How long is my G35 likely to last?

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TimelessClassic
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Hi All,

I have a '03 Coupe with 112K miles that I bought new and have maintained it very well. I didn't skimp on any repairs, other than on things like outside light bulb, etc.

Do you guys think it will go past 200K miles? 250K? I am wondering whether it might make financial sense (in terms of maintainance costs, reliability, etc) to sell it and buy an '07 or '08 Camry for a little more but with much less (50K or less) miles.

Thanks!


mike.strong
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Lol.

It all depends on the individual car. Did you take look at the fluids ( tranny, power steering, brake, rear differential,oil) Air filter, cabin air filter, coolant, battery. Now if you change that according to the manual you G can go over 200k. Spark plugs - I mean everything at that mileage would have to be replaced ( if the previous owner did not do it). Brakes...ect...You can end up spending extra 300 - 1000 for this things. Plus labor or your time.

Now camry is totally different car. I am sure that Camry can go 250k if maintained. And they are cheep now cuz of the recall. You can buy new one in Texas for $14,000 ( Camry, LE, 4 Cy, all power).

If your G35 is maintained well I would keep it.

What exactly did you do to you G? ( Spark plugs, tranny...ect)

Take care

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telcoman
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TimelessClassic wrote:Hi All,

I have a '03 Coupe with 112K miles that I bought new and have maintained it very well. I didn't skimp on any repairs, other than on things like outside light bulb, etc.

Do you guys think it will go past 200K miles? 250K? I am wondering whether it might make financial sense (in terms of maintainance costs, reliability, etc) to sell it and buy an '07 or '08 Camry for a little more but with much less (50K or less) miles.

Thanks!
If there is nothing wrong now keep it and start putting away 3 to $400 a month in savings. I assume your 03 is paid for?
If any major repairs crop up you can then decide whether to put money into it or purchase another.
changing oil every 3 to 4 k miles is the best way to reach your 200k mile goal.
My G will be getting its 42nd oil change this coming week as warmer weather is expected in a few days.
Good luck

Telcoman

TimelessClassic
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Car: 2003 G35 Coupe

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telcoman wrote:If there is nothing wrong now keep it and start putting away 3 to $400 a month in savings. I assume your 03 is paid for?
If any major repairs crop up you can then decide whether to put money into it or purchase another.
changing oil every 3 to 4 k miles is the best way to reach your 200k mile goal.
My G will be getting its 42nd oil change this coming week as warmer weather is expected in a few days.
Good luck

Telcoman
Yes it's paid for. Are there any repairs and/or maintenance that I HAVE to get done at a dealership? The car is no longer under warranty and don't want to pay dealership markups.

What year is your's and how many miles?

Thanks.

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audtatious
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I have seen quite a few Nissan/Infiniti vehicles get 300k+ miles with the VQ35. I had 158k on my Maxima when I traded it in (same VQ35) and it never had a service requirement, never stuttered and never leaked or burned fluids. Performed as well at 158k as it did with 10k. It is doubtful, IMO, that the auto tranny will last near as long as the motor though.

tollboothwilley
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With the auto tranny you should consider putting an external cooler on. It will maximize the life of the trans.

I have 163K miles on my 2003 right now and still strong as ever. I'm sure I'm getting more power out of my car than most people with half the miles. These engines are strong and seem very reliable. The trans can be had for fairly cheap if you ever have an issue as well. Just not at the dealership.

drain/fill trans every 30-40K miles
regularly change oil
differential oil swap every 50K miles
I change my spark plugs every 50K miles or so.

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biggie
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Hadn't noticed, but does the AT not have the cooler on the bottom part of the rad?

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gwoods
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I'm at 95,930 miles on my O7 Sedan. I have a spare transmission sitting in my garage, even with 30k dealer transmission services I expect the frictions to wear out at around 140-150k miles.


Look at the J30, it is normal to see J's running around with 200k plus miles on them and they are still running the original motor but the transmission is rebuild or replaced.

