New M35/M45 Owners - Give Us Your Report!

pat

Have you taken delivery of your new Infiniti? Tell us all about it ...

arwilli

I'm loving my new M35X. Twilight Blue/Wheat, Journey, Nav. One observation. I found that the image in the rear view monitor is reversed (ex. the tag of the car I backed up to was reversed/mirror image). I assumed that this is how it works but the manual states that" Objects in the rear view monitor will appear visually opposite than when viewed in the rear view mirror and outside mirror. The view in the monitor is actually the same as in the rear view mirror. Anyone experience this?

trcox57

Leased a 2006 M35x last November. First Infiniti I have owned and considered Acura RL, BMW 5 series and Mercedes. Very happy with the selection. The new design is very attractive and I drive a lot so the comfort and features without being too "gadgety" was a plus. My wife tells me she wants this car instead of her E320 :-) and she normally could care less as long as it's got 4 wheels and runs. Only shocker is the replacement cost of the Intelligent Key. My 1-1/2 year old niece found/hid my wife's key(its gone until I turn the car in I'm sure) and the local dealer quoted me $340 to replace it. My jaw dropped. Are they taking advantage or is this the cost?..included the key plus $100 to program the thing.
TC

ghstudio

You might want to look at:

http://www.trademotion.com/partlocator/index.cfm?action=getLocator&siteid=55&cha- pter=ARA3865&appSectionid=2413&groupid=2449&subgroupid=6614&make=14&model=M35&ye- ar=2006&catalogid=2

which shows the remote control for $58.75 MSRP and your price $44.06. Call them and see if it's the same remote.

clambe23

I picked up my M35 sport Journey/Tech a month ago. The design of the car inside and out is beautiful and I have thoroughly enjoyed the month of ownership.
The Nav, bluetooth, backup camera work really well and I love the sound from the Bose 14 speaker setup.
I made the mistake of test driving this car first could think of nothing else that would compare after that. The features you get for the money - esp with the deals on the 06's are pretty attractive

blov8r

$340 to replace it. My jaw dropped. Are they taking advantage or is this the cost?..included the key plus $100 to program the thing.

Not gouging ... or maybe they are. But that's exactly what we had to pay to replace and program the intelligent key for my wife's Lexus GX470. Hey, there's no after-market transmitter that will work so they can charge whatever they wish!

blov8r

I got my M35 Sport/tech/journey/aero (crimson) 15 months ago and it has been flawless and lived up to all of my expectations. I've had 5 Corvettes and this is every bit as much fun to drive ... and much more comfortable and practical. My only REAL beef is the passenger's seat that is woefully inadequately controlled. I understand this has been remedied in the '07. I have one other minor complaint ... there's no backup key to start the car if the transmitter gets lost ... I've not encountered a problem, but the potential is always there. :shades:

trcox57

So I thought I would post for others what I found out. I ordered the remotes from the website you posted..very helpful btw. It's Infiniti of Scottsdale. The remotes were $43 a piece. I got them in and realized I didnt have the key blank on the inside. I just took the two remotes I got to Infiniti of Chantilly here in Va and they took the remotes..charged me 26 bucks a piece for the key blanks and one hour to program. So it turns out for 2 keys for a 2006 M35 the cost was $86 plus $52 plus $90 for labor. Not a bad deal considering the original cost quoted to me by another dealer for one key. Thanks for the help and referral.
TonyC

pete_l_p

I have one other minor complaint ... there's no backup key to start the car if the transmitter gets lost ... I've not encountered a problem, but the potential is always there.

There's a relatively simple, two-step solution for this.

1) Keep the infiniti's wallet key in your wallet at all times.

2) Keep an extra intelligent key, with its battery removed, well hidden somewhere within the car's cabin.

You can then open the door with the wallet key, find the intelligent key and start the car with that intelligent key (without its battery) by plugging that key into the intelligent key port to the left of the steering wheel. You can also keep an extra battery handy and the intelligent key will remember its programming after the battery is removed and reinserted.

