Any EX35 Owners who DIY?

[NJGuy]

This post kind of stems from the "30K = $900" thread. 30k-900-t544407.html
It got me wondering: how many of you do your own maintenance and repair work on your EX? I wouldn't consider myself a shadetree mechanic, but I've performed as much of the maintenance items on my vehicles as I could within my means. This is pretty much the easy stuff, including most fluid changes, tire rotations, filters, batteries, bulbs, wipers, spark plugs and brakes.

While I could spend a good portion of the day exploring and tinkering with my car in the garage to learn about the various workings of the vehicle and how the systems interconnect, I no longer have the luxury of excess free time on my hands to do so. Nowadays when I am working on my cars, I always seem to have some kind of time constraint.

With my Honda vehicles (which were high volume models), it always seemed that there were informative and detailed documented procedures on-line on how to do certain maintenance tasks on them or perform fixes on common problems. Having these procedures saved me a lot of time and frustration. They allowed me to study and plan ahead, get the proper tools, avoid pitfalls and mistakes, and deal with obstacles. More importantly, the procedures provided lots of tips, tricks, and hints that you would not find in a factory service manual. These in turn gave me confidence to do some jobs that I had no prior experience with.

Since the EX is a low volume vehicle, there is generally a lot less information on it out there. And when it comes to luxury vehicles, I expect that even less luxury owners work on their vehicles than owners of non-luxury makes, let alone post How-to's. Having the FSM is helpful, but I'm really looking for all the little 'extras' that make the jobs easier. Looking at the NICOCLUB technical articles, it seems like most of them are geared to the G35/G37 and other models. Have many of you moved from other Nissan/Infiniti products to the EX? And would anyone happen to know how similar the EX, FX, M, and G series mechanicals are to each other?

Since I am new to Nissan/Infiniti, I'm almost starting from scratch when it comes to DIY maintenance on the EX35. I got to know my Hondas inside out when it came to maintenance. Also with the Hondas, it seemed like the recommended maintenance items were a bit more definitive when compared to the Infiniti ones. It looks like Infiniti has: 1. the "Premium Maintenance" a.k.a. money maker for the dealership service dept.; 2. "Schedule 1" maintenance, which most people probably fall under; and 3. "Schedule 2", for those who have ideal driving conditions. I think I'll be following schedule 2, but I might perform a few of the fluid changes a little bit early. Does anyone have their own recommended schedule for ATF, transfer case, and rear diff fluid? Coming from Hondas, I changed their ATF more frequently because of their less than stellar record with automatic transmissions.

Since my wife thought that I was a Honda 'expert', she had very little problem with me doing the work on our Hondas. Now that we have the EX, she is a bit hesitant to let me work on the car. I haven't had time to familiarize myself with its underpinnings. Our first oil change also came up before I had time to really study the car, so she brought it to the dealership. I'm hoping to know enough about the EX to perform the 30K maintenance items by the time we reach that mileage.

If someone can start posting their own DIY procedures on these kinds of things, I'd be very grateful. If nobody puts anything up, I guess I'll just have to learn as I go along. If I get the chance and have the time, I'll put up some of my own as well (including photos).

So to sum up my questions:
1. How many of you do your own maintenance and repair work on your EX? If you do, what is the extent?
2. For those that DIY, would you be willing to post step by step instructions on the maintenance/repair items you perform, as well as taking pictures along the way?
3. Have many of you moved from other Nissan/Infiniti products to the EX?
4. How similar are the EX, FX, M, and G series mechanicals to each other? Are some of the procedures done on the FX, M and G models identical to those done on the EX?
5. Does anyone have their own recommended schedule for ATF, transfer case, rear diff, and other fluids, that varies from Infiniti's recommendation?

Thanks in advance.

[XIS]

I do a lot DIY... not as much as when I was younger when I did everything. Now the main reason I don't do things like fluid changes is just because I don't want to deal with disposal or make a mess!

I have had my EX for a few months now. I upgraded my headlights to silverstar ultras, changed out all my interior lights to white LED and also my running lights too. I still change my own brake pads/filters/wipers/plugs/etc... just no oil, ATF or Diff fluid. I may start doing that again since my oldest is almost driving age and he needs to learn this s*** too!