I am expecting to get 200k out of my G.

Oil changes IMO are the most important, wear should not occur until your oil gets dirty.
Coolant flush is #2 and making sure you never overheat the car. I'm still on my original coolant.

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audtatious
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Ooof...you should flush your coolant. I'm at 40k on mine and will be getting a coolant and tranny flush this year.

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kmckis1029
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just flushed my coolant at 30k... and will do it every 30k... this hot ga weather bout to hit..

mike.strong
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tollboothwilley wrote:With the auto tranny you should consider putting an external cooler on. It will maximize the life of the trans.

I have 163K miles on my 2003 right now and still strong as ever. I'm sure I'm getting more power out of my car than most people with half the miles. These engines are strong and seem very reliable. The trans can be had for fairly cheap if you ever have an issue as well. Just not at the dealership.

drain/fill trans every 30-40K miles
regularly change oil
differential oil swap every 50K miles
I change my spark plugs every 50K miles or so.

I am just curious why do you change spark plugs at 50k? (maybe gas mileage?)
According to my m45 manual they will last 105k. BTW I am not 100% if G has platinum spark plugs.

mike.strong
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I am just not sure why do you have to flush AT fluid...Infiniti dose not have AT filter just a tin metal cover inside.
Also they have drain plug. I would never flush my AT via machine. If I do the flush I would open the drain plug, let it drain, than "unplug" AT return hoes and just run the engine until the new fluid is starting to come out. Some one has to add the fluid for you. Than you take all that fluid and you place that in the plastic container. You have to fill exactly how much you have flushed out. That is 100% SAFE FLUSH.

Or my favorite just drain and fill with 3 Q of AT and do that within 150 miles interval. So first time you drain and fill 3Q. You drive for 150miles, you drain and fill 3Q and so on. I am not sure how much AT fluid G35 has but M45 has about 11Quarts.

lovemypathy
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If you have manual transmission and maintain it religiously, 200k is easy. The 3.5 is a pretty bullet proof engine.

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telcoman
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mike.strong wrote:
tollboothwilley wrote:With the auto tranny you should consider putting an external cooler on. It will maximize the life of the trans.

I have 163K miles on my 2003 right now and still strong as ever. I'm sure I'm getting more power out of my car than most people with half the miles. These engines are strong and seem very reliable. The trans can be had for fairly cheap if you ever have an issue as well. Just not at the dealership.

drain/fill trans every 30-40K miles
regularly change oil
differential oil swap every 50K miles
I change my spark plugs every 50K miles or so.

I am just curious why do you change spark plugs at 50k? (maybe gas mileage?)

According to my m45 manual they will last 105k. BTW I am not 100% if G has platinum spark plugs.
Here is a photo of my plugs at 106.6k miles

Image

I monitor my MPG at every fillup and saw no decrease in gas mileage when the plugs were changed. I also had the first coolent flush. I change my oil and filter every 3-3.5k miles and also change my air filter every 8 to 10k miles
Still have the original differential and transmission fluid

Telcoman

mike.strong
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wow.

For you 250k will be piece of cake. Do you use synthetic oil?
Do you track your car?

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telcoman
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mike.strong wrote:wow.

For you 250k will be piece of cake. Do you use synthetic oil?
Do you track your car?
No! I buy whatever oil is on sale

Image

Latest Pep Boys circular has oil on sale for $13.99 for 5 quarts of Pennzoil with a filter.
I don't believe in using expensive synthetic oil as I change oil about every six weeks. I've never gone over 4k miles on oil

TimelessClassic
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gwoods wrote:Oil changes IMO are the most important, wear should not occur until your oil gets dirty.
Coolant flush is #2 and making sure you never overheat the car. I'm still on my original coolant.
Coincidently, my car overheated on the road 2 weeks ago. It turns out there was a crack in the radiator and the coolant leaked. So I had a new radiator, radiator cap, hoses and coolant installed. No engine damage and runs fine now.

