Hey everybody,

I've had an account on here for a few years, love the site and all of the passionate enthusiasts here who share so much great information. I have a 2006 M35 sport that is nearing 250,000 miles, it has been in the family since new. The car has never had any major mechanical issues and has been very well taken care of, just burns a little oil which must be topped off in between changes. I inherited the car from my dad and have had it at my university for a few years now. I take it in for routine oil changes at the Acura dealer I used to work at, and it checks out fine each time they do an inspection.

My question though is this: How much longer can this go on? I want to keep it for as long as I can, but I know nothing lasts forever. What else should I do beyond routine maintenance to make the car last as long as possible? Also, what is the highest mileage M that anyone has seen so far? Is the transmission usually what puts the nail in the coffin? Any insight would be appreciated since I never see posts discussing mechanical issues that total the price of the car.

Thanks!

- Will

P.S. The engine runs a little rough upon startup (infamous valve slapping noise). Any tips to get things running smooth again are welcome.

The VQ engines easily get to 250K very often, so that is generally never the weak link, transmission in my experience only last so long however. so this just comes down to what it's worth to you to fix once it needs to be replaced. Many times it's outright better to buy another M35 or something like that if a major repair like that one comes up

414K on this M35X

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbXIVLvi9d4

Being gentle while letting the car get up to operating temperature, smooth driving, and preventative maintenance are obviously key.

There are loads of members with over 100k miles in this forum and a few with more than 200k miles. I reckon the only reason we don't have more nigh mileage members is because their cars are traded at dealers or sold to people who are not forum members ... so their cars simply vanish from the forum, but go on to live a long and happy life.
Your car is at the point where a large repair can equal or come very close to the monetary value of the entire car (depending on appearance, leather condition, dash, etc).
If you keep up with the oil / filter changes (3,500mi) and keep the maintenance (especially fluids) up to date, you have removed all of the major causes for failure.

All but one: that tricky, sneaky bastard known as "fate" or "chance". There will come a day when that crooked, wrinkled finger from on high will curve downward, point at your car and growl: "Ah HAAAA! I've been looking for you !".

At that point, you need to calmly consider your options. You can take the money you have been saving for 250k miles and use it to replace the gear box, radiator, water pump, etc. OR You can trade the car (getting near enough to nothing for it) and buy a newer car. Consider that newer car may come with newer, less reliable, more complicated equipment along with a new monthly expense called a car payment. When face with this choice, examine your present financial shape and consider the expenses you expect to have in the coming 5 years or so (a home, a new baby, etc) and decide if an additional car payment will chuck the monthly budget into the crapper.

There is no right or wrong answer here. There is just what's 'right' for you.

I traded my 2007 M35x for my current 2011 M56x with 142kmi on it and zero issues other than a squeaky engine belt (why I was at the dealer - I do my own DIY but couldn't get it to stop). Instead of walking out with a quiet M35x I walked out with paperwork for a 5.6L M56x lol. If I hadn't traded it in, I'd probably be approaching over just over 200kmi now and the car would probably be still fine.

There is a reason why I'm on my second M.

The M56x is going to cost me a bit soon as I need to change the catalytic converters which require pulling the motor (since Infiniti engineers decided it'd be a great revenue stream for their dealers to make the manifold part of the converter)...looking at like $3-4k. Otherwise, I've had no issues with my M56x which just hit 118kmi (outside of issues I caused lol).

Ilya wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 16, 2018 7:33 am

The M56x is going to cost me a bit soon as I need to change the catalytic converters which require pulling the motor...looking at like $3-4k. Otherwise, I've had no issues with my M56x which just hit 118kmi (outside of issues I caused lol).

Curious about the oil you have been using in the M56x & how often do you change it?
Seems like the cats should be good for far more then 118k miles!

steve_c wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 17, 2018 1:15 pm

Ilya wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 16, 2018 7:33 am

The M56x is going to cost me a bit soon as I need to change the catalytic converters which require pulling the motor...looking at like $3-4k. Otherwise, I've had no issues with my M56x which just hit 118kmi (outside of issues I caused lol).

Curious about the oil you have been using in the M56x & how often do you change it?
Seems like the cats should be good for far more then 118k miles!

Mobil1 0W-40 every 5kmi like clockwork.

@lanta wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 07, 2018 10:37 am

... The engine runs a little rough upon startup (infamous valve slapping noise). Any tips to get things running smooth again are welcome.

If it is indeed the common VQ35DE engine noise, then the first thing would be to check your dipstick and ensure the oil is at the correct level.
If that checkes out and the sound still irritated you, the proper solution was to replace the timing chain guides which are most probably broken. The redesigned ones would ensure that the timing chain rattle went away.

194k 06 m35 vq35de with 22s and a few engine things like Cai, Intake manifold spacer that's it. Itruns like a champ. Idle a little high but I am about to make sure it runs at least 100k I'll be good.