Smoke on startup, oil consumption fixed, dealership no help
09-15-2015, 06:44 PM
#1
Registered Member
Thread Starter
Smoke on startup, oil consumption fixed, dealership no help
So, shortly after getting my car i noticed it was doing this:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1l...ew?usp=sharing
few seconds of thick smoke, smelled like oil.
Car is under warranty so I took it to the dealership service department. They said they couldn't find anything. Said the engine was fine. no sludge. good compression. There's nothing to worry about, but they would gladly charge me some money to replace my brake fluid and my cabin air filter.
No thanks.
In hindsight, i doubt they checked anything since most dealership mechanics couldn't tell you if your car was on fire unless there was an OBDII code.
So it kept intermittently smoking on startup and after a bit, i noticed a pattern. Usually did it after sitting a bit and only when the car was parked facing uphill.
I decided to check the PCV valves and this is what I found:
Passenger side looked normal
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1l...ew?usp=sharing
Drivers side looked like it had been pulling oil
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1l...ew?usp=sharing
Now things started making sense. Assuming there was a channel and some sort of baffles in the valve cover leading to the PCV valve, I pulled the PCV valves to inspect. the passenger side was dry, the drivers side channel had a big puddle of black oil sitting in it.
I return back to the dealership and explain the situation to the service manager, who was impressed with my diagnostic skills. He jokingly offered me a job, I jokingly asked if any of his techs made enough to afford the cars the work on. I said he needed to pull the valve covers to inspect, clean, and replace if necessary. A day later i get a call to pick up the car. They replaced the PCV valves, car should be fine. I informed him that replacing the PCV valves wouldn't fix a blockage in the valve cover. He provided more platitudes. I left and went to an appointment, got back in my car and the car blew a big cloud of smoke.
I went home, pulled the PCV valve, and there was a big puddle of black oil in the channel. Again, i was pissed that the dealership had done essentially nothing, so decided to resolve the problem. First, i pulled the oil out of the channel with a syringe (about 15cc's). I then grabbed my suction gun and found the hose fit snugly in the PCV hole. I yanked the handle several times like i was pull starting a lawnmower. This is what came out:
chunks!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1l...ew?usp=sharing
Looks like previous owner took a lot of short trips and/or was lax with the OCI. Typical lessee.
I then drained some oil out of the pan and pumped a quart of fresh oil back in through the PCV hole using the suction gun to blow any remaining gunk out of the channel.
Problem solved. 1000 miles, no smoke, no oil consumption.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1l...ew?usp=sharing
few seconds of thick smoke, smelled like oil.
Car is under warranty so I took it to the dealership service department. They said they couldn't find anything. Said the engine was fine. no sludge. good compression. There's nothing to worry about, but they would gladly charge me some money to replace my brake fluid and my cabin air filter.
No thanks.
In hindsight, i doubt they checked anything since most dealership mechanics couldn't tell you if your car was on fire unless there was an OBDII code.
So it kept intermittently smoking on startup and after a bit, i noticed a pattern. Usually did it after sitting a bit and only when the car was parked facing uphill.
I decided to check the PCV valves and this is what I found:
Passenger side looked normal
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1l...ew?usp=sharing
Drivers side looked like it had been pulling oil
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1l...ew?usp=sharing
Now things started making sense. Assuming there was a channel and some sort of baffles in the valve cover leading to the PCV valve, I pulled the PCV valves to inspect. the passenger side was dry, the drivers side channel had a big puddle of black oil sitting in it.
I return back to the dealership and explain the situation to the service manager, who was impressed with my diagnostic skills. He jokingly offered me a job, I jokingly asked if any of his techs made enough to afford the cars the work on. I said he needed to pull the valve covers to inspect, clean, and replace if necessary. A day later i get a call to pick up the car. They replaced the PCV valves, car should be fine. I informed him that replacing the PCV valves wouldn't fix a blockage in the valve cover. He provided more platitudes. I left and went to an appointment, got back in my car and the car blew a big cloud of smoke.