TimelessClassic
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lovemypathy wrote:If you have manual transmission and maintain it religiously, 200k is easy. The 3.5 is a pretty bullet proof engine.
Mine is an automatic.

Kendahl
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The wiseass answer is "as long as you keep fixing what breaks." More sensibly, you should be able to get at least 250k out of the engine and transmission without rebuilding either one. If you had a manual, that would apply to the clutch, too.

The key to keeping a car going is to follow the factory maintenance schedule and fix other stuff that breaks. With an Infiniti, there shouldn't be much other stuff.

If properly maintained, modern cars will last an astonishingly long time. I got 23 years and 180k miles out of a first generation RX-7 before giving it away. We still have a 13 year old Subaru with 208k on it. I expect it to last until at least 250k.

Since your car is out of warranty, you can save money by taking it to an independent shop. Just be sure their policy is to fix it right rather than dirt cheap. For example, there's a lot more to a brake job than just slapping in new pads.

TimelessClassic
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Kendahl wrote:If properly maintained, modern cars will last an astonishingly long time. I got 23 years and 180k miles out of a first generation RX-7 before giving it away. We still have a 13 year old Subaru with 208k on it. I expect it to last until at least 250k.

Since your car is out of warranty, you can save money by taking it to an independent shop. Just be sure their policy is to fix it right rather than dirt cheap. For example, there's a lot more to a brake job than just slapping in new pads.
23 years??? Wow!

Yes I am currently looking for good independent shops that can fix things well instead of cheap. Thanks!

mike.strong
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telcoman wrote:
mike.strong wrote:wow.

For you 250k will be piece of cake. Do you use synthetic oil?
Do you track your car?
No! I buy whatever oil is on sale

Image

Latest Pep Boys circular has oil on sale for $13.99 for 5 quarts of Pennzoil with a filter.
I don't believe in using expensive synthetic oil as I change oil about every six weeks. I've never gone over 4k miles on oil
Make sense that you are using mineral based oil.
So you have over 140k and you did not drain and fill you tranny?

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asoomal
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mike.strong wrote:I am just not sure why do you have to flush AT fluid...Infiniti dose not have AT filter just a tin metal cover inside.
Also they have drain plug. I would never flush my AT via machine. If I do the flush I would open the drain plug, let it drain, than "unplug" AT return hoes and just run the engine until the new fluid is starting to come out. Some one has to add the fluid for you. Than you take all that fluid and you place that in the plastic container. You have to fill exactly how much you have flushed out. That is 100% SAFE FLUSH.

Or my favorite just drain and fill with 3 Q of AT and do that within 150 miles interval. So first time you drain and fill 3Q. You drive for 150miles, you drain and fill 3Q and so on. I am not sure how much AT fluid G35 has but M45 has about 11Quarts.
There's a reason why they have machines for this.

Doing the way you described will wash the clutches away.

mike.strong
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asoomal wrote:
mike.strong wrote:I am just not sure why do you have to flush AT fluid...Infiniti dose not have AT filter just a tin metal cover inside.
Also they have drain plug. I would never flush my AT via machine. If I do the flush I would open the drain plug, let it drain, than "unplug" AT return hoes and just run the engine until the new fluid is starting to come out. Some one has to add the fluid for you. Than you take all that fluid and you place that in the plastic container. You have to fill exactly how much you have flushed out. That is 100% SAFE FLUSH.

Or my favorite just drain and fill with 3 Q of AT and do that within 150 miles interval. So first time you drain and fill 3Q. You drive for 150miles, you drain and fill 3Q and so on. I am not sure how much AT fluid G35 has but M45 has about 11Quarts.
There's a reason why they have machines for this.