I came from VW, Lexus and Acura. There is a ton more info out there for those cars, but this forum is picking up !
This is my first Infiniti too. I am in love with it right now. More power, better looks and much better MPG than my Acura RDX. Very happy with the coupe feel of this versitile mini-cuv.

Time to change to synthetic oil at my next change. Can the ATF and Diff fluids wait till 60K?

[Tasman]

1. Not a DYIer at all. I am older than XIS so I do not even do oil changes. I did enjoy auto crossing a Datsun 510 way back when so it is interesting that I am back into the Nissan camp.
2. N/A
3. My last vehicle was a G35 and the vehicle before that was a Maxima. Other than the 510 mention before, I have had many Toyotas, Acuras, and Chevies. I have loved Infiniti the most.
4. Cannot answer. You need to talk to an authorized mechanic to answer that.
5. Follow the Infinti recommended service on the power train components to keep your warranty valid. Keep your receipts and make sure that your mechanic uses the fluid specifications required by Infiniti.

[Avalanche325]

I am and have always been a DIY guy. I will take the car in to get a warrenty item fixed, because why pay for the parts? So far, door wood trim and a MAF sensor.

So far on the EX I have done the following:

Oil/filter change. (Extremely easy on this car)
Air filters (Easier than extremely easy)
Drive belt (medium compaired to other cars I have done)
Front and rear brake pads with fluid change (easy)
TIre rotation (Would have been easy if the donk that owned the car before me had put the wheel lock key in the car)
permanent wire-in of a radar detector.
Added an on/off switch and a mute / volume switch next to the sonar off switch.

Next jobs:
ATF change (I will be using the Nissan ATF after what I have been reading)
Cabin filter
Probably a Megan Racing muffler

I have had a QX4 and a Nissan Primera (overseas), which is a G20 here.

I wouldn't worry too much about being a Honda expert. Most things you have learned will apply. I have had Chevy, Buick, Olds, Ford, BMW, Alfa Romeo, and Nissan products.

I would reccommend downloading the manuals that are available here. These have all of the procedures that you need and then some. They also have torque specs, etc.

[NJGuy]

Now the main reason I don't do things like fluid changes is just because I don't want to deal with disposal or make a mess!

From all the messes I've made in my younger days doing fluid changes, I've learned to wear gloves, spread newspaper on the floor, keep my rags and towels right next to me, and strategically place my drain pans. Once a year I usually bring all my bottles of waste fluid to the county disposal site for recycling along with my other household recyclables. So for me, it isn't too much of a hassle.

I may start doing that again since my oldest is almost driving age and he needs to learn this s*** too!

My daughter is still young, but I'm hoping to be able to teach her some of this stuff before it gets too hard for me to crawl under the car and do these things. Besides, she fits under there a lot more easily than I do .

I came from VW, Lexus and Acura. There is a ton more info out there for those cars, but this forum is picking up !

I have no experience with Lexus, but my sister used to have a VW. Honestly, it was a joy to drive. I didn't do much work on her car, but the couple of minor jobs I helped her with, along with perceived German reliability, complicated assemblies and layouts, and dealership service dept. horror stories really scared me away from even considering one.

Can the ATF and Diff fluids wait till 60K?

The mileage interval for those powertrain fluids is the big question...

[NJGuy]

4. Cannot answer. You need to talk to an authorized mechanic to answer that.

If I get the chance, I'll put up a post in the "Infiniti Online Mechanic" section to ask about the differences between the model lines. It appears that the many model years of the EX, FX, G, and M have a longitudinally mounted VQ engine variant, 5spd A/T, standard RWD and optional AWD. And there are a good number of How-tos availble for these cars. I'm interested to find out where all the similarities end. Since the EX is based on the G platform, I'd imagine that they are the probably closest to being the same. From some of the photos I've seen, the EX's and G's dashboard and center stack look nearly identical.

5. Follow the Infinti recommended service on the power train components to keep your warranty valid. Keep your receipts and make sure that your mechanic uses the fluid specifications required by Infiniti.

The Infiniti Premium service says to replace the ATF, differential, and transfer case oils at 30K intervals; Schedule 1 says to inspect at 15K intervals, and to replace at 30K intervals if towing a trailer, using a camper or car-top carrier, or driving on rough or muddy roads. Obviously towing is not recommended with the EX and campers do not apply here. I'm guessing most of us don't use a car-top carrier year-round. And rough and muddy roads, while open to interpretation, are what I'd think: unpaved surfaces. Otherwise, there is no change interval for these fluids in Schedule 1 or 2 services. So unless you're following the Premium service schedule, there doesn't seem to be any mileage interval for changing those fluids.

