I bought my QX last month sat radio was not available from the factory. The dealer installed it.

leslies

Thanks for the reply. When they installed it, was it incorporated into the existing stereo system and shows up on the information screen (nav screen), or is it a separate box installed near the dash? We're going Saturday to get our QX and they're telling me satellite radio is not yet available even to be installed at the dealership. They just may not be aware that it's available now. I'd appreciate any information you can give me so that I can clear this up before finalizing the deal. Thanks!!

ringleader6

There is absolutely no difference in factory or dealer installed, both are a add on and done identical, that is because there is not yet a clear cut leader in the market, although the GM backed XM is looking to break ahead. The dealers do not have all of the access to part information as yet. This truck came on line about three months early, due to the slow sales of the pickup and Armada, in an effort to keep the Canton plant running well. You can order one and have it in four or five weeks or so. I ordered mine Feb 25 or so and it was delivered April 11. A week of that was lost in transportation from Canton to Jacksonville. You may also wish to order the third roof rail if you plan to put a carrier on top. The only mention of this is in the owners manual.

jodyr2

we ordered our qx56, March 1. and received it on March 15. we did order the satellite radio without a problem. Let me tell you it is great. We purchased this wonderful suv 100 miles away, and they hand delivered it to us. I did have one problem with some vibrating where the dvd was, but they fixed it without a hitch. I have no resonance problems at all. You should see the heads turn when I am driving it. I would highly recommend it to anyone.

nvbanker

My neighbor across the street is complaining about her navigation system being beyond complex to use. Opinions from other owners solicited...

josh684

Its not hard to use. Its not touch screen, which I dont mind. My friends GX has touchscreen and you can see the wearmarks on the screen. You can input a phone number or the address.

nvbanker

No voice command ability???

energyhunter

We have had our Qx56 for only a week, and have had no problems learning how to use it. In fact my wife can run it as fast as I can, and I have a 12 year old daughter that already seems to have it down. It isn't that hard. I guess if you don't use it much you might have trouble, but once you use it some, it is all pretty straight forward and common sense.

dadfromchitown

I wish that Nissan would've installed more speakers in the rear. When the DVD is playing, the people in the third row seating were having a hard time hearing the sound. People in the second row were fine, but the third row people could barely hear. I also wish that there was a switch that would enable the front screen to also show the movie when the vehicle is parked. This vehicle is fun to drive.

jerry1

I am a first time SUV buyer and have been looking at the Lexus GX470 as well as QX56.
I have read in various posts about a vibration problem in the GX470.
The QX56 is a new model for 2004 so it has its own concerns.
I would appreciate feedback from owners of both which will help me in concluding.

ceric

The TSB is now available on
infinitihelp.com.
However, it is not on nissanhelp.com for Armada?!
The procedure is quite tedious. It takes more than 1 days. You need to make sure they use the right adhesive from 3M. All in the TSB.

bobbio56

i just went through the drill....bought the gx..the vibration issue was not there...i drove both suspensions and found no vibration...it is smaller than the 56, with less storage...however there is no comparison as to ride and fit and finish..the gx wins..we have had 3 infiniti's (still have a qx4) and love them...again the gx quality and marc levinson sound system are just superior.....i also bought the kinetic suspension..the handling is awesome...hope this helps

jerry1

Thanks...Appreciate it....Is it true that Lexus will discontinue the GX470 a pitch I got from the Infiniti salesperson.... I test drove both of them liked both the 56 has a powerful engine.....wife likes the GX kids love the 56 (I guess because of all the room).... I am leaning towards the GX because of their solid after sales reputation

jrock65

Never heard that Lexus will discontinue the GX. It just came out. They're probably referring to the Land Cruiser based LX. The LX will be discontinued in favor of the VX, which will be based on the next Sequoia.

wibble

Infiniti took #1 spot in the J.D. Power service quality rankings.

ateixeira

VX is a bad name, Isuzu used that for the VehiCross, remember?

