Brought the Q in for an oil change and then...

[aces805]

So I bring my Q into the local dealership for an oil and filter change. It went well, prompt/friendly greeting, shuttle ride to and from home, car wash, and the knowledge that the Q got an OEM oil filter. When I pick the car up, of course the service adviser had a printed list of items requiring attention.

One of these items was the coolant bypass hoses, located beneath the plenum. Evidently, there was coolant leaking due to cracked/damaged hoses. Not a good thing at all. The service adviser quoted $1200.

I was able to make a deal with an Infiniti Sr. Tech on the side to replace those hoses for $400. He also drained and refilled the transmission fluid and replaced the fuel filter, completed these things at his home.

It's a 1% chance that I will ever remove the plenum on my Q in my lifetime, so...Did we make an okay deal here, or did either of us get the short end of the stick?

[MinisterofDOOM]

Considering the amount of labor and time involved, I'd say $400 is a price I'd be happy with.

[Jesda]

You owe him a $100 gift card to Outback Steakhouse, a complete DVD set of his favorite TV show, and a box of glazed doughnuts. You got an insane deal.

[maxnix]

It's a 1% chance that I will ever remove the plenum on my Q in my lifetime, so...Did we make an okay deal here, or did either of us get the short end of the stick?

It's actually 100% chance barring catastrophic failure that someone will be under the plenum again, probably very soon, if he only replaced the one leaking coolant hose. KS, other coolant and air by pass hoses, fuel hoses surely needed replacement also. Too bad you haven't read many of the multiple threads on that in these Forums here. For about another $600 in parts, he could have come out with all new parts that would have given your car about 100K miles before the under plenum visit was required again.

Also, I imagine he cleaned nothing. Cleaning the top of the engine alone requires a couple hours, not to mention TB, IAC and EGR valves, lower runners and the plenum itself. Cleaning and calibrating the injectors at Deatschwerks is a nice option also. Hope he used all new gaskets at least.

[aces805]

It's actually 100% chance barring catastrophic failure that someone will be under the plenum again, probably very soon, if he only replaced the one leaking coolant hose. KS, other coolant and air by pass hoses, fuel hoses surely needed replacement also. Too bad you haven't read many of the multiple threads on that in these Forums here. For about another $600 in parts, he could have come out with all new parts that would have given your car about 100K miles before the under plenum visit was required again.

Also, I imagine he cleaned nothing. Cleaning the top of the engine alone requires a couple hours, not to mention TB, IAC and EGR valves, lower runners and the plenum itself. Cleaning and calibrating the injectors at Deatschwerks is a nice option also. Hope he used all new gaskets at least.

From this response, it certainly appears my attempt at "fixing" my car was a wasted effort.

I do not have the resources/workspace for removing the plenum myself, I'll have to get someone else to do it. Looks like it's going to be sooner than later, unfortunately.

[maxnix]

The point is an owner can save thousands of dollars and lots of time and heartbreak by reading the posts here and understanding what is required to keep these cars on the road, performing great, and trouble free.

Avoiding repeat labor is a great money saver.

[Q451990]

It might be worth your while to post what was replaced if you have a list of parts on your invoice...

Heath

[jimbyjimb]

IOS put together kits for us that have all you need for certain jobs. Before you have work done again search the forums/Q45.org to see what else should be done as well. Ask questions first, shoot later.

[aces805]

Spoke with my new mechanic buddy today. According to him, he did replace all hoses that seemed brittle and needed swapping, including fuel hoses and coolant hoses. He also used new gaskets and told me he did all necessary work under the plenum so he wouldn't have to pull it again anytime soon. Again, this is coming from him. Next, he wants to replace:

-engine fan, has small cracks in the base that will worsen-says I should have a fuel pump on standby-diff fluid

We spoke for awhile and AFAIK he is a good man. In his garage is a 91 Q that is in excellent condition, an 04 G35, and he also has a Mercury Villager that he let me use while he had my Q. FWIW the minivan drove very well. (I think those Merc Villagers are Nissan Quest clones.) I just hope things work out with my Q, as I want to keep it for a long time.

Interesting story he told me about Q45s. Infiniti sent techs to a facility when the Q's first launched and he said the cars were driven to 160mph.

I know theres some techs on this board, can anyone confirm?

[BadQ45t]

I think your fine...this is an older car and he took care of the main stuff under there. Rest easy tonight, your good.

[unknown007]

I think you got a good deal regardless.Just keep in touch with him for the future. Wish I had a deal like that,just remember to always peek in the valley to see if it leaks.

[96Qowner]

It sounds like you found a good G50 tech, and that price is truly great. Jesda's advice is right on - do something nice for him.

And yep, 160mph is no sweat, if you bypass the 155mph limiter with a modified ECU. I think the fasted posted on NICO has been 180mph:

zerothread?id=202514

[maxnix]

Interesting story he told me about Q45s. Infiniti sent techs to a facility when the Q's first launched and he said the cars were driven to 160mph.

I know theres some techs on this board, can anyone confirm?

Had a guy who was high in Infiniti when first introduced said he drove one at the proving ground I think in Arizona told me he drove one at 160-165 mph. I am thinking those first press cars didn't have the speed limiter.

I am very skeptical about 180 mph.

[aces805]

Had a guy who was high in Infiniti when first introduced said he drove one at the proving ground I think in Arizona told me he drove one at 160-165 mph. I am thinking those first press cars didn't have the speed limiter.

I am very skeptical about 180 mph.

Wow the fastest I've driven in my Q is 125mph on a virtually empty freeway, and I thought that the car was amazingly stable at that speed. The car had more to give but I went back down to 70mph soon after because I'm not 18 yrs old anymore...It's kind of cool to know one's 15 yr old, pure stock car can go that fast.

[jmorasch]

WOW!!!!!!!!!!! Your a blessed man.....I pray the Q45 GOD helps me with something(someone) like that!!!!! A gift card yeah that be nice,Id offer to cut has yard,trim his trees,fresh paint job for the car... sounds like youve met someone thats DEFINATLY added to the christmas list!!!

[szh]

And, as always, anytime you drive a car over 100mph - particularly our heavy sedans - please make darn sure that the tires are in perfect condition. Balanced, no internal patches (i.e., no repairs ... reduces the speed and load ratings), inflated at least 4 to 5 psi over the normal values to avoid over-heating the sidewalls when they flex repeatedly and more often.

Reason: you do NOT want a tire blowout at high speeds - the outcome is mostly likely to be fatal in any street car! Witness the Ford - Firestone debacle.

Z