This picture is from 2018 and it looks worse now. Chunk missing from the front area that looks the worst in the pic. Can someone tell me what this part of the vehicle is exactly and whether it can be replaced and what I might be looking at in terms of cost?

 

Front Cross Bar Assembly.
AWD is steel (yours), RWD is cast aluminum.

Infiniti Part Numbers:
2012-2019 Infiniti 544B2JK51B
2012-2014 Infiniti 544B2JK51A

$585 at Infiniti Parts Deal

Also available on Ebay for a few hundred less than new.

Note: This part holds some important stuff together, so please make replacement a priority. Leaving it like this is a potential safety issue as it could structurally fail with little to no warning.

 

Thank you! I am just surprised that no one has ever said anything to me. The picture I posted is when it was up on a rack at a tire shop. I saw it and took a picture and meant to ask about it but forgot. And I had probably had it in the shop a half dozen times at least for various things since then. The last two times were because of me complaining about a rattling noise under the car. So I know people were looking around under there. You'd think they would mention this.

Oh well. I will make it a priority to get it fixed. Thanks again.

My car is a 2009 G37XS, so I will need to look up those part numbers. 208k and still runs great but other things are starting to fail it seems.

 

Looks like for my car I need 544B2EG300

 

New crossmember came in today. Did some research and it looks like it is simply an unbolt and remove old one and bolt on the new one. Nothing under tension or load. I am guessing the most difficult part is going to be to remove the bolts assuming any are participating in the rust extravaganza. Maybe it would be smart to start looking for my grinder now.

 

Ha ha ha, have fun, used to live and mechanic in SW PA.

 

New crossmember bolts ordered

 

Okay we all need to check underneath our cars...I know I will be after seeing this..

 

Start soaking the bolts with a penetrant of your choice for better luck. Give them all a spray a day for a few days leading up to when you work on it.

 

Yep. I sprayed them yesterday with Liquid Wrench and I am going to do it again tomorrow. I don't think I will be ready to try and remove it until maybe Sunday. Working on caliper rebuilds right now.

 

A 50/50 mixture of acetone and ATF works wonders on rusted fasteners...

 

I did read that. I sort of took it as something to do because you had those items on your shelf and not an actual penetrating oil. But, I don't have any acetone on my shelf at the moment. I guess I can get some. Are you saying that you think it works better than penetrating oil?

I know that heat works sometimes too. I have a small propane torch, but if I recall, you should heat the portion around the bolt and not the bolt itself since the heat causes the metal to expand. The way this crossmember is designed, I am not sure how easy it will be to heat up the place where the bolt screws in. But, if it comes down to it, I will try.

 

I have used 50/50 acetone/ATF for longer than I care to remember and have always had good results. However, I would just use whatever you have on hand. If all you have readily available is "Liquid Wrench" then go with that

Me and fire do not mix well. Others more experienced may chime in on the benefits of using a torch.

 

Can you use the AL RWD version? Maybe with some clearancing?

 

I thought I read a post saying that you couldn't but not positive. At any rate, the new steel part is here and waiting. Going to put a few coats of paint on it myself before installing it. Especially since they did not package it very well for shipment and so the ends were poking out of the box and had gotten scratched up pretty good.

Keep in mind that this car has 210k on it now. I feel like most people would not even spend the money and time. hopefully people here think differently. I love the car and have had very few problems with it overall, so I want to keep it in good working order for another 80k or so. I might not make it to 300k, but I want to try.