Pete

blov8r

Thank you for the "solution". If the wallet key you refer to is the one imbedded in the transmitter it's not exactly wallet friendly, and that's the ONLY key that came with my car. My wife's Lexus has a true wallet key, as did my Caddy. But stashing a spare transmitter sans battery securely in the car makes good sense. I'll look into that with my local Tucson Infiniti dealer ... or if he's useless I'll contact Infiniti of Scottsdale for help. Bart :shades:

altared

I got a true wallet key with my new M35X, in addition to the 2 fobs and embedded keys.

pete_l_p

Thank you for the "solution".

You're "Welcome"

I got a true wallet key with my M45 in june 05

Pete

blov8r

As I wrote earlier, I never received a wallet key from Infiniti when I took delivery of my M35 Sport the first week of April in '05. Now I've got to go nag the dealer for one. Thanks for the feedback, Pete.

Bart :shades:

mmoreno1978

I have now been a very happy 2006 M35x owner for 8 months and love the car more and more every time I drive it.

I had the opportunity to drive all its competitors, but none of them even came close.
The only thing that I wish was different was the not so good gas mileage. Besides that, it’s almost perfect.
I get asked about the car at least once a week. It was nice at first, but now im tired of hearing myself tell everyone how great it is, over and over and over again.

knowspinzone

now im tired of hearing myself tell everyone how great it is, over and over and over again.

Every car owner should have that problem!

rxke

Hi Everyone

I leased my M35 all wheel drive when the car first came out in March 2005. The car is fast, handles well, is comfortable to drive, very roomy, has easy to use information controls (as opposed to the BMW I Drive)and blue tooth is great. On the negative side it only gets 24-25 miles to the gallon on the highway and 18 around town. The headlights do not project out far enough so I feel like I am overdriving the lights. I asked the dealer to adjust the lights but I was told that cannot be done. Also, the parking brake warning light is too small and located in an inconvenient spot so a few times I drove a short distance with the parking brake on. I was disappointed that the brake did stop the car from moving.

All in all it is a great car but I do not know if I would get another one if they do not fix the headlights.

pete_l_p

The dealer is wrong about the headlights. I adjusted mine to perfection a year ago, and I've been delighted ever since. Many, many owners have done it, and some dealers WILL do it for you.

Be happy. Your problem is solved.

See This Edmunds Post for details .

Please let us know how it all works out.

Pete

rxke

Hi

Thanks for your input. The projection of the headlights just do not reach out far enough and that is something I really do not like about the car. If it can be fixed it will make me alot more satisfied with the car.

Do you know any specific dealers who could do this? I would like to refer my dealer (White Plains, NY) to these other dealers who have experience doing this.

Thanks again for your help. It is really appreciated.

pete_l_p

Sorry

The messages I've seen were a long time ago and did not mention the dealers by name.

I think if you print out my complete linked message, you'll find it pretty easy to do it yourself, (following step by step) and you'll be very happy. Also when you do it yourself you can get it exactly as you want. It sounds scary, but I believe it's easy to do even for the non-technical.

If anything seems unclear in my message, I'll be glad to answer more questions.

Pete

rxke

HI Pete

Thanks again for your help. It is appreciated. I will try to fix the lights based on your instructions.

knowspinzone

I was disappointed that the brake did stop the car from moving.

Rxke, that is standard in probably all modern cars. The parking brake friction is sufficient to prevent gravity from pulling the car down an incline, but it cannot overcome the force of 280 bhp.

blov8r

Just noted today that JD Powers Top Ten Most Appealing Cars of 2006 shows the Porsche Cayman as #1 and the Infiniti M as #10, with the 7-series BMW #2, the MB SL up around #4, a Scion in the mix, and the QX56, Nissan Armada, and Lexus GX470 ahead of the Infiniti. Much to my glee the picture of the M shown was crimson, the color of mine ... of which I've seen VERY few.

Bart

pete_l_p

That's very true. A few things to note on that:

1) The M is the number one winner for its class. ie, no GS,
E-Class, 5-Series etc. in the top ten. Just the M

2) This survey measures "how gratifying a new vehicle is to OWN and DRIVE". Thus it's really an owner GRATIFACTION survey

Another fantastic showing by the M, and one that continues to confirm my belief, that for the vast majority, to own an M is to love the M.

