I absolutely love my 97 I30T but today I got some bad news from the dealer. Back in November they replaced the rear main seal, oil pressure sending unit, both axel seals, starter, and knock sensor. Well last weekend I noticed there was a small puddle of oil under the car so I brought the car to my mechanic. He said both axel seals were leaking transmission fluid again and although he couldn't tell for sure it looked like the rear main seal was leaking oil again. So he suggested that I return to the dealer with it since they replaced both of those seals only 4,000 miles ago.
The service department at my local Infiniti dealership called me today and said that they are almost positive that there are bad bearings inside the transmission which means that the axels are loose and are chewing up the axel seals. They then went on to say that somehow this is causing the rear main oil seal to leak again but that doesn't make any sense to me.
Anyway they're suggesting that I just replace the transmission to the tune of roughly $2000. Some friends of mine are suggesting that I trade the car in as soon as possible. I love this car but even if I throw $2000 into it there is no guarantee that this is the real problem. And if it is what if the car starts to nickel and dime me now. I just bought a house and I'm getting married in a month so I really didn't want a car payment again but I don't think I have a choice. Any suggestions?
BIG Problems With My I30T I'm So Depressed (Long Read)
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Dust N Bones
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SCOOTER240
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unfortunatle i have seen a few i30 and maxima transmission's(especially manuals) wear the output bearings-especially if they have been raced or driven hard-replacing the bearings is not too difficult but there is some labour involved-as for the rear main it is possible for the crank to have a groove worn into it-depending on mileage and maintainence-that could be a possibility for warranty
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Dust N Bones
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- Car: 2001 I30, 2000 Nissan Altima (Wife's)
elwesso wrote:If the transmission is shifting fine, its 95% good... Nothing that couldnt be easily fixed.. if the axle seals are leaking, have them fix that.....
Id say that you could get this all taken care of for $1000... You should have a year/12000 miles on all your stuff, a la infiniti warranty...
They are pretty much refusing to replace the axel seals again. They're saying that even though they are waranteed they are wearing so quickly because the axels are loose. I didn't fight with them but if I make them replace all the seals again and this happens again in a few months I guess I'd know for sure that they're right.
Having to replace a transmission will happen.No reason to trade in car where when asked you would have to truthfully disclose the defect if someone were to ask directly (in most states).
I belive it will be a lot cheaper to keep it+fixed, than to trade it in at a huge loss plus spend several $$'s for an equal replacement.
Fed...
I belive it will be a lot cheaper to keep it+fixed, than to trade it in at a huge loss plus spend several $$'s for an equal replacement.
Fed...
Someone tell me this things dont happen to 1999 Q45s
about the transmission shifting. well, when my car was having those uncomfortable shiftings, i was lil paranoid thinking something was wrong.
it turns out, according to the car manual, the car will keep having those uncomfortable shifts when i'm driving in low speeds. now, that was a relief. to minimize the shifts, turn off the overdrive button.
about the transmission shifting. well, when my car was having those uncomfortable shiftings, i was lil paranoid thinking something was wrong.
it turns out, according to the car manual, the car will keep having those uncomfortable shifts when i'm driving in low speeds. now, that was a relief. to minimize the shifts, turn off the overdrive button.
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BadQ45t
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'05 Nissan X-Terra S 4x4
'97 Infiniti Q45t SOLD! Miss the old girl
'84 Nissan 300ZX (Original Owner)
'16 Mercedes Benz S550e V8 Power & 35 MPG - Location: Half Moon Bay, CA
The transmission on that I is totally different than a Q45, you do not need to worry about that. I'm really surprised, the I30 has a very good reputation. HOw many miles your got on that car? I'd complain big time to Infiniti directly, tell them about the repairs you did already...how many miles on it? Since powertrain warranty just ended, I'd try going up the food chain at Infiniti to see if you can get any help.
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Dust N Bones
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The car has 79,000 miles on it which is only 4,000 more than it had when I had all the work done on it in November. And I never abused it at all, it was very well taken care of. I actually argued with the sales manager on Friday and he kept saying that he understood what I was saying but there was nothing he could do.
But since my last post comes some exciting news!! I traded it in on Saturday for a 2001 I30. The dealer was well aware of the problems with the car and they still gave close to what the trade in value of the car was. Actually I got an extra $2000 because the dealership had sent me this voucher in the mail saying that they would give me $2000 above what my car was worth on a trade in. I think I really pissed them off because I didn't spring that on them until after I got them as low as they would go. They were asking $19,900 for the 2001 and with my trade I got it for $11,000. I think I made out pretty good.
But since my last post comes some exciting news!! I traded it in on Saturday for a 2001 I30. The dealer was well aware of the problems with the car and they still gave close to what the trade in value of the car was. Actually I got an extra $2000 because the dealership had sent me this voucher in the mail saying that they would give me $2000 above what my car was worth on a trade in. I think I really pissed them off because I didn't spring that on them until after I got them as low as they would go. They were asking $19,900 for the 2001 and with my trade I got it for $11,000. I think I made out pretty good.
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Q45tech
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1995 G20t 5 speed 334,000 miles 16" 2002 wheels - 205/50/16 Sr20ve vvl
"And I never abused it at all," SAY WHAT?
Did you change the oil every 90 days and ALL the other fluids every year, otherwise you abused it!
The factory/dealer change intervals are just designed to make it last thru warranty.........it lasted 7 years what more do they want.1 year beyond warranty is great for entry level vehicles when they already have a 6/70k warranty.
