My advice is to buy any other car than infinity. I have 2006 fx35 w/ 24k miles, took to dealer because engine warning light on and car exhaust smoke. Told they had no idea why car smoking but to add fuel additive and drive at least 2 tankfulls. Within 2 weeks, car smoking worse and other mechanic (not dealer) found no oil in car. Took back to dealer and told me needed new engine and that infinity would not cover since engine "sludged". Manager said not their problem since I drove the car out of the dealership. Had 6 oil changes in 24k! Evidently, excessive oil use common w/ cars but infinity does NOT inform customers....DON'T BUY INFINITY

Umm, so you're coming onto an Infinti Forum to tell us not to like our cars or buy them?

Did you take the time to call Infiniti Corporate and file a complaint against your dealer and explain the situation?

Did you take the time to bring the car to another dealer to see if they would have the problem rectified?

Absolutely, went to 2 dealers (told that infinity would not allow them to work on the car), spoke with Infinity eastern region supervisor, went up the chain until i was told I was "wasting my time". spoke with an auto attorney who said clear negligence on infinity dealer's part but that infinity aware that attorney's fees and cost to me would exceed repair costs. Manager at first dealer actually sarcastically told me to sue them as he stated that my legal fees and costs would exceed repair cost.

Does your car have a salvage title?

Why is it you say you have called CA and still got no action, if you are the first owner with <30k miles you should have no issue. The only reasoning this tends to happen is the problem is not related to a defect in manufacturing or workmanship. Or the warranty has been voided for some reason.

I have personally been working on these cars since they were new and have never seen anyone in my shop replace a VQ35DE for any warrantable reason. There are no reported issues of these consuming oil. There are customers that bring their 03 in with almost 200k on them with no significant oil consumption.

This makes me question what kind of vehicle you bought. Did you buy it from a dealer? Did you have the car inspected before purchasing it used?

Something does no seem right here.

This a leased vehicle from Infinity; leased new. THe warranty is 4 yrs, 48k on the engine (not 30k). If you do a little more research on this engine from Nissan there are issues re excessive oil consumption that evidently the dealers do not divulge. I have spent hundreds of hours on this issue, my last appeal directly to the highest corporate level (no reply as yet); but I have already been informed by the eastern regional customer director that I am "wasting my time". Don't question my honesty or integrity, or waste me time either.

We'll question as we see fit.

The reason I say that? NNA and Infiniti peruse these boards pretty frequently, and we have several staffers and members who work for both...

Asking questions is the only way to get the necessary details to either:

a) Point you in the right direction to get your situation resolved, or

b) make enough of a stink so as to encourage the company to take care of a customer and avoid a PR snafu.

So, don't take the questions so personally - If what you say is accurate, then you should have nothing to be defensive about.

I am just a bit frustrated and annoyed by this whole thing. It is not my nature to use on of these boards to rant, and I am very suspicious by nature of anyone who does or who frequents this form of communication. ?Bad PR. I guess this just the first salvo in bad PR that Infinity may face. I have made my own cost benefit analysis (as apparently Infinity has done) and instead of spending sums on legal fees which I will not be able to recoup in the courts, I instead will allocate those funds towards disuading as many new car customers as possible NOT to purchase any Nissan/Inifinity products. Nothing personal of course.

thanks for your comments.

They may be irritated that you keep spelling Infiniti wrong.

I mean, the car's been in your driveway for 3 to 4 years...

sardonicus wrote: If you do a little more research on this engine from Nissan there are issues re excessive oil consumption that evidently the dealers do not divulge.

As an Infiniti Certified Master tech I give you my word that there is no secret consumption issue in the V6 FX. I really have to scratch my head on this. Calling CA will initiate a report, once the report is filed the people at Consumer Affairs call the service director at the shop to get their side of the story. If you car is under warranty they will usually resolve the issue without a second call if it is something that can be proven. I have spent the last half decade researching, driving and fixing all of these cars so as have many of the members of this forum. If there is something you need help with and if there is actually something we can help with you came to the right place for help.