I went home, pulled the PCV valve, and there was a big puddle of black oil in the channel. Again, i was pissed that the dealership had done essentially nothing, so decided to resolve the problem. First, i pulled the oil out of the channel with a syringe (about 15cc's). I then grabbed my suction gun and found the hose fit snugly in the PCV hole. I yanked the handle several times like i was pull starting a lawnmower. This is what came out:
chunks!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1l...ew?usp=sharing
Looks like previous owner took a lot of short trips and/or was lax with the OCI. Typical lessee.
I then drained some oil out of the pan and pumped a quart of fresh oil back in through the PCV hole using the suction gun to blow any remaining gunk out of the channel.
Problem solved. 1000 miles, no smoke, no oil consumption.
The following 4 users liked this post by Victory:
09-15-2015, 07:36 PM
#2
It's amazing the people that have zero mechanical or automotive knowledge and blindly trust the "Infiniti Certified Technicians". Some are great. Many are clueless. Good thing you could figure it out and fix it for yourself. But you shouldn't have had to. Send them an invoice for the time it took you to diagnose and fix it (be sure to overestimate the hours) at $129/hr. like they'd charge you.
Kudos for your skill and for sharing your solution that might help others.
Kudos for your skill and for sharing your solution that might help others.
09-15-2015, 11:51 PM
#3
Registered Member
Thread Starter
It's amazing the people that have zero mechanical or automotive knowledge and blindly trust the "Infiniti Certified Technicians". Some are great. Many are clueless. Good thing you could figure it out and fix it for yourself. But you shouldn't have had to. Send them an invoice for the time it took you to diagnose and fix it (be sure to overestimate the hours) at $129/hr. like they'd charge you.
Kudos for your skill and for sharing your solution that might help others.
Kudos for your skill and for sharing your solution that might help others.
It's not like i'm a certified technician. I have reasonable mechanical aptitude and my dad taught me to do basic work on my car when i was younger. I got to put that into practice on my first 2 cars because i was young and didn't have money to spend. Amazing that through that modicum of experience I can consistently figure these things out better than the people that went to school for it.
When I first got the car I heard a slight wheel bearing noise and they tried to tell me that it was probably the tires. It was, of course, the front drivers side wheel bearing, just like i told them. Hopefully I'm getting a reputation with the service writer at this point and, in the future, the'll recognize that if I bring them my car i already know what's wrong with it and i'm only there because i don't have the time or inclination to fix it myself.
The following users liked this post:
abrecos (07-11-2022)
09-17-2015, 12:05 PM
#5
Registered Member
iTrader: (13)
Nice work man, but be careful also, If you " know" too much they wont work on the car at all, Not bad if your out of warranty , The dealer I used to go to stop working on my old car cause I know what was wrong before they did, " They can't make $$ of you". I know use a dealer where a high school buddy is the service manager. I can call him and tell him what the car is doing and he'll order the parts for me with out looking at it. I'm still in warranty also. 
09-17-2015, 12:15 PM
#6
Registered Member
Thread Starter
I will say, the service writer was a really nice guy, they just didn't fix anything
Trending Topics
07-30-2020, 01:47 PM
#8
Moderador
If I may offer my opinion and some clarifications.
The v36 chassis is no stranger to dealers and "oil smoke" I worked for Infiniti and man what a ****ty experience the V35 chassis introduced. By the time they came out with the V36 almost everyone knew the VQ has a ****ty PCV system and more than likely will smoke/burn oil.
Smoking issues are the worst on these cars especially for flat rate techs. Even more when there's no history or suspicion of no maintenance. You need an experienced tech who still has the patience and likes their job to tackle a car who has been informed by the service adviser owned by a "know it all who brings their cars to dealers"
Techs work off flat rate only, meaning if they tackle your car for 1 hour and still dont fix the issue because you've had ****ty maintenance and or run 87 oct gas, etc. It will be additional disappointments.
Research, these cars have been on the road for too long for owners not to do their own research. It's common with any car that's had a VQ.