I have faith in Infiniti's design and I'm not expecting that the powertrain components to fail early. But if a failure does occur in the warranty period, I don't see how Infiniti can deny warranty coverage if you followed Schedule 1, never changed the fluid, and never drove in the conditions described above.

If I do change those fluids while still under warranty, I'll be sure to use what Infiniti recommends.

[NJGuy]

I will take the car in to get a warrenty item fixed, because why pay for the parts?

For anything warranty related, I let the dealer handle it. It's on their dime, it gets documented in their system, and they're the ones held accountable if any related issues arise. I'd only perform a warranty fix myself if the dealership service dept. is totally incompetent and I have the means to do it. Fortunately, I've never had that experience.

So far on the EX I have done the following:

Oil/filter change. (Extremely easy on this car)
Air filters (Easier than extremely easy)
Drive belt (medium compaired to other cars I have done)
Front and rear brake pads with fluid change (easy)
TIre rotation (Would have been easy if the donk that owned the car before me had put the wheel lock key in the car)
permanent wire-in of a radar detector.
Added an on/off switch and a mute / volume switch next to the sonar off switch.

For the first oil change, I might spend about 5 minutes trying to figure out the underbody pan/cover. Once I figure it out, I'll be comfortable with the rest of the job.
The air filters look very straightforward.
When the time comes to change the drive belt, I might come back to you with some questions.
I've only changed brakes on single piston calipers, so I might have to take a minute or two to figure out the difference on a dual piston setup.
My tires are not directional, so I don't like Infiniti's 'front to rear' rotation pattern. I'll probably just do the 'X' pattern like some of you guys have recommended here.
I have very little experience when it comes to electrical work and mods. I'm not comfortable doing them unless I had a beater car to make mistakes with and learn on. Also, my wife would probably freak out if she saw me disassemble the interior panels on her baby.

Next jobs:
ATF change (I will be using the Nissan ATF after what I have been reading)

I might come back to you with questions on this as well.

What have you read about the Nissan ATF? I'll stick with the OEM recommendation while in the warranty period, but I might try something else afterward. With Hondas and Acuras, most owners were scared to stray from the 'special' Honda ATF; the vehicles use an unconventional transmission design which seemed very sensitive to fluid type. However, it turned out that there are other fluids available that appear to work just as well, if not better than the Honda juice.

I would reccommend downloading the manuals that are available here. These have all of the procedures that you need and then some. They also have torque specs, etc.

I've downloaded the manuals and have briefly looked through some of them as well. While FSMs are great, they sometimes don't show some of the other steps needed to gain better access to what you want to work on. I guess in those cases, I'll have to make use of my brain and do some actual thinking .

[TomT]

I have done most of my own maintenance in the past. So far I've only changed the 2 engine filters which couldn't have been any easier. Haven't changed oil yet since I got 2 years worth of free oil changes from the dealer. I'm sure I eventually will, although I will probably have to invest in a ramp because there's not much ground clearance on the EX. I let the dealer install the cabin air filter. Seems to be a lot of hassle. (note to Infinity: why would you make it difficult to change something that regularly need's changing?)

[Avalanche325]

For the first oil change, I might spend about 5 minutes trying to figure out the underbody pan/cover. Once I figure it out, I'll be comfortable with the rest of the job.

It is really easy on the EX. You have to take the splash pan down, which is the majority of the effort. It is made where if you had a lift, you only take the bolts out of the front and it hinges down. I am not that lucky. Anyhow, take out all the 10mm bolts, then there are three plastic plugs that you use a flat blade screwdriver on to pull the center out and the pan is off. The nice thing is that if you have a decent sized drain pan you can pull the plug (14mm IIRC) and change the filter with it all dripping in the pan. It is a clean shot to get the filter, so no mess at all. When putting back together, use the three plastic plugs first and they hold the splash pan in place.

You can do this without even jacking the car up if you don't mind scrunching yourself under the car a bit.

The air filters look very straightforward.

If it takes 5 minutes, you are taking your time.

When the time comes to change the drive belt, I might come back to you with some questions.