Some of us come to this forum to try to help everyone either fix their own car, or point them to someone that can help them out. The majority of us not only own these cars but recommend them to family and friends. Infiniti stands behind their product if something is wrong the 5/70 powertrain warranty usually covers incidentals.

sardonicus wrote:My advice is to buy any other car than infinity. I have 2006 fx35 w/ 24k miles, took to dealer because engine warning light on and car exhaust smoke. Told they had no idea why car smoking but to add fuel additive and drive at least 2 tankfulls. Within 2 weeks, car smoking worse and other mechanic (not dealer) found no oil in car. Took back to dealer and told me needed new engine and that infinity would not cover since engine "sludged". Manager said not their problem since I drove the car out of the dealership. Had 6 oil changes in 24k! Evidently, excessive oil use common w/ cars but infinity does NOT inform customers....DON'T BUY INFINITY

How often do you check your oil?

My Infiniti is the best vehicle I have ever owned. I check my oil weekly and just gave it its 30th oil change last week.

I immediately check the oil right after adding 5 new quarts of oil. If you have your oil changed by someone else you should be checking the dipstick prior to starting the vehicle and driving away.

From reading your post it appears that you didn't check your oil even before taking the vehicle to the dealer. Shame on you!

Telcoman

I am on my 4th Infiniti and will continue to buy them in the future. I have never had a problem. Sounds like you got a lemon.

Oh and thanks AZ for pointing out the spelling of Infiniti. It is puzzling to me how people will spend $30-$40K on a vehicle that they drive everyday and don't know how to spell the name of the car that they bought??

Do you not check the oil levels after each oil change you said you got?? I mean I know you are paying to not have to worry about those things but I personally don't even trust family so you can be sure I go over the car thoroughly after each visit to the dealer just to ease my mind.

And if the engine were smoking wouldn't that be a good indicator to you that you yourself need to check the oil level and if the dipstick is dry then I driving it wouldn't be a good idea??

Just my $0.02.

I'd certainly accept that on occasion, CA gets it wrong - Way wrong. So do techs and service menagers - I've done that dance before.

However, I'd be curious to hear the dealership's position on this particular case as to why they're denying responsibility.

AZhitman wrote: However, I'd be curious to hear the dealership's position on this particular case as to why they're denying responsibility.

You should try to find out the states lemon laws, I know if you were in California the state would for sure be on your side given you reported it and then it failed.

Keep pushing up through the ranks, Nissan in the old days was great, today the do suck in terms of getting results through corporate. It is unfortuate, if you get a good car there are no issues, but my dealership for my XTerra says Nissan is not reasonable anymore.

You need to push this, also another avenue to take is an local TV reporter that looks for "consumer on your side" type of stuff.

Steve, I know I shouldn't, but I can't stay away from this one.

There HAS to be more to this story than we are hearing. 6 Oil changes in 24,000 miles is normal (recommended change 3750 miles). If the check engine light was on and the car was smoking when it went to the dealership, then the "damage" had already been done. If the oil was completely empty again two weeks later, then most likely, the engine was already toast before it was brought in. The check engine light will come on WELL before the cars oil is empty, and before any damage would be done. If a car with that few miles, was smoking that bad, the light HAD to have been on for quite some time prior to the visit.

The check engine light is there for a reason. It means "Check Engine SOON"! If an owner chooses to ignore it, and wait to have it investigated, then any damage is NOT the responsibility of the manufacturer or dealership. Owners have to take resoponsibility for proper maintenence and monitoring of their vehicles. The warranty booklets all state this clearly.

As far as the Nissan/Infinity engine having documented oil consumption issues, with all the resources available to consumers now, (TSB and Recall Info on line, etc), this is a VERY easy item to prove / disprove. With "Hundreds" of hours of research done on the topic, I am sure that some of these "documented" issues could be shared, but I do not see a reference to any.

We are not getting the whole story here.

I agree that the overall quality of Nissan/Infiniti is mediocore. Far to many expensive mechanical, engine or electrical issues seem to just carry over from year to year model to model---and Infiniti just plays dumb and cannot offer a sufficient solution.

The only good thing Infiniti has going for itself is that they make fun to drive cars with high output engines. But for the money folks pay to drive them...the numerous, expensive, recurring problems simply outweigh the the positives. Infiniti CA is a joke too for the most part.

seldomseen wrote:I agree that the overall quality of Nissan/Infiniti is mediocore. Far to many expensive mechanical, engine or electrical issues seem to just carry over from year to year model to model---and Infiniti just plays dumb and cannot offer a sufficient solution.

