RemmysG37

Hello everyone,

I have recently been very unhappy with my car due to the following reasons. (This car has never been in an accident and was bought from a mature owner)

>Peeling of trims on steering and door handles (Very common defect but it really bothers me and im not mechanically inclined)
>Road Noise (Worse with winter Michelin tires on stock 18s but slightly less noise with 19" with TSW Rims/Nitto Summer Tires but this causes the steering to gain a very heavy feel when operating)
>Scratches on speedometer.
>Easily gets door dings after I spent nearly 350 Dollars Canadian last summer to fix this issue and now I have two more.
>Paint was fading on the top and tons of rock chips were also on the car but I had paint correction done last summer but the swirls remain and are very noticeable in sunlight and the paint on top is fading again...
>The car Tramlines like a M&$&%*#!#$. I have to be attentive with steering at all times because it loses controls, I have done wheel balancing just about 3 weeks ago.
>Exterior Weather stripping is damaged by sun and coming off.
>Lots of scratches on chrome door trim. (Dont prefer plasti-dip but a more permanent solution?)
> Door rattles on driver side for some reason, I have a subwoofer/amp that I cannot put due to the rattles. Are there shops that can fix this issue or not worth it? I heard Dynamat was a waste?

**Steering Issue, the main part.

When I bought this car it came with two sets of wheels/tires I mentioned above, After noticing the weirdness of the steering response and the way the car acted on uneven roads or groves on the road I took it in to Infiniti, They came up with a $4200 CAD repair bill. I have attached below a picture of the inspection report from 2017 Summer and the car had 107,000 kms when I got it, now It has 125,000kms.




Since then I have changed the spark plugs, replaced front and rear rotors. Front Rotors were Powerstop Z23 I believe but already my braking is weird and vibrates after little over a year. Should I just go with OEM rotors at the dealer or are there better alternatives?

There is a knock or a clunk on low speeds from rear passenger side wheel well I dont know if that has anything to do with the Rear Axle Seals?

I still have to fix the problem with the paint and rock chips. Also the wind cowl noise is annoying as hell when driving on high speeds dont know if there is a fix.

The clunky transmission is another issue but I heard it can be fixed with a grounding kit? My lights flicker off when traction turns on while driving on Ice/winter, dont know if thats the cause of a weak ground?



So after getting that report I went to a place called Napa Precision Alignment which is in the North East of Calgary. They said my car was out of balance which it was, horribly! They fixed that issue partially for me because the car was vibrating on the road at high speeds before and after fixing it the vibration was completely gone but still there at around 120kph/85mph. This was during the winter so I had my stock 18s on and then come this summer I switched to my summer 19s with Nitto tires which were also balanced a few weeks ago. But now the shop is stating I need a new tie road on the front passenger side and an alignment. They also said my Steering Rack was not leaking as the Infiniti Dealership stated but instead it was "Sweating" and that it is ok for me to drive in this condition because its a costly repair. I dont know what that means but the car drives like absolute crap with only minor imperfections on the road. I am not sure if im being ripped off left or right..

The car idles very loud, I dont know if it needs a new serpentine belt or timing chain because the engine sounds like a mini tractor and makes slight noise from the timing chain also im guessing eventhough the shop mentioned nothing of that sort neither Infiniti dealership. It sounds quite cheap of a car sadly when in idle.

Considering all these issues I thought of just replacing the car with a 2011+ B8/8.5 Audi A4 2.0T Qauttro or a E92 328i Xdrive but those cars have their own sets of issues that cost a lot and the Infiniti has never left me stranded on the road or break my bank. Now I plan to fix these problems on the Infiniti as I am at a point in my life where I dont have any debt and would like to keep it that way but I do have some disposable income to make my Infiniti look pristine or at least try to make it look as such.

Its just hard going back to German cars after owning two Infiniti's but this one has been a gamble because it drives like crap on the road, worse than my 2010 Dodge Caravan that I use for work. I am also ready to spend about 2000-3000 dollars in the next few months If can get another 4-5 years out of this car and address these problems,

Any help or advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance!

Here is a picture of my Infiniti.

Baadnewsburr

iTrader: (3)

Get rid of those heavy wheels and crappy tires, fix your tie rod and and get an alignment...most of the driving issues you mentioned sound like issues from having big heavy rims on the the car, and crappy tires, and poor alignmnet (which has probably exacerbated the poor tire performance) what size tires are you running? you may want to consider different sizes if the tramlining is really bothersome (wider tires tramline more)

the infinity invoice is mostly junk (the alignment place is right about the steering rack)

you probably need to bed in your brakes again that will probably smooth out the brakes

The clunk in the rear probably doesn't have anything to do with the axle seals (I wouldn't be surprised if they were fine and it was just residue form a blown rear diff busing) its more likely coming form a suspension component like a worn swaybar bushing or a broken endlink or eve na a worn/loose strut...honestly seeing that infiniti invoice i wouldn't bother relying on them that point.


I really woulndt get into the BMW or Audi as these are still relativly minor issues and many of them are common to al lcars and will likely be worse on the BMW and AUDI especially older ones

Rochester

iTrader: (8)

That's a pretty common thing. You'll also hear the word "weeping" with respect to PS fluid collecting dirt and grime around the steering rack, particularly around that large one inch tension adjustment nut. Mine's been like that for going on 8 years now, and I've not experienced any loss (that I can tell) of PS fluid levels from the reservoir. My old mechanic pointed it out to me years ago, wiped it clean and kept an eye on it in future visits. The senior Infiniti Tech at my local dealership said it's fine, and to just occasionally check PS levels and look for drip spots where you park.