Yep. Just give us a yell. Not too bad. The big thing is the routing pattern, which is in the owners manual. Also "pin" the tensioner in the slack position.

I've only changed brakes on single piston calipers, so I might have to take a minute or two to figure out the difference on a dual piston setup.

No differance. Just use the old pad when pushing the pistons back in.

My tires are not directional, so I don't like Infiniti's 'front to rear' rotation pattern. I'll probably just do the 'X' pattern like some of you guys have recommended here.

I have always done front to back. Early radials had issues with X. Probably not applicable today. But, Infiniti says F to B so I am sticking to it. My wear pattern looks very even.

[XIS]

About to tackle my first DIY oil/filter change.
I was going to use either Mobil 1 or Castrol Synthetic. Any preferences out there?
What about the oil filter. Which non-oem filter do you like?

[CDNicecube]

I do a lot DIY... changed out all my interior lights to white LED and also my running lights too. ?

XIS, I would like to change the interior lights to white LED lights as well (and the running lights); can you tell me where you got them, and which model/part no. you got please?

Thanks

[XIS]

Happy to help.
That was a great and easy mod (LED lights) and I feel your pain as far as trying to decide which ones to use, etc. There are a lot of types and sizes, then there are different numbers of LED's in each, etc.
Here is what I used… you can select different amounts (or colors) of LEDs per light, depending on your preference.

• Hatch - these take the 31mm festoon bulbs. I used the ones with 16 led chips on each. – two of them… http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-X-White-Dome- ... 4ab0ef14a4

• All others were wedge bulbs.

• Running Lights - I used two 25 chip LEDs - http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 8943419009... Initially I had 5 chip bulbs here but wanted something brighter. I put them in my wife’s car. http://www.ebay.com/itm/One-Pair-T10-28 ... 519be9be7b
• Map, Passenger and Door lights - I used six 10 chip LEDs - http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0677718731
• Driving lights – I tucked a strip under the front bumper in that small 1/8” or so gap and wired them to the driving lights. You can not see them unless they are on. http://www.ebay.com/itm/LED-WHITE-2X-12 ... 2a134185af

• I ordered my wireless rear view camera and when I wire that to my reverse lights, I will update the license-plate lights to LED too. I think they are also wedge bulbs, but I have some festoons left over just in case!


Good luck!


Oh - and by the way ...relating to the oil change above, I used Castrol Edge synthetic and a K&N oil filter.

[canuck99]

About to tackle my first DIY oil/filter change.
I was going to use either Mobil 1 or Castrol Synthetic. Any preferences out there?
What about the oil filter. Which non-oem filter do you like?

Based on requirements, the EX35 isn't very picky on oil.

Look for a group IV synthetic made from a PAO base. There's a lot of discussion with respect to a lot of North American based synthetic oils being 'hopped up' conventional oils. Some of these hopped up conventional oils can't be marketed as 'synthetic' in some countries - like Germany. In North America, the oil companies have good lawyers.

German Castrol Syntec is a good oil... and there are many others too.

[NJGuy]

About to tackle my first DIY oil/filter change.
I was going to use either Mobil 1 or Castrol Synthetic. Any preferences out there?
What about the oil filter. Which non-oem filter do you like?

IMO, I don't think it matters too much what kind of oil you pick as long as it meets the vehicle's requirements. In our case, it would be a 5W-30 that's SM rated. With all the advances in lubrication technology and reliability of modern engines, I'm pretty sure that if you follow the recommended maintenance, the engine's internal components will still be working just fine when you finally get rid of the car. How many oil related engine failures (not defect related) on properly maintained engines do you hear about nowadays?

While synthetic oils are nice and may provide better protection than conventional, I don't believe that we'll really be able to see any noticeable difference in engine wear in our street driven vehicles. If you like to pamper your vehicles, there's nothing wrong with using a high quality synthetic oil. I'd say that the biggest advantage synthetics have over conventional oils is that they usually provide protection over a longer period of time; so you could probably run a longer oil change interval.

While I'm still under warranty, I'll just stick with a brand name conventional or semi-syn oil, good quality filter (likely OEM), and the 3,750 mile OCI. Once the warranty is up, I might consider moving to a synthetic (doesn't matter to me if it's a Group III or IV), a better filter, and a 5,000-7,500 OCI to lessen the number of times I have to get under the car.

