Infiniti I35 Maintenance and Repair

bette · May 2003

I just bought a 2003 I35 and too was surprised at the odd tire size after searching for replacements for the OEM Bridgestone's. Heard they're bad in rain & snow, anyone have experiences they'd like to share? Thought I'd checked out the car thoroughly, but never gave tire size a thought! Thanks.

ggbogo · June 2003

less then 30k. Warped rotors (firs time in any of my cars - even with the high milege).
Dealer agrred to re-surface them under warranty.
If anybody know where to find good (relaible) rotors for our car (2002 I35 sport pkg.) PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
Thanks.

i35fulton · August 2003

I had this problem. Had to go to dealer twice for solution. They changed the weatherstrip around the sunroof. Now there is absolutely no noise on the freeway with the sunroof closed. Be persistent & they should fix it. Our dealer was very easy to work with. They very much want to do ever thing to make our car an enjoyable experience.

esperandrich · August 2003

just survived with no injuries but totaled car in a head on collison in my 1-35 at around 60 mph. any opinion on whether i should buy another 1-35 or go to a different car. the new car is $500.00 more per year in payments.

marcus216 · August 2003

I have a 2002 I 35 without touring suspension with about 17,000 miles. I love the car, but I agree with the odd tire size. The probelm is that if you have a flat and need to replace a tire, Bridgestone - Firestone dealers most likely will have to order the tire. After my purchase, I realized this problem and called several local Firestone dealers in my area and all told me they would have to order the tire. My Infiniti dealer does stock them, but at $200+ per tire. It is a decent tire, but not worth $200+ per tire. When I need to replace all 4 tires down the road, I don't know of many other brand options in that size that are still M+S tires. I think Michelin may carry one M+S tire in that size. Odd size tires mean big bucks to replace. My friend just replaced his four Michelin tires on his 300M. They are 17 inch tires and were about $170 per tire. The same tire in 16 inch (more common size) was about $60 less per tire.

masterchef69 · August 2003

i have owned my g35 since last july and i am on my 4th cd changer. each time the problem has been that cd-r's get jammed in the changer. i know that it say's in the owners manual that they "may" jam the changer but you can't read the owners manual till after you own the car and the salesperson never mentioned it. all i own is cd-r's. i buy all my music off the web and burn them myself. how can such a technologicly advanced car NOT PLAY THESES THINGS!!!
i have have been round and round with infiniti and they have basiclly told "to bad, it's in the manual".
in the last 8 yrs i have owned 2 Q45's and a QX4, this will be the last infiniti i own because of their lack of concern for the problem and their failure to address it.
if i sound pissed it's because of the way the regional manager addressed the problem (did nothing) and after countless telephone calls and 3 registered letters the home office in CA has not responded.

yankeebelle · September 2003

I have the 03 sport, love the car ! But my engine knocks when accelerating uphill at low speeds too. Anyone find a fix ? I am getting ready to have my first maintenance, 7200 mi. and would love to de-knock my car. I use mid or high grade gas so that shouldn't be the problem.

yankeebelle · September 2003

I saw the notices on trouble finding tires and am curious, do you guys have the sport (17in tires) or the regular I35 ? Mine is the sport and my husband catalog orders our tires for our cars (much cheaper) and already found my size listed in his catlog and online. It isn't as cheap as my old car but they are good, high rated tires.
Someone also asked if anyone had trouble in ice/snow with these tires and I can say I haven't . I live north of Boston and we ski in Maine and have driven in ice and snow and done very well. The "slip" light has come on to tell me the traction control is working but I plowed right through it all.

tturedraider · September 2003

I'm about 99.98% sure every new car these days has a knock sensor as part of the computer engine management/emissions system.

The I35's engine was designed for 91 octane. Probably it would be a good idea to stop using mid-grade and stick with premium. The math generally comes out to around $100 extra in fuel costs per year. That's using a 20 cent price difference between grades.

Knocking under light load is not normal. I would definitely ask your dealer to check that. Some occasional knocking under heavy load is not unusual. Whether the knocking indicates a problem depends on how steep the hill is and how heavily loaded the car is with people or stuff.

bigheadtooler · October 2003

My alignment appears to get knocked off pretty easily on my 2002 I35. Does anyone know if correcting the alignment is under warranty? I have gotten all service at dealer, and had them correct it once during service. But if I just want to have them take a look and fix alignment will they do that under warranty?