Doing the way you described will wash the clutches away.
So you are saying that the high pressure machine flush is better?
Is so Nissan would not make a car without AT filter and with drain plug...
Just ask anyone who did flush and drain and fill.
The safest thing to do for your AT tranny is to drain and fill. Like 3 Q every 150 miles and do it 4 times.
You cannot FLUSH AT fluid if you car was not flushed every 30k 60k 90k. If you never flushed the AT fluid and you do it on 80,000+ miles YOU WILL KILL YOU TRANNY....for sure.Just ask around...

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asoomal
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Not a high pressure machine, an exchange machine.

tollboothwilley
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mike.strong wrote:

I am just curious why do you change spark plugs at 50k? (maybe gas mileage?)
According to my m45 manual they will last 105k. BTW I am not 100% if G has platinum spark plugs.

Platinum Plugs - yes

I changed mine out to Iridium tip plugs and I've seen the spark plugs after 70K miles on most cars is way off. Thats why I go 50K. I want it to stay in good performance condition.
mike.strong wrote:I am just not sure why do you have to flush AT fluid...Infiniti dose not have AT filter just a tin metal cover inside.
Also they have drain plug. I would never flush my AT via machine. If I do the flush I would open the drain plug, let it drain, than "unplug" AT return hoes and just run the engine until the new fluid is starting to come out. Some one has to add the fluid for you. Than you take all that fluid and you place that in the plastic container. You have to fill exactly how much you have flushed out. That is 100% SAFE FLUSH.

Or my favorite just drain and fill with 3 Q of AT and do that within 150 miles interval. So first time you drain and fill 3Q. You drive for 150miles, you drain and fill 3Q and so on. I am not sure how much AT fluid G35 has but M45 has about 11Quarts.

AT fluid heats up and breaks down with the heat. Similar to the way that the engine oil breaks down.

I drain/fill every 30-40K miles - drain the pan & Pull the lines off the trans cooler and you will get about 6.5 quarts out.

Full trans flush is drain the oil pan -add new fluid - then you open the line to the cooler and turn the car on (leave in P) - it will pump fluid out and you must add new fluid. Stop when the fluid coming out looks new and ensure proper fill level in trans. Takes about 14 quarts for a full flush.

tollboothwilley
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biggie wrote:Hadn't noticed, but does the AT not have the cooler on the bottom part of the rad?

yes AT has the cooler on the bottom part of the radiator but that serves dual purpose - heat fluid up when cold and cool down when hot. Its not a very efficient cooler and the AT fluid can easily still get hotter than you want especially in a hotter climate. Proper cooling for the AT fluid is key to longevity of the transmission.

Blacksheep312
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I have 104k on my g35, and need to change oil in manual tran., what about front or rear bushings, shocks/springs ., wheel bearings, cv boots, ect. Is there anything else these cars need to keep them driving like new or better as for as maintenance?

TimelessClassic
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Kendahl wrote:
Since your car is out of warranty, you can save money by taking it to an independent shop. Just be sure their policy is to fix it right rather than dirt cheap. For example, there's a lot more to a brake job than just slapping in new pads.
What else is involved in a brake job, other than new pads and rotor? Thanks.

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telcoman
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TimelessClassic wrote:
Kendahl wrote:
Since your car is out of warranty, you can save money by taking it to an independent shop. Just be sure their policy is to fix it right rather than dirt cheap. For example, there's a lot more to a brake job than just slapping in new pads.
What else is involved in a brake job, other than new pads and rotor? Thanks.
Replacing the brake fluid and bleeding the brakes.

Follow the steps in the FSM

http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/G35/Coupe/2003/br.pdf


Telcoman

TimelessClassic
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telcoman wrote:
What else is involved in a brake job, other than new pads and rotor? Thanks.

Replacing the brake fluid and bleeding the brakes.

Follow the steps in the FSM

http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/G35/Coupe/2003/br.pdf


Telcoman
Thanks. The dealership changed the pads and rotor but told me the brake fluid doesn't need to be changed. I'm not sure they bleed the brakes.


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