Long drives will definitely help, you can make some predictions on how long it will be for it to come back and once it does you'll know what to do.
I had a similar problem however I didnt pay much attention since I was replacing pretty much every seal.
VC gaskets, cleaned the VC inside out, new tubes and went on with life.
You had your experience at the dealer, I hope you can learn from this so you can make better decisions the next time.
Get to know some people, befriend technicians, research and you wont have any of these experiences again.
NEVER tell an advisor/tech you knowledge, its like a customer telling the chef how much seasoning to put in their recipes.
We are in COVID times, dealers are hurting bad and technicians are getting COVID from working on cars whose owners came back COVID+.
These technicians are told to go home until they're negative, leaving the workload for the few who are negative, hoping those few care or have the knowledge to work on your car..
The v36 chassis is no stranger to dealers and "oil smoke" I worked for Infiniti and man what a ****ty experience the V35 chassis introduced. By the time they came out with the V36 almost everyone knew the VQ has a ****ty PCV system and more than likely will smoke/burn oil.
Smoking issues are the worst on these cars especially for flat rate techs. Even more when there's no history or suspicion of no maintenance. You need an experienced tech who still has the patience and likes their job to tackle a car who has been informed by the service adviser owned by a "know it all who brings their cars to dealers"
Techs work off flat rate only, meaning if they tackle your car for 1 hour and still dont fix the issue because you've had ****ty maintenance and or run 87 oct gas, etc. It will be additional disappointments.
Research, these cars have been on the road for too long for owners not to do their own research. It's common with any car that's had a VQ.
Long drives will definitely help, you can make some predictions on how long it will be for it to come back and once it does you'll know what to do.
I had a similar problem however I didnt pay much attention since I was replacing pretty much every seal.
VC gaskets, cleaned the VC inside out, new tubes and went on with life.
You had your experience at the dealer, I hope you can learn from this so you can make better decisions the next time.
Get to know some people, befriend technicians, research and you wont have any of these experiences again.
NEVER tell an advisor/tech you knowledge, its like a customer telling the chef how much seasoning to put in their recipes.
We are in COVID times, dealers are hurting bad and technicians are getting COVID from working on cars whose owners came back COVID+.
These technicians are told to go home until they're negative, leaving the workload for the few who are negative, hoping those few care or have the knowledge to work on your car..
The following users liked this post:
infiniticarplug (06-21-2021)
07-30-2020, 09:55 PM
#9
If I may offer my opinion and some clarifications.
The v36 chassis is no stranger to dealers and "oil smoke" I worked for Infiniti and man what a ****ty experience the V35 chassis introduced. By the time they came out with the V36 almost everyone knew the VQ has a ****ty PCV system and more than likely will smoke/burn oil.
Smoking issues are the worst on these cars especially for flat rate techs. Even more when there's no history or suspicion of no maintenance. You need an experienced tech who still has the patience and likes their job to tackle a car who has been informed by the service adviser owned by a "know it all who brings their cars to dealers"
Techs work off flat rate only, meaning if they tackle your car for 1 hour and still dont fix the issue because you've had ****ty maintenance and or run 87 oct gas, etc. It will be additional disappointments.
Research, these cars have been on the road for too long for owners not to do their own research. It's common with any car that's had a VQ.
Long drives will definitely help, you can make some predictions on how long it will be for it to come back and once it does you'll know what to do.
I had a similar problem however I didnt pay much attention since I was replacing pretty much every seal.
VC gaskets, cleaned the VC inside out, new tubes and went on with life.
You had your experience at the dealer, I hope you can learn from this so you can make better decisions the next time.
Get to know some people, befriend technicians, research and you wont have any of these experiences again.
NEVER tell an advisor/tech you knowledge, its like a customer telling the chef how much seasoning to put in their recipes.
We are in COVID times, dealers are hurting bad and technicians are getting COVID from working on cars whose owners came back COVID+.
These technicians are told to go home until they're negative, leaving the workload for the few who are negative, hoping those few care or have the knowledge to work on your car..
