WEll we dont have ANY information about the F50 Q45, so i figured id try and get some peoples opinions... im going to have jasonB come in and add some things...

There are not very many issues known about these cars since they are fairly new and problems tend to show themselves with age. However a few of the problems I am aware of are as follows:

• Front end vibrations, due to unbalanced tires and brake rotors.• Transmission service bulletin that increases accelerations and so forth.

Please add information as necessary.

#1

Must read: How to turn an Infiniti Q45 into an E55

#2

http://infinitihelp.com/Infini...1.htm
Modified by Jason B at 9:51 PM 2/8/2006

JasonI am taken the F50 in on Tues for the peddle change and reprogram. The car was manufactored May 01 and is out of warranty. The dealer has quote 3 hours (1 for the peddle and 2 for the chip). I was looking for a copy of the service bulletin that outlines the work. Does anyone have a copy?

Well, I remember when I had it done, and I asked what it would cost if I had to pay, and I think around $900.

If your seat rocks back and forth check out ITB 01066.

Replacement bracket costs about $40 from Joe at Everything Infiniti in AZ

Jason B wrote:Well, I remember when I had it done, and I asked what it would cost if I had to pay, and I think around $900.

FYI..I just got quoted $230 from my Dealer for the pedal and ECM repgroamming. Probably gonna be the best $$ I've spent on the car thus far.

Well on earlier models they need to REPLACE the TCM, and can't always update it. If they can't update and need to replaces it, the cost triples. Hold them to what they said.

Jason B wrote:Well on earlier models they need to REPLACE the TCM, and can't always update it. If they can't update and need to replaces it, the cost triples. Hold them to what they said.

Ah! I didn't think of that, I will definately make sure that the do that if it is needed.

....

Still loving this car after almost a year! This says a lot for me because I start shopping for a new car every 12 - 14 months.

I think my F50 is a keeper! I am looking around for 20" FX wheels and lowering springs for my first round of modifications.

The next step after that will be a body kit...Can't wait!

bump

Thanks for the bump, Andy.

In researching the F50, I came across this thread and found how inadequate it is. Some other F50 issues I've read about include:

- multiple ballast failure issues,

- premature rotor wear,

- VK oil "consumption" issues (primarily in the '02 and '03, as I understand it),

- sunshade clips

I hope that the F50 owners can elaborate on these issues and add to this thread as a resource.

No problem SK. Thank you for the additional info.

Here is a list of some F50 options I compiled after some research:



Please correct as needed.

Well at 70k miles I have replaced :

1. Both Exhaust manifolds including the cats.

2. I had the TSB for the seat belt tensioner done,

3. Rack and pinion replaced.

All the work done was under warranty. I still have 30k miles left on the extended up to May this year 2008.

Other than that it is pretty solid car. I don't have any other complaints.

Also it is good to give the service rep. some grease to get you in faster with a loaner.

Okay, here's my take on my '05 Q45:Complete flush of all fluids, new filters, wheel alignment, new wheels/tires. brakes, complete detail after purchase used @ 24k miles.

*Tail lights replaced under recall.*Drivers left dash vent replaced (broken, wouldn't adjust).*Passenger door window switch replaced (twice, 1st replacement defective). Note that the pass switch worked, but the driver's control swith in driver's door was "sticky". It was okay, but it runs through the passenger switch. Weird, but switch on driver's door works normally now.*Steering rack tightened, had a little too much play.*Headlights too low, had adjusted upward 3 times, a little each time till just right.*Bumped timing up 3 degrees, power, economy and throttle response suffered. Returned to stock, runs fine.*Steering too light, too much understeer on curves, wandered on roadway, tramlined. Per suggestions here, set rear tire pressures 3 lbs higher than front (34/37). All problems reduced to bearable levels. Not perfect, but surprisingly better.*High beams lousy. Replaced high beam bulbs with ones from Daniel Stern Lighting. Thanks to broad light dispersion, same pattern, but much more light.*Brake shudder, dealer refaced rear rotors, fine now.

Continuing problems dealer unable to diagnose and repair:Whine from rear @ 45-65 MPH only, worse after full warmup. Dealer suspects diff (maybe, they can't hear it very well). Replaced diif lube w/ full synthetic, no change.Moan from engine, sounds like intake moan, worse when cold. Dealer unable to hear or diagnose, still chasing.

Car gets around 20 mpg mixed city freeway, uses approx 1 quart of oil per 7,000 miles (actually 1/2 quart every 3500 miles).

