2006 M35x front seat broken

[jwheaton]

Hi all, my car is a 2006 M35x with just under 53,000 miles on it.

I seem to be having a common issue, where the rear part of my driver's seat has broken off the rails (first leaning towards the center console and now both sides are broken). Took this into the local dealership and they have quoted me $1,437.12 for a seat base assembly replacement (CDN$).

So, is this really the required fix and if so, how hard is it to do myself. I see online you can order this part for much less, but if it is difficult then it might not be worth saving the $500... 87450-EH00A, http://www.infinitipartsusa.com/2006-In ... -90941.htm

They charged me $147 just to remove the seat to tell me the problem, not sure if that will be included or extra if I tell them to go ahead.

Also, they quoted me these items as "suggested"
drive belt replacement $215.95 (he said they were cracked, is this doable at home?)
emissions 179.95
brake flush 129.95
coolant flush 189.95
differential clean 249.95
transmission flush 199.95
power steering flush 139.95

Any replies are greatly appreciated. The car is unsafe to drive but I walk to/from work so it isn't a huge rush.

[Ilya]

The seat is probably something they should do, at least I wouldn't bother with it. However, that price is steep. You really should complain to Infiniti HQ as this is a safety issue and should be something they fix regardless, like say, air bags (which the warranty for never expires).

As for the other stuff...

$215 for belts? AHAHAHAHAHAHA. Click on the HowTo/FAQ link in my signature and read the HowTo I wrote for changing the belts. Should cost you $50 and an hour if that.

Emissions? What exactly are they looking to do?

You can do the brake fluid flush pretty easily with some effort and time. Basically, take a turkey baster and suck out all the old fluid from the reservoir and replace it with new fluid. Bleed the brakes until you see the new fluid coming out, then fill it again as needed. Done.

I wouldn't worry about the power steering fluid, just make sure the level is good. But I'm sure you could Google a "DIY" way (similar to brake one above) to do it.

Now, I personally go to the dealer to get the coolant, transmission, and differential flushes...but that's just me. I need to do that now actually. It's pricey, but they use a nice nifty machine which sucks out 95% of the old stuff while replacing it with the same amount of new fluid. Your local mechanic might have the machine and charge less. transmission fluid is pretty pricey. The fluid alone is like $90 for the quantity needed. Coolant can be done at home (Google it) with distilled water and a hose, but it's a mess. Same for differential IMO. That's why I let the dealer do all three.

You're at just about 60kmi, so this is a good time to do those 3 fluids. Do them every 60k and your car should run for ages.

EDIT
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On the other hand, your car has pretty low miles. You may be better off, if you're planning to keep the car for a while, to search for a good price on the Infiniti Elite warranty and get that for, say, $2k and then have the seat and any other misc stuff, etc. fixed under warranty. This would also protect you for another year or two or three (however long of a warranty you get) in case something else breaks. See the FAQ for a thread on the subject...should help.

[jwheaton]

Thanks for the info. I was thinking the price was really high for the seat, which is why I posted. The other stuff I would probably get done elsewhere, they seem to way overcharge.

As for the warranty, would it really cover pre-existing problems? Also, I can't seem to find info on if I bought it from the US would it cover me in canada.

To be honest I was going to fix this seat and look to sell or trade the car, but I've been known to drag my heels...

[Ilya]

Ahh...you bring up a good point. Since the car + issue is now 'in the system' perhaps that wouldn't work as they'd know you bought the warranty to fix that.

I'd reach out and put in a call to Infiniti Canada and see if they are willing to warranty the work regardless as it's definitely a safety issue. If you crash, that seat isn't doing anything to save you and you WILL die or get seriously hurt...make sure they know that. Link them to this place and tell them it's a MAJOR issue on the Y50 M and has been for years.

[ericthered]

Now, I personally go to the dealer to get the coolant, transmission, and differential flushes...but that's just me. I need to do that now actually. It's pricey, but they use a nice nifty machine which sucks out 95% of the old stuff while replacing it with the same amount of new fluid. Your local mechanic might have the machine and charge less. transmission fluid is pretty pricey. The fluid alone is like $90 for the quantity needed. Coolant can be done at home (Google it) with distilled water and a hose, but it's a mess. Same for differential IMO. That's why I let the dealer do all three.

My local shop has the transmission flush machine, and does the job for a much less if I use OEM fluid, or a lot less if I use 3rd party fluid.
Maybe I didn't need to spend the extra $ for the OEM fluid and have 155K miles (I use high-end, non-OEM coolant).

I wouldn't bother with a transmission pan drain and refill. No harm, but not that effective.

[Ilya]

transmission pan drain and refill is useless, only a flush (as long as it's done regularly, not once at 100kmi) is what you need. A drain and fill only does about half the fluid if I recall.

I recommend coolant and transmission be FLUSHED (via the machine) at the dealer (or a competent local shop that has such a machine). Doing a drain/fill on either fluid is leaving a lot of old fluid in the system.