Pete

aaficionado

Have owned an M35 non-sport since January 2006. Outstanding car! Roomy, sporty, drives tight, nice gadgets that really work. Gas mileage is mediocre, display screen washes out in sunlight. No problems so far, just routine scheduled maintenance. Overall you get great value for your money, and even better value if you qualify for the VPP (not sure this still exists).

buster6

I have owned my M45 sport for 14 months now. My previous vehicle was a FX35. I do drive about 2500 miles a month, so the car has about 34,000 miles on it.

I am disappointed in how it is holding up. There seem to be some "glitches" that happen once in a while. The auto drivers seat and steering wheel work about 50% of the time. When it does not work, I have to push the memory seat position to start driving. There is a rattle in the back end of the car when I stop sometimes, and the a/c smells musty when the car starts up after sitting for more than an hour. I know these seem minor, but after spending over 50k for a car I want it to work right. I have taken it to the dealer for all of the issues only to be told that they cannot repeat them. :lemon: I purchased an Infiniti so I would not have to worry about repairs.

The cars initial appeal has really worn off. I am actually looking forward to my lease ending in 10 months. Its to bad, this car has potential, it just needs a little more excitement to be a show stopper.

mwg

The reason that your seat and mirror memory do not work half the time may be due to the fact that it has responded to a second driver's setting. If this is the case, unlock the door by useing the transmiter. Then the memory will recognize you and respond to your setting.

I had the same problem, and Pete gave me this advice some months ago and it works.

EmGee

buster6

Hi EmGee,

I am the only driver of the car. The problem is becoming more frequent, so hopefully I can get it to duplicate next time I am at the dealer. When starting the car the seat is pushed back, and the wheel is up. The seat will start to move forward, and then just stop. The only way to find the position is to push the memory button.

poorprof

I am looking at 2 different M35s the dealer has on the lot with the colors I want. One comes with Journey and Tech, the other with Adv tech and Aero kit. The dealer is offering them for $200 over invoice with a .58 RV and .00235 for 39 months. He will reduce the MF by 0.0001 for up to 9 sec deposits, giving me an MF of .00145.

The difference between the two cars is about $42 a month. I have been reading the various forums and it seems that the features of the Adv Tech package are not practical. That is, the lane departure and intelligent cruise control have very limited use and the DVD player in park only is just dumb. You do get a better sound system. The Aero kit is nice, but is it worth getting the Adv tech to get it.

So, for you current owners, is the advanced tech worth getting? I live in LA and drive about 10k a year and seldom use the cruise control on my E320 now.

ghstudio

I am about as much of a techno geek as you'll find..and I bought my 06 with nav but without the tech package which is this year's adv tech package. Most of my driving is city with a few 8-10 hour interstate trips per year...with another passenger. I do use cruise control, but if I am not awake enough to slow when the car in front of me slows, I shouldn't be driving. Ditto on lane change. I would have liked the better radio, but the regular radio is pretty good. For me, the tech package wasn't even worth the $40 per month. I have a friend with an 06 with the tech package and he has turned off lane change and he doesn't use advanced cruise control either.

It's pretty much your choice....they are gadgets. If you think they are worth about $500 a year, go for it. If not, you won't miss lane change and adv cruise control. You may miss the radio...I don't.

james27

I think that the people with the lane departure warning turn it off because: 1. they don't use their signals, 2. they don't actually stay in their lanes. The thing doesn't go off if you religiously use your signals as the law requires. Same with staying in your lane. Not sure how they work in a snowy situation, though. The kids can watch their dvds from the rear anytime...it is illegal to have it play while visible from the driver's position, so, while maybe dumb, complain to congress. Even if you significant other wants to watch the thing from the passenger's seat, I believe that you'd be tempted to take a peak at some of the movie. People get distracted enough...and the amount of people that stray out of their lanes is very disturbing...maybe they should leave the thing on...

poorprof

Many thanks. Your advice has been very helpful. I appreciate it.