The v36 chassis is no stranger to dealers and "oil smoke" I worked for Infiniti and man what a ****ty experience the V35 chassis introduced. By the time they came out with the V36 almost everyone knew the VQ has a ****ty PCV system and more than likely will smoke/burn oil.
Smoking issues are the worst on these cars especially for flat rate techs. Even more when there's no history or suspicion of no maintenance. You need an experienced tech who still has the patience and likes their job to tackle a car who has been informed by the service adviser owned by a "know it all who brings their cars to dealers"
Techs work off flat rate only, meaning if they tackle your car for 1 hour and still dont fix the issue because you've had ****ty maintenance and or run 87 oct gas, etc. It will be additional disappointments.
Research, these cars have been on the road for too long for owners not to do their own research. It's common with any car that's had a VQ.
Long drives will definitely help, you can make some predictions on how long it will be for it to come back and once it does you'll know what to do.
I had a similar problem however I didnt pay much attention since I was replacing pretty much every seal.
VC gaskets, cleaned the VC inside out, new tubes and went on with life.
You had your experience at the dealer, I hope you can learn from this so you can make better decisions the next time.
Get to know some people, befriend technicians, research and you wont have any of these experiences again.
NEVER tell an advisor/tech you knowledge, its like a customer telling the chef how much seasoning to put in their recipes.
We are in COVID times, dealers are hurting bad and technicians are getting COVID from working on cars whose owners came back COVID+.
These technicians are told to go home until they're negative, leaving the workload for the few who are negative, hoping those few care or have the knowledge to work on your car..
The following users liked this post:
BULL (07-31-2020)
07-31-2020, 09:56 AM
#10
Registered Member
Thread Starter
If I may offer my opinion and some clarifications.
The v36 chassis is no stranger to dealers and "oil smoke" I worked for Infiniti and man what a ****ty experience the V35 chassis introduced. By the time they came out with the V36 almost everyone knew the VQ has a ****ty PCV system and more than likely will smoke/burn oil.
Smoking issues are the worst on these cars especially for flat rate techs. Even more when there's no history or suspicion of no maintenance. You need an experienced tech who still has the patience and likes their job to tackle a car who has been informed by the service adviser owned by a "know it all who brings their cars to dealers"
Techs work off flat rate only, meaning if they tackle your car for 1 hour and still dont fix the issue because you've had ****ty maintenance and or run 87 oct gas, etc. It will be additional disappointments.
Research, these cars have been on the road for too long for owners not to do their own research. It's common with any car that's had a VQ.
Long drives will definitely help, you can make some predictions on how long it will be for it to come back and once it does you'll know what to do.
I had a similar problem however I didnt pay much attention since I was replacing pretty much every seal.
VC gaskets, cleaned the VC inside out, new tubes and went on with life.
You had your experience at the dealer, I hope you can learn from this so you can make better decisions the next time.
Get to know some people, befriend technicians, research and you wont have any of these experiences again.
NEVER tell an advisor/tech you knowledge, its like a customer telling the chef how much seasoning to put in their recipes.
We are in COVID times, dealers are hurting bad and technicians are getting COVID from working on cars whose owners came back COVID+.
These technicians are told to go home until they're negative, leaving the workload for the few who are negative, hoping those few care or have the knowledge to work on your car..
The v36 chassis is no stranger to dealers and "oil smoke" I worked for Infiniti and man what a ****ty experience the V35 chassis introduced. By the time they came out with the V36 almost everyone knew the VQ has a ****ty PCV system and more than likely will smoke/burn oil.
Smoking issues are the worst on these cars especially for flat rate techs. Even more when there's no history or suspicion of no maintenance. You need an experienced tech who still has the patience and likes their job to tackle a car who has been informed by the service adviser owned by a "know it all who brings their cars to dealers"
Techs work off flat rate only, meaning if they tackle your car for 1 hour and still dont fix the issue because you've had ****ty maintenance and or run 87 oct gas, etc. It will be additional disappointments.