-juice

shark715

Does anyone know exactly what these are? The Nissan website does not list them as a dealer installed accessory for the Armada, but the Infiniti website lists them as an accessory for the QX56, as does the QX56 brochure I received at the dealer today. However, neither the website nor the brochure offers any details. I also saw a window sticker on an Armada yesterday that listed available accessories, and towing mirrors appeared on that list, too. It was a marketing sticker that appears to have been put on at the factory next the "price" sticker. Finally, I noticed that towing mirrors are part of the towing package on Titan pickups, but there are no details offered on the Nissan website.

shark715

The QX brochure lists the above as an available accessory...an air bag anti theft bolt for the driver's side and an air bag anti-theft nut for the passenger side. Does anyone know exactly what this is?

wibble

It's a bolt to stop people stealing your airbag! (Seriously).

shark715

Wibble, any idea how the bolt and nut are installed? Is it a do-it-yourself thing, or does the dealer need to do it? If the dealer needs to do it, any idea what the labor charge should be? Also, any idea why the drivers bag uses a bolt while the passanger side uses a nut? I'm having trouble envisioning what they are talking about...thanks.

wibble

I had mine done at the dealership. It cost $90 including labour. I have to admit I have no idea what's involved.

bobbio56

Both Lexus and Infiniti have great service...at least on the philly main line...either service will make you very happy...just took our QX4 in for tires and service at 85k....no issues to speak of yet....as for GX disappearing, I agree that it is too new and they are selling a lot of them...good luck with your decision...either way you win..!

presplan

Are any QX56 owners experiencing any problems yet? Now that you had time to kick the tires around, are there any problems being experienced yet. When I read the Armada forum, I notice a lot of complaints about the brakes,windows and resonance issue. How is the QX56 holding up?

jaramabeige

I just test drove the 56 today. The folks at Frontier Infiniti (Santa Clara, California) were very cordial and accommodated my questions. The vehicle had a minor fluttering noise (same as resonance noise??) which was surprising but not entirely discomforting. Otherwise, this SUV is quiet! Anyone notice the outside mirrors do NOT power fold in? Lincoln, Cadillac, Mercedes, Porsche... all have this feature. Also, why doesn't the 56 have parking sensors in the front? However, the video camera in the back is very good and 2nd row spaciousness is great. Yet, the 3rd row seats do not offer enough headroom or legroom. THANKS to all who posted their opinions and experiences. I appreciate your postings and shall continue reading this chatroom.

presplan

what's it like to drive such a big SUV? I live in an urban area and I'm close to buying one, but am nervous about it's size. Is it easy to park and get in and out of spots? Can you parralel park or do you need to pull straight in and out? Does it's overall height, length and width prevent you from parking in a garage or going anywhere? When you pass other cars, do you feel like you almost might hit them? How does it feel when driving in an urban area as opposed to a rural area? Thank's for your responses.

peter_in_atl

Everything you asked is subjective and depends on the skill of the driver. Yes, driving is a skill and not everyone is proficient. Some can parallel park a Kenworth and others can't park a Cooper.

presplan

I agree, but the QX56 is bigger than almost any other SUV out there that I test drove (i.e 206 inches long)and I was curious on opinions of those that own it, how it handles. I personally love it, but the biggest vehicle I ever owned was a Dodge Grand Caravan (which was 200 inches long). I am not sure if the extra 6 inches will really affect how the car handles. It's hard to judge these things after just test driving a car for 20 minutes and only driving where the car dealership is located (which is in a more rural area than where I live). Thanks for your input.

nvbanker

A Surburban is bigger, and half the soccer moms in my town drive one of those. I think it's a piece of cake, myself - none of the issues mentioned give me any trouble at all.

qx56

I drove a E-250 for 14 years, but if wasn't for the rear camera on the QX56 I would probably be a little nervous about backing over someone or something. The camera make all the difference, and with a little practice, you can use the electronic guide lines to back this rig to within an inch of a curb and a car. My wife and I love driving the QX56.

presplan

very happy with it so far. hardly any resonance noise being heard. handles like a dream, but it's a gas guzzler (as expected). averaging only 11 - 12 miles per gallon. I got the 4wd model and by playing around with the various combimations of 2wd, auto and 4wd, I seemed to notice the fuel efficiency records a better average when set to 2wd - I guess that makes sense. My car was manufatured in 4/04 according to the label in the drivers door. Hope this is a sign that they fixed the resonance issue in cars being manufactured now.

wibble

For saefty, it should really be left in auto. 2WD is mainly for smog testing purposes.

presplan

My salesman said I need to put premium unleaded gas into the QX56, but the Armada can take regular unleaded gas. Anyone know why? What happens if you use regular gas?

