Long time reader, first time poster. Never really needed to in the past since my car is bone stock and the content here is so detailed.

I’ve been driving a 2015 Q40 3.7 RWD sedan since 2017. Bought the car with 19k miles from a used dealer and was told it was from a lease-auction, which the car history supported. No accidents, clean title, and appeared very well maintained. As I understand it, this is the last year they produced the G37 as it was just re-badged Q40 during the year they rolled out the Q50 (please correct me if this is not accurate).

The car has performed beautifully and is one of my favorite vehicles. I’ve had little issue with it, the most expensive repair being a window motor which I understand to be fairly common. My mechanic has always told me the car is in great shape and had a lot of life left, so I had planned on driving it for at least a couple more years, or ideally until I hit 150-175k miles. I had my 105k mile service last week and was greeted with some surprising news where in addition to the standard 105k service, the car needed the following:

• Valve cover replacement - $650
• Rear Control Arms and Bushing - $1,738
• Steering Gear Assembly (leaking) / Rack & Pinion - $1,655
• Front Strut Assembly - $1,027

Receiving an unexpected repair bill of $5k+ naturally gave me some pause considering the car is worth $8-9k. I asked what was absolutely necessary to keep the car safely driving for 3-6 months, and we ended up doing just the valve cover replacement in addition to the standard 105k mile service. My mechanic said the rest of the items are fine for a limited time but that I should try to be conservative with my driving until I make a decisions as to whether I want to keep the car.

After getting a few quotes from other shops in the area, the costs above appear to be reasonable. I’ve also looked seriously at purchasing a newer Q50 3.0, and have found a few 2021-2023 RWD/AWD models with 10-30k miles for $27-32k in the area. However, after some research it seems like the Q50 model that succeeded the G37 is not nearly as reliable as the model I currently own.

The reason I intended on driving this car for a while is 1) I love the car 2) It is paid off and relatively cheap to drive (or has been until now) and 3) I am saving to buy a home, so spending $20-25k on a car or adding an auto loan payment wouldn’t be helpful to this goal.

I initially assumed that putting any more money into this vehicle would be throwing good money after bad, but after researching the used car market and weighing my options, keeping the vehicle to minimize cash out of pocket is looking more appealing.. For example, the used car market is pretty tough right now and leasing a new car for 2 years is going to cost $6-8k/year between lease payment and insurance (I live in CA).

I am trying to better understand what other maintenance issues would be good to look out for, so I can have my mechanic look into these items while fixing the suspension should I choose to go this direction. I believe the transmission and engine are in good condition considering the mileage, at least that's what I've been told and we’ve kept up with all fluid changes as recommended. I also believe I have a sunroof leak issue, as there is a slight mildew smell after rainy days that I always figured was due to the air filter, but seems to be something related to the sunroof based on posts here. I'm hoping I can DIY this one.

While I’ve done quite a bit of research, I’m obviously still nowhere near as experienced as those who frequent this site and would very much appreciate any insights/recommendations, even if it is to rip the band aid off and get a new vehicle based on what you’re reading.

Thanks all!

 

If your ps fluid level is normal, odds are its fine. It's known for weeping and often misdiagnosed as a leak that needs a big expensive repair.

 

It's a slow leak, so I think I can get away with just maintaining the fluid level for the time being but do think it may be an issue. Appreciate the comment though, and will take a closer look on my own.

 

Lots to unpack here....

Welcome to the community

2014 and 2015 Q40s are rebadged G37 journeys. I believe an enhanced subframe was the only thing added to the Q40. The first mod I would do to this car is add G37 badging :-)
2014 was the first Q50, and this is when Infiniti began its downward spiral. As the Q has had its share of issues, many still look for the G vs. the Q because of the iconic reliability.

I can't think of a car that doesn't toast the power window motors eventually, but that is not a common problem with the G as I have seen few posts here or in the G37 reddit sub regarding window motor replacement. I rarely roll my windows down, so after 12 years, the original motors still work. Replacement is pretty straight forward once you carefully remove the door panel.

Also, do not pay for those 30,60,90,105K services at the dealer.: https://www.myg37.com/forums/g37-cou...intenance.html

Ask what the service includes, then take a a la carte approach. For instance, while spark plugs and even the drive belt may need to be replaced at 105K miles, you can often do many of the other things yourself with the help of us here on the community.