Research, these cars have been on the road for too long for owners not to do their own research. It's common with any car that's had a VQ.
Long drives will definitely help, you can make some predictions on how long it will be for it to come back and once it does you'll know what to do.
I had a similar problem however I didnt pay much attention since I was replacing pretty much every seal.
VC gaskets, cleaned the VC inside out, new tubes and went on with life.
You had your experience at the dealer, I hope you can learn from this so you can make better decisions the next time.
Get to know some people, befriend technicians, research and you wont have any of these experiences again.
NEVER tell an advisor/tech you knowledge, its like a customer telling the chef how much seasoning to put in their recipes.
We are in COVID times, dealers are hurting bad and technicians are getting COVID from working on cars whose owners came back COVID+.
These technicians are told to go home until they're negative, leaving the workload for the few who are negative, hoping those few care or have the knowledge to work on your car..
The only lesson I learned was not to trust this dealership. If they did their job and looked over the vehicle when I first brought it in, I would have been able to return the vehicle to the seller as I was within 90 days. I did plenty of research and even brought the vehicle in for a post-sale inspection within the return window, which is more dillegance than 99% of used car buyers.
Your thought to not tell advisors or technicians that your are knowledge and have suspicions about the diagnosis doesn't hold water. I'm not critiquing them on their work or discounting their knowledge. I'm not telling the chef how to make the food, I'm sending the food back because this isn't what I ordered.
Last edited by Victory; 07-31-2020 at 10:02 AM.
07-31-2020, 10:11 AM
#11
Registered Member
Thread Starter
Was just a basic fluid extractor. I'd recommend, if you want to do this properly, to remove the valve covers and thoroughly clean them. My method runs the risk of throwing a chunk of sludge somewhere bad, I just didn't care because the car was under warranty and had a clean bill of health from the dealership, so they wouldn't have a leg to stand on to deny the claim.
07-31-2020, 11:05 AM
#12
Moderador
This occured when I got the car at 34k, it currently has 94k and the smoking never came back. Around 60k the car blew the oil gallery gasket, which they replaced under warranty despite sludging because they stated the engine was not sludged and in perfect condition back at 34k and I had receipts for regular oil changes since. I'm sure their technicians didn't get paid enough to do it, but that's not my problem. If I purchase a vehicle still under warranty, I'm paying a premium for the dealer to provide maintenance. Not providing that service because being a tech at a dealership isn't a good job isn't an excuse.
The only lesson I learned was not to trust this dealership. If they did their job and looked over the vehicle when I first brought it in, I would have been able to return the vehicle to the seller as I was within 90 days. I did plenty of research and even brought the vehicle in for a post-sale inspection within the return window, which is more dillegance than 99% of used car buyers.
Your thought to not tell advisors or technicians that your are knowledge and have suspicions about the diagnosis doesn't hold water. I'm not critiquing them on their work or discounting their knowledge. I'm not telling the chef how to make the food, I'm sending the food back because this isn't what I ordered.
The only lesson I learned was not to trust this dealership. If they did their job and looked over the vehicle when I first brought it in, I would have been able to return the vehicle to the seller as I was within 90 days. I did plenty of research and even brought the vehicle in for a post-sale inspection within the return window, which is more dillegance than 99% of used car buyers.
Your thought to not tell advisors or technicians that your are knowledge and have suspicions about the diagnosis doesn't hold water. I'm not critiquing them on their work or discounting their knowledge. I'm not telling the chef how to make the food, I'm sending the food back because this isn't what I ordered.
Back in 2010 we were dealing with smoking coupes that came with the REV UP and some V36s that were hogged.
Per Infiniti unsolvable smoking lead to a new engine. Most times it would start just like yours dirtying the PCV and either clogging it or sending too much oil into the intake. This would have you blowing seals and ring lands or washing the rings and walls eventually due to burning the oil from the PCV.
2003 -2013 was a great but rough decade for them as many of their most sold cars the G was showing smoking issues. Either oil burning or excessive richness. You started to see this also with the Z.