Ride is beautiful except harsh over sharp irregularities in road like potholes and manhole covers. High tire pressures don't help, but I like the handling that way. VERY fast, turns surprisingly sharp (short turning circle) for such a big car. Trans could downshift faster at low speeds, but flooring it helps, although sometimes that produces more accelleration than wanted.

Despite having owned some pretty nice cars in the past, my '94 Q45t was the best car I ever owned, until I got this '05. Regardless of what car mags and some posters here say, the F50, at least the later ones, are actually much better cars than the G50/Y33 in every respect. Plus they have a lot more amenities and automatic stuff that works well and is nice to have; backup camera, auto trunk open/close, auto headlight adjust for heavy loads, trip computer, rain sensing wipers, auto headlights, dual zone climate control, Nav, auto/manual suspension control, VDC, etc.. Biggest question: How could Infiniti build such a fine $56,000 car without auto door locks?

Bottom line: No major problems of any kind. If the steering/handling balance was better (needs thicker rear sway bar, alas, none available), this car would be perfect. If you are considering replacing your G50 or Y33, I heartily recommend the F50, later '04 or '05 models preferable, IF you can find one. Of course, check PO maintenance records and do a complete fluid/filter change and general wear item replacement (tires, brakes, etc.), plus full detail and paint/leather treatment (I HIGHLY recommend "Glare" for paint and Lexol for leather). Oh, and don't forget regular cleaning/lubing of seat tracks, sunroof rails, and door latches etc. Then be religious about maintenance, both mechanical and appearance wise. I suspect the F50 will be an even longer lasting vehicle than even the wonderful G50.

05 Q45 at about 50K miles now.

*cylinder 5 coil went bad* rubber seal on one of the A/C lines blew leaking all the freon* rear lights had some recall* rear axle making a noise of some sort, they fixed* cd changer stopped working* rear left door weather stripping ripped out*battery replaced last year. that was strange, I went to the mall with the family, came out to go home, car wouldn't start, battery was dead dead. Tow to the dealer, turns out battery was gone.

car burns about 1.5Qts of oil in 3000 miles (dealer says thats normal)has had a tractor sound at startup twice in the car's life. Engine was good on oil, dealer says thats normal, Infinitis do that..

Transmission serviced at dealer.Rear diff serviced at dealerinjector service done at dealerfew allignmentsfew tires balanced.Still on stock rotors/pads. Has some shake, but its time to get these out.

Issues dealer can't reproduce..

Heated/Cooled seats just shut off at random. When its 20degrees out, the heat won't work. when its 100 degreees out, the cold won't work. Take it to the dealer, the car doesn't act up. Maybe its my A$$ it doesn't like.

Navigation Screen on bright setting sometimes flickers to dark at night for no reason. Just for a second then goes back to bright.

I'm getting about 17Mpg lately, Not sure whats going on, I was in the 20-21mpg range. My driving style hasn't change much.

Overall:- The F50 is a car you like or you hate. Not a lot of em on the road and they loose their value soo fast. Unless you are planning on keeping one for a while or find one at a hell of a deal, don't buy one at KBB Price, you'll cry.

I havn't tested lexus customer service but I have tested Toyotas, and I almost feel as when ever I take my Q in for service, One of 3 things happen.

A:- They can't find the issueB:- They fix the issue but break something elseC:- They fix the issue but try to sell me service I don't need.

Lets see Carlos gives the green light on the 09-10 Q.

For now I'm ok with my Q but the E63 AMG Wagon is looking mighty nice

02Q45 sport 115k 0n 2-20-08bought w/ 40k

Repairs:had the throttle etu replaced....man what a differenceright side ballast at 80k.....it's blown again by 110kpower steering rack....leak at 101k replaced full rack.Suspension electronic box replaced at 80k under warr.A/C knob quit working and I have to replace the entire front panel exhust mainifool has a leak and have to replace.

I removed the rear muffler and love the throatier sound.if you remove the rear muffler, have the spring valve that sits a foot back on one of the exhusat pipes also removed

I run 255/45 not 245 on the stock rim and have had no problems.am on my second set of Kohmos...got 44k on the first set.I get 22-24mpg on the road and 17-18 city.