gdatlanta

I have a question for any M45 Sport owners. I currently drive an A6 s-line with quatro and 18' low profile tires. The ride is not to bad in city driving. The question I have as I have yet to drive the M or GS (the cars I'm considering to replace the A6). How is the ride on the stock 19' sport wheels ? I am sure I'll get an idea but not a true feel for the ride when I go and test drive for 15 minutes with the dealer.
I am leaning towards the M even before the test drive based on reviews. I have had 2 BMW's in the past and think the M will drive more like the german cars than the GS. Any opinions on this?
If your wondering why I'm not looking at the 550 or E550. It's simple bang for the buck. Lease deals look better on the Japanese rides.
Thanks for any comments.

blov8r

I've had my M35 Sport for 19 months, and the stock 19" Potenza's are great. Admittedly the ride's a tad more firm than the standard 18" wheels on the base car but I'm an ex-sports car driver and I far prefer better feel for the road and better handling. You're correct in your analysis of the difference between the M and the GS ... the M is a real "driver's car", more like the German "feel". Both the M and the GS will get you to the same place in style, but it will be more fun getting there in the M. Both are superb cars ... but if you're at all like me you'll be happier long-term with the M Sport.

And no, I'm not wondering at all about your not looking at the MB's. Price is materially higher, ride's like riding a beach ball, and quality of late across the German board has been declining. Audi's beating them up. I have several friends and colleagues who have Benz's and they're griping up a storm about frequent trips back to the dealership for repairs ... one needed an entire new engine and one returned an SL55 AMG as a "lemon", parts falling off daily.

Bart

blov8r

The LDW system's a pain in local driving ... it can actually be startling and distracting (like those danged radio commercials that have sirens in the background). I've turned mine off because it will catch reflections off tar stripes and sound, and any traffic guidance painting on the road will be interpreted as a lane stripe triggering it off when it's not wanted. Insofar as snow is concerned, won't work OR will sound non-stop depending upon how well or poorly the road's been plowed. Bart

worldski

Have you had to change the brakes to get to 34000 miles

gdatlanta

Bart,
Thanks for the info. I think your right about being happier long term in the M (I feel I need a "driver's car"). I would certainly be upset when I do get the rare chance to throw things around on the back road twisties and the GS disapoints. I guess it's time for those test drives. Regards, Glen

blov8r

Try the base car and compare it with the sport. The difference isn't huge but it's real to people like us. B

s54

FWIW, I have a 2006 M35X w/ Journey/Tech/Nav, and have found that I can live w/o the LDW for sure, and probably the ICC (but I seem to use it more than some here suggest they do). The radio is nice, but DVD-A's are out, and I don't watch movies in park.

Not sure in which package it's available for 2007, but the one thing I cannot do without is the rear-view camera. I could not imagine having a car without it, or the NAV.

S

blov8r

I'm of the same mind here. I inactivated the LDW shortly after I got my M and haven't used it ... it was downright annoying. I do very little highway driving and do use the ICC a bit but not having it by no means would matter. I haven't upgraded my CD's so am not taking full advantage of the sound system .. again, no biggie. The rear-view camera is worth its weight in gold and the NAV is terrific. If I get another M when this lease is up all I'll really want is the base car w/ NAV and rear-view camera. I'll skip the Sport option --- catch a nail in a tire and it's $400. From what I've been reading about the 2007 G I just might get THAT! Bart

mechrad1

I have just passed the one year anniversary of my car purchase. Here are my opinions

Absolutely a great car. I have had no mechanical problems, only routine maintenance and one recall on the laser cruise control

Good points- fun to drive, great technology, keyless remote and trunk, stereo,

Bad points- no automatic windshield washers, lumbar support i find is not all that supportive, seat heaters are terrible-way to long to heat up. No other complaints, a great car

mechrad1

also the lane departure system is a big pain in the butt

buddybrad

I've always admired the M35 and M45, especially the interiors and have test driven a few. Now I'm driving a '03 BMW 540i Sport that I still like a lot and it has been relatively trouble free or at least what has gone wrong has been under warranty. With 67K on it I'm thinking about what's next.

Does anyone have some experience with these 2 cars and can offer some insight on what I would find different? I'm sure the M has a much fancier nav system. I'd like to think I'd be satisfied with the M35 for the cost savings, but maybe it's too different from the 540? A M45 is still at least $12K less than a new 550i.