It was a manufacturer problem that is now up to the dealers to fix. Over time these approvals got harder and harder to obtain. Nissan was demanding that we even place paint marks on oil caps and drain plugs to confirm the owner was not interfering with the engine.
During that decade many many customers received new engines, today Infiniti/Nissan will only approve short blocks (block crank rods and pistons). You started to see these go away with the introduction of the Q40 and up.
"Your thought to not tell advisors or technicians that your are knowledge and have suspicions about the diagnosis doesn't hold water"
It has been proven more times than what we like to admit. The owners perception of warranty is not the same in the eyes of the technician.
The amount of people who take cars to dealers are under warranty or their personal mechanic can't solve the issue.
So when a client offers the opinion, knowledge or demands the service it never sits right with the technician.
The dealer has a working staff made up of general lube techs, A, B, C technicians. The adviser has certain tech under him and it is up to the foreman to determine who gets it.
Huge possibility that the vehicle entered as another "Smoking G who's owner is telling us what to do"
Any car I end up owning I usually meet a certain few who work for the manufacturer or dealer who can chime in with important info and save you thousands.
10-10-2022, 03:04 PM
#13
Registered Member
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My Apologies on the outdated response. I jumped to the conclusion seeing what you pulled out of the VC that this car was on it's last bit of warranty because mileage was not listed at first. Now knowing this happened to you between 34k - 64k meant lack of history, short drives and octane and old owners driving patterns, this car probably did not see any proper maintenance prior to you owning it. This was starting to show, it is possible the dealer was aware this, blowing the gallery so early confirmed this also. It's uncommon for the VQ to smoke this early.
Back in 2010 we were dealing with smoking coupes that came with the REV UP and some V36s that were hogged.
Per Infiniti unsolvable smoking lead to a new engine. Most times it would start just like yours dirtying the PCV and either clogging it or sending too much oil into the intake. This would have you blowing seals and ring lands or washing the rings and walls eventually due to burning the oil from the PCV.
2003 -2013 was a great but rough decade for them as many of their most sold cars the G was showing smoking issues. Either oil burning or excessive richness. You started to see this also with the Z.
It was a manufacturer problem that is now up to the dealers to fix. Over time these approvals got harder and harder to obtain. Nissan was demanding that we even place paint marks on oil caps and drain plugs to confirm the owner was not interfering with the engine.
During that decade many many customers received new engines, today Infiniti/Nissan will only approve short blocks (block crank rods and pistons). You started to see these go away with the introduction of the Q40 and up.
"Your thought to not tell advisors or technicians that your are knowledge and have suspicions about the diagnosis doesn't hold water"
It has been proven more times than what we like to admit. The owners perception of warranty is not the same in the eyes of the technician.
The amount of people who take cars to dealers are under warranty or their personal mechanic can't solve the issue.
So when a client offers the opinion, knowledge or demands the service it never sits right with the technician.
The dealer has a working staff made up of general lube techs, A, B, C technicians. The adviser has certain tech under him and it is up to the foreman to determine who gets it.
Huge possibility that the vehicle entered as another "Smoking G who's owner is telling us what to do"
Any car I end up owning I usually meet a certain few who work for the manufacturer or dealer who can chime in with important info and save you thousands.
Back in 2010 we were dealing with smoking coupes that came with the REV UP and some V36s that were hogged.
Per Infiniti unsolvable smoking lead to a new engine. Most times it would start just like yours dirtying the PCV and either clogging it or sending too much oil into the intake. This would have you blowing seals and ring lands or washing the rings and walls eventually due to burning the oil from the PCV.
2003 -2013 was a great but rough decade for them as many of their most sold cars the G was showing smoking issues. Either oil burning or excessive richness. You started to see this also with the Z.
It was a manufacturer problem that is now up to the dealers to fix. Over time these approvals got harder and harder to obtain. Nissan was demanding that we even place paint marks on oil caps and drain plugs to confirm the owner was not interfering with the engine.