Here's the breakdown.
1.
Valve cover gasket (could be the spark plug tube seals) leak periodically. Not a chronic problem. May DIY this job, but if you call around to an independent shop, I bet they can do it for right around half the cost
Not difficult, just time consuming: 2.
Control Arms are separate from the rear diff bushings. Bushings in general fail eventually, but I don't hear complaints about rear control arm bushings failing on our cars. Rear diff bushing replacement is a beast, and most fail as the factory ones are liquid filled and eventually leak around 7-10 years. If Control are bushings are needed, call the independent shop again for pricing. At that dealer price, I suspect that they are not replacing the bushings themselves (pressed in) but the entire assembly. The bushings can be replaced, but its not an easy job. shops all have the tool to replace various bushing sizes. Aftermarket bushings should be fine.
3.
Steering Rack. Refer to Rochester's post. Our racks "weep" a bit over time. Changing the fluid once a year has slowed mine down.
Pretty easy DIY: .
Aftermarket racks also cost less than half of what OEM racks cost for our cars, but you can still find the OEM ones for roughly $500 on sites like Z1 Motorsports.
Changing the rack is not an easy DIY.
4.
Shocks and Struts wear eventually on any car. I normally replace before 100K miles.
For your car, do not buy OEM as they will cost a fortune.
KYB is a great aftermarket alternative and the brand most independent shops use: https://www.shockwarehouse.com/searc.../Q40/Drive/RWD
I'd recommend replacing all four corners as you will be amazed at how much better the car feels.
My mechanic charges $450 to install all four corners then align. I'm in CA as well.

Note that independent shops often charge alot less if you group everything into one job. I would first find one based on a recommendation from a friend, or reviews online. Tell them you want a second opinion and some friends recommended their shop to you. All of them pride themselves on beating dealer pricing, so I suspect you will be surprised by how much you can save.
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Also, realize that your car is no spring chicken. However, I own Hondas as well (kids/wife) and those cars need things like bushings and shocks at 100K miles+ (Maintenance items). As someone that spends alot of time helping people on Reddit and here on myg37 hit the 200K and even 300K mile milestones, you can rest assure that you are driving a rock solid proven platform with a VQ37VHR power plant that has exhibited an iconic level of reliability.

Change the lens for a second and enjoy the car. We are all here to help.

 

Try this for the rack leak. This is the only thing that worked for me. Saved me $1,300. Also sold at Napa auto parts. https://a.co/d/aMssxlf.

 

This is what I asked my mechanic about after seeing the comments here and elsewhere on the forums. I was told that since they saw a leak, and it's a high pressure system, that they recommend repairing it regardless. I know they're a reputable shop but certainly not an Infiniti/Nissan specialist, so hoping it is just normal wear and tear. I've continued to watch the power steering levels, checking a few times a week in the morning before starting it up to go to work and it's maintained, so I think I'll likely put off the steering rack repair. Appreciate the comment

 

Also, realize that your car is no spring chicken. However, I own Hondas as well (kids/wife) and those cars need things like bushings and shocks at 100K miles+ (Maintenance items). As someone that spends alot of time helping people on Reddit and here on myg37 hit the 200K and even 300K mile milestones, you can rest assure that you are driving a rock solid proven platform with a VQ37VHR power plant that has exhibited an iconic level of reliability.

Change the lens for a second and enjoy the car. We are all here to help.[/QUOTE]

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Appreciate the very detailed comment here. I read through and did quite a bit of research after making the original post. Certainly didn't mean to sound overly pessimistic, just wanting to weigh the options and it seems the initial quote was a bit aggressive but this is somewhat par for the course. Your response helped with the change in perspective, so thank you.

After reading through here I've continued to drive the car and check the PS level. It's held so far (knock on wood). A friend referred me to a mobile mechanic who said he found the parts for suspension rebuild (KYB as you mention) on all four corners, not just the front as the shop quoted me, and required parts to rebuild the steering rack for $1k. He said he would do the work and re-alignment for $1.2k for a total of $2.2k. Much more manageable than the $4k+ I was quoted. Hard to trust someone without a website but at least a data point if nothing more.

Certainly wouldn't mind a newer model, I do like the look of them when set up, but it seems like these G37s were pretty reputable. So, while I'm still deliberating, I'm leaning toward making these repairs and trying to get another 100k miles out of her.

Any other suggestions welcomed - Thanks all

 

@ASBQ40 Good to see that you have another option. For brand new shops, I normally check out Yelp reviews. Believe it or not, alot of females leave comments on repair shops and most are very good at describing the experience part of the engagement with the shop. This is what you are looking for long term as most people that open these shops are familiar with 70% of the things that go wrong with our car and most others. Steering racks and struts/shocks are straight forward for most mechanics. For the ECU/BCM and Valve body type issues, you need to find someone that knows the platform nuances well. Most of the time that's the dealership, but there are others if you poke around and ask. The good thing about our cars being Nissan DNA is that many of the things we complain about like plastic heater hose couplers, blown diff bushings and clogged sun roofs are problems that occur across most Nissans if a similar class, so many mechanics have repaired these issues on other models.