[XIS]

I am coming from an RDX and it was very specific about oil. Even had the details printed on the oil cap.. ONLY USE MOBIL 1 SYNTHETIC... so I guess I was overthinking it.
I definately prefer synthetic for a few reasons... extended intervals, better product, higher temps, etc. I am in the desert and summers with 8 straight weeks over 110f and 4-5 months over 100f makes you think about that stuff.

off to the dealer in just a few to get my hatch struts replaced under wty, and have them look at a few minor buggers too.

[canuck99]

About to tackle my first DIY oil/filter change.
I was going to use either Mobil 1 or Castrol Synthetic. Any preferences out there?
What about the oil filter. Which non-oem filter do you like?

IMO, I don't think it matters too much what kind of oil you pick as long as it meets the vehicle's requirements. In our case, it would be a 5W-30 that's SM rated. With all the advances in lubrication technology and reliability of modern engines, I'm pretty sure that if you follow the recommended maintenance, the engine's internal components will still be working just fine when you finally get rid of the car. How many oil related engine failures (not defect related) on properly maintained engines do you hear about nowadays?

While synthetic oils are nice and may provide better protection than conventional, I don't believe that we'll really be able to see any noticeable difference in engine wear in our street driven vehicles. If you like to pamper your vehicles, there's nothing wrong with using a high quality synthetic oil. I'd say that the biggest advantage synthetics have over conventional oils is that they usually provide protection over a longer period of time; so you could probably run a longer oil change interval.

While I'm still under warranty, I'll just stick with a brand name conventional or semi-syn oil, good quality filter (likely OEM), and the 3,750 mile OCI. Once the warranty is up, I might consider moving to a synthetic (doesn't matter to me if it's a Group III or IV), a better filter, and a 5,000-7,500 OCI to lessen the number of times I have to get under the car.

Actually, the oil does make a tremendous difference... I've seen engines apart that were running on conventional oil that were all sludged up - same engines on synthetic looked fine. HOWEVER, with the short OCI's recommended by Infiniti (conventional or synthetic), it's probably fine to use either.

[TimGinCentralNJ]

So to sum up my questions:
1. How many of you do your own maintenance and repair work on your EX? If you do, what is the extent?
2. For those that DIY, would you be willing to post step by step instructions on the maintenance/repair items you perform, as well as taking pictures along the way?
3. Have many of you moved from other Nissan/Infiniti products to the EX?
4. How similar are the EX, FX, M, and G series mechanicals to each other? Are some of the procedures done on the FX, M and G models identical to those done on the EX?
5. Does anyone have their own recommended schedule for ATF, transfer case, rear diff, and other fluids, that varies from Infiniti's recommendation?

Thanks in advance.

Hey NJGuy-

I live in Bloomsbury if you know where that is. And welcome to the fold

FWIW, I do know there are some folks here who DIY, but for the most part I think you'll find since most of these cars are relatively new overall, this won't be like many online DIY forums you may be familiar with...at least not until our warranties start expiring

I purchased an extended warranty from Infiniti so I'm covered for the major stuff for a while yet, however, even though I don't work on my cars as often as I used to pre-kids, I'm not totally sure I can justify laying out the cash for the milestone service intervals you referenced. So, I may be doing more of it in the near future. To date, I've only done rotors and pads on my 2008 EX (speaking of which, if you need a recommendation on some good aftermarket pads/rotors, let me know. The OEM brake parts are good, but do not last). I have documented a fair amount of the work which I've done on my old bmws, and would have no problem doing that on my EX when the time comes.

I, too, am curious about the transmission service interval. At least in my travels anyway, waiting until 60K or longer sounds like asking for trouble, but again--I am still getting to know these cars myself.

Sorry I didn't answer any of your questions, but looking forward to seeing you 'round the board....

Tim

[NJGuy]

Hey NJGuy-

I live in Bloomsbury if you know where that is. And welcome to the fold

FWIW, I do know there are some folks here who DIY, but for the most part I think you'll find since most of these cars are relatively new overall, this won't be like many online DIY forums you may be familiar with...at least not until our warranties start expiring

I purchased an extended warranty from Infiniti so I'm covered for the major stuff for a while yet, however, even though I don't work on my cars as often as I used to pre-kids, I'm not totally sure I can justify laying out the cash for the milestone service intervals you referenced. So, I may be doing more of it in the near future. To date, I've only done rotors and pads on my 2008 EX (speaking of which, if you need a recommendation on some good aftermarket pads/rotors, let me know. The OEM brake parts are good, but do not last). I have documented a fair amount of the work which I've done on my old bmws, and would have no problem doing that on my EX when the time comes.

