Okay,

A few of us have posted about power loss problems, especially after the ECU reflash for the surge TSB. A few days ago, someone here posted about how dirty their air filters were at such unusually low mileage. The dirty air filter, in and of itself, wasn't weird, however, what WAS strange is that only ONE of the posters' filters was dirty. Interesting - how could this be????

I ended up complaining to the dealer about the power loss and ultimately the dealer called the US Helpline (aka Engineering). The engineering department stated (no joke --->) that if the engine wasn't throwing codes (e.g., no SES light) then it was the TCM (tranmission control module) learning my driving patterns and there was nothing they could do about it... nevermind the fact that the car made a "pop" sound when revving in neutral and there was a tremendous lag on acceleration before even out of 1st gear... Nevermind that it also occured in full manual mode where I controlled the shift points myself...After the dealer was no use, I called consumer affairs who were also absolutely no use and refused to do a thing to assist in getting this resolved.

Well, longer story longer, I remember the poster, above, mentioning that his airfilter was coated in a very oily soot like substance and was requesting information on a replacement air filter from either K&N or Amsoil.

I decided to check my filters on a whim and low and behold, the left filter was 5x dirtier than the right (drivers side = left), however, both were filthy in the EXACT location where it sealed with the engine side of the intake. The soot was oily and extremely difficult to get off my fingers. So, I flipped the air filter into another direction (up became down) and drove it around for a while...

What happened, you ask? Well, let me tell you - the car now runs PERFECTLY again... power restored, shifting perfect, no lag, no pop, NADA! These are some VERY sensitive vehicles....

Conclusion: I am going to call Consumer Affairs again and explain to them that _I_ solved the problem on my own, after two trips to the dealer, two completely diferent and useless diagnosis, and that if the dealers rely upon engineering to diagnose over the phone where engineering does not actually investigate further than a "check for codes" then I will explain to them that my warranty is obviously useless at the dealer and they can reimburse me to fix my own car....

Moral #1: I would HIGHLY recommend that you do not use aftermarket airfilters in these vehicles as they are highly sensitive to disruptions in airflow (i.e., less air) and the possibility that the oil charged filters would somehow change how the air flows, especially when dirty, is not a good idea...

Moral #2 (aka the fallacy of Stealership diagnosis): If the computers that the dealers rely on to make diagnosis expect specific conditions before generating a "code" or throwing an SES and the computers are programmed by humans, they are fallable. Just because the computer does not show a code, doesn't mean there is nothing wrong - it just means that the condition causing your problem is something that falls inside of the "normal" parameters the computer expects - and it those parameters/metrics, programmed by humans, that may be suspect in themselves. Therefore, do not let the dealership dismiss your issues with an excuse that states "the computer doesn't show a code."

Moral #3: Change your air filters more frequently in areas that have more dust, fires, pollution, pollen, etc., and more frequently in summer or seasons that generate these conditions. The dealer recommends 15k miles, but my filters in the Bay Area needed to be changed at 11k.... it's only $38 + tax....

Hope this helps you all - CHANGE YOUR FILTERS!!!!!

 

Nice write up!

 

Very nice write up. Sorry you had to go through all of that. Thanks for the info with the filters. I will keep that in mind.

 

Thanks for sharing this info. That's good to know. I'm glad your car is ow running better.

 

^^^ +3
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Glad this may prove helpful to some of you...forgiving the grammatical mistakes made from emotional fast typing, this was a lengthy two days of diagnosis. They tried to blame my FI exhaust, then bad fuel, and then the TCM... steeeerykethree! LOL.

This has just saved me a trip to FI in Northridge to confirm the exhaust was not at fault (which I knew), countless hours of driving, frustration from Tony at FI, hundreds in gas (thanks GWB), etc...and then another fight with Infiniti.

Lee

 

I get those filters for $13+tax for each...

 

Thanks for reaffirming my belief that the dealership monkeys, sorry mechanics, are morons. You really need to do your homework first. Chances are your will find an answer better and faster than the dealership.

 

good information useful to know

 

I thought i was the only person that noticed the filter was extremely dirty on one side (left)... Ill post the pic tonight after LB meet.

I went to dealership why left side is dirty and right side is clean... they said "its normal" i was like wtf??? So i asked... Isnt oneside clogged or something?? and the response was... "NOPE"
https://www.myg37.com/forums/showthr...t=stock+intake

JY

Edited Photo (filters)

JY

 

bump

JY

 

I checked mine at 10, 300 mi. They were both a lot dirtier than I expected. I ordered 4 online for 9 somthing each + 12 shipping. Nice to know that when they get here I will have a little more power. I did notice a small drop in launch torque at the autoX Sunday. But the start was a slow start around a cone and then about 20 feet to the light so it did not bother me. It's amazing , coming off an AWD car, how much throttle steer I have in 2nd gear on the track. Handles sooo sweetly.