Come on seriously, what cars don't age. BMW is notorious for electrical issues and people continue to drink their cool aid. When a model line is commissioned there is typically production run using the same parts it is just how and assembly line using several sourced components works. Infiniti doesn't necessarily play dumb they just hear so much whining from people they need to sort out the legitimate problems.

I've got a few questions for the purpose of furthering this interesting debate. Mediocre compared to what?What are you expecting out of a car? Are we talking about new or used?

As a whole Infiniti has an above average initial quality rating, for new models.

Prior to 2007 the build quality was decent, but as their resale value reflects not that great. No manufacturer is building cars for the second owner and the second go around is never the same as the cars first. Although the deals can sway the new owners perception.

http://www.jdpower.com/autos/Infiniti/2009

I don't know check it out for yourself.

sardonicus wrote:My advice is to buy any other car than infinity. I have 2006 fx35 w/ 24k miles, took to dealer because engine warning light on and car exhaust smoke. Told they had no idea why car smoking but to add fuel additive and drive at least 2 tankfulls. Within 2 weeks, car smoking worse and other mechanic (not dealer) found no oil in car. Took back to dealer and told me needed new engine and that infinity would not cover since engine "sludged". Manager said not their problem since I drove the car out of the dealership. Had 6 oil changes in 24k! Evidently, excessive oil use common w/ cars but infinity does NOT inform customers....DON'T BUY INFINITY

Is your car is already out of warranty?

Sounds like the real issue could be your dealer if he told you to drive it around with additives without saying anything else. I would think they at the very least would know what the cause was and giving you a repair quote before telling you to do that.

I hope you got this resolved by now.

Ok, does anybody really believe this guy actually owns and Infiniti after he keeps spelling it INFINITY in his post? Also, if he really talked to a lawyer, he would have learned that attorney fees are paid by the manufacturer for breach of warranty claims. What a poser.

All I can say is bull crap, you take care of an Infiniti chances are you'll have very few issues with it. Early Q's sure, after 10+ years and poor upkeep sure, but my 97' has and is still the most reliable car I have ever owned. It still runs like new, I have changed all fluids regularly since I got it in 2000.

Bottom line is these are better then average, WAY better then average. BMW, MB, etc are all way worse. Toyotas are good but my bro's 96' LS400 has had all the standard stuff break and their trannys are worse.

I believe the way you take care of the car is 95% of how well the car performs and acts in its old age (past 10 years). My 84' 300ZX is on its 7th timing belt, 3rd alternator, 2nd starter, 2nd radiator, 3rd theromstat, 2nd CHPS, 2nd Power Steer rack and original engine and one rebuilt manual tranny if 170k. The motor is still strong as an ox and the car only stranded me once. Today it is a weekend car and cost me 1-2k every 5 years for a few issues. Let's see an old Bimmer that is still at that level on original stuff.

marlin29311 wrote:Umm, so you're coming onto an Infinti Forum to tell us not to like our cars or buy them?

Did you take the time to call Infiniti Corporate and file a complaint against your dealer and explain the situation?

Did you take the time to bring the car to another dealer to see if they would have the problem rectified?

well said

My 2001 QX4 was a great car and it had 266,000 miles on it when I traded it for my 2006 FX35. I don't care for the price of the service at Infiniti, which is why I did most of my own maintenance on the QX4. These are excellent auto's if you take care of them. There is always the chance of a lemon, but the dealership has to play a part in determining that. It definitely sounds like some detail is missing from this story...

SteveTheTech wrote:Does your car have a salvage title?

Why is it you say you have called CA and still got no action, if you are the first owner with <30k miles you should have no issue. The only reasoning this tends to happen is the problem is not related to a defect in manufacturing or workmanship. Or the warranty has been voided for some reason.

I have personally been working on these cars since they were new and have never seen anyone in my shop replace a VQ35DE for any warrantable reason. There are no reported issues of these consuming oil. There are customers that bring their 03 in with almost 200k on them with no significant oil consumption.

This makes me question what kind of vehicle you bought. Did you buy it from a dealer? Did you have the car inspected before purchasing it used?

Something does no seem right here.

Is there anyone still on this tread alive and well???!!!

WECHSLERL wrote:Is there anyone still on this tread alive and well???!!!

He probably went out and bought a Nissan. I've been to several other Infiniti Dealerships and all were very professional and 'nice' / service oriented. Maybe he went into an Audi dealership instead (I've been to one that was HORRIBLE)