Build Update:

Well it's been a month since the last post, and it's hard to believe that we're nearly halfway through '24! Man time flies. With summer here- unfortunately I had to tackle some unforeseen maintenance expenses. Shortly after installing my new door cards in April, I noticed my A/C wasn't blowing any cold air. Figured it would only be a freon recharge, so I took it to my mechanic to handle it (A/C is an absolute must with two little kiddos and I daily this). Well the next day I woke up to this:


No pressure at all in the A/C. Like literally nothing.

Unfortunately a rock put a hole in the CSF condenser. We also found another nasty surprise... my two year old CSF Radiator with less than 10K miles on it was already leaking :


I heard the stories of leaking CSF radiators back in '17, but had hoped their QC had improved. Apparently not..

As temperatures were heating up rapidly, I was faced with a bit of a predicament. Connor was able to use his discount at Nissan to get me a brand new radiator for $675 (nearly $300 off). Not cheap, but I did not want to use a used radiator and wanted the piece of mind for OEM.


OEM BNIB Radiator secured the very next day

Since I was already having the car on a lift, I went ahead and had Connor install my Z1 Undershroud that had been sitting in the basement for a year. Not a hard install by any means- but my back was thankful to not have to take this on:


Z1 Undershroud installed. Hopefully this will protect any rocks/debris from getting into the bay and causing damage.

Unfortunately the maintenance "fun" didn't stop there. Z1 had sent three different revisions of the tune- but unfortunately they were not able to finalize it as they were note getting proper readings from the Primary O2 sensors. As a last ditch effort, the final tune revision was sending full fuel at WOT- but unfortunately my logs revealed that AFRs were barely moving. So I had to purchase new primary O2s from Z1 (~$287) and have Connor install them. Good news is that Z1 confirmed the new O2 sensors are working properly, and sent a fourth revision of the tune. Man, what a night/day difference. Hoping that we'll be able to close out the tuning saga soon.

Bit of a rough patch with the G this past month, and not going to lie the endeavor at times make me question the wisdom having an older car as a daily (especially with kids). My mind has at times wandered to an M340i or even an SUV- as I still have my Nismo for the VQ/6MT fun. But man do I love the G, and after all the work (and latest tune) it truly drives like a top. I'm on year three of a five year plan, and I'd love to see the full vision for the car come to life.

Anyways enough rambling for now, till the next time.

 

Build Update: The End

Well, it's been awhile since the last update- but this will be the last update on this build. In June I decided to part ways with the G35 due to a perfect storm of events. I received a new promotion at work and coupled with the need to cart my kids to more and more events I needed a daily that was "out of the box" where I wanted it as my time has become more and more constrained and I didn't have time for two builds. I was looking to simplify my life a little bit, and because of how much time/money I was putting into the G I wasn't able to progress my Z build as much as I'd like.

The G also developed a leak in the steering rack, and there were just little odd and end details that needed to be addressed to satisfy my OCD. I also wanted something with more modern safety features given the amount of time I had my kids with me. Probably the final nail was that I also own a V1 370z Nismo- and having two 6MT VQ cars while incredibly fun was a bit of the same experience and limited options for the family as my wife isn't super comfortable driving stick.

Luckily my mechanic Conner had been very interested in purchasing a manual G sedan and he purchased the car from me in mid-June. It's nice to have it remain "in the family" as I'm still able to see and drive it from time to time.

So what's next? I had been low key searching at replacements for the last few years (the thread on this page has been super helpful). After driving N/A cars my entire life, I wanted something that was factory boosted, with decent tech, comfortable, and well equipped from a safety feature perspective. I took a hard look at the Germans (especially an F80 M3 and G20 M340i) and of course my dream car (R35 GT-R)- but the increased ownership cost wasn't something I wanted at the moment. Enjoyed the driving experience of the M340i- but the design language of newer BMWs just don't speak to me. Wife and I are considering moving in the next 5 years, and I didn't want to tie a bunch of income into a car at the moment. American cars are just not my thing either.

So after test driving 8+ cars I found myself back at Infiniti and looking at the venerable Q50 Red Sport. While purchasing my wife's QX60 I had the opportunity to sit in a 2024 model, and I was surprised by how much I liked the 18+ refresh. The exterior looks are stunning (perfect mix of aggressiveness and style, plus those updated tail lights are beautiful), and the interior has leather appointments everywhere, nice steering wheel, matte carbon fiber, and extremely comfortable zero gravity sport seats. I know these cars get maligned for the dated tech- but coming from 7 years on the G platform I appreciate the analog gauges- and have been put off by the giant LCD displays most of the other manufactures use (seriously can't imagine how expensive those things will be to replace).

Right around Father's Day I got an alert that a Q50 Red Sport in spec at a very aggressive price point I wanted popped up in Cincinnati so I made the two hour drive down and ended up purchasing it. Here she is, my 2021 Red Sport RWD Dynamic Sunstone Red with Gallery White interior with 40K miles:



She's fully loaded (with the exception of DAS which I didn't want) and that Red Paint/White Interior combo is beautiful! Really enjoying the V30DTT thus far- and for my needs as a daily this powertrain checks all my needs. Also still have 3 years left on the factory warranty. It really reminds me of a modernized version of my old 7AT G Sedan. Plans for this car will be much tamer compared to my G- I've already added the Matte Black OEM rear and illuminated LED emblems and some 2 piece Z1 Rotors. Don't have major performance plans- but a sway bar and LSD will probably make its way in sooner or later.

It's been a fun 7 year years on the V36 platform. Thankful for everything I've learned on this forum- I'll still be around from time to time. Cheers!