During that decade many many customers received new engines, today Infiniti/Nissan will only approve short blocks (block crank rods and pistons). You started to see these go away with the introduction of the Q40 and up.
"Your thought to not tell advisors or technicians that your are knowledge and have suspicions about the diagnosis doesn't hold water"
It has been proven more times than what we like to admit. The owners perception of warranty is not the same in the eyes of the technician.
The amount of people who take cars to dealers are under warranty or their personal mechanic can't solve the issue.
So when a client offers the opinion, knowledge or demands the service it never sits right with the technician.
The dealer has a working staff made up of general lube techs, A, B, C technicians. The adviser has certain tech under him and it is up to the foreman to determine who gets it.
Huge possibility that the vehicle entered as another "Smoking G who's owner is telling us what to do"
Any car I end up owning I usually meet a certain few who work for the manufacturer or dealer who can chime in with important info and save you thousands.
I've driven the **** out of my G37 for 168,000 miles and it still runs like new. They recently put in a new diff from Infiniti Master Warehouse because I am keeping the car at least 4 more years.
I recently got a QX70 with 65k miles and I'm a bit worried it wasn't driven all that hard, short trips, so I'm not sure what to expect. So you have any advice what to look for, with the PCV issue? I never had a single engine problem with my G37, but I also throw money at it like crazy because I drive it hard and enjoy it.
I don't plan to treat the QX70 in such a way, but certainly redline it when entering the highway. I get a slight burning(rubber) smell in the cabin if I get the engine over about 6k rpm, I am assuming it's the belt slipping. It goes away very quickly. I can also go WOT and shift early and it won't have the smell. What do you think?
10-11-2022, 10:35 AM
#14
Moderador
Sounds like your dealer is pretty bad. My service advisor and his techs are absolutely the best. They installed aftermarket coils on my wife's old G35 and they caught a leaking camshaft sensor they replaced free, 8 months after I had them put in a new one, during a routine oil change. 100% comped under the warranty.
I've driven the **** out of my G37 for 168,000 miles and it still runs like new. They recently put in a new diff from Infiniti Master Warehouse because I am keeping the car at least 4 more years.
I recently got a QX70 with 65k miles and I'm a bit worried it wasn't driven all that hard, short trips, so I'm not sure what to expect. So you have any advice what to look for, with the PCV issue? I never had a single engine problem with my G37, but I also throw money at it like crazy because I drive it hard and enjoy it.
I don't plan to treat the QX70 in such a way, but certainly redline it when entering the highway. I get a slight burning(rubber) smell in the cabin if I get the engine over about 6k rpm, I am assuming it's the belt slipping. It goes away very quickly. I can also go WOT and shift early and it won't have the smell. What do you think?
I've driven the **** out of my G37 for 168,000 miles and it still runs like new. They recently put in a new diff from Infiniti Master Warehouse because I am keeping the car at least 4 more years.
I recently got a QX70 with 65k miles and I'm a bit worried it wasn't driven all that hard, short trips, so I'm not sure what to expect. So you have any advice what to look for, with the PCV issue? I never had a single engine problem with my G37, but I also throw money at it like crazy because I drive it hard and enjoy it.
I don't plan to treat the QX70 in such a way, but certainly redline it when entering the highway. I get a slight burning(rubber) smell in the cabin if I get the engine over about 6k rpm, I am assuming it's the belt slipping. It goes away very quickly. I can also go WOT and shift early and it won't have the smell. What do you think?
Your case maybe a bit different. long history and owner's attitude and finances with an adviser will determine a lot of the quality you receive. Granted most dealers that end up having an unbalanced earn vs repair expense will try to clean and balance this area as fast as they notice it.
It would be in the dealer's best interest to fix your engine issues if there was ever a problem than the same issue from a customer that doesn't have this relationship and sits weirdly with advisers and technicians. Another reality is that most advisers dont expect the owners to be wrenching on them let alone provide factual and correct diagnosis's
An adviser who's 100% for the customer and not for the dealer is usually throttled down from management. These fixes are like special cards they can only pull a few times a month, and unbalance here will lead to lower job performances, remember there are advise awards.