I have the full IMPUL KIT ...I LOVE looking at my car!!!!!had swift lowering springs all around but the rear kept bottoming out. so I put the stock springs on the rear and have the swifts in front.

mcrews
Modified by mcrews at 5:01 PM 2/20/2008

2002 Q45 Premium packagesilver/black, wood kit81K miles

Repairs:new batteryECM/TCM reprogrammed/replaced. done under warrantynew pedal. done under warrantyleak on manifold. done under warrantychange oil dipstick (longer). done under warranty

Replaced struts and shocks at 60K miles. Running on swift springs. engine oil trans and gear are running on full synthetic oil

So far no major issues (knock on wood). I love the look and amenities it offers. It's faster than my G50. But I personally favor the handling of my G50 over my F50.

Full comparison soon!!

2002 Q45 premium packag104k (166k km)

Repairs:OdometerLight BallastRear BearingsSeat belt replaced

For noise from the rear of the car, please have the rear bearings checked. Car burn a 1/2 quart of oil every 1500 miles.

ahmed_wasim wrote:2002 Q45 premium packag104k (166k km)

Repairs:OdometerLight BallastRear BearingsSeat belt replaced

For noise from the rear of the car, please have the rear bearings checked. Car burn a 1/2 quart of oil every 1500 miles.

Which rear bearing? Wheel? Differential? I have a faint whine or hum from the rear of my '05. It is only apparent from 45 to 65 MPH, and is load dependent. Technician and I both suspect it's gear whine from the differential. It has not gotten any worse in the 10k miles I've driven it. I had the diff lube changed to full synthetic, and it changed nothing.

03 with j package 26k miles. Had to replace the rotors, and Nav unit.Nav was done under extended warranty. Only things I have noticed have been the seat belts suck, and the drivers seat rocks a little. I have not changed the oil yet from purchase. About 1k more miles to go. Hard to belive 1.5 quarts of oil use is considered normal by dealer. Great car, I going to upgrade to the 05/06 in a year or two.

jpyles wrote: Only things I have noticed have been the seat belts suck, and the drivers seat rocks a little.

There's is a TSB, I believe for the seat rocking - a new bracket.

2003 Infiniti Q45 V8-4.5L (VK45DE) Vehicle Level Technical Service Bulletins All Technical Service Bulletins Restraints - Seat Belts Slow to Retract Restraints - Seat Belts Slow to Retract Notes Classification:RS01-002a

Reference:ITB01-003a

Date:October 7, 2004

ALL INFINITI VEHICLES:"D" RING RESIDUE CAN CAUSE SLOW SEAT BELT RETRACTION

This bulletin amends ITB01-003. Please discard all paper copies of the earlier version.

APPLIED VEHICLES: All Infiniti vehicles with front seat belt "D" rings

IF YOU CONFIRM:

Seat belt retraction of front seat belt(s) is slow, caused by residue" build-up on the D" ring(s),

NOTE: Slow seat belt retraction, if it occurs, may result in the following incidents after the seat belt is unbuckled:

^ Seat belt latch plate hanging up on clothing, ^ Seat belt latch plate becoming caught in the door,

ACTION



Use the "D" ring cleaning and refurbishing kit to:

^ Clean the residue off of the "D" rings. ^ Apply fluorine resin tape to the "D" rings. IMPORTANT: The purpose of "ACTIONS" (above) is to give you a quick idea of the work you will be performing. You MUST closely follow the entire Service Procedure as it contains information that is essential to successfully completing this repair.



PARTS INFORMATION



CLAIMS INFORMATION

NOTES: ^ This is the only authorized repair for this incident. DO NOT REPLACE the front driver or passenger seat belt assemblies before first using the Service Procedure in this bulletin to clean the "D" rings. ^ When this incident occurs both front driver and passenger seat belt "D" rings must be serviced using the Service Procedure provided in this bulletin. ^ For 1997-99 QX4 vehicles built before December 1998 see bulletin ITB00-004 for additional front seat belt retractor assembly information.

SERVICE PROCEDURE



1. Pull the affected seat belt more than 20 inches (500 mm) out of the B pillar seat belt retractor mechanism (see Figure 2). 2. Attach a binder clip (or similar clamping device) to the seat belt at the base of the retractor mechanism to allow for slack in the seat belt (see Figure 2).

CAUTION: Be careful not to damage the seat belt fabric when attaching or removing the clip.



3. Insert the "D" ring cleaning wire under the seat belt; between the belt and the "D" ring (see Figure 3).

The D ring cleaning wire is provided in the kit that's listed in the Parts Information.