I, too, am curious about the transmission service interval. At least in my travels anyway, waiting until 60K or longer sounds like asking for trouble, but again--I am still getting to know these cars myself.

Sorry I didn't answer any of your questions, but looking forward to seeing you 'round the board....

Tim

Hi Tim,

Thanks for the greeting. I'm not sure exactly where Bloomsbury is, but I think its somewhere in the Hunterdon/Warren County area. I'm further North in Sussex County. I don't know if I noticed this before, but I'm starting to see more EX's in my area lately. AWD G sedans appear to be quite common around here though.

Like you, I'm not sure that I could justify paying the dealership for the services I could do myself. I already have most of the basic tools for doing this stuff, and this vehicle doesn't look incredibly difficult or frustrating to work on. Also, I find that working in the garage lets me have some alone time for myself and provides a brief getaway from hectic family life, while giving my mind (and body) a little exercise .

I just did an oil change this past weekend on the EX and performed some of the other 30k maintenance items. But I broke the promise I made here about taking and posting photos because I forgot to take my camera out with me .

I'm still trying to decide what to do about the ATF change interval; my ATF was clean as a whistle when I checked it.

[NJGuy]

Just wanted to share some notes, thoughts, and opinions after doing the 30k maintenance.

This past Sunday, I had some time allocated for my own activities. My choices were:
a. Watch my NFL team play their week 17 game; they were a long shot to make the playoffs since they needed to beat their division rival and needed 3 other teams to lose. Or
b. Perform maintenance on the EX.
I chose (b.) because the weather was unseasonably warm, because I didn’t know when I’d have time again to do the work, and I didn’t want the EX to go too far past the mileage interval. Also, my NFL team played like garbage on Sunday; so if I ended up watching the entire game, the maintenance on the EX still wouldn’t be done and I would have been irritated at my team regardless .

Lifiting the EX:
While the floor of the EX is higher than my wife’s old Accord, it was surprising to me that the central lifting point under the front of the car was lower than the Honda. I guess it’s partly due to the splash shield and longitudinal engine/transmission setup. It probably helps to lower the center of gravity as well.
I have a 3 ton high lift floor jack and typically place a hard rubber hockey puck in the saddle as a “buffer” when lifting my vehicles. When fully lowered, this combo wouldn’t fit under my EX at the central jacking point on the frame; so I drove the front wheels onto some wood blocks to raise the front a little. I had no issues lifting the rear of the car at the differential. Jack stands went under all four side jacking points. I had to raise the EX up a bit high because I found little room to maneuver under the car when the tires were barely off the floor.

Oil change:
My lower splash shield had an opening for the engine oil drain plug and a “door” with 3 screws for the oil filter. However, I had a feeling that the oil wouldn’t drain without hitting or catching on the splash shield. So I took the entire thing off to be on the safe side and to see everything. When removing and installing the splash shield, a cordless drill with a socket adapter and 10mm socket are your best friend here.

The drain plug was “gorilla” tight, while the filter was surprisingly easy to remove. There also appeared to be a copper crush washer used with the drain plug, but it was smooshed real good and there was no way I could remove it. I used another crush washer from the auto parts store when I reinstalled the plug. I didn’t go gorilla tight this time, but I made sure the new washer got flattened a bit. If I did this incorrectly, let me know. I didn’t see any leaks after replacing the plug.
Otherwise, the oil change was pretty typical.
I used the 5.1 gallon Pennzoil yellow bottle (conventional) and a standard Purolator filter.


Inspections:
Drive belt looked ok.
Fluid levels looked fine.
Brake pads had lots of meat left.
Brake lines looked fine.
Suspension components looked good.
Drive axle boots looked fine.
Exahust had the typical surface rust.

Steering rack: I removed the smaller splash shield out of curiosity and saw the steering components. Boots looked good, but it looked like there was a small amount of fluid weeping out of a drain plug on the steering rack. However, it didn’t look like anything serious.

