2003 G35 engine sludge problem

[james8230]

I bought a 2003 G35 about a month ago "As is" with 19,000 miles on it. Unfortunately I bought it on Ebay thinking I got a pretty good deal.

After I drove it a bit it seemed to be using oil, plus the oil got very dirty within several hundred miles after an oil change. I had the engine flushed at the local infiniti dealer but after a 1000 miles the oil is a few quarts low and very dirty. Thre also seems to be some white smoke coming from the exhaust when I start it up.

Bottom line is the original owner left no records in the car and none on the Infiniti somputer system, so Infiniti is basically saying I have no proof he did any maintenance and so I have no warranty (I have 5 months and about 40k left). Their recommendations are all very expensive the cheapest of which is to take the engine apart at my cost and if they find a manufacturers defect (and we know that won't happen) causing it to burn oil it is covered. Otherwise, any costs are payable by me.

Now I realize I made a bad decision, but can anyone give me some advice on what I could do to salvage this? The car runs great otherwise so I have not had any indication of other issues beyond this. Thanks very much.

[lawson3]

Sorry to hear about your engine problem,what a bummer.The best bet will probably be to work with the dealer because they can stand behind there work,even if you have to pay out of pocket.May also see if you can find an engine in a salvage yard from a wrecked G,and find a good shop to replace engine.I would probably check around to see If I could find another engine first,and get a qoute on installing it before I made a decision with the dealer.

[AZhitman]

Sounds like an over-revved engine... owner probably popped it and let it sit for a LONG time.

I'd first contact an attorney. Swallow your pride, admit you did something dumb, and see if your state offers any relief - if there was undisclosed damage, you may have some recourse.

Then, contact Infiniti Corporate. Speak with somenoe in Warranty Administration, and take the same tack - Here's how I'd lay it out:

Admit you goofed, emphasize that you really, really wanted a G35, that the seller misled you, and that there was no apparent damage... Explain the symptoms in detail, describe your dealer visits and their stand, and ask humbly if there's ANYTHING Infiniti can do, understanding that you're probably on the hook for a new engine.

[Q45tech]

I cannot believe a 2003 G could go 19,000 miles without visiting a dealer for something...... some warranty repair..........something on the computer? There were so many early fixes.

Have a valve cover pulled to look for sludge oil discoloration if the cam lobes look good probably so do bearings.

The problem is Nissan Warranty looks at the same computer record as dealer and it is so easy to say so sorry.

[shimman]

i don't think nissan can deny warranty just because there is no record of any services done by dealers.

first, i would go to another infiniti dealer, and if that fails, i would definitely talk with the infiniti consumer affair regarding the problem, and i would also ask the seller to take responsibility through ebay/ftc/distric attorney. hiring lawyer might not a bad idea either against both the seller/ebay/nissan.

used cars with extreme low mileage is tricky because owners usually do the maintenances only by the mileage not by the age. i know this because i bought honda accord when i was financially challenged, the car had about 4 months & 30kmiles (it was about 3 year old with 6k miles), and had rear bearing & engine problems. one dealer strictly denied the service saying improperly maintained, but another dealer was kind enough to do the service without much of troubles. it turned out that the old lady who drove one changed oil only once out of about 32 months of use.

anyway, i usually do the oil change and other minor maintenances by myself, and i hope this wouldn't put me in the same situation.

any recommendations on how to keep sounding records of service when i do the maintenances by myself?

[shimman]

Sounds like an over-revved engine... owner probably popped it and let it sit for a LONG time.

is it even possible to over-rev with an automatic model?

[Kenrik]

is it even possible to over-rev with an automatic model?

Yeah with the techtronic...

[shimman]

Yeah with the techtronic...

so what's techtronic? is this the manual shifting mod of auto box?

[Kenrik]

so what's techtronic? is this the manual shifting mod of auto box?

Tectronic stops the auto transmission from shifting on its own letting you rev through a full gear and tell it when to shift.

It sucks balls in reality but that's the theory behind it