The engine on your QX70 is a V8 VHR. Valve covers are a bit different and flow a bit better, The smell you're experiencing is the exhaust/ block heating up any debris stuck to them. The cabin as much as we want to think is sealed during recirculation is not. Infiniti made some advances on this by switching to OEM activated charcoal cabin filters which is why theyre so expensive. These help the non enthusiast owners getting rid of any smell. Slipping belts most of the times will be heard/ smoke noticed, melted rubber on belt.
10-11-2022, 11:29 AM
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Your case maybe a bit different. long history and owner's attitude and finances with an adviser will determine a lot of the quality you receive. Granted most dealers that end up having an unbalanced earn vs repair expense will try to clean and balance this area as fast as they notice it.
It would be in the dealer's best interest to fix your engine issues if there was ever a problem than the same issue from a customer that doesn't have this relationship and sits weirdly with advisers and technicians. Another reality is that most advisers dont expect the owners to be wrenching on them let alone provide factual and correct diagnosis's
An adviser who's 100% for the customer and not for the dealer is usually throttled down from management. These fixes are like special cards they can only pull a few times a month, and unbalance here will lead to lower job performances, remember there are advise awards.
The engine on your QX70 is a V8 VHR. Valve covers are a bit different and flow a bit better, The smell you're experiencing is the exhaust/ block heating up any debris stuck to them. The cabin as much as we want to think is sealed during recirculation is not. Infiniti made some advances on this by switching to OEM activated charcoal cabin filters which is why theyre so expensive. These help the non enthusiast owners getting rid of any smell. Slipping belts most of the times will be heard/ smoke noticed, melted rubber on belt.
It would be in the dealer's best interest to fix your engine issues if there was ever a problem than the same issue from a customer that doesn't have this relationship and sits weirdly with advisers and technicians. Another reality is that most advisers dont expect the owners to be wrenching on them let alone provide factual and correct diagnosis's
An adviser who's 100% for the customer and not for the dealer is usually throttled down from management. These fixes are like special cards they can only pull a few times a month, and unbalance here will lead to lower job performances, remember there are advise awards.
The engine on your QX70 is a V8 VHR. Valve covers are a bit different and flow a bit better, The smell you're experiencing is the exhaust/ block heating up any debris stuck to them. The cabin as much as we want to think is sealed during recirculation is not. Infiniti made some advances on this by switching to OEM activated charcoal cabin filters which is why theyre so expensive. These help the non enthusiast owners getting rid of any smell. Slipping belts most of the times will be heard/ smoke noticed, melted rubber on belt.
I agree the smell is probably buildup which has never burned off since the car was never driven hard. 1 owner, serviced at the same dealer (Lokey Infiniti) its whole life on the "premium" maintenance schedule. I inspected the valvecovers, PCV area and exhaust for possible signs of leaks, it was still clean as when we picked it up. The other thing that could be burning is the dressing they put in the engine bay. Maybe they sprayed it directly instead of into a cloth, and overspray hit the hot components. The belt looks and feels fine. I don't have a strain gauge to measure the tension, though.
Yesterday I changed the fogs for 6000k LEDs, all cabin lighting to LED, including footwells. Also blinker bulbs to LED. Unfortunately I found out the QX70 doesn't use the blinker as a running light, so using "switchback" function will require some extra wiring on another weekend project.
I'm pretty happy with the service advisor, and yes we gave them maybe $10-12k in business since 2019. On the G37 the heater hose coupler went, we all know it's a $5 part but I was at 100k miles so I turned that into a $2k service visit by asking them to replace the hoses(forcing a drain and fill on the radiator, the coolant is rated for 100,000 miles or 6 years?) with the coupler. They also did plugs and plenum gasket, 7AT drain and fill, and diff drain and fill, obviously oil change and whatever else is on the big intervals for premium service. I'm probably the only customer they've had that's excited to get a new diff put in. The new one has the cooling fins and jack point just like the 2023 Nissan Z.