katana2

I still love my QX56, however when I was washing it the other day the paint started to flake off the rear bumper. It flaked off rather easily and I could have washed off all the paint and had an all black bumper. I decided to leave some on to show the dealership how easy it is to peel off. I take it in for service tomorrow and they will rectify the paint problem as well..... hopefully.

nvbanker

What does the owner's manual specify???

ringleader6

The 5.6 engine is basically identical in the Armada and the QX56 with the exception of timing. The timing advance is set for Premium 93 or better octane in the QX and that is where the extra horsepower comes from. Same thing is true in the FX45 compared to the QX45, same engine except for the timing. You should run Premium Fuel in any of the Q vehicles in accordance to the Owners manual and plate on the fuel filler.

presplan

do you know what would happen if less than 93 octane is used? does the car just not get as fast a pick up, or does damage start to occur? I had a BMW that said to use premium gas, but a BMW technician told me I could use regular gas and I would still be OK. I did this and the car didn't get as great a pick up, but it still worked fine.

nvbanker

It's debatable, but most cars tuned for premium (per my engineer friends) will not perform as well on less octane, enough that you will probably use more gas in the long run, and will not save you much, if any money in the long run.

As to long term damage, it's hard to say. depends on the car. They will all adjust for the change by retarding the timing, but some engineers believe long term hazards do exist. Others decry that.

Personally, if you don't want to spring for the gas, you should get an Armada IMO.

qx56

A fuel can have a variety of additives or have higher octane quality. If the fuel you got was of a lower octane rating than that demanded by the engine's compression ratio and spark advance detonation could result and cause the types of failures previously discussed.

Detonation causes three types of failure:

1. Mechanical damage (broken ring lands)
2. Abrasion (pitting of the piston crown)
3. Overheating (scuffed piston skirts due to excess heat input or high coolant temperatures)

Excerpts from -http://www.streetrodstuff.com/Articles/Engine/Detonation/index.p- hp
Use the search "engine detonation" for more on the subject.
Growing up a motor-head I learned that higher compression engine or supercharged engines required higher octane fuels to avoid detonation. As you will read, some types of detonation are worse then others. I was never willing to gamble when listening to that knock on those long grade climbs.

nvbanker

I'm totally with you, qx56. I even still use premium in my 96 Infiniti I30, old as it is. My son just wrecked it Saturday, but even all smashed in at the front, she still runs.

wdog

This is part of response of a question. It's directly from Infiniti in November, 2003.

In order to maintain engine and exhaust system durability and performance, unleaded premium gasoline with an octane rating of at least 91 AKI (Anti-Knock Index) number (Research octane number 96) must be used.

If premium gasoline is not available, unleaded regular gasoline with an octane rating of 87 AKI number (Research octane number 91) may be temporarily used, but only under the following precautions:

- Have the fuel tank filled only partially with unleaded regular gasoline, and fill up with unleaded premium gasoline as soon as possible.
- Avoid full throttle driving and abrupt acceleration

nvbanker

There you go!!! Cheapskates everywhere, I say to you; If you can't put out for Premium Gas, you can't afford a Premium Car!!!

DENNY CRANE

qx56

AND THATS THE BOTTOM LINE!!!

Of course it's easy for me to say, I live one mile exactly from work. My problem has always been keeping exhaust systems from rotting off. Does the QX56 have S.S. exhaust?

nvbanker

I think everything does these days, don't they?

josh684

...But if it does not hurt the car then why put in premium? Im confused as to the Octane Rating, We have 87, 89, 93. Where do you get 96? I put a tank of regular in mine, did not see any difference. There was .4 Miles to the gallon diff. When im riding highway, I think im putting regular.

ajj

Hi All,

I'm trying to decide whether or not I want to buy the AWD or 2WD version. Could everyone please post whether or not you have a AWD or 2WD, how many miles you have currently on your vehicle, how aggressive you think you drive and what kind of mileage you're seeing?

This would be a great help not only to me but to others reading the posts.

Thanks,
AJ

qx56

I've got the AWD on a Feb. built with almost 2k miles on it. I like the way it pulls out onto the highway in the rain in AWD. I live in Cent. Jersey were it's one big highway ramp and a lot of agressive drivers, and SNOW 3 months out of the year, AND lousy boat ramps. It wasn't even a question for me. I didn't question the extra fifteen hundred when I was in that deep anyway. But that's me!