4. Pull the wire back and forth across the surface of the "D" ring.

^ Make sure all residue is removed from the "D" ring in all areas where it contacts the seat belt. NOTE: ^ It is very important to remove all residue build-up from the "D" ring. ^ If you don't remove all residue build-up the fluorine resin tape won't stick properly.



5. Peel off the top (smaller) backing sheet from one of the fluorine resin tapes (see Figure 5).

^ Two fluorine resin tape pieces are provided in the kit.



6. Place the fluorine resin tape (adhesive side toward you) against the seat belt as shown in Figure 6A.

NOTE: ^ The sticky half should be down toward the floor of the vehicle. ^ The unexposed (not sticky yet) half should be up, toward the ceiling of the vehicle. 7. Pull on the top of the seat belt to roll the tape up and around the "D" ring (see Figure 6B).



8. As the tape rolls up to the "D" ring, center and smooth the tape around the back side of the "D" ring. Press the bubbles and wrinkles out with your fingers (see Figure 7).

NOTE: ^ Once the fluorine resin tape is applied to the "D" ring, it cannot be repositioned. ^ Take care to properly attach the tape to the "D" ring. ^ Center the tape correctly on the "D" ring and smoothly apply it to the "D" ring surface so that no wrinkles or ridges are present. ^ Wrinkles or ridges in the tape may prevent the seat belt from moving smoothly through the "D" ring. If this should occur replace the tape with a new piece.



9. Peel off the remaining tape backing (see Figure 8A). 10. Carefully apply the tape around the remainder of the "D" ring. Press down the edges and make sure there are no wrinkles (see Figure 8B).



11. Pull the seat belt back and forth against the tape-covered "D" ring to ensure that the tape is firmly applied (see Figure 9). 12. Remove the binder clip from the seat belt. 13. Confirm the seat belt moves smoothly and quickly through the "D" ring.

^ Latch and unlatch it. Allow it to retract back into the retractor mechanism several times.

14.Repeat steps 1 through 13 on the remaining front seat belt.

2003 Black on Black with Premium pkg, 60,000 milesI love the car. It looks great and has features that many 2008 domestic makers are touting as "new".

That being said;1. Replaced left rear wheel bearing2. Replaced air bag - under warranty - no, it did not deploy3. Have similar oil consumption issues4. Cannot get any info on phone/hardware needed from dealers how to integrate a phone with the Voice Activation System 5. Dash board has spit in 3 places and the adhesive has failed in other places. Dealer can't give any reasons, but will not repair under warranty. Appeals to regional service rep and national customer service were not successful.6. Minor issue, but for what these cars cost new, you would think that the "door open" idiot light, would indicate which door or doors are open - its not like the TPS system that is dependant on wheel location.7. Then there's the $450.00 key.

Going forward, I'm keeping my fingers crossed and will continue reading the NICO forums. Thanks

dapark55,My grandparents (and mom) lived at 35 (i think) Smith St in PKSEE!!!!Welcome to the board.On the phone....no go....dead issue.Supposedly there was suppose to be a harness......big hush hush.there is a post 3 yrs ago about.But it was only in the 02's.

mark

Mine was a rear left wheel bearing. I started hearing whine at about 45 plus mph. It became worst after another 3k.

what do you tell them when you come in, if you want an upgrade on the ECM and the pedals?

"hi, i am aware of this upgrade, and would like you to upgrade my car under warranty"?

when they u ask them, do they automatically know what presets to use? or do they ask you for any request.

does it affect the gas mileage?
Modified by vzuptnguyen at 2:28 AM 6/11/2008

q45mqn wrote:JasonI am taken the F50 in on Tues for the peddle change and reprogram. The car was manufactored May 01 and is out of warranty.

The ITB specifies ap parrticular range of VIN of elibgible cars.

Be sure you don't peddle your car to the dealer when you have you pedal replaced!

vzuptnguyen wrote:what do you tell them when you come in, if you want an upgrade on the ECM and the pedals?

"hi, i am aware of this upgrade, and would like you to upgrade my car under warranty"?

when they u ask them, do they automatically know what presets to use? or do they ask you for any request.

does it affect the gas mileage?
Modified by vzuptnguyen at 2:28 AM 6/11/2008

I would like more information about this as well. Is it only for the 2002 Q45, or will my '05 be elligible for it as well?

And I am curious about gas mileage as well.

ONly the 2002 were affected by that issue, in 03 they made all of them like that.

What are you curious about gas mileage... IF you do short city trips, 12-15 MPG is not uncommon. The main benchmark is if you can still hit the 22-24 MPG on the highway.