I didn’t check the fuel and evap lines, propeller shaft, transfer case fluid, or rear diff fluid this time around. I’ll probably check them the next time I change the oil.

To check the ATF, I couldn’t find the dipstick until I removed the plastic engine cover. The ATF looked like it was just put in there right before I checked it. It was really that clean. I’m not sure about the reputations of these 5 speed autos, but it looks like these transmissions + the Nissan Matic S ATF (synthetic?) really may not need a fluid change for a while. If I do the change, I’m considering just a drain and fill (not a flush or complete replacement) at around 60k. On the other hand my Honda, with its 5 speed A/T mated to a V6, is incredibly hard on ATF; and their specified 30K intervals almost seem too long for performing maintenance.

Other items:
Tire rotation: Some of the lug nuts on the front wheels seemed to be over-torqued and required a good amount of my body weight to loosen. This in turn may have caused another issue for me. When it came time to reinstall and re-torque the lugnuts, it seemed as if my 21mm socket didn’t fit quite right on some of the front ones. I'm thinking that there is a chance the lug nuts got slightly deformed when they were over-torqued. In the end though, I didn’t have any issues stripping the lugnuts or getting the required 80 ft-lb tightness.

I probably should have checked the spare tire pressure, but the stupid screw that Infiniti uses to hold the subwoofer in place takes forever to remove and install.

Air filters: Thank you Nissan/Infiniti for making this so easy.
The filters were quite dirty, and probably original to the car. I used the Purolator filters because those were the ones available at the auto parts store.

I didn’t bother to change the cabin filter; that’s pretty low on my priority list.

Wipers: I’m not sure if the wipers on my EX were OEM, but they looked a little different than the picture in the owner’s manual. Changing them took about 5 minutes. Further, does Infinity require the entire blade to be changed, or can you just replace the rubber inserts? I didn’t check the old wipers to see if it could be done.

I found it funny that I had to reset the maintenance reminders in both the instrument panel and the headunit.

General observations:
Once some of the covers come off, it is easy to see where everything is and appears that mostly everything is accessible.
From under and around the vehicle, I could see where the cost differences came into play when compared to my Hondas. To name a few things, I saw extra bracing, beefy swaybars, aluminum suspension components, etc.

Stupid me forgot to bring the camera with me into the garage, so I don’t have any pictures at this time. I really hope to remember next time so I can share them.

[XIS]

thanks for the detailed info. Always helpful!

[TimGinCentralNJ]

Just wanted to share some notes, thoughts, and opinions after doing the 30k maintenance.

Great info, NJGuy....thanks for sharing with us.

Re: your other post, yes--I am in Hunterdon County. I have seen a handful of EX's around here (always AWD models) not to mention tons of G35's and G37's (also X's). My best friend who's now living in MA actually just leased a 2012 G37x and absolutely loves it...although he seems to still like my '08 EX better for some reason I'm very much looking forward to seeing how this car does in the freezing cold stuff as the 13" of wet, heavy snow we got October 29th wasn't much of a test. FWIW, it did do great though!

Cheers,
Tim

[Jackson49]

My wife and I have owned Nissan's since they were called Datsun, but were always "Nissan" My first was a 1200 Coupe and was a dream to maintain. Then a B210, 310, 1600 Convertible, Maxima, G20 (which we still have) and now the EX35. I traded a 2004 Honda Element in for the EX35 simply because it was not comfortable to take roadtrips in. Other than that I would buy another Honda in a heartbeat. It was a great car and gave me 122K of outstanding trouble free driving. But as you can see I kinda favor Nissan's.

I have always maintained my own vehicles except when they needed to go back to the dealer for warranty issues and that has not happened much. I have been retired for nearly a year now so I have plenty of time to fuss over our 2 Infiniti's.

The first thing I did was purchase a tech. manual on line. Then I changed the oil and filter as I had no maintenance records from anywhere. The only thing I saw from the CarFax is that the wiper blades and front brake pads were changed out. I contacted the dealership via email to see if they may provide me with some maintenance history but so far no reply. I may contact the original selling dealer to see if they can help.

It had 33K on the clock when we got it a month ago today and is in remarkable condition for an 08 model. So far I am really impressed with everything about the car. This (besides the G20) is the the first high end Nissan we have owned. We are leaving for Florida soon for our first road trip and I will let you know how it went when we return.

