Good job tracking it down. Was this Infiniti of Charlotte?

 

What's an LED door projector?

 

They are actually called "ghost shadow light" it just projects a image. Infiniti, Lexus, Toyota (D006) - Wind Fire Auto

 

Thanks for the clarification. I thought it had something to do with some lights under the door handles.

Sounds like these lights were messing with the BCM.

 

The fob battery was the first thing they tried.

Which brand of projector do you have? (Wind Fire, Amazon, eBay)?

I need to get a set of the OEM fixtures and play with those. I hope regular 194 LEDs don't cause this same issue. The dealer wants $38 each for them, I can do better with some online shopping.

 

I have both eBay and wind fire. Tested both last night with all lights on interior and head light but all functioned normally.

 

If I turn off the dome light, it still doesn't work right, so I am thinking it's not about total current drawn by the car, but perhaps total current for those two lights on that particular circuit. Do those two door lights have their own fuse/relay?

What I haven't tested yet is trying it with the car ON. I know the remote shouldn't work with the car on, but the trunk button works fine with the car on if the FOB is back near the trunk sensor.

With the car ON, the system as a whole should have more juice. I wish I had brought the projectors with me to work...I'll have to wait until I get home to test.

 

Yes its most likely on its own circuits. There isn't a fuse or relay in it that I can see. I have tested this with the car on and off though I seem to be able to use the fob with the car on... But good luck

 

There are 2 people in here other than me experiencing this issue. I know Rochester has the ghost projectors, and I assume ANMVQ does as well. One is a 2009 and the other is 2011 like me.
Perhaps something's changed in the 2013 model

Or maybe it's hit or miss...the current draw difference in projectors could be a variable, and the overall draw with both projectors could be within .01 amps of causing an issue...so maybe this is right on the border of being an issue, but isn't for you...and it's just on the other side for us.

 

I drove an '09 xS for four years. The great thing about the Infiniti AWD system is that it drives like a RWD car until something starts slipping. So other than the ability to do donuts with the traction control off, you won't feel much difference on dry roads. As Rochester points out, the RWD "S" models drive like a different car. It's unfortunate that Infinity chose to copy BMW and not but a real sport package with the AWD versions.


Greg

 

Drove plenty of loaners including G37, Q50, M37, and JX35. RWD G37 w/ 17"s are the most fun for me.

 

Yesterday I remembered about this issue with the projectors in the courtesy lights and the trunk release, and checked it out with my car. Sure enough, if any door is open then I can't release the trunk with either the trunk lid button nor the key fob. However, the under dash switch still works. Close the doors, and all is fine.

Go figure.

 

IIRC, pulling out only 1 projector will allow it to function properly. I think it's when both are drawing current, something goes wrong.

I did a series of testing when I got the car back from Infiniti, but didn't record my results. I'm pretty sure that 1 projector doesn't cause an issue, but 2 of them do.

I also found it odd that both projectors come on if any door opens, even a back door.

 

I didn't test for either of those things, just door and trunk behavior. If this ever gets under my skin enough to matter, I can see the sense in putting the passenger side courtesy light back in.

Either way, good info and good find, OP.

 

I didn't test that combo out, just 1 projector, and the other side empty. If I do go to 1 projector and one light, I'll upgrade the incandescent to led, and hope it works.

I'm still undecided if I want to switch too. It's annoying as hell to me, but now that I know it's not a bcm or other computer problem, I realize that it's a sacrifice that I must decide on.

I've been running this whole week with nothing in there.