Thanks!

pham7 · October 2003

Hi, sorry for late response. Here is the work that I did for my car engine knocking. The total times I brought to dealer was 5 times so I finally complained that to Better Business Bureau. I got the hearing and test drive with BBB rep. and Infiniti Master Technician. The verdict from the BBB rep. was my car is normal with that knocking. I forgot to tell you that I pump 91 octane all the time. Now I just got my car to AAA for them to do diagnostic after the AAA technician comfimed that he heard the knocking heavily and obvious when he had test drive with me. I will get the result from them this afternoon. I hope they will find some kind of problem so I can take that to reopen the case with BBB again. Then I can request to return the car to Infinity. I will let you know.

pham7 · October 2003

Hi there, I just got my car back from AAA for diagnostic and the technician told me that it is not engine knocking. It is a rattle noise coming from the intake manifold variable induction system. He also told me that if there are enough people complaining about it to the dealer and Infiniti, they will put it on the TSB board for problem correction. Otherwise, they will say that is normal because it is not going to affect any thing in term of performance wise, engine damage, etc.

gws3 · October 2003

My I35 has about 21K and is garaged every night. I have recently noticed about 10 very small paint chips on the hood. There does not appear to be and damage as from rocks but it just looks like the paint has chipped away. Has anyone else noticed this problem?

ilit · October 2003

Yes, wheel alignment and balance (not rotation though) are covered for the first 12 mos or 12,000 miles.

mdotlich · November 2003

I also have a chip in the hood of my 2002 I35. Where is the best place to get touch-up paint? How much does it usually cost?

Thanks!

dmacneill · November 2003

The best place to get the touch-up paint is at any Nissan/Infiniti dealership parts department. Just give them the paint color code for your car. It will cost about $5.00 per bottle

unit1 · December 2003

I have noticed wind nose when I'm on the expressway. This wind turbulance is on the passenger rear side of the moonroof. I have taken it to the dealer three times with no satisfaction. Also, I have driven two new I35's new off the lot and they too have this noise, with or without the wind deflector. Infiniti suggest this wind turbulance is created on the front hood of the car....So far they don't have a fix for this....This is too nice of a car to have this problem...
If you have experienced or noticed this problem. Help call infiniti and complain about this, maybe they will come up with a fix for this problem...

mirekm · January 2004

The front seats in my 2002 Infinity I35 are not ergonomically correct and even with the lumbar support; there is not enough support in the lower back. The steering wheel is too close to the dashboard (telescoping steering wheel not available) and the middle (radio) console protrudes too far into the cabin making it impossible to find a comfortable driving position. Im only 5 10, but when I adjust the seat for the proper distance from the steering wheel, my right knee presses the center console so hard that driving long distances is almost impossible. There is not enough support in the lower thigh, and there is no adjustment to extend the bottom of the seat. Some of the controls are located out of sight (steering wheel and front seat heater switches) and finding them while driving is a dangerous game. The turn radius of the I35 is horrible and makes maneuvering in a parking lot very challenging. If you are a potential buyer of the I35, take your money and run. Dont become a looser like myself.

ilit · January 2004

I35 doesn't probably fit every ones. We fit perfectly in ours, no problems at all, but our soon-to-be son in law who is 5'10" but seems to be too tall that the sunroof has to be left opened so his head can move more easily. "COOL" he exclaims.

slowdriver · April 2004

I had my I35 non-sport serviced today and the servicer said that the transmission fluid has gone bad and a pressure cleanout would be required. When I asked about replacing the fluid he said that 'replacement will not clean out all of the bad fluid'. The car has 21K miles and has never flinched.

The manual says to inspect the fluid every 15K miles but does not give a definitive replacement mileage.

Anyone had any problems with their fluid? When should the fluid be replaced?

tturedraider · April 2004

Did you have your I35 serviced by an Infiniti dealer?

Sounds to me like a scam. Transmission fluid does not "go bad". Doing a "pressure flush" is a very popular service these days. But, I can't imagine any reason an I35 with only 21,000 miles would need it.

If your car needs anything like that, it should be covered under warranty and any Infiniti dealer will handle it free of charge.

FYI - if you live far from an Infiniti dealer, Nissan dealers can also do warranty work on Infiniti cars.

wibble · April 2004

"FYI - if you live far from an Infiniti dealer, Nissan dealers can also do warranty work on Infiniti cars."

