Varun

I am planning to buy an Infiniti in the near future, possibly a used car. But i am between G37 or M37.

Now question is about the maintenance i will give you a small example to explain my fear. My brother had to change the battery for his BMW 335i(2009) and warranty does not cover it. So he had to spend some $550 for the replacement. Apparently there was some programming involved for BMW's while changing the battery. Do we have any such freaky programming for G37 or M37 for the battery replacement?

How expensive is it to maintain an M37 Vs a G37 ? I hope it's not any different because it is the same engine and electronics, correct ?

blnewt

iTrader: (13)

You'll be spending pennies on the dollar compared to a BMW in service related expenses (at least w/ an out-of warranty BMW). The G37 is a much higher production vehicle than the M, and the M has a bit more tech features so there may be a bit more items to go wrong w/ an M, but both have very good reliability records. Haven't heard any problems associated w/ changing the battery although you will reset the ECU and have to reset the memory settings in your seats, and possibly the auto slideback seat feature.

Nick3753

The germans make things overly complicated. And your brother got ripped off. He could have just bought his own battery and had the dealer or an Independent shop code it for around $50-75. I own an X5 and when the extended warranty is up in a few thousand miles I will be looking to sell or trade it in.

mpegripper

iTrader: (2)

recode for a battery? lol, my m3 does not require this at all. not covered by warranty? bull...only if he's covered by CPO and not factory warranty, which is normal for most manufacturers

i've owned bmw's for over 15 years and have never heard of such a thing ever

blazeplacid

iTrader: (1)

yeah I have never heard of a $500 battery replacement for any street car.


The Infiniti is actually pretty easy to do your own maintenance on. A socket set and some screw drivers cover most projects.

financeman

Having owned a 2003 BMW prior to acquiring a 2010 G37x I can attest to the high cost of BMW maintenance. Absolutely crazy expensive for things that are typically very low cost on other cars. For instance, a pcv valve is typically a very inexpensive and easy to replace items in most cars...maybe $20. In my BMW, this valve was incredible complicated and required $700 to replace. Although Infiniti dealer maintenance is way overpriced, I think you will find repairs are more consistent with the cost of other Japanese makes.

socketz67

All cars need the battery replaced every 3-4 years.

A trip to Autozone and basic tools are all that's needed for sure (I have done 2 myself).

You will need to reset your presets in the head-unit, clock and anything else that is programmed, but this shouldn't take more than 15 mins.

German cars are in another spectrum all together with regards to ongoing maint, hence why used Gs command a premium used and used Bimmers are fairly easy to come by outside of the warranty period (low acquisition cost with high recurring maint.)

mpegripper

iTrader: (2)

bmw's do cost a lot more for maintenance, but i do believe that most things were easier to do on the bmw's i've owned than this car (i've owned 5 BMW's)

sniper27

iTrader: (2)

If you take it to the dealer, they will find a way to make it more (or seem) complicated. My previous Audi's battery died and the dealer wanted $350. Apparently it was difficult to find the group size. However, after some searching, some Autozones carries the battery for it and I got it installed for $109. No issues. Infiniti will be no different. I bet if you go in complaining about brake squeaking after warranty, they will call you with a quote of $700 to change your brakes and rotors.

SAL9000

I'd say the G37 is less expensive than average for a premium car - for sure less so than the German marques and Acuras. Coolant and tranny/t-case/diffs are lifetime fill. Oil change interval is 7,500 miles. No timing belt. But if you're worried about cost of maintenance a premium high performance car may not be for you. Insurance will be pricey and it'll drink premium gas with aplomb.

As to the battery thing, if a dead car is brought in or it's suspected the battery is bad, typically a dealer will run diagnostics ($85-$100/hr) to make sure nothing else is wrong, or to at least confirm it's the battery. I can't say this is a bad thing really. As to "reprogramming" well, any car will need "reprogramming" of infotainment, station, seat, smart key settings, etc., if the battery is disconnected.

Varun

Oh ok, so reprogramming is a must when you disconnect the battery for any premium luxury. I know a Korean mechanic, this is a very smart guy. He works on all Japanese and Korean cars. But I wonder what it takes to reprogram (when disconnected from the battery). Is that a separate software that only dealers have or is it something simple that any mechanic can have(here i am talking about infiniti's only) ?

Varun

Yaa, actually it is $550 it includes cost of the battery+Labor+ Programming.

Are saying Infiniti's don't require reprogramming when battery is replaced ?

sniper27

iTrader: (2)

no special reprogramming, aside from your windows and your presets (which you would do yourself anyways). $550 for battery + Labor + reprogramming seems about right for BMW rates (and any brand, for that matter). YOu figure every dealer, regardless of brand, will rape you on the part cost. They will sell you the battery for $200-$300, then charge you another $100 for labor, + misc (reprogramming, which I can probably bet it is just resetting the windows). I've replaced batteries in Audi and Mercedes before. No different from any car. Infiniti will be the same.

keraxis

Its true.... the battery in the 335i and probably the new 328 has to be programmed by the dealership for about 2 hours. So thats 200 for a battery and 2 hours of shop time so about 500 bucks.

My previous car was a g35 coupe and after owning it a long time. i had to replace the belts and brake pads once and do oil changes.... the car was a 04 and I only recently got rid of it. My 11 g37s is under warranty so its free and its still to new to have problems.

mpegripper

iTrader: (2)

btw, anyone who owns a bmw should be told about these sites for parts, way way way cheaper:

ecstuning, pelican parts, getbmwparts.com, bmwpartssource.com