I'm not saying you're experiencing the same thing, but it sure reads like it.

Tramlining is almost always because of crappy tires. Like Hashim said, address suspension concerns and buy good rubber.

As for all your cosmetic concerns... meh. It's an old car. Learn to accept the things you can't fix and fix the things you can. Kind of a life lesson, and an almost impossible bit of advice for people overly sensitive to details. (Ask me how I know, LOL) That said, buying a used BMW is not the solution to your problems, but is instead the beginning of new, more expensive ones.

Corprin

I don’t know guys, but I think the appearance of two new door dings is simply the manifestation of a much larger issue with the car. I would have been on board with ****ty tires, heavy rims, and a bad alignment for the issues till this symptom appeared, that’s bad.


OP: best advice is to sell the car and move on to a BMW or Audi, MB, or a 90s Jag. All of these will fix your issues with your Infiniti completely.

ILM-NC G37S

iTrader: (3)

You have a long laundry list of negative items/problems/complaints about the car. My advice: sell it, cut your losses, and get something else. At this point you don't like the car and no amount of money, headache or hassle will ever leave you positively liking the car. There will always be another complaint.

When the negatives outweigh the positives, move on.

Just my opinion is all...

AARONHL

Yea sounds like you a pretty **** to begin with and the problems list will only continue to grow. I've been riding Infinities for over the last decade and have come to the conclusion they are not perfect and to just deal with it. Maybe if you are not mechanically inclined you should start leasing new cars. Sorry to not really help you but most of the issues you posted are very common with our cars.

AARONHL

If I had time I would tear your list apart and tell you there are way more important thing to worry about in life.

slartibartfast

iTrader: (7)

You cannot blame door dings or rock chips on Infiniti, they're just a fact of life. If you don't want them, leave your car in the garage.

The steering is definitely tire related. Wider tires tramline more. Ignore the steering rack. I suspect your rear clunk is the sway bar, probably a worn end-link.

ezbme

Wow, that bill comes with a free proctology exam. Dang I am thinking of changing my steering fluid. I will probably just take off the hose that goes to the steering pump and drain it and then fill. Already bought the fluid. $10. For the leaking PS

RemmysG37

This is a picture of the upper radiator hose, should I have this replace or does need a flush and a better clamp?









Also my mechanic told me that the previous person who installed my Rotors put them wrong and then he corrected them to this (picture below) after 4000km the vibration has increased in the brakes or that has nothing to do with it and its common with this car?




You stated to go with lighter wheels, which wheels are the best in terms of lightness and comfort, along with tires? I checked tirerack but they are about 1000 dollars US just for OZ wheels at 18"..

I was thinking of putting my stock 18" wheels back on, fixing the tie rod and any other suspension issue, getting an alignment and going all seasons. Will that be better considering thats what im going for? Do the struts and shocks need replacing? I hate the rear end clunk.

Rochester

iTrader: (8)

This isn't helpful, but if those are the original calipers (likely), then your stock wheels were 17", not 18".

Maybe what the mechanic was saying is the rotors were on the wrong side because of ventilation design of those aftermarket rotors. IDK.

I wouldn't get too hung up on the wheels. Address suspension issues, alignment and tires, then look at brakes and wheels if you're still throwing money at the car.

If you think radiator hoses need to be swapped, then swap them. Those are OEM clamps. You could flush all the fluids... coolant, steering, diff, transmission, brakes.

You'll feel like you're making your car new again. Then you keep going.

Baadnewsburr

iTrader: (3)

Yeah that hose probably need replacement (it's probably dried up after 10years)...make sure to change the clamps too when you change it... (Don't payy 177 dollars to get it done... That's kinda silly)... You don't need super light wheels anything like oem wheels 17, 18 inch should be fine... You'll probably find more satisfaction in going to an all season tire from a better brand something like a Michelin AS3+ or a continental that is narrower, but you should fix the tie rod and alignment first or you'll have the same problem and ruin the new tires... I can't comment on your struts on a 10 year old car, but you may want to check the the end links and sway bar bushings first... Lots of the things you're having issues with are more related to the fact that the car is 10 years old and rubber pieces on the car need to be replaced/serviced after such a long period of time.

On the bright side, your car looks good for its age and seems to have lots of options (navi, tech package) and the better looking sport bumper

ezbme

It is funny, my last car had some used tires. Once I replaced them my vibration while braking and at certain speeds disappeared. I had warped rotors before so I thought it was just that.

guy from norcal

iTrader: (2)

I would replace both inner and outer tie rods,And maybe sway bar end links. That should tighten your front end up.

Mojo_Dp

Cosmetics are not a big deal. Both my G37s had a lot of rock chips all over the sport bumper. Its a car, in your case that is close to or over 10 years old. If it bugs you a lot just get it repainted and slap a clear bra on it. Along with the other issues, if you really like the car fix the issues, everyone who posted on this thread is correct with parts that are the culprit for the issues you are having. Focus on the suspension first, old components wear out. Then focus on the other smaller things.