[jrmotorsports55]

I just picked up a used 08 AWD Journey with 22,000 miles on it, and want to subscribe to this for future reference.

Jason

[mikey1951]

Jackson49: I too acquired an 08 Journey AWD in Nov/11 with 39k on the clock. I have a good relationship with the service clerk/mgr who sent the past service history from past dealerships to me via fax. I now have a starting point to maintain our EX and this is what I found: (1) fuel pump replaced (noise) & (2) brake pads @ 23k - these seem to be common issues along with the steering column motor replacement since our ownership. We also had a bubble in the passenger door panel ( replaced) and they realigned our sunroof at n/c. Short story long - get to know your service clerk. Hope this helps.

[EXceptional]

The Dealer told me they use a piece of Cardboard to re-direct the dirty Oil away from the Engine-shield, so that the whole thing doesn't have to be removed.

Does anybody else have any tips on doing the Oil-drain, with out having to drop then entire Engine-shield?

[XIS]

I just unscrew the back part of the plastic shield and tie it up with a bungee cord to pull it away from the drain plug and oil filter area. It is meant to be bent there at the crease.

[EXceptional]

Can you do me a favor... and take some pictures the next time you have to do yours?

I guarantee you'll be changing yours before I get around to doing mine anytime soon.

We are lucky if we change our Oil once a year. Our vehicles are parked quite a bit, because we have Motorcycles.

[XIS]

You got it. I have about 4k since my last change so I should be changing it again before the end of the year.

[TimGinCentralNJ]

Can you do me a favor... and take some pictures the next time you have to do yours?

I guarantee you'll be changing yours before I get around to doing mine anytime soon.

We are lucky if we change our Oil once a year. Our vehicles are parked quite a bit, because we have Motorcycles.

Nice! I love the idea of a bike, but between A.) living in the most densely-populated state (by size) in the country, combined with B.) the white tailed deer over-population problem we have (the result of ineffective population reduction efforts due to A.), NJ is not a good place to own a bike, IMO.

Then again, I've never hit a moose....

Back on topic, as much as I once looked forward to some "bonding" time with my vehicles back when I was single and rented my dwellings, nowadays I'm lucky if I can find the time to do any work on my cars at all. Heck, it took an "act of congress" to get my wife to let me spend half a day changing out the front calipers, pads/rotors and brake fluid on my old 7-Series this past weekend (mostly because it meant she had to watch our 4 year old and our 5 year old by herself). And yes, I saved the family about $4-500 by doing it myself, but, this is why I don't even change my own oil any more. Dropping $60-70 at the dealer for a synth oil change seems like the more time-effective choice for me, especially since I only drive enough to justify changing it 2 times/year, plus I can work on my laptop while waiting in the lobby. Or there's always the free loaner car if they're running late.

I know.....it's kind of sad, right?

Tim

[lilwayne407]

Happy to help.
That was a great and easy mod (LED lights) and I feel your pain as far as trying to decide which ones to use, etc. There are a lot of types and sizes, then there are different numbers of LED's in each, etc.
Here is what I used… you can select different amounts (or colors) of LEDs per light, depending on your preference.

• Hatch - these take the 31mm festoon bulbs. I used the ones with 16 led chips on each. – two of them… http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-X-White-Dome- ... 4ab0ef14a4

• All others were wedge bulbs.

• Running Lights - I used two 25 chip LEDs - http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 8943419009... Initially I had 5 chip bulbs here but wanted something brighter. I put them in my wife’s car. http://www.ebay.com/itm/One-Pair-T10-28 ... 519be9be7b
• Map, Passenger and Door lights - I used six 10 chip LEDs - http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0677718731
• Driving lights – I tucked a strip under the front bumper in that small 1/8” or so gap and wired them to the driving lights. You can not see them unless they are on. http://www.ebay.com/itm/LED-WHITE-2X-12 ... 2a134185af

• I ordered my wireless rear view camera and when I wire that to my reverse lights, I will update the license-plate lights to LED too. I think they are also wedge bulbs, but I have some festoons left over just in case!


Good luck!


Oh - and by the way ...relating to the oil change above, I used Castrol Edge synthetic and a K&N oil filter.

Hey, I was wondering how you took all the covers for the lights off. My mom just bought a new EX 35 and I'm planning to work on it. Thanks in advance.