Hello,

this is my first experience with Infinity. After leaving my 1994 Lexus ES300 I decided to switch to this beautiful car.

The dealer gave it to me for few days to test drive it.

First thing I mentioned is that the heather is not working properly. I can drive for a while until it gets warm - and not hot - just warm, although the temperature is set up on 85 degrees to get some warm air. At 30 degrees outside this is not qiute comfortable. The old Lexus didn't allow me to turn the heather on more that 74-75 degrees if I wanted not to be cooked. Heat up time was within 5min (max) and than after that I turned manual the fan on the lowest speed otherwise it was too hot.

Second thing are the radio and cruise control keys on the steering wheel without background light. They have to have backlight or mine is not working?

I am not sure about something else but....because it has 17" rims and low profiles maybe this is the reason why I feel somehow strange when I cross a bump or rail cross. I had the feeling that my rear end is kind of dancing. I just can't believe this car needs new struts, only 41K miles? Did anyone notice this strange type of instability, like the back end goes left and right or something like that. It is hard to explain but it is kind of instable feeling. This car should stick to the road.

I'll be most thankful for any advise or comment.

What else is (are) a major issue on that kind of cars so that I can advise the dealer on checking this before I order it.

Thank you!

Daniel

I have had my 2002 Infiniti I35 since new. Can't tell you anything about the heater, but the steering wheel controls are not illuminated. It probably needs new struts, as I just replaced mine about a month ago, and it has 60K. My rear end felt as if the wheels left the road when I hit a dip on the freeway. Doesn't do that now. I have never had any trouble with mine at all, so can't tell you what to watch out for. Sounds like a really low milage car.

daniel.iliev wrote:......First thing I mentioned is that the heather is not working properly. I can drive for a while until it gets warm - and not hot - just warm, although the temperature is set up on 85 degrees to get some warm air. At 30 degrees outside this is not qiute comfortable.......

How long is the engine taking to warm up? Does the CEL come on during this time? Nissan thermostats fail in the open position so during the winter the engine is not going to heat up to full operating temperature. Replace it and all should be well.

I asked about the CEL because the ECU senses the engine warming slowly and throws a code.

Thank you for your prompt answer.

I am not sure if I know what CEL means. Is it something like Check Engine Light? ECU should be the engine/board computer. I don't receive any massages or no light are coming on. Nothing special that will let me know that something is wrong.
I saw today
on the carfax report that the radiator has been replaced year ago, on 03/31/2009. The previous owners must have known if something is wrong, they drove the car also in winter time. I suppose also that the car was very well taken care of, even the windshield wipers are from Nissan. That means, they run every time to the dealership if something was not ok, even for the wipers.

Well, I drove the car today for more than an hour. The first 45 min I had to have the heater on 90 degrees to have it comfortable in the car and still not too comfortable, the next 15 min the heater was on 85 degrees, and the last 15 min of the 1:15h trip it was on 74-75 degrees like in my old car. I went to the dealership and ask him to check on this issue. He brought back my old 94 Lexus EX300 and the car had after 5 min HOT AIR. Wow, I wish they will fix the Infiniti because I like it very much.

Any other suggestions for major and common problems with Nissan Maxima / Infiniti I35?

Thank you for any answers.

The heat issue sounds like a thermostat. Get them to fix the problem b4 you buy it. The "dancing" rear end could be struts. I replaced mine with KYB's and it solved the problem, however the KYB's did produce a stiffer ride. That was fine with me. The original struts felt too "floaty". They had about 75k miles on them.
Even though the car your looking at only has 40K on it, the struts are almost 9 years old.
How much are they asking for the car? that would be the most determining factor for me.
Some common issues are, (but certainly not limited to), motor mounts, valve covers, excessive oil consumption, transmission shifting and wheel bearings.

Thank you, Markc,

by the way one of the wheel bearings was replaced.

Well they have to check the issues before I pay for it. The asking price with trading in my old car for $2500 and taxes is about §9800. For me it is a good deal because of the good technical condition of the engine (at least I hope so LOL).

$2500+$9800 in taxes....WTF?!?!?!?!

$12300 out the door is too much for a 9 year old I35 IMO. Granted, it only has 41k on it, but that just seems a little steep.
I bought mine in 2009 for $8150 out the door. It had 63k miles on it. That's Canadian dollars to boot. $9800 without the trade I could swallow.

Here's a similar milage car for sale in Toronto Canada with similar mileage and a lot less expensive. We tend to pay more for vehicles, (new or used), in Canada.


Car - 2003 INFINITI I35 I35 Sedan 4D in Toronto, ON $9,995
TechnicalYear: 2003
Make: INFINITI

Model: I35
Style/Trim: I35 Sedan 4D

Exterior Colour: Silver
Interior Colour: Grey

Drive: FWD
Engine: V6 3.5 Liter

Transmission: Automatic
Body: Sedan

Mileage: 63,376 kms
Status: Used

Stock number: 106842

Well it's not very cheap, I must say. But if you take a look at the craigslist in Atlanta, GA you will quickly find the same price for I35 with over 80K miles. Well if you even drop the price by $1,000 you will have to pay at least $8,000. As far as I remember in the offer was checked also the box with 1 year warranty. This is not a bad offer at all.

The thing is that the service fee and the taxes at the dealership are rising the end value.

Let's see, if the car works and if it has 1 year warranty, than I am going to thing about it.

$12,000 with an A/C problem and needs struts..............IMHO find something else


http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/2030909014.html -(pretty much an I35, just doesnt have all of the bells and whistle's

FWIW, that is super low mileage. Which could possibly mean the car has a salvage title and was rebuilt. I would ask about that, and ask to see a carfax

I saw both carfax reports, the one from carfax and the second one from autocheck. Besides the changed radiator and wheel bearings everything is clean.

The Honda dealer told me today that he is sending the vehicle to Infinity dealer to be checked.

And don't forget Nissan ≠ Infiniti like Toyota ≠ Lexus. I am driving Lexus ES300 and this car is not comparable with the Camry same year. In a sense they are equal but you pay for the name, luxus, quality etc. If the 2003 nissan with 60K miles costs almost $10K, the 2002 Infinity will not be cheaper with 40K miles on it. I mean this is not the topic of the discussion. Of couse I will buy a car that works. And it has to work perfect for this money.

I just asked if somebody knows about similar problem with this car. Also this dealer is a very trusted person, he wont cheat on me.

Do what your heart tells you to do. They really are a nice car to drive. Fairly luxurious and have ample power/acceleration.
If you are getting into the Infiniti line-up, please spell it correctly.