Did you change the oil every 90 days and ALL the other fluids every year, otherwise you abused it!
The factory/dealer change intervals are just designed to make it last thru warranty.........it lasted 7 years what more do they want.1 year beyond warranty is great for entry level vehicles when they already have a 6/70k warranty.
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carlos_knology
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Q45tech wrote:"And I never abused it at all," SAY WHAT?
Did you change the oil every 90 days and ALL the other fluids every year, otherwise you abused it!
Dennis, aren't you being a bit harsh? We're all in here to discuss/learn about these cars.
Most people take the factory-recommended maintenance schedules as gospel. I would expect that most people posting on NICO are the type of people that care about their car and want to do the right thing.
If he hangs out in here long enough, he will see what he should be doing and how that may differ from the dealer/manufacturer recommendations.
In any case, I think he was talking about abusing the car while driving. Abuse that could be directly correlated to the transmission bearings issue.
Carlos
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elwesso
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2007 BMW M Coupe
2007 Infiniti G35 S 6MT - Location: Indiana
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Especially for fluids.. I can see letting plugs, shocks, o2 sensors go for longer, as they dont wear like fluids do...
Not to mention every fluid for the Q (sans actsus fluid) is around or less than $3/unit... CHEAP MAINTENANCE....
one of the techs on cadillac forums (he helped design the northstar system), and he goes on about how you only need to follow the oil life monitor, nad can go up to 4000 miles (in more than 90 days!), and thats just too much...
If you wanna make it to 250k and have it running like it does now, this is what you gotta do..... I think my Q is good to 250k before things start getting catestrophic... Hell, all my maintenance (besides fluids) are all set till around 190k!
Not to mention every fluid for the Q (sans actsus fluid) is around or less than $3/unit... CHEAP MAINTENANCE....
one of the techs on cadillac forums (he helped design the northstar system), and he goes on about how you only need to follow the oil life monitor, nad can go up to 4000 miles (in more than 90 days!), and thats just too much...
If you wanna make it to 250k and have it running like it does now, this is what you gotta do..... I think my Q is good to 250k before things start getting catestrophic... Hell, all my maintenance (besides fluids) are all set till around 190k!
The modern everyday car will last 5-10 years and 100,000 miles without meticulous maintenance -- just coolant, brakes, oil, tires, plugs and wires, and normal items that can wear enough to warrant replacement.
As Brian said, "any mileage beyond initial warranty period is considered bonus mileage by OEM". Youre exceeding planned obsolescence.
You only need to maintain a vehicle to last as long as you plan to keep it. Most Americans replace their Hondas and Toyotas every 3-4 years, sometimes longer for trucks. And a large number of luxury car buyers are just drive-and-dump leasers.
The maintenance routines followed by a typical NICO enthusiast are what I consider extreme. Most people only fix what's broken, and pragmatically dont need to do anything more than that.
Reality Check: To most North Americans, a car is just an appliance!
Sorry I jacked the thread... I hope your I30 transmission problem is resolved.
-Jesda
As Brian said, "any mileage beyond initial warranty period is considered bonus mileage by OEM". Youre exceeding planned obsolescence.
You only need to maintain a vehicle to last as long as you plan to keep it. Most Americans replace their Hondas and Toyotas every 3-4 years, sometimes longer for trucks. And a large number of luxury car buyers are just drive-and-dump leasers.
The maintenance routines followed by a typical NICO enthusiast are what I consider extreme. Most people only fix what's broken, and pragmatically dont need to do anything more than that.
Reality Check: To most North Americans, a car is just an appliance!
Sorry I jacked the thread... I hope your I30 transmission problem is resolved.
-Jesda
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Dust N Bones
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carlos_knology wrote:In any case, I think he was talking about abusing the car while driving. Abuse that could be directly correlated to the transmission bearings issue.Carlos
That is exactly what I meant. I never drove the car hard or manually shifted the automatic transmission. Although I'm glad you mentioned that the fluids should be changed every year because I have never heard of that. Does that include the antifreeze because usually after 2 years it still reads good to like 30 below.
Dust:
Congrats on your new car!
Be sure to upload up some pics in our members ride section ( link on homepage on left).
Fluid intervals depned on usage as much as time.
I am as meticilous as anyone and I feel 18 months for ATF fluid is a perfectlyt short interval that will mainatin to a high standard once a year is a bit often.
I also feel oil chnage intervals should always be tighter than what the OEM recommends.
As for coolant the Readout only reflects the ionic strenght in your cooling system and this affects resistance to freezing.But there are addiitves that can be depleted before this occurs such as corrosion inhibitors and acid/base buffers.
A fiull flush every 2 yuears will assure longevity and performance out of a cooling system.
Or alternativly a radiator drain with the seasons ( to adjust mix) can likely accomplish the same.
Fred..
Congrats on your new car!
Be sure to upload up some pics in our members ride section ( link on homepage on left).
Fluid intervals depned on usage as much as time.
I am as meticilous as anyone and I feel 18 months for ATF fluid is a perfectlyt short interval that will mainatin to a high standard once a year is a bit often.
I also feel oil chnage intervals should always be tighter than what the OEM recommends.
As for coolant the Readout only reflects the ionic strenght in your cooling system and this affects resistance to freezing.But there are addiitves that can be depleted before this occurs such as corrosion inhibitors and acid/base buffers.
A fiull flush every 2 yuears will assure longevity and performance out of a cooling system.
Or alternativly a radiator drain with the seasons ( to adjust mix) can likely accomplish the same.
Fred..