Where did you get this information? I was told by Infiniti NA that Nissan dealerships could not perform warranty work on Infinitis and if they did, the warranty claims would not be honoured. A bit of a shame really because I'm moving somewhere that is 160 miles from an Infiniti dealership so my M45 has to go

bergerbits · April 2004

I am shocked and disappointed. You may not of thought of this or even noticed or heard. I am alerting everyone. Stereo separation is poor in the I35. Compare to other cars much cheaper and see if they have better or superior separation of sound. I found this! In other cars, I hear distinct sounds on the left, on the right and in the center. This is what stereo means. Separation of sound. The I35 does not have good separation. It has poor separation and is very subtle. It has full sound but poor separation of sound. An inferior system. I did not get what I paid for! Please describe your experience. Do you agree? Let me know. Spread the message. Thanks

wibble · April 2004

I've never noticed any problem with the audio system on the I35. It is a Bose which isn't to everyones taste but the quality is fine to me at least.
At the end of the day, if you don't like it, you're the only one to blame. When I buy a new car I always take some CDs and tapes with me to try. If the salesman doesn't like it then buy elsewhere. $30,000-ish is not a small investment. Put some time into it.
I also noticed that this is the second time you've posted this. The first was on March 18th. Any reason for doing this?

bergerbits · April 2004

Dear Wibble,

I posted twice by error because I had a problem posting. Anyway.....

I tried out the sound system prior to purchasing my 2002 I35. It sounded great! I now own the 2002 I35 car for 2 years. I did not realize the poor separation of sound(radio portion)until I recently rented a car on a business trip. It was a Dodge neon. Suddenly, I heard distinct sounds on the left and right. Sometimes the sound went from left to right depending on the music of course. It sounded great and better than the I35 Bose system. It was a new experience. It sounded more alive. The separation on the I35 is more subtle. You have to listen very closely for distinct sounds. In the Dodge Neon, you did not have to listen so intently to hear sounds to the left and right. Next time your in your car, see if you hear distinct separation of sounds. Compare the sound to your home stereo system. The Dodge Neon sounded more like my home stereo. The Bose system did not. Let me know what you hear at home vs. your car. Listen to the radio portion of the stereo system to make your evaluation, not CD portion. Thanks. This would be greatly appreciated. Regards.

tturedraider · May 2004

I can't remember if I was told about Nissan doing warranty work on Infinitis by Nissan or Infiniti.

My dad and I both own Infinitis. He lives over 300 miles from an Infiniti dealer and he just recently had some warranty work performed at his local Nissan dealership. There is some sort of arrangement where they bill it through the selling Infiniti dealer.

wibble · May 2004

Thanks. My local place told me no way but maybe that's because there are plenty of Infiniti dealers here. Where I'm moving to, there isn't one for 180 miles but there's a Nissan dealership 3 miles away! I'll talk to them. Thanks again.

panela15 · May 2004

well you must have bought another lemon,cause my 2002 infiniti i35 sport model with the cold weather package is the best car ive ever owned,i have 19,000 miles on it now and as far as complaints that im hearing like the clock not being very readable or some wind noise,thats all bogus.......and as far as suspension being bad or bumpy,this car floats.....i was on the new jersey turnpike yesterday and was up to 100mph before i knew it and all i felt was a very smooth and relaxing ride.............this car is unbelievable........id buy another in a minute...........take care.....NEIL G.

panela15 · May 2004

check out about a recall on the accelerator pedal.you can go it infiniti.com..............somewhere on there will be info to click on after putting in your particular car info that will tell you whatever open recalls there are on your car..ive had 3 done to mine already...........no big deal..........that may be your problem.........or just call the place you bought it from and ask them about any recalls.........theyll fix it for free.......

lmrode · May 2004

I have had to replace the whole radio, as the CD's kept getting stuck. I had to replace the motor in the drivers side seat. Worst of all my rotors have been cut once and then replaced twice. Does anyone have a problem with a rubbing noise in the front left side of the car? Usually happens when you step on the brakes and make a slight turn to the right. This 2003 is probably going back under the lemon law.

lmrode · May 2004

My I35 shakes as well. It has been back to the dealer three time. The first time they cut the rotors. The next two times they just plain replaced the rotors. But there is still a rubbing noise in the front left tire. This is a Lemon car. We are working on that problem right now.