Any thoughts?

pat

You'll want to check out this discussion: Infiniti M35/M45 vs BMW 5-Series.

golfgod2

Leased an M35 with journey, tech and added sirius. I thought a lot about getting the Sport package because I really enjoy pushing a car in the twistys and am fortunate to have a commute that lets me do that. The downside of the sport package is that it is more money, more road noise and frequency of tire replacement which can get very expensive. Overall, very happy with my decision as the regular 18" wheels are just fine and the all season Goodyear RSA sport tires are giving me plenty of grip and will last much longer than the Michellin Pilots on the Sport model. Love the packages I got at i get an upgraded bose system, navi, backup camera, xenon headlights that swivel, heated/AC seats. Didn't need the lane departure or intelligent cruise control. The one possible thing that I wouldn't mind having is the 5.1 stereo, but honestly I probably only want it because I know it's out there. Some things that I wish the car had: rain sensing windsheild wipers (my MB had this and it is brilliant), rear sun shade, doors that automatically lock when you start driving. That's my only gripes. Overall, 9.5 out of 10! For those thinking of getting the sport package, drive the non-sport as well - you might not need it.

kelper2

I'm driving a Canadian 2006 M35X with auto-leveling headlights. The headlights are way to low (they won't detect a person wearing a white coat at 100' (measured) on a clear dark night). 5 dealer trips = zero change, Canadian Nissan - responds the headlights are adjusted to Infiniti spec and they will do nothing. My calculations indicate that the car should not be driven at night above 40 mph on dry pavement and 30 mph on wet pavement. It appears that the headlights on my car cannot be adjusted as many of you seem to have done because of he auto-leveling feature. I would appreciate any of you who have successfully adjusted their headlights letting me know if your car has the auto-leveling feature. I believe it is detectable by a black, cable with plastic fitting attached towards the rear of the adjusting screw shown on this site. Many thanks.

stickyfeet

read your message this am....just looked at an m35x last night. my wife was intersted in a bmw 530 but the m35x appears to provide more bang for the buck. can i inquire on your gas mileage results over the 1st year. our salesman stated we should see in the low 20's after the 2300 mile breakin period. i am a bit skeptical on that issue noting the engine was running @ close to 3k rpms with a highway speed of near 70mph. i felt like it needed a 6th gear but i guess i am not familiar with the set up. i really felt infiniti did a great job with the car. we live in central pa and i was not looking for the all wheel drive but that is mainly what comes into the area dealers which unfortunately range 70 miles in opposite directions. with your message i learned that the seat heaters are air controlled vs. electric. being used to electric heaters i am concerned how long they take to be useful on cold mornings and a 15 min. commute to work. thanks for any input you might provide.

rxke

HI

I got my 2006 M35XI when this new model first came out. The car handles well and is fast. I get 18.5 around town and around 23-24 on long highway drives. My only complaints deal with the short projection of the headlights at night. I have been repeatedly told by the dealer that they cannot be adjusted. Consequently I use my brights alot when no other cars are around. You need to test drive the car at night to see if the lights bother you. Also, the emergency brake light is not that visible so you could drive the car with the emergency brake on before you realize that the car drives sluggishly. Otherwise it is a great car for the money.

Good luck

stickyfeet

thanks for the input. as you mention headlights, are the high beams also xenon? i did not get that far with the car. thanks again.

james27

The headlights are not bi-xenon - the low beams stay on and the halogens come on for high. Others have reported success in adjusting the low-beam height...do a search.

clarence10

All, I wanted to find out if anyone has experienced the following problem.

The car is brand new and has under 350 miles on it.

When breaking from a speed above 40 mph, when I break, it seems to pull to the right and the steeting wheel seems to be picking up Vibration.

Is this normal? does it go away?

Your input is greatly appreciated.

clarence10

Just an update. I brought it in to be checked, and the rotors were warped. They replaced and balanced the tires.

Warped rotors @ 350 miles? What could cause that?

Pretty scary that this could pass a 5000 pt inspection before they deliver a car.