ckc · June 2004

hello all:

i am a new owner of 2004 I35.

acura TL board has a lot of discussions over the Bridgestone tires and flatspotting. acura has admitted the problem and is replacing the tires. though i am aware that TL is using same tires as OE but with W rating (I35 uses H rating EL42). have you experienced any flatspotting on the I35?

i understand that the 215/55/17 size is odd. anyone put on other sizes like 235/50/17 as replacement to widen your choice and how it affects the car's driving?

thanks for any input.

nocalalan · June 2004

I have been having problems w/ my I35 and it not holding on hills --in other cars when I'm at a complete stop, the car doesn't roll backwards; with the I35 it does. My dealer says this is normal!! IS this true? Is there someplace that anyone can direct me to find out more about this problem?
thx, alan

lmj · June 2004

Hi, I'm new to the site. Has anyone experience a lite raddle noice coming from the left-side of the rear window. It sounds like something is tapping on the glass. The dealership remove the back seats and rear windwow partial dash and layed down a cotton cover to go under the partial dash, but that wasn't the problem. I took it back to the dealer and they remove the back left-side window pannel where the antenna is hidden and took the back seats out again and we went for a test drive and the sound was still there. I traced the sound inside the trunk on the left side. It's like something that's behind the panels and it hits against something when I ride on a lumpy road.

pham7 · June 2004

Hi Bergerbits, sorry for late response. No matter what grade of gasoline you put in, the engine knock is there. I have been thru two hearings with Infiniti via Better Business Bureau and BBB ordered them to fix the knocking. But nothing they can do to it after they replaced the ignition coils and retard the timing. They even sent regional engineer out to work on my car. They argued that the knock is normal according to the manual due to certain conditions like you go uphill or driving habit. You know that when they can not fix it, they will say it is normal or blame on something. So that will be the end for me with Nissan products.

seabush · July 2004

I recently test drove a 2004 I35 (midnight blue exterior/willow leather interior) during the day and noticed a potential safety issue. There were glare and reflection problems with the driver rear view mirror which made changing lanes dangerous. I'm not sure if it was the mirror itself or car colors. Has anyone noticed this with your vehicle?

pham7 · July 2004

Does any one know that late model car from almost every manufactor that the cars equipped with traction control will have an impact to performance or reducing horepower? That was the dicussion between me and my friend. He said that if the VDC turned off, the car will go faster. I do not think that is true! So any one knows about this one, please share.

skibum · July 2004

Anyone out there have an acceleration problem on an automatic I35? When I hit the accelerator hard on my I35 the car seems to "jump" from 1st to 2nd gear. Its almost like it pops into second gear and doesn't go in a smooth transition. The dealer tells me they can't "replicate" the problem. It really only happens under a hard acceleration.

pham7 · July 2004

Hi, I want to share with all the I35 owners about the engine knocking. I have been complaining and going thru BBB with Infiniti for almost two years now. Recently, the consumer affair guy told me that there is a way to minimize the pinging noise by replacing the spark plugs from PLFR5A-11 to PLFR6A-11 which is colder spark plugs. That info. he got from Infiniti service technical specialists. That is what they did for people in hot weather states.

stressed · July 2004

While driving my 2002 I35 the computer? command to the transmission fails and while I am coasting down the highway my speedometer says I am stopped. I have no power although the engine is running and all other functions of the car are working. The idiot lights for the ABS and traction control are on and at other times other lights but I don't have time to read all of them as I am trying to get off the road. By turning off the ignition for 10 to 20 seconds and restarting the car I can then drive again. However, the same thing may happen again within seconds or several minutes. After serveral times going through this routine the problem clears up and may not occur again for days and 100s of miles. My dealer has no clue and they say factory people have don't either. Anyone else having this problem?

lil1 · July 2004

I recently purchased a new vehicle. During the final inspection of the car, I noticed what appear to be acid rain on the roof of the car. I setup an appointment to get this taken care of. Not only was the repair not done to my satisfaction but other cosmetic problems surfaced as a result of the repair. There seems to be glue on various surfaces of the vehicle. The dealer is offering to buff the car to correct the problem. I'm concerned that buffing a new car will harm the finish. It will not look the same. I'd like to return the vehicle for a new one. What recourse, if any, do I have?

Dissatisfied customer.

hapgood · July 2004

Gender:
Posts: 1

Headlight theft
«Thread started on: Today at 5:51pm »
I recently had my headlights stolen from my 2003 I35. The repair bill itemized the headlights at nearly $1200 each. After doing some research, I discovered that Nissan had the same problem with their 2000-2003 Maximas, eventually providing a "theft-deterrent kit" to consumers. The police department told me that there is an increasing number of thefts on the Infinitis now. When I called my dealer's service department I was told that Infiniti has not yet addressed the issue; there is no "fix" for this problem yet. I got the same response when I contacted Infiniti USA's Customer Service Department, though they were not as friendly as my local dealer. My dealer told me he's had customers come in for new headlights two and three times.
Does anyone have any experience or advice in this area? Is there a move to get this problem fixed?
If I had known that I was leasing a car that was a prime target for thieves I would have thought twice before leasing it. Now I'm stuck with a 48 month lease and live with the possibility that my headlights will be taken again, costing me money, inconvenience and time. You'd think that if they knew about the problem in the Maxima they would have avoided a similar fault with the Infiniti.
Can something be done?

seabush · July 2004

Has anyone noticed skipping with their radio? I've noticed that channels I've programmed will skip to another radio station without my selecting.

seabush · July 2004

Are the memorized settings only for the driver's seat. According to my manual, the memorized settings apply to the steering wheel, seats, and outside mirrors. Either there's a misprint in my manual or something isn't working the way it is supposed to.

roxy728 · August 2004

I leased a 2004 G35 in March. I have had my headlights stolen twice. Once in June at my place of business and another time in July at the mall to the tune of $6000 in repairs. When I took the car to the Inifiti collision shop, there were many more G35s in for the same reason. The situation is rampant and Infiniti refuses to acknowledge there is a problem. When I called the Consumer Afffairs dept, they said they had not heard of this. They have no anti-theft device either. I found out that the State of New Jersey has a class action suit against Nissan for the same issue they had with their 2000-2003 Maximas. The lights are taken in under 30 seconds and are easily popped out with 2 screw drivers. It can be done by my 5 year old niece. It's the same company and they should have taken care of the problem in all their cars with these lights. Expecially in their luxury autos. Now, I'm also stuck with a lease I can't get rid of and a car I can't drive anywhere for fear of this happening again. Nissan/Infiniti deserves to be sued again for not doing something about this in all their at risk cars. But I guess it must be nice when your making a pretty penny on selling $1200 headlights.

homerkc · August 2004

Are there replacement bulbs available (that fit) that would be let's say, less desireable? Do more std. bulbs fit?

yankeebelle · September 2004

As far as my research prior to my purchase went, no it does not affect the overall speed of the car, nor does it affect horsepower unless it senses you are spinning. The VDC only kicks in when your wheels are spinning or the car is sliding. Then it adjusts power/braking to the appropriate wheels (you do nothing, just keep driving) to correct movement and all you get is a flashing light on the dash. I keep mine on all the time due to the ice & snow up here in Mass. and I have seen the light flash at me many times and can feel the car correcting itself but if you keep the pressure steady on the gas it keeps right on driving! As far as regular driving, it has no effect on power or speed unless you are about to lose control. KEEP IT ON !!!

yankeebelle · September 2004

Not holding? You mean after you release your foot from the brake and are going for the gas ? That's correctable by changing the idle, meaning the car goes faster without adding gas when in drive. It will cost you more $$in fuel when you are stopped WITH your foot on the brake because the engine is racing higher. But unless you live in extreme hills I wouldn't bother with it. Just use the brake to keep the car stopped on a hill.

yankeebelle · September 2004

Check the lemon laws and similar laws in your state. I had a similar problem with a Ford, buffing looks great for about 2 weeks. I ended up with a new paint job to correct the problem, Ford only paid half because the car was older. It sounds like you accepted the car anyway so you may be stuck. Did you make a note on the bill of sale before driving off ? Verbal communication is nothing in the car business. Look for a friendly dealer and try communicating with Infiniti on the national level to get a new paint job.

needtospeed · September 2004

Does anyone have a suggestion for cleaning the topside of the sunshield on my I35.

I'd like to vacuum the top of it since it collects a lot of dust/debris when my sunroof is opened.

However, I can't fit the vacuum attachment under the sunroof to get at it.

HELP!!

Infiniti I35 Maintenance and Repair

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